Clinician Offers Tips For Aspiring Bloomies

It’s not enough to tell yourself you’re going to run Bloomsday, says Annie McKinley.

Tell somebody else, too.

McKinley spoke Saturday at the first of eight weekly clinics to tune up runners and walkers for the Lilac Bloomsday and Spring Dash runs. The event, sponsored by North Idaho Road Runners Club, lured 40 people to North Idaho College, where McKinley teaches speech and motivation.

Bloomsday, May 5 in Spokane, is the world’s largest timed road race. The Spring Dash is April 21 in Coeur d’Alene.

McKinley has run Bloomsday 17 times. Her goal is completing the Boston Marathon. Last year’s goal was to finish a nationwide bicycle ride that included many grueling days.

“When I biked across the country, I wished I’d not said anything to anybody!” she said with a laugh.

Among McKinley’s other tips for success:

Put your commitment on paper. “You would not believe the power of writing it down.”

But don’t be too specific.

“Just say, ‘I will be able to maneuver over seven and a half miles by May,”’ McKinley said. People who say “I’m going to run Bloomsday in 75 minutes,” may be setting themselves up for failure, because of things they can’t control - like how many people lied about their running ability to get a front position in the throng of racers.

Make a commitment by registering early for the race. McKinley said as soon as she sends in her check, “I feel obligated to run that race, to get the T-shirt.”

Don’t kick yourself when you fall behind in your training. “Life continues if you don’t run that day. Make an alternate plan.”

Keep track of your progress, and tell people about it. Feel free to exaggerate, McKinley joked. “You thought fishermen told big stories - wait ‘til you start running with these people,” she said with a nod to the experienced runners.

Talk positively to yourself. “I have these funny little chants that I do when I run. Sometimes I chant out loud. That keeps other people away from you.”

“I have eating rewards,” McKinley said, acknowledging that those are often frowned upon. “But that’s half the fun of running.”

, DataTimes