I'm not sure when it sounded like a good idea, but somehow, Sara managed to convince Sue Hee and I that the North Face Endurance Challenge Trail Half Marathon is a fantastic race that we absolutely had to do. I don't even remember when I signed up for it, but I did. Sadly, there was no way that I was to know how work would take over my life with nutso travel and how little time I would have to train for any such trail race.
And then, poor Sara was under the weather, so she couldn't even run her favorite race! So, Sue Hee and I dragged our butts to Fort Barry on Saturday morning for the chilly start.
The "before" picture:
The weather was picture-perfect, sunny blue skies, but chilly enough to keep cool throughout the race. The hills, as expected, were killer. But at some point, you realize that it's okay to walk some of the uphills, especially when you hear a very wise person say "If Dean Karnazes can walk up hills, so can I". It's true, Dean was walking some of the hills.
In reality, it's the downhills that are the worst part of the races. It's the downhills that result in blisters and numb legs. I was so ready to be done by mile 10 and the last downhill, I may have caught myself whimpering.The final act of punishment is a finish line that comes after one last uphill. And, it turns out that it wasn't actually 13.1 miles like a true half-marathon, but rather closer to 14 miles in total distance. Check out the altitude change for the entire race (~5000ft elevation change). Cruel.
I was happy to be cheered on in the last 100 meters or so by Aisha and Adam, loved seeing how excited Aisha was!
The "thank goodness it's done and I can barely walk right" after shot:
So, it was a good end to a long year of racing (two 5Ks, three 10Ks, one 12K, four half-marathons, one 200-mile relay, and a partridge in a pear tree). With work schedule amping up in the new year, not sure what my race schedule will be in 2010, but a big shout-out to all the ladies that I ran with over 2009, it was a great year!
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