Yes, I know I need to get up and get going, but just one more snooze…Okay, it turned into 3 more 9-minute siestas and that is how I ended up with my goofy experience of the running of the bridges!
“So, I overslept,” I thought as I hopped in my car and raced to Brownwood for the 7am start of the running of the two bridges down south. “I can just catch up to the group at the water station. After all I am only 3 minutes late.” What I did not realize was that I had no idea where the Brownwood bridge was. I parked on the square near Dunkin our designated starting spot and headed away toward Buena Vista Boulevard where my GPS told me I would find the bridge. No bridge and no multimodal trail heading south. Okay, I’ll admit it, I ran down Buena Vista Boulevard only to discover that no bridge was waiting for me there. Instead of jumping on a bridge, I ran back to where I parked and, fortunately, as the sun rose, I could see the outline of the bridge. There it was just a few parking lots away from me.
My running over the bridge was awesome! No golf carts, no walkers, just me and the beautiful dawn all around me. Amazing. I cross the bridge and head towards the Water Lilly recreation center. Easy run, wide-open pathways, but no runners. On to the Water Lilly bridge. Double amazing. Two connected bridges soaring over the turnpike and me there to see it. Off the bridge, into the recreation center for a drink and back onto the multimodal trail. Not sure where I am going now, but I figure I’ll stay on the trail for another couple of miles and then head back.
Then I see the first pack of runners headed the other way. They are flying by and they look great! We shout our hellos and keep on running. Then I see the Everglades softball complex – a spot I know being married to a softball guy – and I also come upon Bud. Bud checks in to make sure I know where I am. I assure him I do and head to the fields to find another bathroom for water. Oh, did I mention that in my haste to start my run, I left my water, my nutrition, and my light in the car. I am definitely not well-prepared for this long run!
I turn around and get back on the multimodal trail and I spot a few runners ahead of me, maybe a mile or so ahead. I chase after them until I head across to the Water Lilly drink stop and they head over the bridge. I grab a drink and return to the chase. I see the runners far ahead again while atop the Water Lilly bridge and I run after them over the multimodal trail, back across the Brownwood bridge and back into the parking lot. Chasing those runners put a goal in front of me and I had a big smile on my face as I finished up my run!
My almost solo 10-mile run ended up being a good one, but I really missed out on one of my favorite parts of our group runs – sharing new sights and experiences with other TVRC runners! Going over the bridges with Mary Lou who was nervous about them and instead experienced them as fun. Going over the bridges with Valerie who has just started to join us again on group runs after getting her COVID vaccine. Going over the bridges with Mark, Jeff and Randy who pulled the whole event together. Going over the bridges is so much better when it is done with your running friends.
So, let’s see how I do when that alarm rings this week…
The Villages Running Club 