Spokane River Run 25K - Spokane, WA

I'm beat. Today was a very long day. It was a tough work week for me with lots of late nights and then yesterday afternoon I finally decided to drive over to Spokane for the Spokane River Run. For those that have driven it, the section of I-90 from Seattle to Cle Elum is a really pleasant drive with lots of nice scenery but once you hit Ellensburg the drive to Spokane has to be one of the most mind-numbing and forgettable drives possible in the Pacific Northwest. My brain hurts just thinking about it. Driving to Spokane and returning the next day is double the fun-pain quotient. Well, that's basically what I ended-up doing. Late last night I drove to Spokane, arriving at the Apple Tree Inn around 11:30pm. This morning I heaved my lazy body out of bed around 6:00 am to prep for the race. After a pretty lame excuse for a breakfast I drove over to the park, ran the race, then drove the 275 miles home to Bellevue. What was I thinking? OK, enough of the whining. While the drive obviously sucked, the run was worth it.

This is one of those runs that was recommended to me by a few different people, though for the life of me I can't remember those who told me about it. Huh. Senility seems to be setting in already. Anyway, I only heard about it last week so I hadn't really planned it out. "A little of everything"..."nice course"..."great early season race", those were all used to describe it to me. I didn't know anyone planning to run it though. Actually, I didn't have time to ask anyone. That was a bummer. Maybe I wasn't totally motivated to do it, I don't know. But, I told myself that I would treat it as a training run and as my first 25K race, meaning that I would run the entire thing but I wouldn't push the pace. No pressure to hit a time target, just a chance to run and enjoy and learn from the folks around me. Of course I can't just run a race. It's not in my personality really. Once I was in the middle of it I needed to try to push it, even if only a little. Let me explain.

The race takes place in the beautiful Riverside State Park just to the west of Spokane. There are 5K, 10K, 25K and 50K race options, with the 5K and 10K being the most popular and drawing the bulk of the runners. The trail description from the Web site: "100% dirt trail, some rocks, roots and possibly mud, but no asphalt. The course winds through thick pine forests set against basalt cliffs and ends with a tight twisty single-track next to the roaring Spokane River." I can attest to that description. It was a nice meandering course with some short, very steep climbs that quickly thinned-out the pack but overall there isn't too much elevation gain. It's more of a rolling course through thick patches of forest and basalt rock outcroppings, before you descend down to and run along the rushing Spokane River for about 4-5 miles. Despite the awesome terrain, there was a cold breeze and enough occasional rain drops to qualify as drizzle. Crud, the weather was in that no-man's land where you need to wear a long-sleeve shirt but then you might overheat as the humidity sets in. If you wear a short sleeve shirt you worry about feeling hypothermic and shivering. So, what to wear? Long sleeve or short sleeve? Shorts or tights? Gloves or no? Hat or no hat? Why not just layer with all of it? I was having a tough time making decisions, much in the same way that Mother Nature seemed to be mixing-up a potpourri of weather for us. Eventually I ended-up wearing my favorite Salomon shorts, wool socks and a microfine Merino wool long-sleeve shirt that I picked-up in New Zealand last year. [Check out my other post touting the benefits wool as the ultimate trail running gear.] The many folks from Spokane were all in good spirits and didn't let Mother Nature dampen their obvious enthusiasm to be rid of the snow and back on the trails. Back to the race...

The start of the race for me was humorous. After a check-in snafu where I was handed-off a few times, the RD eventually got my race packet but just minutes before the start of the 25K. I jogged back to my truck to leave it and my layers of clothes behind when I heard the RD scream, "Go!". Either he was a few minutes early or my watch was slow! Crap, it didn't matter. I sprinted for the starting line about 250 yards away. I was the VERY last person to start the race, even after the designated walkers. As I crossed onto the trail, I thought to myself that this better not be indicative of my race performance. I didn't want to finish in last place. Now that my HR was racing from the sprint I had to bring it back under control and slow down which isn't an easy thing to do. My pace was all over the map for the first 4-5 miles, running slow and fast and everything in between. This wasn't the start I had envisioned. Thankfully, it was a chatty group and I talked to all sorts of folks as I began to pass people as we climbed the first few hilly sections. Around mile 6 I found my rhythm and finally settled down.

I was about 10 miles into the run talking with a military guy who was really pumped-up by the race (or maybe it was that he wasn't stationed in Iraq right now) when all of sudden we heard some very loud "pop - thud, pop - thud, pop - thud" noises. After a few moments I finally put it into context but not before my new running friend identified the sound as gunfire. Was it the local church hunting club? Nope. The local militia practicing? Wrong again. I was hearing a gun (or guns) being fired close by though. It turns out that down and across the river a little ways is a shooting range. That had me questioning the sanity of conducting a well-attended race within proximity of a live firing range but hey, the RD must've known something I didn't. Of course all the "what ifs" ran through my head, like what if a stray bullet hit me while I was running and I tumbled unconscious into the River. Would anyone ever find my body floating downstream? Kind of a morbid thought, I know, but in Spokane I'm prone to those types of thoughts.

Thankfully, the trail took a turn and I pulled away from the noise without finding myself face down in the ditch. After the race, I came to the conclusion that we weren't in any real danger but that trail runners and bullets don't mix too well. Nevertheless, at that particular point I increased my pace (probably went from a Zone 4a to Zone 5 HR in like less than 5 seconds). We continued to run along the river and then down a twisting single-track littered with rocks and scree that would be a good Mt. Bike trail. It reminded me of a scene from LOTR. The loose rocks were slippery from the drizzle, making the footing treacherous. If you tumbled here, you might end-up bobbing in the cold river. I had forgotten how far into the race I was at that point. I was just so focused on getting away from the sound of the gunfire that when I came back to reality we were less than a mile from the finish line. Oddly enough, during and after the run I didn't hear anyone else talk about it all. Hearing gunfire is a great motivator though!

As I came across the finish line I was greeted with cheers and the sounds of The Fixx's "One Thing Leads To Another" blaring from the RD's boom box. That was a nice way to end. The post-race area was alright, with water and Gatorade and, most importantly, the $5 large pizzas that were offered to all runners and being snarfed-up like nobody's business. What a great idea! All they needed was some beer and I would've spent my afternoon "recovering" with two of my favorite food groups. Thanks to the folks in Spokane for making this a memorable race.