None of that "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"
crap today. It was just flat out ugly. Back to Friday night: my
oldest daughter was married. I'm surprised how drained I felt,
emotionally and physically, after that was all over. I got home late
and really questioned whether I should actually run the race today.
Talked to a friend that was running it and she convinced me I needed to
run, at least at the beginning, with her. More on that later. Didn't
sleep a wink all night long. Finally got up out of bed at 2:30 and got
ready and was at Vivian Park at 3:30 to get my packet and get
everything ready. My friend showed up and we started out together at
4:00. Walking. The first two and a half miles of this are downhill.
And we're walking. But I told her I'd stick with her through the
beginning. Miles 2 though 6 are mostly a hike up from Bridal Veil Falls
up to and beyond Hope Campground up near the Squaw Peak lookout. From
there to mile 14.5 it's up and down with lots of mud and snow. Again,
since I said I would, I ran with my friend. Ran and hiked it a lot
slower than I would have had I run it alone. Anyways, I was
suffering some stomach issues that I couldn't get resolved until the aid
station at mile 14.5. I thought from this point on I would be able to
run "my" race--IF--if my stomach issues were really over and done with
and if my general lack of energy and excitement resolved itself. The
wedding the night previous really took a lot more out of me than I
expected. So I leave the aid station heading downhill--down hill all
the way to mile 21!--but soon realize, within a quarter mile, that I left my hand-held water bottle
back at the aid station. The very hand-held bottle that had my car key
in it. Dang! Had to hoof it back up and grab that (adding only half a mile to the day's run). And then, about a
mile down the road, I must have been spacing it pretty bad cause, BANG!,
I almost do a face plant after tripping over a rock. And I kicked that
rock really hard. I liken it to my foot being the Titanic and the rock
being the iceberg. Not only did it send me flying, but my toe got
stubbed pretty bad! I managed to run on it a couple more miles, but the
throbbing was just so intense and the accommodations I was making for
the hurting toe started my ankle to hurting. So I walked. All the way
to the aid station at mile 21, where I saw as clear as the sun in the
sky that I would not make mile 33 before the cutoff, and rather than
continue on with the misery I pulled myself out of the race. Squaw
Peak this year, for me, just wasn't as much "fun" as it has been. My
heart wasn't in it--so much so that I'm seriously thinking I may have
run my last Squaw Peak. Maybe.
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