December 5th, 2010
Marathon - 2:49:46 - 150th/5879
Garmin Tracking here.
I ran the California International Marathon (CIM) for the first time ever this year. This was a change from the previous 4 years where my events of choice were the PCTR Woodside races (50k in 2009 and 2008, 35k in 2007 and 2006). This year I decided to change it up, a little because I wanted to focus on faster courses this year and partly because I wanted to run more (different) races.
I picked up my number at the expo the day before and went to dinner with several friends the night before at Il Fornaio in Sacramento. I order a pasta dish with shrimp, mussels, clams, and shrimp. I stayed overnight the night before the race in the Hilton which turned out to be an excellent choice because of the breakfast the hotel gave us, the free bus ride from the finish back to the hotel, and the late 1:30 check out.
On race day morning I had 2 bagels with cream cheese and 4 cups of cranberry juice at the hotel. Sean Pont told me all about how he couldmnm't run due to injury but his wife YiOu (who I know) was in the race as one of the elite women. I packed small vitamin energy drink that I ended up drinking between miles 4-8 and 2 GUs which I didn't end up using. There was a small delay in getting a bus to the race because initially they didn't have enough to pick up all the people at the hotel. They quickly found 2 more buses and we were on our way.
We got to the start at 6:30 which gave me a half hour to get ready. The bathroom line wasn't long so I used it, and then put my sweat check bag on the truck. I had plenty of time to get to the starting line but only started in about the 10th or 12th row.
I started the race with Brian Cooke who should be able to run a 2:40 but hadn't been under 3 hours yet. He had had some issues with crashing in his previous couple marathons so he was making a conscious effort not to start too fast. I was hoping for a 2:46 but was realistically shooting for 2:50 to match my Boston Marathon time earlier in the year. After a couple miles I pulled away and started to close on the 2:45 pace pack of women trying for the Olympic Trials. I starting falling back again around mile 7 and shortly after Brian caught up.
He went by me and I wondered if I was starting an eventual slowdown already. I ran a couple miles over 6:30 and he continued his pace in the 6:20s. The miles leading up to mile 15 were especially grueling as the sun came out and there was a long gradual uphill that seemed to sap my energy. I hit the half in 1:23:55 and ruled out a 2:46, or even a PR of low 2:47s. I guessed Brian had a minute on me by mile 15 - not that I was racing hum, but because we had similar race goals. It turned out he hit the half in :59 before me.
After cresting the hill I started getting a second wind and I broke down the remaining course in my mind into segments. I hoped to hold until 18, then run a couple miles well, and finally finish the last 10k fairly strong. I ended up going by Brian with about 13k left. He looked like he was on the verge of crashing, but still moving. I went by YiOu Wang of Tamalpa with about 12k to go. I mentioned to her that "We have a Bay to Breakers left" and she just gave me a grimacing smile. I didn't see her name in the finishing results but judging by her online post it was a more of a voluntary and less of an incapable DNF.
I recalculated the pace I'd need to run to be under 2:50 as it appeared possible when I crossed the 20 mile mark in 2:09:08. At various points I thought I needed 6:30 to 6:40 per mile and I was fully expecting to be a little behind pace with a mile left and needing a strong end kick to get under. That's how I envisioned it playing out.
I knew almost for sure at mile 25 that I'd be under and I was fresh with confidence after passing at least a dozen people in the last 5k, many of them women who I'm guessing were fading from their Olympic Trial paces. I ran a strong last mile and got a good sprint at the end turnover-wise, although photos confirmed my form struggled.
My chip time turned out to be 2:49:46, my watch showed 2:24:29 because I didn't stop it right at the finish, and my gun time was 2:49:56. Brian finished in a PR 2:57, less than a minute in front of my friends Peter Hsia and Kenley Gaffke. After the race I quickly got in the massage line which still took long to get my turn, but the massage by Sheryl from Monsters of Massage was excellent. The food was OK - pancakes and tomato soup, but nothing great. I found some other people I knew and we ate and talked a while before heading back to the hotel.
The ride home was rainy but I stopped at a produce place in Dixon I like and picked up
3 heads of lettuce, 2 artichokes, 7 ears of corn, 2 cucumbers, 1 cantaloupe, a bag with about 25 Brussels sprouts, 3 kiwis, and a bag of 8 tomatoes for only $12.63
In some Non-news that I'm sure people will ask me about between now and June - The WS100 lottery drawing was Saturday. I didn't get selected because I didn't enter the lottery. I have no interest in running that race in 2011. I've offered my pacing services to Chikara Omine if he wishes to use them again. Of course I'm sure I'll run the Double Dipsea that morning as well.
Showing posts with label marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marathon. Show all posts
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Race 09-77 Pikes Peak Marathon
August 16, 2009
Marathon (26.2mi.) - 73rd/711 - 5:23:18
One of my long time goals has been to run the Pikes Peak Marathon. This year I was able to get into the race by taking an early lunch at work and coming home to try over and over again as soon as the registration opened. So I got in and then waited 5 months until race weekend.
For the Sunday race I took a flight landing in Denver on Friday morning. The big goal for Friday was to drive up the mountain to get a feel of how the atmosphere would be. There's a park entry fee at the bottom and then a long winding road to the top which got a little scary in a few spots but the views were amazing.
The weather at the top was decent, a little cold, and almost foggy. There is a big souvenir store with freshly made doughnuts there. I looked around, had a doughnut and took some pictures. I could definitely tell I was at significant elevation although not at all close to being sick. Of course, that's a lot easier to say after driving instead of running. I spent the rest of the day as well as most of Saturday exploring the area, taking pictures, and spending time around the race site.
The expo on Saturday was not very impressive, but it was sufficient. It consisted of the standard number pickup with a tent containing running apparel and shoes for sale by the store from Colorado Springs that seemed to be a sponsor. I had planned in running in the road shoes I raced the Miwok 100k in but the expo had a pair of New Balance 904 Trail shoes that I liked so I bought them to race in. They were probably a little overpriced but I had run with success in 2 pairs of 904 Road shoes before and the Trail version felt the same. I thought I would be able to race more aggressively in trail shoes as well so I went for it.
The morning of the race went well. I got up with plenty of time, got to the race in plenty of time, and the weather looked excellent. I couldn't decide what to wear. The it was clear and cool. I expected the top to be around 38 degree and the bottom to be in the 70's by the time I got done. I wanted to go in shorts and a T shirt but opted to tie a jacket around my waist as runners had warned that flash storms can appear at the top and start snowing.
The race starts in downtown Manitou Springs which is at elevation of 6412'. The first mile of the course is all road, through downtown Manitou Springs, slightly uphill. I held about a 6:45 pace and was breathing hard (a rarity for me) after a couple minutes. I thought if I kept that effort up I would be in trouble real fast. I backed off pace just as we hit the trail which didn't really reduce my effort because the first 3 miles of trail had a significant slope to them. I dropped my goal of top 20 to top 50 as the 20th person went by. I didn't see the point in racing for place that early. I maintained my goal of 3:00 up and 5:00 total time.
After about 3 miles of climbing with some nice scenery we went into the woods a bit and the land leveled off. There was a long stretch of several miles running through a forest with little climbing. As we ran through I wondered where the cog railway was and how we could run up the entire mountain without crossing it or the road.
The aid stations were well stocked and frequent. I didn't have much to eat on the way up but I took careful notice of how frequently they occurred in case I needed one on the way down. After the thick forest and as we got up to 10,000' the land started to get steeper and rockier and the forest became less dense. For a couple miles before passing the treeline we were running up rocky ground. The ground did not get any more forgiving after that and I wondered how fast I would be able to run down. I was going through periodic phases of feeling good and bad, but nothing that made me think I couldn't make it.
After passing the treeline the summit and perspective of the entire landscape became more visible. The trail zigzagged up the mountain and it didn't appear so far away although it turned out to be. When I was only a couple miles from the top, perennial winner Matt Carpenter came running down. I didn't see the next place runner for quite a while - he already had the win in the bag. I struggled a bit more as I continued climbing. By about 13,000' I was feeling lightheaded off an on. From the drive up 2 days prior I learned eating helped me cope with that so I began eating at the aid stations. My head was not totally focused like it usually is, but my legs kept running and I don't think the elevation slowed them down. Fortunately (and this is probably due to all the races I do in the Headlands and on Diablo) my legs were only very mildly sore from all the climbing. The most limiting factor was the difficult terrain - hard rocky surfaces, single track with many turns.
The last aid station is only about a mile and a half from the top. By the time I got through there runners were starting to come down. I knew I would make it but I was hoping that I just didn't crash. It became difficult because the trail ("trail") was very narrow and the people coming down were quite fast and apparently much more nimble on their feet than me. They call the last section near the top The Golden Stairs. I saw a sign but did not at all see to what it was referring. It seemed like I had been climbing stairs for the last hour. Just before the top someone was calling out places. I was in the low 50's. I made a point to pass enough people to make it to the top in 50th place or better. I was in either 49th or 50th, I couldn't tell which number they told me as there were a few of us in a row. The top is just a turnaround and I thought I could stay a while, look at the scenery, and take in the view. I was wrong. I made it in 3:12 which was over my goal time but I was happy enough with it. The race officials allowed us to take food but hurried us down to the next aid station. It seemed they wanted to get people down to lower elevation as quickly as possible. The temperature was low 40's I think and very clear. No need for a jacket at all although I saw a couple patches of ice that hadn't frozen from last night.
I had a hard time descending. I got passed by almost 20 people within the first couple miles. I wasn't prepared to take quick steps over rocks, make quick turns, or navigate around people still climbing. I went a lot slower than I should have and I looked forward to the mostly flat forest in the middle so I could go full speed. The forest didn't help as much as I wanted, I actually walked up a tiny hill on the way down. I had been running over 4 hours so it kind of made sense because 50k is about as far as I can run in mountains with any kind of speed. I hit that time where I am usually finishing a 50k so I didn't have much left. I took more time at aid stations to get food (candy) and drink. I felt I had some energy but couldn't descend quite fast enough. As a couple runners started to catch me I tried to hold them off while catching a couple of runners that I caught up to. I was successful in holding off some and was happy to get to the road. The road section at the end is only about 1km and I ran it real fast. I had plenty of energy left to fast on easy terrain. I finished in 5:23 which was short of my goal and 10 minutes slower than I wanted to running down but in hindsight I think I could go down even faster than 2 hours with some more experience.
The finish area was much more exciting than the expo. Downtown Manitou Springs had the same atmosphere that Mill Valley has for the Dipsea race. There was a finisher tent with food and chairs. They gave finisher jackets and had plenty of food in the pavilion. Many of us soaked our legs in the river that ran through town. It felt good to be back at a normal elevation of 6000'+. I spent most of the rest of the day in the town satisfied that I did OK and especially made it up without crashing.
By Tuesday I had heard about the Manitou Incline. This is a 1.01 mile stretch of hill that has an average grade of 41%. The steepest section is 68%. The bottom is at an elevation of 6574' and the top is 8585'. I had heard that Matt Carpenter could run it in 18 minutes so I thought 27 minutes would be reasonable for me. There are wooden railroad planks spaced out on it which are visible for quite a distance. It looks like these really help to reduce erosion. I was able to run up in 28 minutes. I haven't ever run a more difficult section of trail. It's about as difficult as the top quarter mile of Mt. Tam (the direct way - up the rocks). There were no rocks on the Incline, but it is a considerable climb which I walked quite a bit of. From the top there was a nice view of downtown Manitou Springs.
On Saturday for a short hike through The Garden of the Gods where there were stunning rock formations. Pictures below.
Also, Seven Falls:
Marathon (26.2mi.) - 73rd/711 - 5:23:18
One of my long time goals has been to run the Pikes Peak Marathon. This year I was able to get into the race by taking an early lunch at work and coming home to try over and over again as soon as the registration opened. So I got in and then waited 5 months until race weekend.
For the Sunday race I took a flight landing in Denver on Friday morning. The big goal for Friday was to drive up the mountain to get a feel of how the atmosphere would be. There's a park entry fee at the bottom and then a long winding road to the top which got a little scary in a few spots but the views were amazing.
The weather at the top was decent, a little cold, and almost foggy. There is a big souvenir store with freshly made doughnuts there. I looked around, had a doughnut and took some pictures. I could definitely tell I was at significant elevation although not at all close to being sick. Of course, that's a lot easier to say after driving instead of running. I spent the rest of the day as well as most of Saturday exploring the area, taking pictures, and spending time around the race site.
The expo on Saturday was not very impressive, but it was sufficient. It consisted of the standard number pickup with a tent containing running apparel and shoes for sale by the store from Colorado Springs that seemed to be a sponsor. I had planned in running in the road shoes I raced the Miwok 100k in but the expo had a pair of New Balance 904 Trail shoes that I liked so I bought them to race in. They were probably a little overpriced but I had run with success in 2 pairs of 904 Road shoes before and the Trail version felt the same. I thought I would be able to race more aggressively in trail shoes as well so I went for it.
The morning of the race went well. I got up with plenty of time, got to the race in plenty of time, and the weather looked excellent. I couldn't decide what to wear. The it was clear and cool. I expected the top to be around 38 degree and the bottom to be in the 70's by the time I got done. I wanted to go in shorts and a T shirt but opted to tie a jacket around my waist as runners had warned that flash storms can appear at the top and start snowing.The race starts in downtown Manitou Springs which is at elevation of 6412'. The first mile of the course is all road, through downtown Manitou Springs, slightly uphill. I held about a 6:45 pace and was breathing hard (a rarity for me) after a couple minutes. I thought if I kept that effort up I would be in trouble real fast. I backed off pace just as we hit the trail which didn't really reduce my effort because the first 3 miles of trail had a significant slope to them. I dropped my goal of top 20 to top 50 as the 20th person went by. I didn't see the point in racing for place that early. I maintained my goal of 3:00 up and 5:00 total time.
After about 3 miles of climbing with some nice scenery we went into the woods a bit and the land leveled off. There was a long stretch of several miles running through a forest with little climbing. As we ran through I wondered where the cog railway was and how we could run up the entire mountain without crossing it or the road.
The aid stations were well stocked and frequent. I didn't have much to eat on the way up but I took careful notice of how frequently they occurred in case I needed one on the way down. After the thick forest and as we got up to 10,000' the land started to get steeper and rockier and the forest became less dense. For a couple miles before passing the treeline we were running up rocky ground. The ground did not get any more forgiving after that and I wondered how fast I would be able to run down. I was going through periodic phases of feeling good and bad, but nothing that made me think I couldn't make it.
After passing the treeline the summit and perspective of the entire landscape became more visible. The trail zigzagged up the mountain and it didn't appear so far away although it turned out to be. When I was only a couple miles from the top, perennial winner Matt Carpenter came running down. I didn't see the next place runner for quite a while - he already had the win in the bag. I struggled a bit more as I continued climbing. By about 13,000' I was feeling lightheaded off an on. From the drive up 2 days prior I learned eating helped me cope with that so I began eating at the aid stations. My head was not totally focused like it usually is, but my legs kept running and I don't think the elevation slowed them down. Fortunately (and this is probably due to all the races I do in the Headlands and on Diablo) my legs were only very mildly sore from all the climbing. The most limiting factor was the difficult terrain - hard rocky surfaces, single track with many turns.
The last aid station is only about a mile and a half from the top. By the time I got through there runners were starting to come down. I knew I would make it but I was hoping that I just didn't crash. It became difficult because the trail ("trail") was very narrow and the people coming down were quite fast and apparently much more nimble on their feet than me. They call the last section near the top The Golden Stairs. I saw a sign but did not at all see to what it was referring. It seemed like I had been climbing stairs for the last hour. Just before the top someone was calling out places. I was in the low 50's. I made a point to pass enough people to make it to the top in 50th place or better. I was in either 49th or 50th, I couldn't tell which number they told me as there were a few of us in a row. The top is just a turnaround and I thought I could stay a while, look at the scenery, and take in the view. I was wrong. I made it in 3:12 which was over my goal time but I was happy enough with it. The race officials allowed us to take food but hurried us down to the next aid station. It seemed they wanted to get people down to lower elevation as quickly as possible. The temperature was low 40's I think and very clear. No need for a jacket at all although I saw a couple patches of ice that hadn't frozen from last night.
I had a hard time descending. I got passed by almost 20 people within the first couple miles. I wasn't prepared to take quick steps over rocks, make quick turns, or navigate around people still climbing. I went a lot slower than I should have and I looked forward to the mostly flat forest in the middle so I could go full speed. The forest didn't help as much as I wanted, I actually walked up a tiny hill on the way down. I had been running over 4 hours so it kind of made sense because 50k is about as far as I can run in mountains with any kind of speed. I hit that time where I am usually finishing a 50k so I didn't have much left. I took more time at aid stations to get food (candy) and drink. I felt I had some energy but couldn't descend quite fast enough. As a couple runners started to catch me I tried to hold them off while catching a couple of runners that I caught up to. I was successful in holding off some and was happy to get to the road. The road section at the end is only about 1km and I ran it real fast. I had plenty of energy left to fast on easy terrain. I finished in 5:23 which was short of my goal and 10 minutes slower than I wanted to running down but in hindsight I think I could go down even faster than 2 hours with some more experience.
The finish area was much more exciting than the expo. Downtown Manitou Springs had the same atmosphere that Mill Valley has for the Dipsea race. There was a finisher tent with food and chairs. They gave finisher jackets and had plenty of food in the pavilion. Many of us soaked our legs in the river that ran through town. It felt good to be back at a normal elevation of 6000'+. I spent most of the rest of the day in the town satisfied that I did OK and especially made it up without crashing.
By Tuesday I had heard about the Manitou Incline. This is a 1.01 mile stretch of hill that has an average grade of 41%. The steepest section is 68%. The bottom is at an elevation of 6574' and the top is 8585'. I had heard that Matt Carpenter could run it in 18 minutes so I thought 27 minutes would be reasonable for me. There are wooden railroad planks spaced out on it which are visible for quite a distance. It looks like these really help to reduce erosion. I was able to run up in 28 minutes. I haven't ever run a more difficult section of trail. It's about as difficult as the top quarter mile of Mt. Tam (the direct way - up the rocks). There were no rocks on the Incline, but it is a considerable climb which I walked quite a bit of. From the top there was a nice view of downtown Manitou Springs.
On Saturday for a short hike through The Garden of the Gods where there were stunning rock formations. Pictures below.
Also, Seven Falls:
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Race 09-02 PF Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon (Phoenix)
I had wanted to run the Rock and Roll Marathon in Phoenix for several years now. I think I first heard about it from Chuck, back when we used to race together in Florida. I heard good things from other people as well. So I took a 3 day weekend trip to Phoenix for the race.
I arrived at Sky Harbor in the early afternoon after flying on United for the first and last time. I was happy though that the rental car company sped people right through the line and gave me a free upgrade from the cheapest car possible to a Mustang.
Immediately after leaving the airport I went to the expo downtown where Erika and I met Chuck and a couple of his friends. We hung around at the expo for a while. The expo was the best one I had ever been to. There were a ton of vendors - many giving free food which was excellent after flying. I already knew that PF Chang's was the main sponsor, but the sponsors names and logos were not plastered everywhere. It didn't have the commercial feel that the big SF races have. After that we spent some time downtown although it wasn't much of a happening place.
The next day I slept in a little too late butin the afternoon Erika and I went north to Sedona. We stopped at Montezuma's castle on the way.
We hiked up Bell Rock just before sunset. It wasn't difficult and I could have done more as there were many nice places to go, but I was careful not to spend too much energy walking around. I would have liked to spend more time there, maybe I will go back another time to do some hiking. After a little shopping in downtown Sedona we went to Jerry's house (Chuck's brother who I had never met) for a spaghetti dinner. I was late, as usual.
The day of the marathon I got up early checked out of the hotel and drove to the race. The hotel was close and I parked on a city street a few blocks away. It was very easy to get to.
I found Chuck at the starting line so we started together and ran together for a couple miles. I was trying for 2:55 and I think he was going for sub-3 so I pulled away a little after a mile or so. I got my mile pace down under 6:30 which made me perfectly happy but I did not expect to sustain it forever.
The Phoenix streets are designed on a grid so I had a very good idea where I was the whole time. I ran by the street the hotel was on, and thee was a supermarket right there that I wished I had found a couple days ago. The race went well until I got to mile 8 where felt I needed to take a restroom break. I finally found one in the 10th mile which cost me almost 2 minutes...When I came out within a quarter mile I caught up to and went by Chuck again. I was holding low 6:40 pace which crept up to 7:00 but I was happy enough. Things went well until around mile 16 again when I decided to take another break. This time I waited until mile 19 and spent an extra 3 minutes at that mile marker. After that I held 7:00-7:30 the rest of the way. And right before the 25 mile sign - you guessed it - I caught up to Chuck again. He was doing pretty well as was I. I finished last 1.2 in 8:21, passing at least a dozen people. My final time of 3:04 wasn't what I hoped for but good enough to go to Boston in April.
The race wasn't as scenic as I was expecting but it was still fun. There were around 25 bands playing along the course - mostly Rock and Roll. My favorite was the Elvis impersonator who was fun to hear around mile 22. There were also a lot of cheerleaders there which I had never really seen at a race before. Although the streets weren't packed it was nice to have someone cheering there I guess.
The post race food was excellent. I had a couple Dole fruit cups, about 4 popsicles, among other things, some fruit, energy bars, etc. I drank some Cytomax during the race even though I don't like it, but I certainly didn't want any after I was done. The post race gathering was in Sun Angel Stadium at ASU.
After the race we went to Jerry's house again and he generously lent his shower to anyone who ran. We made it there in time to see the end of the NFC Championship game, which the Cardinals won. The house full of 20 or so people erupted at the end of the game. Ironically the Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl in Tampa, and the game is being played at the stadium across the street (literally) from where I used to live. Shortly after I had to leave to catch a plane home. The flight back was uneventful. I made it back home around midnight so I went to bed around the same time I normally do.
I would like to do the race again, but while I was there I found out about the Sedona marathon which is in February. So if I go back I would probably run Sedona to try something different.
I arrived at Sky Harbor in the early afternoon after flying on United for the first and last time. I was happy though that the rental car company sped people right through the line and gave me a free upgrade from the cheapest car possible to a Mustang.
Immediately after leaving the airport I went to the expo downtown where Erika and I met Chuck and a couple of his friends. We hung around at the expo for a while. The expo was the best one I had ever been to. There were a ton of vendors - many giving free food which was excellent after flying. I already knew that PF Chang's was the main sponsor, but the sponsors names and logos were not plastered everywhere. It didn't have the commercial feel that the big SF races have. After that we spent some time downtown although it wasn't much of a happening place.
The next day I slept in a little too late butin the afternoon Erika and I went north to Sedona. We stopped at Montezuma's castle on the way.
We hiked up Bell Rock just before sunset. It wasn't difficult and I could have done more as there were many nice places to go, but I was careful not to spend too much energy walking around. I would have liked to spend more time there, maybe I will go back another time to do some hiking. After a little shopping in downtown Sedona we went to Jerry's house (Chuck's brother who I had never met) for a spaghetti dinner. I was late, as usual.
The day of the marathon I got up early checked out of the hotel and drove to the race. The hotel was close and I parked on a city street a few blocks away. It was very easy to get to.
I found Chuck at the starting line so we started together and ran together for a couple miles. I was trying for 2:55 and I think he was going for sub-3 so I pulled away a little after a mile or so. I got my mile pace down under 6:30 which made me perfectly happy but I did not expect to sustain it forever.
The Phoenix streets are designed on a grid so I had a very good idea where I was the whole time. I ran by the street the hotel was on, and thee was a supermarket right there that I wished I had found a couple days ago. The race went well until I got to mile 8 where felt I needed to take a restroom break. I finally found one in the 10th mile which cost me almost 2 minutes...When I came out within a quarter mile I caught up to and went by Chuck again. I was holding low 6:40 pace which crept up to 7:00 but I was happy enough. Things went well until around mile 16 again when I decided to take another break. This time I waited until mile 19 and spent an extra 3 minutes at that mile marker. After that I held 7:00-7:30 the rest of the way. And right before the 25 mile sign - you guessed it - I caught up to Chuck again. He was doing pretty well as was I. I finished last 1.2 in 8:21, passing at least a dozen people. My final time of 3:04 wasn't what I hoped for but good enough to go to Boston in April.
The race wasn't as scenic as I was expecting but it was still fun. There were around 25 bands playing along the course - mostly Rock and Roll. My favorite was the Elvis impersonator who was fun to hear around mile 22. There were also a lot of cheerleaders there which I had never really seen at a race before. Although the streets weren't packed it was nice to have someone cheering there I guess.
The post race food was excellent. I had a couple Dole fruit cups, about 4 popsicles, among other things, some fruit, energy bars, etc. I drank some Cytomax during the race even though I don't like it, but I certainly didn't want any after I was done. The post race gathering was in Sun Angel Stadium at ASU.
After the race we went to Jerry's house again and he generously lent his shower to anyone who ran. We made it there in time to see the end of the NFC Championship game, which the Cardinals won. The house full of 20 or so people erupted at the end of the game. Ironically the Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl in Tampa, and the game is being played at the stadium across the street (literally) from where I used to live. Shortly after I had to leave to catch a plane home. The flight back was uneventful. I made it back home around midnight so I went to bed around the same time I normally do.
I would like to do the race again, but while I was there I found out about the Sedona marathon which is in February. So if I go back I would probably run Sedona to try something different.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
