The Austin Marathon — by bike!
What a great morning for running in Austin, Texas!
I was not racing this morning, so I took off on my bike from Placid Athlete Headquarters and headed north along the marathon route. It was still a little early for any runners to be on that part of the route, so I just enjoyed riding along Shoal Creek with the roads closed off to traffic. The weather was beautiful: sunny and mid-forties, or so — thankfully, not as cold as anticipated. It was terrific to get some sunshine after all the cold, rainy, miserable weather we have had these past few days/weeks/months.
I was up at about mile 18 on the route when the elite men came through, and they were flying — looking very strong and smooth. I watched their running form and all of them seemed to float with a light step, forefront strike, making it look so easy to run that fast! The number of spectators cheering along that section of the route was few, and I wondered how much a cheering crowd (or lack there of) makes a difference for those runners?
After following the elite runners for awhile, I took off into northwest hills to do some climbing. Later in the ride, I headed back down toward the race route where the average runners were struggling to stay on pace. Some were running, some were walking, and some just looked downright bad — like there was no way they would make it another 12 miles — but somehow I think they probably found it within themselves to make it all the way. Willpower is an amazing power indeed.
I continued south to the early part of the course — near Lake Austin — and the trucks were coming by to load up the road blocks and tables and pylons. By the time I returned home, there was no evidence of a marathon having come through.
Although I had been concerned about attempting a ride in central Austin on marathon day, it turned out to be a fun morning watching the runners! And, when yet another cold front came through this afternoon, and it got cloudy, windy, and cold again, I was so happy to have already done my ride when the weather was so gorgeous.
Happy Valentine’s Day, and congratulations to all the runners (and walkers) who participated in today’s Austin marathon and half-marathon! Cheers!
