Bloomsday Recap

On Sunday was a 12K in my city, and I was blessed to have my partner and Chewy join me for it.  Great time had by the three of us.  This was technically Chewy's second 12K, but her first done on her own two feet, and her longest race to date.  She did great, and as you will read, is already making plans.  As for me, this was my 8th time doing this race.  It was much better this time around compared to my last Bloomsday experience with the broken stroller.

The time was 745am, and it is well known in my town that Bloomsday means 50,000+ runners take over the streets of downtown, and then wind their way around the west side of the city.  This also means that roads are closed, parking is horrible, and if you can take mass transit, you should!  We opted to take the city bus which was running a special from a mall near us to the race starting point.  This started to feel a lot like Phoenix since I took a bus there, but this time it was sunny and warm, and I wasn't being dropped off at the edge of a desert. 

Bloomsday has a staggered start.  The wheelchairs leave before 9am.  Elite runners leave at 9am.  Everyone else just starts in 10 minute intervals for about an hour or so after the elite.  By the time we started, the elite runners were crossing the finish line.  I will not be running a 12K in 34 minutes, and I am just fine with that.  But they really are amazing to watch.  We did get to see the awards ceremony, and it was so interesting to hear the accomplishments of these runners.
This is the race that reminded me of how much more training I need to do with hills.  I have gotten a little lazy with hill work.  Spokane is a tough place to race because of all the hills, and Bloomsday has its fair share of them including one hill lovingly called Doomsday.  It is a 3/4 mile climb!  Guess where I will be spending more time.  But one of the best parts of this race was at the bottom of this hill.  A woman filled a wagon with bananas of every color (some green, some yellow, some browning), and was selling them for $1 each.  The top of the hill is the 5 mile mark, and if you have kept up with me, you know I eat a banana at 5 miles.  $3 later, we each were munching on this quick energy source, and Chewy was expressing how grand it was to have this.  Perfect bit of energy before tackling this hill.  On this hill, we found Waldo...

This is somewhere along Mile 6.  Clearly Chewy is similar to her mother, always smiling in race photos.


Aside from the hills, this race was easy for me.  Short distance which didn't leave me feeling worn out at the end, or even through the rest of the day.  Good reminder of what I need to work on.  Excellent way for me to evaluate what I need to do for my next race.  And most of all, it reminded me about my need for people.  Bloomsday has such a large community following here.  People throw parties at their homes just to cheer on runners.  Chewy also commented on how she enjoyed the community support.  She found it energizing and encouraging.  As tired as she was (double header soccer games the day before, plus everything else soccer and running related during the week), she was able to keep going thanks to the crowds.

The time:  2:21:09.  18:55 mile. 

Perfect!  Not so slow that it was dreadful.  Not so fast that I was exhausted.  No soreness.  Great pace as we just followed Chewy's lead and she was worn out before the race ever started.  If I was to keep that same pace, a half would be completed in my normal 4 hours and a couple minutes time.  I consider Bloomsday a success.  Chewy is already asking that we make this a family tradition every spring.  I suspect that we will jog some of it in future years.  Medals are not given after this race, but we do get lovely shirts.



So what is the future plan of racing?  Chewy and I have a couple 5Ks this summer.  But the next race for me is in...

18 Days for the CDA Half.