Living the Healthy Life: My experience walking in the Bix

Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 September 2011 01:10 Written by Natural Health Team Wednesday, 21 September 2011 01:10

Health Information about Living the Healthy Life: My experience walking in the Bix

I had previously written an article here about registering for the first time to walk in the Bix 7 race with my girlfriend.  Well, yesterday we did it!  We walked in the Bix for the very first time, and it was an exciting experience.  My time to walk the 7-mile course was 1:38:15.  It was the longest health walk I have ever participated in; before that it was the Easter Seal walk in Clinton, and that was only 4 miles.  So, let me tell you how it all went down.

The weather was quite unfavorable.  It rained.  And rained.  And rained! And not just a light rain; it was one of those long, steady showers, the kind that didn’t appear to be ending any time too soon.  So by the end of the race I was completely saturated.  But it wasn’t as hot as it normally is this time of year.  In the days leading up to the race, it was extremely warm and humid.  Yesterday it got up to 75 degrees by the end of the race.  And miraculously, the rain stopped after we crossed the finish line, which made the post-race party more pleasurable!

The course itself was quite challenging.  It starts with an uphill climb, with an approximately 7 percent grade.  Once I got past that, it wasn’t quite so difficult.  There was still some up-and-down terrain, but the hardest was at the beginning, as far as hill-climbing goes.  I was wearing a good pair of walking shoes, which helped a lot in propelling my feet and legs forward.  I felt pretty good through most of the walk; I didn’t start feeling uncomfortable until around the 4th to 5th mile.  Then my leg muscles began to feel tight and a little sore.  There were a lot of people around me, and everyone walked or ran at their own pace, which also made for a challenge.  I wanted to keep my own pace up, but I found myself having to step around other folks who weren’t quite as fast as I, and at the same time, I tried to leave room for the people who needed space to get around me.  But everyone was quite courteous about it all; folks side-stepped when they saw you coming.  And when we got near the end of the course, we jogged the last little bit, to try and better our time.

The post-race party was endless people walking around endless tables piled high with carb-rich foods.  There was also plenty of water, pop, and other assorted beverages.  There was a disc-jockey playing great music, and an awards ceremony afterwards.  There were about 15,000 people in the race overall; that’s a lot of fit and healthy bodies! By the way, the male and female winners of the race were Ryan Hall, whose time was 32:55, and Lisa Koll, her time was 37:52, and the first female Iowan to win the Bix.  Congrats, Lisa!

All in all, it was a wonderful health experience.  It’s something I have always wanted to do, and I finally did it!  I am quite proud of myself, and my girlfriend, for finishing the race in good time.  I look forward to it again next year, and many years after that.  Each time, I will try to better my time.  But just to be there and be a part of  a popular and healthy experience, has certainly enriched my experiences of living a healthy lifestyle.

Find More Health Care Articles

« Menstruation Disorders – Dysmenorrhea – Symptoms of Imbalance of Liver in TCM Perspective | Mental Health Survey Explains Booming Psychotropic Drug Sales »