My first crack at the self proclaimed "Toughest Half Marathon in the Northwest." I arrived about an hour early with a friend. We warmed up by jogging/walking from the WGI/URS parking garage to Ft. Boise and later doing 3/4 lap of Ft Boise Park. The porta pottie lines were extremely long and I managed to get through the line once but just before the start I felt like I had to go again. I got in line but it was soon apparent that I wouldn't make the start if I didn't get out of line and join the huge throng packed like cattle for the start. Getting to the start late was a big mistake because it meant that we were behind a LOT of walkers/slow runners. The first 3/4 mile is flat and I lost at least a minute trying to circumnavigate the mass of people. However, more damning than being in the back at the start was that I felt compelled to try to make up for it as we began the climb. After the first mini-hill I began to feel like I was in position toward meeting my goal of finishing the 2100 feet/8.4 mi climb to the summit in at least 1:25 min. I still felt that way until I hit the second cattle guard between miles 5 and 6. There's an aid station there and I stopped to try to get all of the water down instead of the half glass that I was getting at the other aid stations trying to drink on the run. From that point on I really struggled. My legs felt good but I was really sucking wind and i wasa more than a little dizzy. Temp was in the mid 60's with bright sunshine so it felt much warmer, at least to me. The last 3 miles to the summit was more akin to a forced march than an actual run. I stopped several times and not just at the steepest portions. The last mile is really steep and I think I probably walked 4/5 of it. I did run the last portion to the aid station at the summit if only because there was a photographer taking photos. I can't describe what a relief it was to be running downhill- at least initially. This was tampered by the fact that I really had to pee but I knew that I had already wasted so much time and finishing in under 2 hours was in serious jeopardy. So I tied a knot in it and kept going. The first 2 miles of downhill were a surprise. I had no idea how steep it was on the other side. In my training runs I had climbed the front side and run back down the same. The back side was MUCH steeper it seemed. This helped propel me toward making up some time in a hurry but it also took its toll on my quads. By mile 10 I was really wanting this to be over. I stopped at the aid station around 11 and I just could not muster my previous pace again. Until then, I was on a comfortable 7 min pace and after that I struggled to get it down to 8 min pace. My quads were screaming and felt like concrete pillars. The course was flattening out and it became increasingly more difficult to get quick turnover. I was getting even more dizzy and I finally succumbed to the urge to pee. I stopped at mile 12 or so and just peed on the side of the course for what seemed like a great while. This decision probably cost me any chance at coming in under 2 hours. I can't tell you how hard it was to start running again, even though I was tantalizing close to the end of my suffering. Somewhere around 12.5 miles I began to notice spectators. This is not a race that allows for spectators. Basically, they are only present in the first couple of miles of the race and the finish due to its remote location. This gave me a false hope that the mileage on my Garmin was off and that the end was just around the corner about a half dozen times. Apparently, these spectators had walked up from the finish line to cheer on their loved ones. In my mind, I cursed them a thousand times over. The last half mile was excruciating. My head felt lighter than air and my legs were no longer concrete pillars, they were more like giant steel bridge supports. When the finish line finally came I could hear my wife urging me on. She sounded close but I was too preoccupied and fatigued by the task of putting one foot in front of the other to search for her. I had just been passed by two older women and they were in my sights. I summoned one last charge but to no avail. An apropos ending to a tough day. After the race, I sat in the shade and discussed the race with my wife. She let me know how proud she was of my effort and my initial disappointment quickly wore off. Sure, I could have done better but a couple of years ago I don't think I would have finished it at all. Period. Next year I'll have a full idea of what to expect and how to better manage my training.
Splits:
1- 9:00 (caught behind the cattle drive)
2-8:54 (first mini-hill)
3-7:52 (half mile of downhill followed by rollers)
4-9:47 (the real climb begins)
5-9:54
6-11:09 (second cattle guard; this is the beginning of the end)
7-10:47 (trying to dig deep)
8-12:58 (walked most of this)
9-9:37 (last half mile to the summit followed by steep downhill)
10-6:30 (holy shiite is this steep!)
11-7:01 (quads are screaming0
12-8:04 (I have to pee so bad my prostate nearly explodes)
13-8:33 (I never get back on pace) | 