It started like this: i can do this, no problem; I've done a tougher one (Timberline all trail)... It was a rush to catch the bus to the start line by 6:00 AM, but the ride was quick, and there was just enough time to lace up my shoes and sit on the carpet squares near the rows of mesquite bonfires that the race sets out...wish I had got there earlier to calm down a little more and gather my "plan"...Not too cold, in the 50's...high clouds turning pink in the coming sunrise...no national anthem, kinda dissapointing... maybe that's typical only of trail runs?...barely heard the starting (beep?), but the small group moved forward and within 20 or 30 seconds i had crossed the start line...all along the dirt road of the first 6 miles i was looking back, checking my pace at each mile marker, making sure i didn't go out too fast...i knew i should be near the end of the pack, and that's where I stayed...was very confortable with this, knowing I am slow and steady...tried to enjoy the desert landscape that is so very different...about miles 8 through 12 I would have quit if by hubby had come driving by to cheer me on...was very warm now with intense sunshine, probably in the low 70's...by mile 13 or so i realized i had spent too much $$$ getting here, and i couldn't give up now...luckily DH waited until mile 23, and the only signiifcant hill,commonly know as "lost Dutchman's Revenge", to stop by and take some photos...my slow and steady pace kept me moving the entire time - running mode, not walking, except for that 100 foot hill...and my slow and steady pace also let me pass about a half dozen runners that had started out much faster than me...i charged up the final hill, getting kudos from the volunteers for "clipping alojng" as they called it; hardly doing a 13 minute pace...finally, the final 0.2 miles into the park and the finish chute...and getting the heaviest medal yet! Summary: One tough little course, that the orgainizers fail to mention in their info...checked on Motion Based afterwards and the identical course in 2006 shows an elevation gain of ~ 3300 feet! and while it also shows a loss of ~3800 feet, the trutn is there are hardly any real hills. Because of the way the roads are constructed in the desert, with crossings of the washes at grade level rather than with culverts, the route is 26 miles of continuous very gradual ups and downs. Race Organization and Support: 5 out of 5 Course Difficulty: 3 out of 5 Scenery: 3 out of 5 Map (approximate) available in this group for all to view. Would i do it again? If i had to choose one of my completed ones to do over again, I'd choose the Timberline, up on Mt. Hood, Oregon, even though it was more difficult physically. I guess I'm a trail runner at heart.

Surprisingly, I feet great 3 days later! Monday I was stiff after sitting, and yesterday i was only a little bit sore. This recovery is much better than the 1st M - which had me hobbling like a penguin for at least 4 days! I highly reccommend propping legs up immediately after the run; icing legs; ibuprofin; biofreeze at night. BTW - My leg - which had caused me stop the running for about 2 weeks at 4 weeks before the M, and missing my 20 miler, is feeling the same as it was before the M - so no additonal injury to it!

Nice report and well done i took a quick look at your log before your marathon (hope you don´t mind).I was a little worried( with your injury and drop in mileage) that you would find it quite hard going on your legs, but you made it...well done

Don't mind at all...that's why it's public so others can offer advice. thanks for the kudos. It feels great to get another one done, and looking for the next....