Some races are about speed. Some races are about the difficulty of the course. Some races are about finishing. And some races (or training runs) are simply about the views. Last weekend I traveled with two of my "besties" (oh goodness, did I actually just use that word?) to Charleston, SC for the 38th Annual Cooper River Bridge Run. We enjoyed food, shopping, friendship...and, oh yeah, we ran a race too. A race with a view.
Going to Charleston was a little nostalgic for me. When I was growing up, every other summer my mom would take my sister and I to Myrtle Beach for vacation and we'd almost always finish the vacation with a trip to Charleston. The history buff in me LOVES Charleston. I loved Rainbow Row. I loved the Civil War forts and historic tours. I loved the old market. Leading up to this race weekend, I looked forward to reliving some of those memories....this time with my friends.
It all begins in the starting corrals (very well organized by most race standards, let alone one with 40,000+ registered runners). As we waited for our start, dude in front of us was using a gatorade bottle for his spit cup, then left said spit bottle on the ground for 30,000 runners to trip over. Sort of gross...or really gross. Then we get started.
To say this race committee knew how to provide quality entertainment would be an understatement. We were provided great Southern bands just about every third to half a mile along the race course. Just as the sounds of one band began to fade, another began to grow in volume. And not just your local high school bands or whoever was available to make a little noise. These were the types of bands you would pay money to go hear.
Most importantly, with few exceptions, everywhere you looked were the types of views you expect to see running a race in Charleston. From the picturesque salt marshes with the long piers reaching out through the cordgrass to the waterway, dappled with bird houses on stilts, to the weathered brick-faced buildings that you could imagine rehabbing into something beautiful, every where you look there was an amazing view. But much of it paled as we climbed the 5.6% slope to the top of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. Looking down on Charleston, and all that makes Charleston as charming as lore would have it, is amazing. And the new bridge is a beautiful example of what a bridge can look like.
Race finished, we immediately needed a new view....preferably one with mimosas...and biscuits...and grits (we were in the South). We parted with money and made our own personal investments in the economy at the shops. We strolled the water front parks and historic streets (wondering at the street-side doors that lead to no where but the porch). We ate in amazing restaurants. And I even gracefully sipped a whiskey cocktail at Cannon Green.
I capped off the weekend with a short run on Sunday morning to Folly Beach. It was a windy, brisk morning. But when the views consist of the salt marshes, signs promising womanless beauty pageants or fresh shrimp and end at the Folly Beach fishing pier, who notices brisk temperatures.Thank you Leah and Ann for a fantastic adventure. I really look forward to the next one. Happy trails!!!
2015 miles to date: 246.86
Observations: In trying to ramp up my weekly mileage to where it should be, I'm wearing my body out and risking injury. I've decided to take the ramp a little slower and, to keep from pushing too far too fast, I've decided to opt out of the spring 50K I planned to run in April....eyes on the prize in November, not going to risk losing my summer training because I'm sidelined.
