Running and then blogging about it
8k 4

Bridge to 30 Minute Line to Brews Run

By Colleen @colleenalicia · On April 18, 2010

This morning I ran in the Bridge to Brews Run 8k. The main attraction of this run is that you get to run over the Fremont bridge, which you aren’t usually supposed to do because it’s a freeway bridge. I love running on places that I’m usually only allowed to drive.

The weather today is great, and I ran with my friend Chris from the zoo, so it was a pretty good time. It was also a pretty weird run. Essentially the Bridge to Brews Run is a 10k, with an 8k thrown in as an afterthought. There were probably only a few hundred people in the 8k, and with an exception of a few, they all seemed to have the intent of jogging the run. I’m pretty sure a lot of people signed up for the race with the sole intent of taking pictures from the Fremont Bridge. Not only are you not allowed to run on the bridge most of the time, you’re not allowed to be there at all unless you’re inside a car, and stopping on the freeway when you’re in your car is discouraged as well, so I guess I see why people thought this would be a good time to take pictures. This also further proves my theory that the places where people like to run are the same places that people like to take pictures. I actually just made that theory up right now, but it’s based on past observations.

One of the most exciting parts about the run was that the Read It and Weep boys took my request to do a live podcast for me during the marathon seriously, and showed up to practice during my 8k. It’s a good thing they did, because it didn’t go so well. Chris accidentally signed up for the 10k, Alex was whining about his ankle, and Ezra was nowhere to be seen. I’m sure they’ll have their act together by the time the marathon comes along.

I don’t really know what my time was, the clock said 38:2? when i crossed the line. Or something like that. I was happy that it was under 8 minute miles because my legs were really tired, and after the first 15 minutes I caught up with all the slow 10k runners, and running amidst tons of people running really slow doesn’t motivate me to run fast very well. In the future I probably won’t do a 20 miler three days before a race. It’s not like I have to go super fast every race, but it’s always more fun when I feel like I can perform my best. And beat everybody.

We were promised a snack and two beverages at the end of the race, but by the time I finished and tried to get my post-race beer, the line was basically longer than the race had been. So I got root beer, which I don’t usually like, but tasted super good for about one minute, and then got gross again. I still don’t really want beer after running anyway, but I do like the concept of going running and then drinking at 10AM. I guess I could really do that anytime I wanted though. I’ll have to try that this week.

I almost ended this post without including the most important part: Running Skirt Count. As you will recall from my post about the Shamrock Run, at that race 0.00057% of people were wearing running skirts. Today the number of running skirts shot through the roof in comparison. I saw a total of 12 running skirts, in a race that capped at 4,500 people. We’ll go ahead and assume everyone came, which means that 0.0027% of people were wearing them today. Again, I’m also assuming that I saw every single running skirt being worn. Possible factors are the warm weather, the fact that we were starting in NE Portland instead of downtown, or perhaps because it’s Independence Day in Zimbabwe. Unfortunately it’s impossible to tell, but I’ll definitely be continuing this study to gather more information.

Miles run this week: 5
Miles run in 2010: 324

Bridge to BrewsRunning Skirts
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Colleen

I must confess, I started running at a very early age. Sadly, my runs were unblogumented until around age 23, so you'll have to use your imagination for all the runs I went on before that. Running has always been my go-to sport, but sadly, I spend a good amount of my time with chronic injuries. I have learned to entertain myself athletically with other pursuits such as kettlebell, yoga, and bikini competitions, when I can't run. In addition to my unique talent for working out and then blogging about it, I am an amateur puppy stylist and photographer, television enthusiast, and I'm usually CPR/AED certified, but I would still prefer if you didn't pass out when we're together.

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4 Comments

  • mjb2000 says: April 18, 2010 at 10:23 pm

    I’m glad you’re following the skirts. I was a little disappointed (speaking now as a heterosexual male) that I saw so few in the race today. Regular running shorts just look kid of dumpy on most women (IMHO), whereas tight shorts usually provide way more info than I wanted to know, or are, um, distractingly appealing. I think the running skirts are a good medium. Haven’t seen a man wearing one yet. Come to think of it there were practically no costumes in this race. What’s the world coming to?

    Reply
  • Ezra says: April 19, 2010 at 12:35 am

    Hey, did I miss the training session? Crap. I’ll do better.

    Reply
  • Vincent Rupp says: April 19, 2010 at 1:46 am

    You were the 9th fastest woman in that race. That is so amazing it requires French. Ahem. Incroyable!!!!!1

    Reply
  • colleen says: April 19, 2010 at 4:42 pm

    Apparently I also got 1st in my age division… narrowly missing 2nd place by a mere 3 minutes!

    Doing the 8k obviously had it’s advantages. I know all the competitive runners did the 10k, but placing top 10 is pretty exciting, and I’ve never been 1st in my division before!

    Although I can’t help but wonder how much faster I would have gone if Ezra had showed up… or if I had been wearing a running skirt.

    Reply
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    About Me

    I’m Colleen. I started this blog when I was 23 years old and training for my first marathon. I was single, semi-employed, generally directionless in life, and had a lot of free time on my hands. I have a lot less free time now, but I still love to come here and dump my rambling, unedited thoughts after a workout or race once in a while.

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