Cheshiahud Loop 10K with Suz!

A few weeks ago Suz asked me my opinions on a couple of different local 10Ks. One seemed too far away, while the other was part of a larger multi-sport weekend which also featured a 5K, a kids race, and a couple of triathlon distances. Neither seemed ideal.

I offered to run with her if she'd let me choose the 10K course, and she accepted. So I decided that we should run part of my favorite run: the 6 miles around the Cheshiahud Loop.

Cheshiahud and his wife

This roughly 10K loop around Lake Union is named after Cheshiahud, a local member of the Duwamish tribe who had befriended the early Seattle settlers, notably David Denny. Though the loop doesn't seem to run past the site of Cheshiahud's cabin (that appears to be past the University Bridge), it's still a fine honor for a man who often guided early whites around the lake.

I didn't tell Suz where we were running. She picked me up bright and early, and we drove to Gas Works Park. (Easy parking, and a nice landmark to run back to.) Then I told her we would be running around the lake. Okay, it probably wasn't as exciting for her as it was for me. ;)

We set out in the counter-clockwise direction that Wil prefers, arguing that you only really have one sharp uphill plus the angle of the bridge, but otherwise it's essentially flat or a gentle downhill.

I told Suz that she was setting the pace, and that I was just navigating. As such, I happily just settled in for the ride. We ran to Fremont, climbing the stairs up to the bridge, and then across the bridge and onto the Westlake portion of the trail. Suz kept a nice steady clip and we passed MOHAI while running along the trolley tracks.

We had gone four miles before we took our first walk break -- the farthest Suz had ever run without stopping, which is awesome! The next mile was a bit slow, what with the up and down winding of the loop at that point (I think in future it's worth just going up to Eastlake to the bridge, the way Wil and I used to), but then we started the final mile as we headed up the University Bridge.

The bridge is a long, slow uphill. Not steep, but steady. The path is narrow, so we were running single file, and at one point Suz stopped for a breather. I told her that at the next light pole, I wanted her to run at least 10 steps. She said, "Why not just to the next light pole?" Atta girl! So we continued up the bridge, alternating between running and walking at each light pole. Then when we neared the top of the bridge, Suz ran three in a row. Woot!

We went down the steps at the end of the bridge, then joined up with the Burke-Gilman again. I pointed out that we were now on familiar ground, having run the Fremont 5K there a couple of years back.

When we got close to 6 miles, Suz said we only had a tenth of a mile left. I said, well, no, you asked for a 10K, so we were running a 10K! :)

We wrapped up right across the street from Gas Works, then had a little cool-down walk getting back to the car. Suz was really happy -- farther than she had ever run before! -- and she had done a great job. I think she'll be great in her 15K in Traverse City next month!