I still smell like wood smoke from the warming fires they put at the start line. So the volunteers were fabulous. Lots of potties, and plenty of aid stations.
The course was gorgeous - it starts out as lush pasture land ringed with snow-capped peaks and a soft, cold breeze blowing. The race ran around a small lake and then up a hill and down a canyon, and you saw a gorgeous waterfall. and desperately wished you were in that cold mountain stream. It would just take a minute, the little voice whispers. and it would feel oh, so good.
The locals were happy and supportive; my only complaint was the genius around mile 14 who thought that the same day that 2000 people ran past his property would be a good day to do a controlled ditch burn. Thanks for the smoke, pal!
My time was around 5:50, one of my slowest for this 26.4 mile course. I wasn't DFL, either. I saw a busload of people being taken down past me around mile 18, but I don't know if they were relay runners or people who didn't make the mile 17 mile cutoff (more on that later). It was pretty damned hot at the end - mid eighties, which is great for hanging out but hot for running. I don't know if that affected my time, but by mile 15 or so I was running comfortably under a 13 minute mile pace...
And then, there was this hill. THE HILL. It shows up as a blip in the course profile, but make no mistake about it: its purpose is to suck the life out of you and take away your will to live. After you've climbed this hill, you'll never be cool again in this marathon. After hiking up this hill, my pace just started climbing. I stripped off my shirt and then my singlet and was just bakin'.
This would be a good race for beginners, with just a couple caveats:
1) You must, must, must do some training on downhills. You will discover muscles you didn't know you had, otherwise, and they will be angry, those muscles. Oh, yes, they will.
2) There is a cutoff at mile 17, I think it's 4:20. This isn't a problem for most; as slow as I am I hit mile 17 about 3:15. But, it's not a course for walkers. Race-walkers or walk-runners, yes. Walkers, not so much.
Sweet baboo ran an insanely fast 3:46.
I'm not sure I want to keep doing road races. The trail runs take longer and the climbing makes for a hell of a workout, but I just feel so beat up after a road marathon. My knees ache. My right archilles aches.
I'm going to bed.
Marathon #7 is done!
I'm going to bed.
Marathon #7 is done!
...
