Beat The Bridge

I ran the Beat The Bridge 8k this morning. The race benefits Diabetes research, and is hosted by Nordstrom. The course runs over the Montlake Bridge by Husky Stadium in Seattle, and then the bridge to beat is the Roosevelt Bridge, which lifts about 24 minutes into the race.  I beat the bridge, but it was not a rout.

The best part of today, by far, was it was a family affair. My wife and I got up at 5 AM or so, with the help of an outlaw rooster. We made the drive down and met her daughter, husband, and others. In particular, Deb's 5 month old granddaughter participated, in a stroller. So very cute, so very cool.

I think Beat the Bridge was my first for fee race in Washington State. I ran it in 1986, 31 years ago! I remember being really excited with the idea of a challenge--Beat The Bridge!--and then finding that it wasn't all that tough to beat. I talked a couple roommates into joining me. Not my first fee race--I did a few in Washington DC before that.

Cherry Blossom Ten Miler

I ran the 40^th anniversary of Washington D.C.’s Cherry Blossom 10 miler on Sunday.  This is one of the more popular road races in America, with approximately 15,000 runners each year, and a lottery for entry.  As a native of Virginia and Maryland, I’ve been aware of this event all my life, and have always thought it’d be a good race to run someday.

That said, I wasn’t completely sure until race day as to whether or not I had ever ran it.  I ran a 10 miler in downtown DC when I was in high school, which may have been my first non-school event. It was a pretty well known race at the time, with the results posted in the Washington Post.  It was called the Hecht’s Ten Miler, or something like that, and all I remember is it went through Rock Creek Park.  This was not that race, but I didn't know for sure until Sunday, as I figured the race sponsor could've changed.

The Cherry Blossom turned out to be a terrific event, as I expected. I would recommend traveling to this event over many destination marathons.  Yes, it’s shorter.  But the course is spectacular, filled with Memorial sightings, perhaps at the prettiest time of year for downtown DC. And the course is fast, with wave starts for the faster peeps. The men’s winner set a course record this year, averaging about 4:31 per mile. Kenyans.

The start line is next to the Washington Monument. It's sort of exciting to approach the race start, as crowds arrive via various Metro subway stations, early Sunday morning.  Race starts at 7:30 AM.  The race first circles the Monument, and then winds down around the Lincoln Memorial.  Around mile 2.5 everyone does a circle around a roundabout, after crossing the Potomac River, creating an impressive stream of people, coming and going.
 

The race then goes out around Jefferson Memorial, which at first stands out prominently across the water, and then grows bigger as you near it.  From there, it is out to Haines Point, just like the loop in the Marine Corps Marathon, with a returning view of the Capitol Building, and then a finish back at the Washington Monument. A swarm of people fill the Monument grounds afterwards.

One of my favorite moments turned out to be the national anthem. The anthem managed to silence a very loud crowd, preparing for the race. There was something touching about those moments, seeing everyone suddenly stop, pause, and look towards the flags surrounding the Washington Monument.

The cherry blossoms were mostly gone, having peaked a few weeks earlier.  Cherry blossoms are a Washington D.C. tradition, marking spring.  They truly do look beautiful.  I saw them featured in the quiet time of the Sunday Morning show a couple weeks before.

A good trip back home, as always.  I managed to mix work, family, and play, making the most of the visit.  I’d go back and do this race again, for sure.

The Marine Corps Marathon is another good one like this, of course, and may well be my favorite marathon.  Another guy who likes the Marine Corps Marathon a lot is Bob Dolphin, who happened to pin down his 500^th marathon in Yakima this past weekend.  Congrats to Bob on this remarkable, mind-boggling achievement. 

 

Race Expo in National Building Museum

 

 Riding the Metro to the race at 6 AM

 

Waiting for the start at the Washington Monument

 

 Running behind the Lincoln Memorial

 The Jefferson Memorial at about Mile 5

 Runners running

Cherry blossoms

Wedding in Virginia

This weekend took me back to Virginia for my sister’s wedding, and a brief hot August visit with the family.  I am thrilled for my younger sister and her new husband, a very nice gentleman.  The wedding was a sterling affair in a nice country club in Haymarket, which just happens to be near Bull Run, where I ran a 50 miler earlier this year. 

The trip was a whirlwind for me, a test of endurance really, coming off strep throat.  I took a redeye flight on Jet Blue Friday evening, and then returned to northwest on Monday.  The flight path was abominable, though the best price, connecting through Long Beach, California.  It took something like 14 hours, door to door.  I liked Jet Blue, as they had real-time Direct TV in every seat.  I watched NFL football traveling each way, and managed to knock out a book too.

August is really not the best time of year to visit Virginia.  Weather was hot, humid, with occasional thunder and lightning storms.  The evenings are wonderful though, with the sounds of crickets and frogs outside, lightning bugs too, and the air just seems to relax a bit, after a tough day. The day of the wedding, the possibility of more storms was forecast, but fortunately never materialized.  The wedding itself was beautiful.  Great to see the family, even for such a brief time. 

Regarding running, I am reminded of when the great Kenny Rogers sang, "I need to drop in to see what condition my condition is in.”  I haven't ran in two weeks, due to a hamstring injury, strep throat, and travel.  It's been a tough time.  Somehow or another, I’ve managed to do 10+ events this year, and I know I need a break. Moreover, my hamstring is bugging me bad.  Even now, sitting here, I can feel tightness behind my knee. 

As for the fast-approaching Cascade Crest, I’d say I'm doubtful, but I'm still chewing on it a bit. I'm more inclined to focus on getting healthy for Annapurna in September. Still, the race is paid for, gorgeous and amazing, and so I'll leave it on the stove for now.

And, is summer gone already? What happened??  I’ll probably do something interesting this weekend, perhaps Sahale Arm, just to try to find the high country.

Neil's 50th

 

My cousin Neil hit his 50th birthday this past week, and celebrated in fine fashion, as noted above, exiting from the Bouncy Castle. Huge barbq with lots of family and long time friends at his homestead. An absolutely wonderful time, on a beautiful Saturday.

I first met Neil in the early '70s, on a family trip to the Northwest to visit. He taught me how to catch frogs, jump off houses, and take the training wheels off a bike. He is the older brother I never had, and I eventually lived in his house when I moved out here. We backpacked and camped as teens, as a family and in youth group. Tonga Ridge, Teeanaway, Potholes, Whidbey Island, Crescent Bar, Moran State Park-- lots of marvelous outdoor places, where I sometimes now find myself returning via trail running. 

Although I see Neil and others in the family on holidays and other occasions, it's never enough. "Don't forget your family!," my aunt clearly reminded me on Saturday.

I've been climbing Chinscraper a bunch in the past week or two. I think it's going to be an all hills diet for me for the next couple months, with some really big hills lined up for September. My ankle isn't 100%, but I decided to sign up for White River, because....well, everybody plays the fool. I'm sure it'll be ok--10 miles at a time, and a fine barbq at the finish.