Surviving the Bix 7 — An Epic Story about a boy and his journey
Filed Under Lifestyle, Social Media on July 27th, 2013
The following events took place in the 24 hours surrounding the Quad City Times Bix 7 Road Race in Davenport Iowa. Documented accounts are from the perspective of Nerdwerx’s Director of Development, Chris Voth.
Friday: 7/26/13
9:47 AM (time is approximate)
Nerdwerx gains its 250th “Like” on Facebook. Per the challenge presented on July 17th, one Nerd must run in the Bix 7.
1:39 PM
I decide to take one for the team and register, despite only running a total of two miles in the past 12 months (I suppose that’s better than nothing, right?). Somebody’s gotta do it- we can’t leave our stellar Facebook fans hanging. Maybe I’ll surprise myself? Probably not.
Saturday: 7/27/13
Mile One:
I’m freezing cold, because we’re experiencing record lows- a temperature of approximately 54°F at race time. 11 minutes after the gun fires, I finally make it to the starting line (after wading through the masses). Making my way up the Brady street hill is surprisingly easy, as I’m not able to move faster than a brisk walk. Meanwhile, I’m annoyed by the cowbells and yelling spectators. Once I make it to the top of the hill space starts to develop around the participants and I’m able to start weaving through the crowd.
Mile Two:
Before I know it, I’ve made it one mile. I’m feeling really good, but am starting to get frustrated by all the slow people that I have to dodge (much like I normally experience driving in the Quad Cities).
Mile Three:
I see the winners coming back around- miles ahead of me on the course. This gives me a false hope that I’m getting close. My first experience running uphill doesn’t feel too good, but I make it.
Mile Four:
I hit the turnaround, and am surprised that I’m halfway. Still feeling pretty good… Then, another hill. Not so cool.
Mile Five:
By this time, my shins have started hurting and my pace has dropped significantly. The hill in the previous mile killed me and I’m starting to lose hope for keeping my pace.
Mile Six:
My. Legs. CANNOT. Take. Any. More. I finally give in to the pain and slow to a walk. Surprisingly, walking doesn’t seem to cause any pain. I’m actually able to walk faster than I was jogging.
Mile Seven:
I’m actually feeling quite good, walking fairly fast. I decide I’m going to run the last mile and finish strong. After the third step of running again, I’m reminded why I wasn’t running for the previous mile. Sharp pain shoots up my shins and into my knees. I limp my way to the finish line, looking and feeling absolutely terrible.
With a finish time of 1:27:06, I place 8,512th out of 10,682.
What, you ask, is the moral of this story? It’s quite simple: Always be trained and ready for a seven mile race. You never know when your employer will hold a social media contest at your expense!
About The Author
Chris has a passion for nerdy things like project planning, data organization, and writing code. As the development director, he works with the rest of the design and development team to make cool stuff work. A self-admitted fanboy of both WordPress and Google, you will often hear him talking about a newly discovered method in the WP Codex, or an amazing new feature in the next version of Android. Chris graduated with a B.S. in Digital Media from Greenville College in 2008, and has always loved tinkering with technology.
On the weekends, Chris can be found in the kitchen with his wife Elise making their signature homemade pizza, in the yard gardening, or rocking his Thinline Fender Telecaster.
3 Comments
I have to applaud Chris for taking and conquering the challenge! Good job! Please don’t do the reverse math, but 8,512 out of 10,682 is 79.69%! That’s a passing grade in any Nerd’s book! 😉
“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” ― John Bingham
That’s my Grandson! Way to go, Christopher!