Storm Run

Ruud Viëtor (45.13), FG, and Margreet Denessen & Noortje van Overveld (57.28). Source: aktiefoto.nl

Especially the baseline at the intro. Can't get enough of that. There's still some divine bass playing after Jaco Pastorius. Anyway, my day of lock-down self-pity didn't just allow me to wallow in misery :-) it also gave me a good rest and it burned this Bill Withers tune into my brain which turned out to be helpful today.

Today was the Arnhem Bridge-to-Bridge run downtown and when I went out the door to get my bicycle a storm raged around the building. My mom had called to ask me not to go outdoors as the weather report warned for wind at speeds that would get a car driver a very serious speed driving ticket but I felt just thrilled going out. With the streets deserted, covered with broken off branches, parts of billboards and here and there a wind-felled tree even, it felt like I was entering a war zone which suited me just great. I had some wind in my back and even though it tried to side-sweep me off the street a few times it got me down town in a hurry.

The run hadn't been cancelled and if there were runners not showing up, there were still enough there to meet. Everyone buzzed with excitement, like kids the day before a storm arrives. The city hall was open, well heated and equipped with makeshift dressing rooms that offered ample space for everyone.

More people from our running club showed up even than at the previous run with much better weather and I talked to a few that I hadn't seen for a while. The organization had two young girls on a stage leading a festive warm-up and although most of us couldn't keep up with the turbo-action fitness steps they rhythmically demonstrated in a perfectly synchronous way, we still got our muscles flexed collectively, which was fun.

No hurry at the starting line, as they worked with ChampionChips. First time I used mine so I hope it functioned. Working my way calmly through the running crowd, looking for the familiar sky blue club suits I ran a minute with one after the other until I found Ruud Viëtor, our trainer, who advised me to keep going until I would join Nicole, a young member who was running with her father on a target of 19 minutes for one 5km round.

When we left the part of the city with buildings around us, the storm wind began hitting everybody and you could see people hopping to the side when they didn't want to, then leaning into the wind with their shoulder to get back on track. Nicole had problems with her feet and my legs hurt so we didn't move on as quickly as we planned. She told her father just to go on and he left. I was not so sure what to do. Some pains came but when I took care to run relaxed, along that jazzy bass line at the start of Barber's "Use Me" cover, these pains also went away. Ruud joined us when we were running up the second bridge. He talked some spirit into Nicole who then moved on. For her the finish line was not so far away now.

Running, I held on to the drone of the bass guitar burned into my head. It made for a relaxing pace, yet fast enough not to let anyone pass us for some time.

When we passed the starting line again at 5km, Ruud advised me to run for it. Before, he'd told me to take it easy, as running in a storm is different, and it's useless to aim for a certain time very much, but we were both doing fairly well, and the part of the run where we were climbing a bridge against the wind was compensated for during the part on the second bridge on the way back when the storm was practically in our backs, pushing us up.

So I ran. By now the pains were gone and I felt good. Any turbulence inside me was more than matched by the gusts of wind and the occasional slashes of rain around me. Ideal. Some people looked like they were disappointed with these circumstances but for me it just couldn't get wild enough. The stretch up the first bridge against the wind was like a fight. I could swear and shout and very few people would hear. We would sometimes almost stand still, as if we were aggressively swimming against a strong river, high above the river Rhine that swam deep below us under the bridge. Stamping my feet, I advanced and it felt as if I was kicking and beating this invisible wind.

At the bottom of the first bridge, children handed out water. You could see that they each hoped someone would come to them to take their styrofoam cup. I coughed because I inhaled water instead of drinking it... and moved on.

Now it wasn't so far anymore. "Use me, Use me up." Climbing the last bridge. I said the names of people dear to me. One has her birthday today. I got almost blown over the railing. If I spread my arms at every strong gust of wind, I only had to take care not to be thrown down on my face, and I was pushed towards a group running a little way ahead of me. Then down the bridge, running so hard that I almost lost my breath. And towards the finish line, passing it running as hard as I could, shouting and laughing...

As a surprise, my daughters were there. They'd arrived just in time to see me finish! We embraced and shared jubilant fun. I shouted in their arms and my voice got hoarse. Then, as we walked around, more and more club members arrived and everybody was as excited as people are when they come in from a walk along a stormy beach.

Official finish times will be available tomorrow on the organization's web site but my own stopwatch indicated that I've been faster than a few weeks ago in better weather without climbs. This doesn't surprise me. I would have run more, if there had been more to run. I wanted to.

On the way back, after drinks with the kids, I bicycled over the first bridge and even though a pelting rain hit me, I laughed and waved at people hiding under a bus stop cover. This was where I had run up this bridge twice today. I could do it again if I had to. This stormy weather could get me wet but it wouldn't hurt me.

Not today :-)

Results: 44th in a stormy field of 200 runners

Source: uitslagen.nl