Going into the race I wondered if I was about to make a huge (little) mistake. It would be the longest distance I've run in about 2 years, the first trail run in about a year and a half, and maybe the fourth time running uphill in about a year. But I wanted the distance, and it would be our third year going to the island for the races, and I was curious about my fitness level compared to a couple of years ago when I went into the race with more trail and hill running but a lot less consistency and fewer miles. Two years ago, when the race was 16 or 16.1, my time was 3:03:28. This year I had 2:51:?? for about 16.5, so definitely better. 
I ran with RAD for the first maybe quarter mile, but she soon found her carrot or rabbit or whatever and went off to chase it. Once we stopped going uphill I enjoyed the course, and I settled in a bit and tried not to think about the switchbacks that I knew were coming. I told myself that I didn't have try to run the switchbacks. I stayed with about the same people for most of the race; they'd pass me on the ups, and I'd pass them on the downs. Once we hit the switchbacks I listened to Temperature over and over again - it was a nice marching beat. On a less steep part of the switchbacks I started jogging because a lot of other people were too, but then I told myself to stop getting peer pressured and I went back to my march. I enjoyed the course for the first half, and for awhile I was thinking that Eric and I should come out and do it about once a month. But after about 8 miles my mood soured and I thought about how much I hate running up hills. I don't mind some trails - I love the pipeline trail, for example (even given some unfortunate experiences there), and I enjoy the Mountain View Trail half marathon course, and I'm almost fond of the stretch of the BST that goes from about Shriners to about Memory Grove. But I just don't think it's fun to try to charge up (or down) things like the Buffalo Run mountains or that Sapper Joe mountain, and I'd only go up that mountain in the pancake run (Grandeur Peak?) if someone were paying me a lot. Or some. I'd probably do it if someone offered 100 dollars. But that would never happen. Anyway, I think it's okay to not like certain kinds of running. Everyone's different. Or maybe it's like how I don't like trying to do pushups or pullups - maybe I'd like it more if I had some muscles. Maybe I'd have some muscles if I tried it more? After the bigger hills I listened to No Diggity over and over to keep myself going, and I was able to keep a pretty consistent pace and pass several people. Eric and Elliott made my day by meeting me at the blue tent near the end (when I was thinking, "What the heck? Where in the gravy is the freaking finish line?"). I really really hated the part up the road to the finish, especially since I had been planning on 16 miles and not 16.5. My mom and her parents were waiting at the finish after having explored the island and visitor's center a bit. I felt bad because I wasn't in the best shape for about 20 minutes after finishing (my feet, hips, back, and shoulders hurt pretty bad) and didn't feel like visiting, but it was nice to see them. Before going home we stopped at the Bountiful rec center to play with Elliott in the lazy river and take turns sitting in the hot tub, and after that we stopped at a cupcake place in Salt Lake to cash in a gift certificate for free cupcakes that we've been carrying around since about January 2011. 
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