2009 Jemez Mountain Trail Half Marathon - Race Report

If it hadn't been so steep,

if it hadn't been from 7000 to 9000 feet above sea level,

if the trail hadn't had so much loose, fine sand and/or scree all over,

if I hadn't weighed as much as I did,

if I hadn't been so undertrained,

This would have been easy and fun.  But it was all those things, and so was I.  So it was HARD. and...maybe a little fun.

I mean, of course it was hard for me.  Maybe it was easy for DP and Sweet Baboo.  But for me, it was the kind of hard where you're kind of stumbling along, thinking very dramatic thoughts like, so this is what it's like, to be close to death, and you're stopping every 20 steps or so to take deep breaths, watching a line of people ahead of you, snaking up...and up...and up the mountain.

And then.  And then, well, nearly everyone who ran past me felt the need to tell me, that's not the top you know.  Up there.  Once you get up there, it keeps going up for quite a ways.

Um.  Yes.  thanks for that.  

Well, going back down wasn't as much fun as you'd think.  But at least it wasn't up any more.  By that time, though, I'd run through most of what I had in the tank, and I would perk up immediately after coke, or a gel, and then about a mile later, wear down.  

In any case, I'm done now, and I'm happy, and I beat my goal by 4 minutes, and I want to do it next year, and I'm really, really, glad I did the half marathon instead of the 50K (!).

Oh, and on this trail marathon, there is a climb straight up a steep hill at the end to the finish line, via a trail 18" wide cut through rock. 

It was sadistic.  It was cruel.  And wholly unexpected.  What other surprises were in store, I wondered.  Ice?  Ball bearings?  Would people leap out and spank me as I went by?  

In any case, there went my "kick".  I kind-of stumbled, half jogged to the finish line, 3:56:23.   (The Garmin says a little more because I forgot to turn it off.)

DP, ever the consoling friend, said, "Told ya it was hard." 'Cause she's all warm and fuzzy that way.

Shower time - My legs are filthy dusty brown from the ankles up--and oddly enough, my feet are filthy, too.  Both Baboo and I brought some trail home with us on our clothes and in our shoes.

Things I learned from this race:

Okay, one: when you're really, really, really tired deep into a race and you trip and go down, you go down HARD.  AND, it takes a LONG time to recover.  OOOoof!  

Two: Tusk, by Fleetwood Mac, is an awesome song to listen to as you're running through the woods.  You're all, YEAH!  I'M TRAIL GIRL!  ROWR!  

Three: My hubby is a stud.  Baboo did this one in 2:41:10.

I'd like to shout out at the girls who were so nice to me and said hi to me, but the ensuing glucose depletion in my brain wiped out all their names.  I remember seeing Robin...and Diana.  The rest is a blur.    

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