Yesterday evening I ran the 8K Torchlight Run at SEAFAIR. The start was at 6:30 pm. I got down to the start at Qwest Field at about 5pm. That was way earlier than necessary but I’d always rather be too early than too late. I picked up my race t-shirt and bib, got changed, checked my backpack and then sat around on the grass for a while sipping water. I should have thought to bring my own disposable water bottle (note to self) since my Nalgenes had been checked with my backpace but luckily they were giving away water before the race so I took one of those bottles. Apparently last year it was over 100F at the race but yesterday we had perfect running conditions: cool and partly cloudy.
I started my warm-up just before 6pm. This is where I got really nervous. I got a side stitch/cramp after one lap around the parking lot. I was not happy. Did I eat too recently? (I’d had oatmeal at 3pm) Was I dehydrated? Overhydrated? I decided that it wasn’t likely that I was dehydrated so I kept sipping water and took a gel (with caffeine) while stretching. I tried another lap a little later and felt a bit better but the cramp was still there. At that point I decided my legs were warm enough and I focused on stretching and breathing for the remaining 15 minutes before the race start.
The start line back packed and although I started just behind the 8-9 minute sign I knew I was too far back. It took a minute or two after the start before I actually crossed the line. I spent about the first 5 minutes passing people. There were no walkers allowed in the 8K so at least I was passing runners which is way easier than passing walkers. I was aiming for a 9 min/mile pace so I was pretty happy when I passed the first mile marker at 8:38. My cramp came back in the second mile but it was bearable and I picked up the pace at did mile 2 in 8:13. At this point I thought, either I’m going to be able to maintain this pace or I’m going to crash soon. I chose the first option and did mile 3 in 7:50. That might have been my first ever sub 8 minute mile!
After mile 3 the course turned onto the Torchlight parade route. It was pretty cool to run the last 2 miles with thousands of spectators cheering you on. There were little kids lined up along the road trying to give high fives to the runners. I gave the first few sets of kids high fives but after that I decided to focus on the running. The cramp was getting a little worse and I was starting to really feel my legs. I got a little worried as I watched the time tick away on my watch without seeing mile marker 4. I think the marker must have been blocked by the crowds because I never saw it.
My friends Jeff and Leah had come down to the parade route to cheer me on. They’d told me they’d be on the east side of the road on a specific block downtown. That ended up being near the end of an uphill stretch and knowing I was going to see them kept me going up that hill. They were pretty easy to spot because they’d made a “Go C Go” sign and were cheering loudly! It was great to see them because at that point things were getting rough. A few blocks later I got a cramp on my right side! Not good. I felt myself slowing down over the next 3-4 minutes and people started passing me. About 500m from the finish I got a second wind and was able to pick up the pace and finish strong. My final time was: 40:53
I ran the last 1.97 miles in 16:10. My average pace was 8:13 min/mile. That’s way faster than I thought I could run and I did it with a cramp for most of the race. I’m actually still a little shocked that I pulled of at 40:53 8K! I definitely think I’ll do this race again next year. It was really well organized and running along the parade route was a great experience.