 |
| Finisher Tshirt! |
Ok, so Bloomsday was back on May 5th....I know, I know....I'm really slow about getting this post created, but I think I still have some fun stories to share. So here it goes!
Bloomsday is always on the first Sunday of May, which means that it very regularly falls near my birthday. This year I considered this event to be part of my birthday weekend. I was totally excited to run the race this year....let me emphasize the word "run". I'm originally from the Spokane area, so I've done Bloomsday numerous times in the past. But this year was going to be different. It was my first time participating in Bloomsday as a "real" runner.
I had plans to meet up with people before and after the race, but I was going to run this race alone....and so I did!
 |
| Getting on the bus |
Take note of our awesome attire before the race. Even though the day was beautiful, it's still a little cold in the early morning. So runners will pick out items of clothing that they are willing to donate to the Goodwill and wear it before the race. My little sis, Laura was wearing this super funny sweatshirt that our Mom made in the early 80s. I think I actually remember my Mom wearing that thing. You can't tell from the picture, but I was wearing this blue long-sleeved Tshirt that had a stain on the front and had become mis-shapen over time. We discarded these beauties before the race by throwing them into the trees.....sure hope they find a good home :)
The bus ride was fun. Even though we had no plans to run the race together, it was good to have support and not feel so alone in this race of about 50,000 people.
Once we got into downtown Spokane, we had to find our color zones. This year I was in the Orange Zone....super proud to move out of the walking zones....go me! Laura and Reid went into the Green Zone. We still had about an hour before the race officially started. I decided to find a good spot as close to the front of the Orange Zone as I could find and get prepped for the race. I put on my headphones, rocked out, and got into a good headspace.
If you have never experienced Bloomsday before, let me tell you a little bit about the start. Each color zone has a scheduled time to start. While we are waiting, more people crowd in. There is music playing over loud speakers and people like to pass around beach balls throughout the crowd. As I mentioned before, this was the first time I was by myself at the beginning of the race. I kind of became a loaner with my head phones on, but I was still friendly enough to help people take group pics with their cell phones and tell another racer all about my Road ID when she asked :)
Oh, by the way....I decided to wear my older pair of running shoes. My new ones are completely broken in yet and with this being a longer race, I didn't want any issues.
Ok...it's race time for the Orange Zone. One cool thing about the race these days is that it is chip timed. The race officials know exactly when you step across the start line. In the old days, you always had to pay attention to how long it took you to actually reach the start time. Then when you found your finish time in the newspaper, you had to do a little math and tell everyone your "real" time.
The first mile or so into Bloomsday is always interesting. There are so many people and we are all shoulder to shoulder. So it's not easy to find a good pace right away. But, I had my trusty music on and I was playing my "Run FASTER" play list. I tried to just keep running solid and do my best to zig and zag, in and out of the crowd. After about 2 miles, I started to get a little bit more personal space, but don't get me wrong....there are always people around you at every mile of Bloomsday.
Alright, I'm running along and make it to the first of 3 significant hills. I decided to dig down and make it up the hill strong. I channeled my friends Chris O. and Madison....one foot in front of the other, don't stop, get up that hill!!
This was how I managed to make my way through the first 5 miles of the race. Things were going well.....and then there was Doomsday Hill. This hill is very similar to many hills in the Pullman area that I choose NOT to run up regularly. My body is not conditioned for big hills....something I need to work on. When I saw Doomsday, my thought was....."screw it"...I'm going to walk!! Which was exactly what I did. I allowed myself to walk up that dang hill. This year they actually timed how long it took each racer to get up Doomsday....my time was 7:42....it did kind of take me forever!
But when I got to the top of the hill, I had to get my butt in gear again and find a good pace. This part of the race is one of my favorites. It's through residential streets and people are always out on their lawns to cheer everyone on. I even found Butch T. Cougar....gave him a 'high five' and a "Go Cougs!".
Some people also like to use sprinklers or hoses to help cool down the runners on the hot days.
This year I was happy to get spritzed when I could....there was just one problem. Whenever I went near the water, I felt like I was going to pee my pants! How embarrassing would that have been?!? Even though I hated to take the time, it had to be done....I made a pit stop around 6.5 miles into the race. Whew....I felt so much better! And back onto the course I went :)
Knowing I only had about a mile left of the race, I was starting to dig deeper to keep going. Then suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see someone I know in one of the medic tents along the side. It was my Aunt Paula. She was a volunteer, helping out the runners. I decided to go say hello. I ran right up to Paula, tapped her on the shoulder and stood there with a big smile on my face. I still had my head phones blasting, so we couldn't really have a conversation. I could tell that she was asking me if I was doing ok....I gave her a hug and 2 thumbs up! Then I was again on my way to the finish line.
The best part of Bloomsday is turning the corner and seeing the finish line. I got a little shot of adrenaline and finished strong. It felt so good to be done!!! :)
Ok....so my time...my goal time was 1 hour 30 minutes. I didn't quite make that time. My finish time was 1:42:28. I've decided that I'm happy with that time.....especially after walking up Doomsday, taking a pit stop, and visiting with my Aunt. Good times!!
After the finish line, it takes awhile before you get to the water station. Once I finally got there, I downed 4 glasses of the yummy hydrant water. Then I moved on to find my T-shirt. The Bloomsday T-shirt design is always a secret. You never know what it is going to look like until you cross the finish line and claim your prize. I was so happy with the colors this year....gray, teal, and orange...pretty!
Alright, I have my tshirt now, I need to find my sister and my sister-in-law. They both finished way before me....great job ladies.
I found Erin first. She did amazing in her 2nd Bloomsday. Shaved off a few minutes from last year. Her finish time was 1:10:39. The picture above is of the 1st and 2nd place finishers of people with the same last name....we Rocked it!! Thank you to Erin, Aaron, and Kate for waiting for me to finish. I really appreciated the hugs before you left for home.
Then I found Laura....she ran like the wind. Laura's finish time was 53:42. She will be in the elite division next year...for sure!
I need to do a little plug for my little sister. The T-shirt she is wearing in the picture above is for her business, "Laura Hunter Nutrition". Check out her website: http://www.laurahunternutrition.com/
You can also get some really great tips from her on facebook.
Bloomsday was a success....I'm already looking forward to next year....keep moving your feet!!
Hi Denise -
ReplyDeleteYou were a little slow in blogging about Bloomsday and then I was even slower reading about it but I finally got here! Great Job Girl! You constantly amaze me with your determination and your follow through. My hat is off to you!
Hugs,
Mary