Inaccessible
The Blue Bridge

I normally run exactly one race per year. Bloomsday. This year, I’ve already run two. The first was a wonderful trail race in Hells Gate State Park. The second was more traditional, a 10 kilometer foot race on pavement.

Both races had the advantages of being cheap and close. And both easily meet my primary criteria of being relatively short. I’m willing to do 12K, but no more.

The day started well enough—waking a half hour before my 6 AM alarm, but fortunately not earlier. I was able to eat a healthy, but not heavy breakfast of Cheerios, and then it was time to go. The forecast was a 30% chance of showers, so I took the chance and drove the MG down. Sure, it was cold, but the drive was lovely. There is no describing the fun of a convertible, you just have to own one to understand.

On arrival, I paid my $10, got my number, and waited for the start. Eventually friends appeared, and then we were off. That’s when I discovered my one and only annoyance of the race. The voice in my ear that told me how fast was going spoke in kilometers. So my pace was “5:29”, which would be way too fast for a mile, but for a K? Just fine. I hoped.

As it turned out, it was just fine. The course is fairly flat. Starting at “Granite Lake Park”, it meanders along the shoreline before crossing the Blue Bridge, then heads south on the eastern shore in Lewiston until it reaches the Southway bridge. There, runners cross over the river a second time and return along the western shores back to the start. I pushed myself just a little, finishing in 54 minutes and change, with a decent clip of 8:50 a mile. That’s far faster than normal. I didn’t have a lot left in the tank at the end, but I finished and was happy.

Of course, the best part about a run in Lewiston isn’t the run. It’s not the flat ground. It’s not the warm temperatures. The best part of running in Lewiston is what I dearly miss about running in Pullman last year—ending the run at a brewery. Just one, thanks. I have to drive home… up the spiral Highway.