Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Bix 7

This past Saturday morning, I ran my first Bix 7 in Davenport, Iowa. While I knew this was a big race, I didn't know just how many participants would grace the hills of D-Port. Okay, so there were 18,000 people in this race. That's the biggest race I've ever been in; and probably the most annoying race I've ever ran!

I was feeling good at the start of the race. I consumed my trusty blueberry pancakes about two hours beforehand, and I knew that I had properly trained for the hills. I did notice, however, that my mother (she ran it too) and I were lined up toward the end of the second pace group. Not good. I also noticed that there were just three tiers, including the elites. Not cool.

We started the race and we were off hitting the first mile, which is a large hill. Loved the hill. HATED the walkers. I know 'hate' is a strong word, but GEEZ. I had TONS of walkers in front of me, blocking the runners' paths and contributing to my growing annoyance. With 18,000 participants, I soon realized that I was not going to PR. I was hoping to average an eight-minute mile, as this is a tough course full of challenging hills. I quickly discovered that I'd be lucky to average a nine-minute mile. My first mile was over 11 minutes, followed by a 10-minute second mile. Ugh. Not good.

While the crowd and volunteer (water, ice, etc.) support were excellent throughout the race, I was still pissed. Cursing under my breath, I weaved between people who woke up and just decided to participate in a seven-mile race without any training (and lined up at the start improperly). I didn't get a break until about mile five, and from there, I was able to put on some speed. While I averaged an 8:45 minute mile in the end, I had tons of energy to still expend once I finished. I did not deserve the free beer and Twinkies at the post-party!

Now, I know I may sound mean (and I'm really not an evil person), but COME ON! Is it necessary to line up in the incorrect tier and walk the first mile?!?! I think not. But...that's just me.

Although the overall weekend in D-Port was fun and relaxing, if I ever do the Bix again, I will stop and accept a supporter's invitation to partake in shots and beer. Why not? On that note, I guess I'll be back at the Bix 7 next year!

1 comment:

  1. I tried to leave a comment before but it disappeared. :(

    People always line up incorrectly. Undertrained/overoptimistic seems to be a common combination! Leaving those of us who know our targets and can meet them to try and pass through much slower people for most of the race.

    And what's up with the beer after all your races?? I've never seen that at a race.

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