I started out following my game plan, running the first mile and then doing my "intervals", running three minutes, walking one. Unfortunately that only lasted for about four miles. I quickly found I needed to adjust my running to account for the lack of O2. Guess it's God's way to make us stop and look around and take in the beautiful scenery. That or He just doesn't want us hanging out up in his neighborhood. There were quite a few competitors today, coming in all shapes and sizes. Didn't get much of a look at the elite runners because they didn't hang around long after the gun went off. I hung by the rest of the rabble, all of us wondering, "what the HELL are we doing here?"
This was definitely one of those punch you in the mouth, kick you in the crotch kind of race. The last three miles were really an exercise in survival. The interval running was long gone by then. The best I could do was pick landmarks to run to and TRY to limit my recover walks but it pretty much turned into walks that were occasionally interrupted by slow meandering steps. I got to the point that I could barely run more than 45 seconds before I got major dizzy spells. My biggest fear at that point wasn't the likelihood of my heart exploding but the very real possibility that I would wander in front of an oncoming car, thus shattering my Olympic mountain running dream. Even with my head in the clouds, literally and figuratively, I still retained some simple math skills and figured that given my slow pace I could still finish the race under the allotted time. And finishing was ALL I wanted for today. So another race is in the books. It's definitely one to remember and as of right now probably one that won't be repeated. But give me a couple weeks and I could very well change my mind. I think my next 14er will include my camera, my dog and NO time limits.
No comments:
Post a Comment