I watched everyone in my van have great second legs, watched a racoon in its death twitching, then it was my turn. Leg 18 runs up East Canyon, crests the dam, and finishes at the campground. 5.2 miles, 700 feet up (with most at the end), 200 feet down. I started at 1:30 am with a brisk headwind. My legs were somewhat fatigued from my first run but generally ok. But between the strong headwind and the increasing uphill, I never felt like I could keep a good pace going. My miles varied from 6:13 to 7:11 (with 8:00 pace up some of the steep hills). Tired at the end and glad to be done with my hardest leg. Actual distance on the GPS was 5.1 miles, 33:33, 6:37 avg. Only 5 seconds behind predicted time (which really, really surprised me- I thought I lost a few minutes, though the course was ~.1 mile short). Ok leg, not great.
We drove to Rockport where I tried to sleep in the van. I was still sweating, my knee really hurt, and I could never get comfortable. No sleep, but ~2 hours of rest. Very tired and my stomach was dealing with the typical relay concerns. I was going number 2 about every 20-30 minutes, but knew I would be ok for my leg. The guys in my van ran great again, and I was excited for my leg. My last leg was a quick 3.6 miles with 90 foot elevation drop. I really wanted to start fast and just hang on to the end. Took the handoff from the blazing Chad and dropped a 64 second quarter- 4:16 pace. Hmm, maybe too fast. Slowed down and did the first mile in 5:35, then the next 2 in 5:50 pace. The first 2 miles are on gravel, and they changed the course so cars were not allowed on it. This was great as no dust was stirred up- thanks, WBR guys! Last .6 was 5:35 pace, for a total time of 20:18 and pace of 5:44. 23 second ahead of prediction (finally!). Felt great and glad to be done. I immediately had to hop in my mom's car to head for home. We stopped at Steve C's house for a quick shower (thanks a million, Steve!), then I picked up my wife and drove to Idaho Falls for her sister's wedding. We made it in time for the luncheon, though I was exhausted and was fighting sleep the whole time. Then a 2 hour nap before the reception. Bedtime now.
All in all I had a great time and really enjoyed my van and the race. I think we were almost dead on the prediction, which is great. Everyone ran great. Like always, I'm sad I couldn't get to spend more time with the guys in the other vans. I'm looking forward to hearing all of your tales and reading race reports. But good job to all and thanks for a great time. Big thanks to Hooper for all the sweet looking FRB/SGRC gear we were all sporting- the jackets in particular are great and stand out (esp. when looking for teammates at 2 am).
80+ miles this week for the first time this year, even with the low mileage weekend. Another 80 miles next week with the race I am really looking forward to- Logan Peak Race. 28 miles, 7200 ft up, 7200 ft down. More elevation than Pikes Peak marathon. Yeah, baby!
Tangent 3- 28
| 