Bidwell Classic 1/2 Marathon

The race is over. All of my practice (not enough) came to a climax today when I crossed the mat at the starting line and activated the electronic chip attached to my shoe. And 2 hours and 48 minutes later I crossed the finish line. Tired.

The day began when I got to Bidwell at a little after 8 and found a parking place near the finish. Then it was time to wander around and see if I could see anyone I knew from Roseville. I was pretty sure there would be some walkers from Sierra Race Walkers and I was also hoping to see some runners/walkers from Valley Springs as well. About 8:30, I spotted a few old friends from Sierra Race Walkers and found that they would be doing the ½ Marathon Relay.

Since I was in the second wave to start, I lined up far back of the crowd and tried loosening up with some stretches. That was when I spotted my acquaintance from the Almond Blossom run, the runner who was injured and had begun a second “life” as a walker. We talked for awhile and he asked me what I had planned for a pace per mile. I told him I thought I would try to keep it at 13 minute miles. He said that sounded good to him and that he was going to hang around me for awhile.

The first wave took off and 5 minutes later it was our turn. We walked and talked our way to the first mile and we noted that we had done that one in 12.18 minutes, a little bit fast. The second mile came along and we were at 12.2 minutes, still too fast. We reminded each other that we had done that well during the Almond Blossom and that was only a 5K. I decided to slow it down a little and after another mile, my friend decided to move out a little faster. And it was at this point that I noticed that the field of walkers was thinning out considerably! And after the 5th mile, I was suddenly all alone. Bummer! All I could do was use my watch and try to count for a regular pace. A pace that approximated what I had been doing earlier when I had a crowd to compete with. Trying to do the math in my head was a real pain! I am much happier when I can see someone and then try to overtake them. But I didn’t see anyone until the 9th mile and there I found 3 people in rapid succession and was able to overtake and pass them. Another mile or two went by without competition and then one more was passed. At this point I only had another 2 miles to go. So I tried capitalizing on my second wind and kept up a good pace.

Pretty soon I turned the corner that leads to the timing lane and was most pleasantly surprised to see some friends from Sierra Race Walkers there to encourage me. (Thanks!) And then I was over the mat and my time had been recorded. I tried to estimate, as best I could, and I think it was 2:48? The Chico Running Club will be posting the results later and then I can see the true numbers. The good news; the time is very close to what I had predicted, and I like the fact that I was able to manage my pace that well.

Now it was time to relax, have a couple of bananas and an orange and walk around…slowly. I met my friend, the runner/walker, and he reported that he did it in 2:37. Not bad at all for being injured. And he told me that he had walked for awhile with someone else from Sierra Race Walkers; Sandy Flint, I believe?

The weather. Did I tell you about the weather? The morning was clear and cold. Probably about 40 degrees. The bright sun helped to raise the temperature to close to 50, but not much beyond that. I had layered my top, but just wore shorts. And as long as I was on the south side of the park, it was almost too warm. But once you turned the corner and headed west on the north side, it became quite chilly.  And I think the sun disappeared behind some clouds about the same time the race was ending…for me. Perfect weather. OK, it could have been warmer! But it didn’t rain.

Bad news/Good news. My partner was not able to walk this race with me and that was very disappointing. The good news is that we have a little over 8 weeks to get ready for the Avenue of the Giants marathon and I’m certain we will be in good shape for that one. A couple of weekends in Susanville, doing 18 or 20 miles on the Biz Johnson trail will really help. Susanville is at 4,500 foot elevation and Avenue of the Giants is all at sea level.