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by Michael Selman It has been said that runners have their best thoughts of the day while out running. Runner and writer Michael Selman shares his "Thoughts on Running" with us here at ontherunevents.com.
The differences are evident. The Peachtree Road Race is almost always run in uncomfortably warm and humid July 4th conditions, and the course runs through the middle of one of the Southeast's largest cities, by population. Spokane's July mornings sometimes struggle to reach 60 before the sun is well overhead, and the city is not even half the population of the largest city in Washington. The course traverses some very scenic, remote areas of the majestic old (better stated, historic) city. Yet both courses have a pull that brings tens of thousands of runners to their starting lines year after year, and the T-shirts of both are among the most coveted to be found anywhere. Peachtree applications start being rejected two days after registration officially opens. They reach their unpopular size limit that quickly. Bloomsday is open to all comers. That's how a race of this nature should be, at least in my opinion. Peachtree officially chip times seeded and time group one runners only, which is not even a tenth of the field. Even at that, it measures gun time only. All others must look at their watches as they cross the finish line in order to know what they have run. Bloomsday officially clocks every official entrant, the largest race in the United States to do so. Peachtree and Bloomsday are are, in essence, divergent parallel roads. Tuesday morning dawned very early. A Spokane sunrise is an early sunrise, at least this time of year. By 5AM, the daylight is already bright. I had arranged to meet up with Jerome at 5:30AM, at my hotel. I had also contacted Barb, but had left for the trip before I had heard back from her. They are both Northwest Deads who I was lucky enough to be connected with before the trip. To my good fortune, they both showed up. For the next hour and small change, I was treated to some excellent conversation, challenging hills, a scenic course, and a special run with two other individuals who could have been two of 50,000 if it had been the first Sunday of May. Instead, it was just the three of us, doing what runners do. Talking about running, and covering 8 miles on a historic route while we did it. I have run the Peachtree course with my Princess two times. Once, as a training run two weeks before Peachtree, as well as on July 4th, during the race itself. The same course takes on different personalities, depending on who else is there. But it is always a pleasure running with my princess. Now, I have also seen the quiet side of Bloomsday, and it was an honor. I found that, the whole time I was running it, I was wondering what it must be like on race day, with masses of people everywhere. The Bloomsday course is narrower than Peachtree, and the hills are more challenging. It is also more than a mile longer, but is probably also about 20 degrees cooler. What I do know is that there was enough energy between the three of us to carry us to a good pace. So thanks to Jerome and Barb for showing me a good time on a very good course, and thanks for also showing me Riverside Park the next morning. The scenery there is one to never get board with.
Thanks Michael for sharing your "Thoughts on Running" with us here at ontherunevents.com Look here for more "Thoughts on Running" by Michael Selman
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One is a Peach. One is an Apple. They are the fruited symbols of the
states they represent. Georgia and Washington, the two states which sport
the largest races of their distances in the United States. Peachtree and
Bloomsday. I got to run both courses this month. I am one lucky runner.