This is my fifth time running this race. The course is challenging (I think I heard "grueling" yesterday) but really one of my favorites. I know I've posted this before, but you just gotta check out the profile to put it all in perspective...


I really haven't done enough hill work this year to be confident about this race, and given my recent back problems I was concerned about how I'd hold up to the pounding downhill near the end. And the fact that I've had blistering problems with my right foot... well, to say I was a little uneasy about the whole thing is an understatement. But, it's really my favorite course, next to the Equinox, and there's free beer and burgers at the end!

I drive over the hill to the bus pick up, takes all of 10 minutes for me. Hop on the 8:15 bus and spend the next 35 minutes talking to another runner I just met. He's recovering from a hamstring injury, and we both question the wisdom of the day's planned run... but he's prepared to walk if need be and it really is a nice course.

The first 7 miles are all trail, some of it pretty "technical," a term I just realized this year what it actually means. An experienced ultra runner was telling a friend it was the most technical trail race he'd done in years. Hmmm, who knew? All our trail races look like this... Mile one starts out on a rocky, sometimes muddy two-track trail down the hill, then at the 2-mile marker, it's up the next hill. Rinse and repeat. Lots of up and down with the overall trend being down, sometimes steeply so. Mile 4.5 is the unmanned water stop: a package of cups and a 5-gallon water jug at the top of a rock outcropping. The view here is outstanding, 360-degrees' worth of it. You really feel on top of the world. To the south/southwest we see the roiling smoke columns from the closest forest fire... amazing.

On we go, straight down a rocky, rooted trail with ruts and branches. That's that sharp drop between mile 4.5 and 6. Wow, hold onto your hats, friends! Then it's up a steep dirt road with deep ruts in places, lots of washouts. I took a few one-minute walk breaks here, as did several other folks. Those who didn't got passed by yours truly later on the downhill sections. Once we're out on the main road at mile 8, it's rolling hills on chip-seal pavement so we stick to the tiny shoulder as much as possible. Virtually no traffic on this sleepy road, then we turn to the right and head down, down, down a section that is normally very fast but this year all the pavement was torn up and the road was all gravel-base layer. Very hard to run on, so that slowed me down and I got something new... a side stitch! Ow... man those suckers hurt! Never had one in a race before, and this came at the worst time. My normal zip down the hill was slowed from the gravel and the stitch. At the base, where I was going to walk anyway up the next hill, I tried the right hand high above head thing. Seemed to help.

I always look forward to miles 12-14. Two miles of mostly downhill to the main road. I tried to make up some time here, lost from the gravel (oh, had to stop once and get a rock out of my shoe, too!) and the side stitch, but my legs were tired and complaining. "C'mon legs, this is what you love!" "Not this year," they replied. "We're just not that into it today." Passed several runners, including a couple who passed me with a bit of a sneer when I was walking up a hill awhile back. Heh. The last 2.5 miles feel very hard, they always do. Level ground feels much harder after all that downhill. But I managed to run/jog most of it with just a couple 30 second walk breaks. I always try to do mental math to figure out how much farther I have to go, what pace I can hold, and what my finish time would be. I figured I was looking at 2:21 or so, and that would be ok. I'd first thought I'd run 2:15 if everything went well, or 2:30 if I ran into problems.

Turned the last corner into the parking lot of the Silver Gulch Brewery, and see the time clock at 2:19:something. Woohoo! I can still make sub 2:20! So I put on whatever speed I have left, cross the line... and crash right into the guy who'd been ahead of me who stopped right AT the line. WTF? Get out of the way!! So we move a couple steps, they take my bib tag and I go to find water. My legs are just howling. Looking for my DH with the trash can of ice water in the truck... and he's not there! Rats.

Find the beer, and a Boca burger with lots of veggies... and find out my final time was 2:19:48, good enough for 1st in my AG (and I beat several of those runners who passed me on that steep uphill when I was walking!). My PR time on this course is 2:13:26, last year was 2:15 something in muddy conditions. This year there was no mud, the course was in great shape except for the gravel section on mile 11. I just wasn't quite in the shape I need to be for this, but it was a good race and a great training run for the Equinox Ultra in September.

Post race, I've very very sore in my quads. More so than post-marathon. I'm blaming no ice bath for a lot of that... My bad, should've hit it as soon as I got home. Next time, right?

Just looking at the profile made my quads hurt, yeahh...I bit yours are barking today. What a small price to pay for a fun race. Erika, you are going to smoke that Equinox Ultra race.

Thanks for transporting us with you thru this beautifully written report.

I guess I did leave that sounding bad... DH had other stuff to do around the house, and just didn't make it out there. I figured that's what would happen. I should've filled up the can and hopped in for a few minutes, but didn't take the time so it was my fault, really...

 

I also wanted to say I've found my new BFF in the sock world! I wore my Injinji (sp?) socks, which I'd worn a couple of times before on shorter runs. My feet were happy the entire way, even all that downhill. No blisters, no chafing. I'm in love!

You are a Beauty AND a Beast, lady.  I'm awed.

 

Congrats!

A.

 That sounds like fun

I always look forward to miles 12-14.  "C'mon legs, this is what you love!" great training run for the Equinox Ultra in September.

 

dear Mrs. Model Wife Beyond Belief Contest -

erika, you’re makin’’ me worry that anyone who relishes those hills so much might actually believe that adding another five miles one of the toughest marathons in the country next to Pike’’s Peak shouldn’’t be so bad. Lord have mercy on you.

 

crash right into the guy who'd been ahead of me who stopped right AT the line. WTF?

 
Huh? You don’’t quit running at the end? I bet you even warm-up.

ps - et tu faziggy?

But, it's really my favorite course, next to the Equinox, and there's free beer and burgers at the end!

 

'Nuff said!  Would be mine too!

 

Congrats on the AG snag!  Next time, bowl the dude over who stopped dead.  Maybe if he eats dirt he'll learn.... (In a mood tonight...)

Thank you Erika....what a great race from a very Beautiful and Talented Runner!!! I still remember "that" very determined look I saw on your face at Seattle....nothing would surprise me with your abilities as a great runner.---- WTG tough Gal, and thank you my Fren for a great RR....really!!!---My legs hurt just thinking about your race.----So kewl about the after race Beer and Burgers.----you are a VERY strong runner Erika, that I look up to more than Ya know! TimBo

You do find the most amazing races, Erika!  And you're tuff enough for them, too.  Thanks for the great report.  Oh, and I may have to try some of those socks!