Well for better or for worse here it is......
We left home around 5:30am so we could get to the race in time to pick up our stuff and then do the obligitory wait in the POP lines. Everything went well with the race organization at the packet pick up and start and I was very impressed that the race started very close to on time. Plan was for Meg and I to run together the entire way. I was not going to leave her side for any reason.
This race starts off with a huge climb in the first mile so needless to say we were forced to start off pretty slow. My Garmin lost the signal somewhere in this mile so I know my first mile split is jacked up by about .2 miles. I was figuring on finishing at 13.3 according to Garmin. This race was just as advertised, very hilly and very tough. It is an out and back course which starts and finishes at the same elevation but all the climbing and decending can really do a number on your legs.
Here is a quick look at the splits using Megs Garmin:
8:32, 8:16, 7:37, 7:58, 8:43, 7:52, 8:08, 8:33, 8:38, 9:07, 8:42, the remaining splits included my miles at home, 7:59, 7:46. Not exact, but you get the picture, it was hilly.
At mile 2 or so, I knew we needed to take a side road, which is on dirt, and do a little 1 mile out and back section. So I was watching for the turn off and when we arrived at the aid station with the turn we were asking the volunteers if this was the turn off and they said no it was only for the 10K runners. So I thought, well, maybe there was a last minute course change and we'll make up the extra mileage somewhere else. Besides, I had plenty of daunting hills staring me in the face, I didn't have time to worry about figuring out the course.
So we continued on our hilly little journey and just kept steaming up and down the hills and enjoying the view, which was very beautiful by the way. The red, pink and white rocks and cliffs were simply stunning. Anyway, as we arrived at the turn around I noticed we were very short of 6.55 miles and wondered again if we had missed a turn. At this point Meg and I didn't really care if we missed a turn we would be fine if the course was short, this thing was a beast. I also had Pron8r aka Don Bigger in my sights and I would watch him to see if he turned off anywhere. Well long story longer, we (as well as many runners) missed the turn off on the dirt road that we were supposed to take on the way back to the finish line. If there were signs, I didn't see them, if volunteers were signaling the way, I didn't see them either. I was a little disappointed to arrive at the finish line with my Garmin showing just under 11.5 miles but then again, this was just a training run for me so I was good with it. The only other dissappointment I had was that there was no electrolyte drink on the entire course. Every aid station was well stocked with water and luckily we found one with a hammer gel that we shared. I prefer to take my race carbs in liquid form so it was really a bummer not to have Heed or Gatorade or something, anything.
The Good: Race shirt fits and is really cool. Course was just as advertised, beautiful and tough. Aid stations were well stocked and overall race organization was good.
The Bad: Need better signage on crucial turns, like the dirt road. Definately needed Heed or Gatorade drinks at every aid station.
The Ugly: Me at the end of the race. I had the faux hawk hairdo going on.....Sweeeeet!
Tracy, the race director, was there and chipper as ever, going a little crazy I might add. I think Bemo dropped out of the race to help Tracy as a volunteer as she appeared to be needing extra help. I chatted with Rob and Mindy Waite and also talked with Don Bigger for a few minutes after following him for most of the race.
Overall a good race, don't know that I will do it again, I will tell you tomorrow when I am able to feel the full brunt of the damage. Right now I feel really good and honestly didn't feel as horribly fatigued at the finish line as I have felt in other races. It was simply awesome to run with Meg the whole way and push her a little bit in some tough sections. She did awesome! And the time, on a course like that, was really really good. That reminds me, I came home from the race and ran another 1.65 miles to make up for what we missed in the race so the time is not exact or official but it's close to what it would have been, and that's close enough for me. | 