Beat The Bridge 2008 Race Report

Another distance, another PR. This first year of running is fun. :)

Beat The Bridge, 8K(5 miles(actually 4.97, but I'm rounding up)) in 39:34 (7:54/mile)(watch time). Ah, official results are in: 39:31. 616/1970 overall males, 85/287 age group.

Official Results HERE

I'm still stunned by that time. I didn't have anything left at the end like I felt I did at the 10K, so that was a good learning experience for this race. Much easier course than Tacoma, gentle hills up and down, nice quiet residential areas. Just a really good race.

The drive down was fin, about 25 minutes, until I got off and probably cut some people off trying to get into parking by Husky Stadium. I didn't realize the backup in the right lane, all the way back to the off ramp from the freeway was people backed up for parking. Oops.

Had a CLIF nectar bar and water on the drive down to fuel up like the last race and that seemed to work just fine.

miles 1 through 3
24:07 (8:03/mile)

Same problem as the 10K, couldn't find any mile markers until later in the race. I know I started out much more aggressively, but the fuster cluck that was the start meant I didn't go out too fast. They had us in waves, but they were very loosely sorted, and all the classic, walker in the front, stop running after a minute in the middle of the road, not start running till on top of the mat stuff was going on. It didn't help that I was really ready to run. I think I was the only one in my wave bobbing around like an idiot trying to stay loose. I was actually twitchy and nervous and excited once I got there. I'd been fine all week thinking of it as more of a fun run, but once I got there I started getting pigeon sized butterflies.

Over the Montlake Bridge right after the start, and the corrugated metal roadway on the bridge was a little odd feeling. Couldn't see the water below me, so no vertigo at least.

Water station, that I didn't stop at, was probably around mile 1 or so. People seemed neater at Tacoma, more effort to actually throw the water cups in the garbage, not just tossing it to the ground. in the middle of the road.

Came down a hill and looked up and realized that this must be the University Bridge, which gave me a little bit of a kick, because I had been obsessing all last week about making sure I could 'Beat the Bridge'. Just before the turn onto the bridge a band was playing Radar Love, a personal favorite, and a great peppy song. (Actually, I think I need to go download this... :))

I was over the other side bridge at 18 and change on my watch (over 2 miles distance wise) when I heard the horn signalling the raising of the bridge. Yay me! No real cheering from any of us runners who had made it, I think we were all busy paying attention to the corrugated roadway, and running. :)

Finally came around a corner and up a hill and hit a mile marker, and could get a feel for how I was doing.

mile 4
7:52

A mostly flat mile back in front of Husky Stadium, and back near the start

Mile marker for the end of mile for was on a out and back leg on the same street (Montlake). I took the split at 6:16 when I saw the marker,went "that can't be right", realized we doubled back to that spot and the 1:35 that added made sense. :)

mile 5
7:35

This last mile was kind of odd, cutting through the back part of the campus, behind the sports building and the Stadium, and after some teases, finally into the stadium and to the finish line at the 50 yard line.

Saw a guy take a tumble as he tripped over something, his own feet, bad road, someone else, who knows. He bounced back up and wasn't obviously bleeding, so he must have been OK.

I really pushed this last mile (obviously). I was picking people off, and knew I didn't need to leave anything for another mile of running. :) I gunned it the last few hundred yards down the finishing chute, crossed the finish line, and dead stop. They had the chip people too far forward in my opinion and that meant it was backing things up.

I realized as I was running i, that I'd never been inside Husky Stadium (that I remember) before. Kind of odd.

Post race:

Great swag compared to Tacoma or even St' Pats Dash. They actually gave us a bag of stuff as we finished, and the vendors had some good stuff too.

Snagged a bottle of water and a banana, and got back on the road to home

Great Race. And I I know I can go out in the next earlier wave next year because now I'm in the 7s. :)

Added: Only downside was the chips they issued. They were mounted on thin 1" velcron on nylon straps, kind of like you'd use to tie back cabling. I've got cuts all around my ankles, from the tops and bottoms of the straps. The joys of running races. A little looser next time maybe :)

This week I should be up to 15 miles. 3 on M, W, Th and 6 on Sat. The current plan is to hold this level for another 6 or 7 weeks to get a good base of mileage before I start training for the marathon. I've got another pair of 10Ks; on June 21 (at my Moms in Long Beach), and 4th of July as part of this and then I'll be increasing my mileage. We'll see how that settles out. I've been making so much progress, that I really want to keep moving up, but I know I need to settle down and let my body get into a groove and recover before I really start beating on it.