A clydesdale no more!

Good, solid run.

Mini hill run.  Ran up to and along Davis Blvd.  Kept the pace relatively easy.

Just an easy run. 

I am not a big fan of the long relays so when Kam asked if I wanted to join his Wasatch Back ultra team I did not hesitate to accept the offer.  Yes, I have issues.  I was runner 5 and 6 so I had the Avon ascent and descent, the climb up to East canyon and got to finish with an easy 6 miler through Heber. 

My first run started at 6:40 p.m. and due to the late start there were hardly any teams around us.  There were a couple of straggler teams ahead and a group of super fast teams that started 30 minutes after us.  Even though I knew that I could not treat each leg as it's own race, I found myself starting out way too fast.  My average pace was under 7:00/mile for the first 1/4 mile despite the elevation gain.  I backed off to a more comfortable pace but was moving well.  The WRC ultra team passed me after 3 miles and the WSU womens cross country team was not too far behind.  My goal was to not be passed by them by exchange 5.  I asked their van how close she was but they were not offering up the information.  The climb was not as relentless as I feared.  Having the little breaks in between hills helped a lot.  I made it to the exchange ahead of the WSU team but was pretty sure she was really close.  It wasn't more than a minute before their fresh runner blew past me.  She pased me and flew up the hill.  I had it in my mind that leg 5 was all uphill and leg 6 was all downhill.  I forgot that the first mile of the second leg was uphill as well.  It was actually harder than anything during leg 5.  Finally got to the top of the hill and was ready to cruise down the hill.  I did not want to trash my legs too much on the downhill so my plan was just to run smooth and easy.  Did the best I could to maintain good, efficient form but it was difficult because the dirt road was torn up with a lot of exposed rocks.  Kept the pace at or below 7:00/mile to the end.  I started to feel some signs of glycogen depletion towards the end and my legs were burning.  Came in to the chute, passed the bracelet off to Natalie and was ready for a break. 

I got super car sick on the drive to Snow Basin.  I'm not sure I could have been in the car much longer than we were.  Found a comfy couch in Earl's Lodge for a while then decided to try to catch a quick nap in the car before the next set of legs started.  Got about 10 minutes of solid sleep and felt a lot better.   

My next set of legs started at 2:10 a.m. and was the run from Morgan to the East Canyon reservoir.  I probably did not give this run as much respect as I should have leading up to it.  I was so focused on getting up Avon that neglected the nasty climb that this run offered.  The first few miles felt good.  Half way into the run, a runner from the Davis High XC team caught up to me and we ran together for a couple of miles.  It was nice to have somebody to run with and the miles felt a lot easier.  He was a super nice kid.  I could tell he was starting to creep ahead of me so I offered him good luck for the rest of the race and he took off.  The first 6 miles felt nice and I was hoping that the gradual climb would be all that I had to experience and all of this talk about the climb to East canyon was over blown.  With 4 miles to go, Kam said they had no cell coveraged and had to get to the exchange to make sure the other team was ready.  I told him I was fine and to go ahead.  Of course, this is when the run got tough.  The climbing was brutal.  To get through the run, I would focus on a red blinking light and work my way up to it, pass it and find the next one.  The last mile really killed me.  Finally made it and was so happy that my hardest legs were done. 

I did a terrible job as a navigator and had Kam take a wrong exit.  Did just as bad of a job driving when I nadvertently turned into the gridlock at Rockport.  Finally made it to Oakley and found a nice, quiet parking lot to catch some sleep.

The nice, quiet parking lot stayed nice and quiet for about an hour when we got our Beastie Boys wake up call.  Never did get back to sleep.  I was hoping for a couple of hours of sleep but that's not what these races are about.  I have made the mistake of not eating enough during relays before so I forced myself to eat the breakfast they had at the rodeo grounds.  Ran into Joe (Predog) while killing time wandering around. 

My next run started at 12:10 p.m. and was supposed to be a fast 6 miles.  I was hoping to hold a 7:00/mile pace throughout the run.  Choked down a 5 Hour Energy hoping it would provide me the energy I needed to accomplish my goal.  When I couldn't get my legs to turnover going down the hill during the first 1/2 mile, I knew this run was going to be about survival.  After making the turn up the big hills through the neighborhoods I realized there was no chance of me coming close to my goal.  All I could do was put one foot in front of the other.  I hated feeling this slow but understood and accepted what it was.  I am not as fit as I once was and should expect slower times.  Crawled my way to the finish line and passed the bracelet off for the last time.  Was so glad to be done.

It was a great experience and I am glad that I did it.  Definitely one of those things that I can be proud of saying I did.  With that said, I don't think I will do it ultra style again.  Didn't get a chance to see the team finish because I had to rush home to take my girls to Mama Mia.  Felt surprisngly good and did not even fall asleep during the performance.  I have some significant knee pain which has me concerned.  I will have to wait for the other soreness to disapate before I know if it is an injury or just post race soreness.