Running and then blogging about it
8k 3

Bridge to Brews 2011

By Colleen @colleenalicia · On April 18, 2011

This morning I ran the Bridge to Brews run, like I did last year with my friend Chris. Chris is out of town studying about how to write really good stories about me, so I had to settle for a different Chris this year. A less Asian and scholarly Chris, but a Chris nonetheless.

I mentioned before the Shamrock run that I had some problems appropriately preparing for the race, but this time I knew well ahead of time that I would be running the BTB, so I could better ready myself. This races’ preparation began two weeks earlier, when I strained my achilles’ for a week and then was sick for a week, thereby forcing me to take a long break from my strenuous training and be well rested for this run. Then of course there’s the night before the race, when it’s especially important to take adequate steps in getting ready for the big run. First it’s essential to watch your favorite sports team lose, while you eat lots of baby carrots and brown butter cookies. I thought it would help to abstain from drinking, but I observed the winner-to-be enjoying some whiskey cokes and Bud Light, so next time I’ll add that to my routine. Next you should play some mini basketball, and finally let yourself be lulled to sleep by Offspring’s greatest hits, played at a house-shaking volume. In the morning there’s no need to eat anything because you’re so full from all the cookies from the previous night.

Follow this advice with caution – I did end up PRing, but I felt like shit the whole time. Sometimes when I’m running at a good speed I feel great, and the race seems really easy and I get a great time. Other times, like today, it feels like I’m barely jogging, and even that is a struggle. If you’re lucky it will at least turn out that really you felt so crappy because you were running at a faster-than-usual pace. I never run with a watch anymore, so I have no way of knowing my pace until the end. Today I was happily surprised when I came to the finish line and learned that I had run way faster than it had felt like.

My final time was 36:05, which is a 7:19 pace I think, and was good enough for a white 3rd place age division ribbon that I think is in a car somewhere so I can’t show it yet. Last year I won my age division with a time 2 minutes slower, and didn’t know there were ribbons to be had, so I have nothing to show for it.

After the race I came home and got ready for work and then a lymph node under my jaw grew into a giant bump and scared me. My mom/doctor says it has to do with the cold I’ve had, but it still feels troublesome. Hopefully it’s not a side effect of running. It probably isn’t.

PS. I saw only one running skirt today, which is a lot less than last year, and the race was much bigger. Prediction: running skirts were a short-lived trend.

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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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3 Comments

  • Chris says: April 18, 2011 at 2:24 am

    i’m glad you haven’t forgotten about me or how smart i am!

    Reply
  • Murvee says: April 18, 2011 at 3:56 am

    you need to update your PR list on your blog. was it an 8k?

    Reply
  • Vincent Rupp says: April 18, 2011 at 5:32 am

    Was that today? I so don’t care about races any more, but I’m glad you are still doing and blogging about them. Sorry there’s no Idicoy Trophy for your pre-race preparations. Are you even running any more outside of races?

    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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