Beating the Bridge

Today I ran the 27th Annual Beat The Bridge 8-k to support juvenile diabetes research. I don't think I know anyone that's affected by diabetes, so while I can appreciate the cause it's not really personal to me. I really just ran it because it's the start of running season and I've never done an 8-k before. As an fyi - an 8-k is just a hair under 5 miles.

The goal of the actual run is to get over the University Bridge (near UW) before they raise it (it's a drawbridge). This happens at the 2 mile mark and the bridge goes up 20 minutes after the last group (the one I was in) starts. Sadly, or not so sadly, I did not make it across before they raised it. It's sad because I think I was moving at a pretty good pace for me, and if I had started further up in the wave I might have made it. I don't have my timing for it yet, but if my watch is any guide I think I was running somewhere between a 10:00 and 11:00 minute mile. On the other hand, I did get another new t-shirt out of the deal, this time one of those wicking ones that is supposed to be good for running and keeping you dry. It will have to be put into the running shirt rotation now.

I rarely ever run outside, so this was sort of a special treat for me. Usually I'm on a treadmill at the gym watching television and trying to keep up with the belt. If I end up looking at anything it's the people on the treadmill in front of me, which doesn't give you a lot of variety in the scenery. Running outside was a revelation. The last few 5-ks that I've run I was too tired and had to focus too much on just making it through to pay much attention to the scenery. This time, all I really had to focus on was not running too fast and tiring myself out too early, so I had plenty of attention and energy to spare for looking at the water as we ran over the bridges, admiring the trees, watching my fellow racers and smiling at the people lining the streets to cheer us on.

I don't think I've ever come out of a run feeling more energized and proud of myself. I had one goal: finish without stopping or walking when I didn't have to. I stopped once because of the bridge. I have not yet mastered the art of running without some sort of surface under me. That was at mile two and lasted maybe three minutes. Long enough for me to catch my breath a bit but not long enough to really constitute a rest. After mile three I stopped for about 30 seconds to get a drink of water. Some people can run and drink at the same time, but I'm not one of them. That's it. I let hills do the work for me when going down (and got a bit of a speed boost out of it too), and I accepted that I was going to move a little slower going up. When not on a hill of some sort, I tried to keep a steady pace with the occasional speed burst to get around slower runners. At mile three I decided that I was going to push myself for the last mile, and as I rounded the corner and saw the big balloon "4", I sped up to a pace that I thought I could handle for the last mile. In retrospect I think I had a little bit more that I could have left on the field, but there wasn't much and I'm still proud of myself for finishing at the speed I did.

Now, I can't wait for the Seafair 8-k. I know the area that I'll be running in for that one, since it's downtown and I live downtown. Plus, I ran part of the course last year during the 5-k. I may or may not make my goal of doing the half marathon in November in under two hours, but today gave me the confidence that I will be able to finish it and the understanding that when I do I'm going to be proud of myself no matter how long it takes.

By the way, if you have diabetes, know someone that does, or just need a charity to donate some money to (like to get a charitable deduction on your tax return) you can still donate even though the race is over. Just go to my BtB homepage and do what feels natural. I would appreciate it, and so will all of the people that your money goes to to help.