Am I nuts?
A few months ago I signed up for the Inaugural Newport Pell Bridge Run, which is a four mile run from Jamestown to Newport across the East Passage of Narragansett Bay via the two mile long Newport Pell Bridge (which is normally not open to pedestrians.) It seemed like a pretty cool idea at the time. The bridge is one of the best know landmarks around here. And the views from the top of the bridge of Narragansett Bay and Newport are spectacular (not to say iconic.)
I guess I didn't read the small print very closely. The start of the race is at 6:30 am, I have to pick up the shuttle bus from Newport to the start at 5:30, which means I will have to leave home around 4:45, which in turn means I will have to get up around 4:00 am.
Ouch!
But wait. It gets worse.
The race is tomorrow. A Sunday! A Sunday during the Newport Laser fleet frostbiting season! I never thought of that complication.
So let's see, if I can run the race and get back to the car by 7:30 say, I can be home and showered and ready for (a second) breakfast by 8:30-9:00, rest for an hour or two, and then head back down to Newport at 11-ish to be in time to rig and launch my Laser in time for the first start at 1:00 pm.
Not a problem.
Phew!
Let's see. What's the weather forecast for tomorrow?
SW winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. waves 2 to 3 ft.
Pretty good Laser sailing weather. But it's sure to be a little... ummm... strenuous, to say the least. Not exactly a relaxing Sunday afternoon's doddle round the bay. And I will be doing it after getting up at 4am and slogging across that bloody bridge. That bloody, iconic bridge.
Is this a good idea at my age?
Am I nuts?
19 comments:
You can do it! Here's your secret weapon.
Izzat ice???? (I clicked on the photo.) U R nutz, Sir.
There's really no need to return home. Tow your Kirby Sailboat to Newport, leave it at the launch site, and drive to the start of the run.
You'll be the first person ever to run across the Pell Bridge in a drysuit.
That way, you can do both events in one trip and no one will think you're nuts.
Thanks Harry.
Doc - the picture (like most of the pictures on this blog) was just stolen from some other website. There is no ice on Narragansett Bay this week,
O - great idea. Actually my Laser is already in Newport, so I don't really need to go home at all. Would being the first person to run the Pell Bridge in a drysuit (or wetsuit) get me into the Guinness Book of Records?
I think you may be in real luck.
The only record involving a wetsuit at the Guinness site involves swimming the longest under ice while holding one's breath.
So, you may be able to set both records in one day.
doooooooo iiiiiiiiiitttttt
doooooo iiiiiiiitttt
.
.
Pistachio.
'
Run done.
me, too.
Good for you Betty. Hope you are going to blog about it.
And here's a weird coincidence...
The results are now posted. Mine are wrong in that they show the gun time and the net time as the same, when they should be about two and a half minutes different. I assume that means that my chip didn't trigger the start time properly.
But assuming they got my gun time at the finish right, I crossed the line just 4 seconds after Newport Betty (who left a comment above and whose real name I happen to know because of an email she sent me a few months ago about a comment I left on another blog.) We were probably running quite close to each other the whole race!
And out of 2500 runners, she's the only other runner to leave a comment here. How strange is that, possum?
@ tillerman: absolutely. look for pics in a little while. oh, but you'll be sailing ...
omg, i just noticed your subsequent comment. that's too much. now i have to check out the results just to see for myself (not that i don't take your word for it). after that, i'll post my pics ...
Have fun on the water! Should feel a bit refreshing after a long run, haha. Good luck.
Newport Betty's account of the race is here. If you look closely you can see me in one of her photos.
I said we must have been running close to each other.
Post a Comment