Notes
Started out rocky this morning as tummy wasn't happy. Shortly after I got out of the shuttle bus that took us from the finish to the start, I saw Jim C. and chatted with him. He had just run the Huff 50K a few days ago so I was surprised he was about to run a half! I debated on whether to take a gel beforehand because I was worried about the stomach issue, but tummy was growling. I went ahead and took it.
Initially the roads weren't terrible, but they were still slushy. As they became completely covered in snow and ice, I decided to try David R.'s advice to run on the white fluffy spots. I saw a lot of folks slipping on that spots that looked to be clear, and I wasn't doing a lot of slipping so thanks! Around mile 4 or 5, the wind hit because the course was in the open. While normally it would have annoyed me, I've been feeling a bit wimpy as of late. I was just thinking the other day about the days I would run in just about anything. Wimpiness feeling gone, and I couldn't help but smile.
Around mile 7.5, the B.A. hill started. My plan was to walk up the darn thing because it was long and steep, and the road was completely ice/snow covered. About 3/4s of the way up, 5 folks passed me. This bothered me because apparently I am more competitive than I like to think I am. I continued to walk, though, since it was my plan. One of the gals that ran by said "Nice shoes!" and smiled. She, too, was wearing Hokas. That helped take the edge off. I picked it back up when things flattened out a little. This was not the top of the hill, but I figured I would just keep running as the steepest part was done. I passed two of the people who had passed me and then another two. I caught up to Hoka woman around the top of the hill. The roads were white, the fields were white, the sky was white with some grey, and there was a spot in the overcast sky where the sun was shining and causing the clouds around it to glow. It really was beautiful. Hoka woman and I ran together for a mile, and then the downhill began. It's a good day when you are wearing Hokas on a downhill :-)
My tummy was starting to tell me it wasn't exactly happy, but my legs were feeling good. My last 3 miles were my fastest, and the stomach held up long enough for me to finish the run. Not a bad way to spend the first day of 2013. Happy New Year!