The Devil's 20 Miler

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog to report:

Planet Ynnep rocked the hell out of the Country Music 1/2 Marathon. Check it out: Planet Ynnep Running

Willie ran a SUB Four, Baby! And boy, did he. Check it out: See Willie Run


Back to the Devil's 20 Miler

It was not and official race/run but I think it is an apropos name for today's long run. I had my 20 mile run scheduled today. I started at 7:30 am because I knew it was going to be warm today. In retrospect, I should have started around 5:30 am. The first 8 miles were ok, heat-wise, but it was quickly downhill from there. Unfortunately, that was figuratively, not literally. Picture: The Billy Goat Trail up the dam that I had to run up at mile 9.25

The problem with my beloved bike trail is that while relatively flat it has long stretches that have no shade cover. Last weekend I was running in ear warmers and gloves this weekend I am sweating my ass off (again figuratively, unfortunately NOT literally). Picture: pretty view of Lake Vasona in the park

My run buddy was kind enough to come out for the last 8 miles and help by riding ahead and filling up my water bottles. I drank 6-8oz bottles of water and one of Gatorade. Picture: Run buddy hamming it up with my water. God Bless her!

I am pretty proud of myself for running 20 miles on my own. I realized when I met Andrea and Shelley that y'all haven't seen me without my hat. They both said, "OMG you have hair!" I actually have quite a lot of it, lol! Picture: this morning at 6:30 (pre-run, obviously) plus a picture from San Diego Zoo this Christmas.

Oh. My. God.

Race Report: Skyline Ridge Trail 1/2 Marathon, April 19, 2008

Alternative title: Holy shit! That was hard

I would like to start this race report with the observation that whomever measured the total climb at 1600 feet should seriously consider rehab for their OBVIOUS crack problem.



My Garmin reported the total climb at 3253'. Yep.
Here is the elevation chart.



















You can now imagine how happy I was at various stages of this race. Here is a picture from Mile # 12.5, climb # 2,751 to illustrate the joy. Picture: Very unhappy me

Other aspects of this race that added to my enjoyment today:

1. it was freezing cold and the wind was whipping harder than I have EVER run in. One little tiny thing that was running ahead of me, seriously, almost got blown off the trail. I ran in my long sleeve shirt, windbreaker, gloves and ear warmers for the entire race.

2. the first 3 miles I had stomach issues that made me MISERABLE. I have never been so close to bailing on a race before. At mile 2 I had decided to bail out and do the 10K. At mile 3.1 I would have bailed sooner than 10K if I could have, but I was already at the turnaround, so I had to go back 3.1 miles anyway.

I felt better at mile 6 and decided, fuck it, DFL > DNF ("dead fucking last" is greater than "did not finish".) I am going for it. I had to chant that in my head to keep from turning around or going to the road to hitch a ride to my car, for the next 7 miles.

3. I was an IDIOT and did not fill up my water bottles at the aid station at mile 10 (the aide station was supposed to be at mile 9.5 at the top of a steep as f%$* hill. An extra 0.5 mile at that point was SUPER awesome) therefore I ran out of water at mile 11. Rock on.

4. the woman that came in 1 second ahead of me DID NOT go all the way up to the turnaround! It was an out and back on a single track trail. I passed her and NEVER saw her again until I caught her at the end. Does she think I am an idiot? Then as her friend was telling her that she (the friend) didn't make the whole course then she (the bitch that pretended to do the entire race) says, "I know! She (meaning me) and I were neck and neck the whole time." Really? By "neck and neck" you must mean I slogged out the last brutal mile and half climb to the turnaround and you bailed and walked back, then I caught you again.

5. they ran out of small shirts (even though I ordered one), but when you finish that late you have to take what you can get. Since I thought they were going to have packed up and left by time I got in and I wouldn't get a shirt at all, I guess it was ok.

Alright, stop bitching now tell us some good stuff.

1. It WAS as beautiful as billed. Pictures: They are not great, but considering how miserable I was, it was hard to get the concept of 'pretty'.















2. I passed these two youngsters at mile 12.7, much to their chagrin. They were actively trying to stay ahead of the crazy old lady in the pink jacket. Picture the last time they were ahead of me.


2. I finished. I finished in 3:08:04 (MUCH better than I thought considering). I wasn't DFL, but I was pretty damn close.

3. I earned 22 WW activity points (that is more than the 21 I get for the entire day.)

New PR Baby!!

Isn't it amazing that when you are running a race and you don't feel so red hot, and you start saying things like "I just need to finish. I don't care about time", then you realize that you are within shootin' range of a new PR and all of a sudden you have new found energy and it is an awesome race? Yeah, that happened to me today.

Race Report: Santa Cruz 1/2 Marathon Santa Cruz, CA

I got there 45 minutes before they even started packet pick up to make sure I could get good parking and knew where I was supposed to go. I am ALWAYS super early to these things. I hate feeling rushed. I sit in my car and drink my pre-race coffee, listen to music and take random pictures out of my car window. Picture: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It is an amusement park where you can find every degenerate that lives in Santa Cruz, or possibly even the entire state, hanging out at any given time.

When I went to get my race number, I ran into my friend Tak who used to teach at my school. He is REALLY fast at these things, but has always been SUPER supportive of me and my run buddy (he is actually very close friends with my run buddy) about the whole running, triathlon thing. Very cool to see him. Picture: Random shot in the car. I was putting the camera way and it took a picture. I thought it looked kind of cool.


The race started promptly at 7 am and we ran along the coastline for about four miles before turning inland. It was pretty, but already warm at 7 am. Not a good sign. Picture: Sun rising over the pier.

The race was much hillier (is that a word? hill laden, hill endowed? Whatever, there were a lot of fucking hills) than I had expected. Garmin says I did 1120 ft. of climb and that makes me feel a lot better about how shitty my legs felt. My quads were tight the entire time and my hamstrings about 90% of the time. I didn't stretch well after my Thursday run (since I was late to get back to school) and they never felt quite right all day yesterday.

Lesson learned. Do not do hill workout and then immediately jump into your car and go stand on concrete giving a lecture for an hour and a half. I know, I am full of "insider tricks" to running. Picture: Pretty farm on inland trail portion.

The 7 mile return trip was with full sun in your face the entire time and it was HOT. I was sweating more than I thought and I think I had some electrolyte issues. I ate my Gu's on schedule and had the Cliff Shot blocks (not until mile 10.5, stupid!), but I should have planned better for electrolyte replacement.

When I hit mile 12 it finally dawned on me that I could actually get a PR on this run (not really my goal since this was a training run and I am running a 10K tomorrow, but hell, I will take 'em when I can get 'em.) With this in mind I bumped up the speed a little and went for it. I finished in 2:19:42 (10:40 min/mile pace. Whoa), 3 minutes faster than Buzz 1/2 Marathon, my previous PR. Woo hoo!

After the race I stood in line for 20 minutes at what I thought was the t-shirt line, turns out it was for food. Damn, so I got out of that line and went to find my shirt. This is when I ran into Tak again. He placed 9th overall and won his age group (see, I told you he was really fast) Picture: Me and Tak after the race. Tak on the winner's podium with his prize. It was a very pretty sand globe thing-a-ma-job.

Girl Power!

Today on the trail for my long run I was struck by the number of women on the trail. We outnumbered the men by at least 5 to 1. It was quite awesome. There were women running solo, women running and walking in pairs, women biking alone and with their children, walking their dogs, it was quite a cool thing to be a part of.

Side note: Last week on my long run I thought I saw Willie on the trail. Obviously this couldn't be true. No way would he be in sunny California and not tell me or Southbay Girl. Well, today I had another phantom Willie sighting. I think it was the same Willie-look-alike guy. Either Willie has a twin or he is lying about being in Oklahoma. Hmm, I will have to scrutinize his pictures more carefully.

Anyhoo, back to Girl Power Day on the trail. To be honest it may always be this way, but I am usually so focused on the dogs that I don't notice the people so much (I am a dog watcher. Dogs on the trail, at the park, and on the beach make me exceedingly happy)

The run itself was great. It was one of those runs, that reminds you why we do this (and blog about it incessantly) the weather was PERFECT. I got my 57 degrees and sunny! I ran 10 miles in 1:51:01 (11:06 min/mi) and it was beautiful.

Weekly Training Summary:

Run: 20 miles
Bike: 42.3 miles
Swim: 2700 yards

First double digit run since the marathon

Since I am training for San Diego Marathon on June 1st, I decided I needed to start getting my miles up. Today I ran 10.1 miles on my beloved bike trail. I was not daring enough to try a long run on real trails. Especially considering my penchant for getting lost. (Picture: Lone coot. My favorite water fowl and a regular along the trail.)




I started my run in a different location on the bike trail so I could change my scenery a little. The first three miles did not feel good. My legs felt sluggish like they have on all of my runs since the marathon. I kept my pace slow because I wanted to make sure I could complete the full 10 miles. The weather was perfect running weather, 55 degrees and slightly overcast (I wish you could have 55 degrees and sun, but oh well) It was a little humid so I was having a little trouble with my asthma. I had to use my inhaler twice for wheezing and I sounded AWFUL when I ran past people but I actually felt ok, so I kept running. (Picture: Bridge over the Los Gatos Creek)

At mile 5 I was exactly at a 12 min/mile pace which was what I was shooting for. I knew I would be a little faster on the way back, because the first 5 miles are slightly uphill, making the last 5 slightly downhill. (Picture: Around mile 4. This is one of my favorite stretches of trail. I call it the Tour of Homes I will Never be Able to Own)

At mile 6 I was ecstatic to see that my run buddy had rode her bike out to meet me and she rode the last 4 miles with me which was WONDERFUL. It was so nice to have someone to chat with (I am sure you are shocked to hear that I am a "chatty runner". I actually annoy the hell out of a lot of people, but my run buddy loves me anyway!)

The rest of the run went really quick with a buddy to help distract me. She was a little concerned with my breathing. She has seen a full blown attack and would rather not again, but I assured her I was fine. I finished 10.1 miles in 1:54: 16 (11:19 min/mile pace).

I was very pleased with the run. My knees are a little achy, but I stretched and iced and I am sure they will be fine for tomorrow's ride.

This week's workout totals:

Run: 15.1 miles
Bike: 48.2 miles
Swim: 2000 yards

Not too shabby if I say so myself!

Saturday Trail Run

I want to be a trail runner. I really do. I think trail running is amazing and challenging and I feel more than a little hardcore when I do it. I really love it. I have one small handicap that makes this tough... I have NO sense of direction and can not read a map to save my life.

I planned a trail run at a park I have never been and I attempted to give the directions to the trail head to my buddy from LA. She made it to the trail head I did not. I found a trail head, so after an interesting phone conversation she was able to find me. (Fortunately, she DOES have a sense of direction, so it was safer for her to come to me.)

We set off on a trail and since I had no idea about the trails from this entrance we chose one at random (you can probably see where this is going, right?) Picture: LA run buddy and I getting ready to head out.

Well, 2.5 miles of climb later (1200 ft. elevation gain to be exact) I decided we had had enough. We turned around and headed back down. It was steep with switch backs, so you couldn't really fly downhill, but it was a beautiful trail. Picture: Reassuring sign at trail head.



It was tougher run than either of us were up for, but it was great to run with her again and the weather was gorgeous! A total run length of 5 miles. 5 tough miles. Picture: LA run buddy after our run. I think it is a testament to how much that I have grown up that I am willing to hang out with such a gorgeous creature! Sorry ladies, she is gorgeous, smart and sweet. I know, it isn't supposed to be like that.

Yesterday's run, pre-marathon jitters

Yesterday it was pissing down rain and I really did not feel like running. My shins have been really sore lately and my coach recommended reducing my mileage because, there was nothing to be gained from running extra miles, and they could potentially hurt me this close to the race. The thought of doing a semi-long run on the treadmill was repulsive to me.

(Picture: Official "Hardcore Status." You can't really tell, but it is raining pretty hard and I am soaked after 6 miles in the rain.)

So I decided to once again try out my rain jacket and hit the Rancho San Antonio trail. Unlike last

time I tried this, it actually rained, hard, for the entire run. There was something liberating about being out there in the pouring rain. I found that the run,rain jacket was great if it was raining hard. It is too hot if it isn't. This time I was able to keep it on for the run.

(Picture: Wild turkeys were every where. I saw about 40 of them. The are quite pretty actually. It was pouring, so this is the only picture that halfway came out. I was worried about my camera getting wet.)

My legs felt like crap and about 1/2 a mile in I was certain that this would be a very short run. Unfortunately, there is no way to run at this park without doing some pretty serious hills. The first 3 miles had about 600 feet of climb, with most of that being between miles 2 and 3. Since I had not done an out and back I was trying to calculate where to turn around to do 5 miles total. I am SERIOUSLY math challenged when I run so I ended up doing 6 miles. I never really felt good, but it did get better than that first 1/2 mile. You can never make a decision about a run in the first mile. I have made a rule for myself that I have to run at least a mile before I decide, "Fuck this. I am going home."

All in all, the rain was not so bad, the trail was beautiful, but the run sucked. This is my last long run before the marathon. I am scared to death that I am not ready, but what will be will be at this point.

(Picture: Just a pretty shot from the trail. I am under tree cover, so this picture isn't as blurred from the rain. This is so much better than the damn treadmill)

"It is almost impossible to get lost"

Today's Run
I decided to run at Rancho San Antonio today. It is a county park that I have heard a lot about but I was always afraid of the trail running. Today I wanted to get outside and run. I could not fathom running on the treadmill today for some reason. I had a n emotional day and needed to just go out and run. It was raining, but not hard. I thought I would try out my run rain jacket. Apparently, the way to ensure that it does not rain is for me to wear that rain jacket. (Picture: California Newt on trail, these little suckers seriously disrupted my nice downhill run. I was so paranoid I would squash one of these buggers I had to constantly scour the trail ahead of me. This little guy was pissed at me. He is in an aggressive posture. Such a bad ass weighing in at 30 grams! Random Trivia moment: California newts secret the same powerful neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin, found in pufferfish and poison dart frogs.)

I will start this story with the preface that I am a planner. Probably to the point of obsessiveness. I also have NO sense of direction. I currently own 3 GPS units due to my complete inability to read a road map. With that in mind....

Today I had no plan and a trail map. Yikes.

The fact that I got out alive and you aren't watching my husband on TV lamenting his choice to let me go, in the middle of the day, to a well marked county park trail without a forest ranger escort is amazing. (Picture: worthless ass trail map, soaked with sweat from being carried in my waistband)


I was going to run 4-5 miles depending on how I was feeling. Note: I said I WAS going to. Again, a lack of planned course lead to crazy wanderings through the Rancho foothills for a total run distance of 7.16 miles. The really sad part if that I saw several other hikers and runners two of which gave me directions. One runner even said, "it is pretty much impossible to get lost here" Ha! He obviously seriously underestimated my ineptitude.


It was a beautiful run. I snapped a few photos since it was my first time there. The beginning of the run had a 1.5 mile hill with 590 ft of elevation gain. When I got to the top I stopped to take a

picture and met another runner and we talked for a couple of minutes about running and dogs (yes, he is the one that gave me directions that I foolishly did not follow) The first hill was a little brutal, but the rest of the run was more rolling hills with plenty of downhill and flat sections. I had a great time. I really wasn't even fretting about being lost until about 6.5 miles. I am in taper for Napa so I don't want to trash my legs too much I will keep my Friday run lighter. Hubby and I are headed to Solvang this weekend to photograph the Amgen Tour of California Bike Race. He is photographing. I will be doing homework. Here is a link (cycling photos1, cycling photos2) to some photos he took of the prologue at Stanford on Sunday.

Food
B: 2 sl. TJ French toast & banana/coffee (290 cal)
S: Powerbar (pre-run)/cottage cheese (post-run) (300 cal)
L: leftover TJ Chicken Stir fry (250 cal)
S: yogurt & cereal (150 cal)
D: more leftover TJ Chicken Stir Fry/1/2 whole wheat bagel (350 cal)
S: 1/2 whole wheat bagel/warm delights mini (275 cal)
Total: 1650 cal
Water: 2600 ml

Race Report: Buzz 1/2 Marathon San Miguel, CA

My race buddy decided this week to go down with me to the Buzz 1/2 Marathon. Very cool. She wasn't fully ready for a half-marathon, but figured she could finish and I was glad to have the company on what is a miserably boring drive.

(Pre-race ham shot)

We had to leave a o' dark thirty to get to San Miguel for the check in. We are habitually early. I am glad we both feel the same way about this. When I am nervous about something I would rather be WAY too early than get there at the last minute and feel rushed.

The race was held at Camp Roberts Military base and we had to get officially checked in my the MPs (they were super hot, but they had guns so, no pictures. Sorry ladies)

The race is a really small, fund raiser run for the Lillian Larsen School in San Miguel. They were a little lacking in signage, but we figured out where to go. The volunteers were PTA moms, grandmoms, and granddads and were very sweet. There was a full marathon, 1/2 marathon and a kids 5K.

The race started at 8:35 and I was quickly left in the dust as usual. This has stopped freaking me out as much. I think it is good training for Napa. Except at Napa I don't think I will get to pass anyone later on. I did get to pass about 8 people later in the race so I wasn't dead last.

I would love to write what a glorious run this was from the start, but that was not the case. My legs felt like shit for about 5 miles. The side of my shin where I got my injection Thursday was sore, my ankles were sore and I had this nagging pain down the left side of my other shin. I kept telling myself that this was normal, that it was always hard for at least a mile, but around mile four when we started to climb (more on this later) and my legs still felt bad I was beginning to get concerned that I would not feel better and this run would be tough all the way through.



(taking pretty pictures to distract me from my icky feeling legs)

Then came the hill. There was a gradual uphill in the beginning of the race which I don't mind on an out and back because that means you will going down hill in the way in, but at mile 4.5 there was a real hill, that took at serious up turn at mile 5. You might be able to spot it on this elevation chart of the race (yes, that was facetious. Holy shit!)



I ran up the whole thing, I wasn't fast, but I made it up. Interestingly enough, my lower legs felt much better after that. My quads were pretty fried, but at least the nagging pains of my lower legs went away. The rest of the run was good, my knees were complaining on the steep downhill (you had to run back down that beast) but they did pretty well for the rest of the race.

Now for the good part, my previous half marathon time at San Jose Rock 'n Roll in 2006 was 2:59:40. I have been working pretty hard to improve my speed so, I was hoping to do this one in 2:45:00 and my super-secret hope was to do it in 2:30:00. When I saw the hill my hopes were dashed. The SJ Rock 'n Roll is perfectly flat NO hills whatsoever, so I did not think I could improve my time very much on a more difficult course, but when I came in and stopped my watch it read.....


*drum roll please*

2:22:54!!! 10:55 min/mile pace

A new PR on a a much more difficult course! The lady at the finish gave me a Buzz Marathon Finisher's Dog Tag (very cute touch I think. Horrible picture to the right, but you get the point). Most runner's would be mortified with that time, but I thought was was going to cry, I was so happy.

Then I waited for my run buddy to finish. She came in at 3:25:40 and although she had to walk more than she originally wanted, she had a good time too.

We went to lunch and then checked into the motel. I had rented a room because I thought I was going alone and I wanted to shower and nap before the long, boring drive home. It was kind of an extravagance, but since I had already paid for it (I couldn't cancel when she told me she wanted to go with me) we took advantage of it. Since I wasn't going to stay the night I booked a cheap room. We both about fell over dead from laughter when we saw the decor (yep, those are teddy bears. ON EVERYTHING. Including the lampshades), but it was a relatively nice room and felt good to drive home clean and rested.

Race Report: Juana Run 8K

Today I got a little creative with my long run. I decided to sign up for The Juana Run 8K (5 mile) in Palo Alto. I ran 4 miles before the race. It was supposed to be 5 miles, but their course map sucked! I was trying to run the course backwards and then I would run it the right way when the race started. Because the map was so bad and they had drawn the arrows over the street names I got lost and it took longer than I planned. I didn't want to get too lost and miss the start, so I left it at 4 miles, then I ran the 5 mile race, then I ran an additional mile after the race for a grand total of 10 miles this morning. I went to the gym tonight to run again 3-5, but my knee was sore in the first 1/2 mile, so I decided to be conservative and I didn't run. The knee has been a little touchy since the 30K.

So let's get to the race report. It was a pretty uneventful run, so it should be brief.

Juana Run 8K - Palo Alto, CA

The packet pick up started at 7 am with an 8:30am start of the actual race. I was there right at 7 and they weren't quite ready, but the volunteers were cheerful anyway (except the t-shirt guy, he was a little grouchy when I went back because they hadn't given me a race bag, they just gave me the t-shirt by itself. I didn't even know there was a race bag until I saw other people holding it. It had coupons in it, for crying out loud! I had to go back!)

I ran my four miles and ended up at the start which was a seemingly random location in the middle of a neighborhood street. There were probably about 150 runners I would guess. Then without out any fanfare, or signal of any kind for that matter, the race started.
As usual, the pack left at a pace faster than I wanted to run and a pace faster than most could maintain. I did end up passing quite a few people later on. I even passed some men! And they weren't all over 80.

The first mile was a little painful because after the 4 mile run I had to stand around and wait for the 8K to start. My legs felt like lead. After about a mile, a mile and a half I found my legs and my pace picked up. Miles 3-5 (which were really miles 7 -9 for me) I was flying, well, flying for me. It felt good.

Here are my splits for the 8K:
Mile 1 10:53
Mile 2 10:16
Mile 3 9:18
Mile 4 9:55
Mile 5 9:04 (holy shit!)

Are those actually nines?! I can't believe I have a race with all nines in the the last 3 miles! The mile I ran after the race was like a cool down since I had pushed so hard at the end of the 8K.

Alright, let's get to the BEST part of this race. The coup de gras that ensures that I will run this race next year: PANCAKES! The Original Pancake House in Los Altos donated pancakes. Not only did they donate all the food, they cooked the pancakes fresh for every runner! Rock on! Hobee's also donated their famous coffee cake (that I LOVE) so I had some of that as well.







The rest of my day was complete shit. I have been fighting with my husband. Not really fighting, more like I am being a complete psycho over stupid shit that he has no control over and he is not being sensitive enough (he isn't really a sensitive guy, so for me to expect sensitivity to my psychosis after 17 years is a bit stupid on my part. Hello! Did I just meet him?)

Then, I was supposed to have a lab today for my AP biology students and the fucking bacteria that I plated yesterday did not grow. Are you kidding me? The fucking bacteria DID. NOT. GROW! Needless to say, no bacteria, no lab. You can't really do a bacterial transformation lab without bacteria. Aaaaahhhhh!

I had to call the kids to cancel. Some of them showed up because I couldn't get a hold of them and I had to have then call their parents pick them back up. I felt like a idiot. Now, with everyone's nightmare schedules (mine and the kids, you would not believe some of these kids' schedules. They are crazy) we have to reschedule the damn thing.

Race Report : Jed Smith Ultra Classic 30K Run

Stats for the day
Total Run Time: 3:34:04
Total Distance: 18.82 miles (according to Garmin GPS)
Pace: 11:22 min/mile (Man. I never expected it to be that good)
Total Calories burned: 2105 (according to Garmin HR monitor)


I got there about an hour and 45 minutes early, checked in and proceeded to wait in the car and go through my now ritual "self-doubt session." Every person I saw looked like they knew what they were doing. I asked myself more than once, "why are you doing this?"

The race was held in Gibson Ranch Park in Sacramento. It was a beautiful park with a lake (complete with geese and ducks) and the start was held by the stables. There were horses, goats (with babies!), a ram (sheep), and a llama. The course was a looped 3.31 mile course and was as close to perfectly flat as you can get without being on a treadmill. The 30K started with a 2.25 out and back to account for the odd distance. Then you ran 5 of the 3.31 loops.

Things I loved about this run:

1. I finished!

2. I was third in my age group and they gave me a hat!! (I think there may have only been 3 in my age group. I will have to check on that. Still awesome!)

3. The people running the race were super nice, supportive and organized. Kudos to Sacramento's Buffalo Chips Running Club!

4. The Ultra runners (there was a 50 miler and a 50K [31 miles] happening at the same time) were so supportive and nice to the back of the packers like myself! Cheering you on, smiling, saying 'your looking good' (this is usually code for 'you look like shit, and like you could use some encouragement').

5. There were two aid stations on the loop, so you were completely covered for food or drink. I had enough on me for the race, but still nice to know it is there.

6. Real bathrooms! No port-o-potties! There were two easily accessible bathrooms on the loop. Rock on!

Things that sucked

1. IT WAS COLD!!! Bitter cold. I wish I had worn a thicker shirt. My blue fleece is too warm to run in, but the thin long sleeve I wore was too cold. At one point I took off my gloves, big mistake. One I wasn't smart enough to correct for about 7 miles. Once I put the gloves back on I felt better all over. Lesson learned.

2. On top of the cold it was windy and raining. Not hard rain just drizzle, but still. Ick.

3. Two words: Looped course. It is a little cruel to have you run past the finish line 5 times before you get to cross it.

4. The recent rains made the trail portion muddy. Really muddy. After a few loops of runners the mud got sticky and threatened to pull of my shoes.