About a half mile before Lyon Ridge AS, I saw Alan Deubner, a runner from Washington whom I had met at Rucky Chucky Roundabout 50Km. We ran together to Lyon Ridge AS. I drank the final water from my bottle just before reaching the aidstation and was happy to be staying hydrated. I was trying to remember to drink down 2 bottles between aidstations .
Entering into Lyon Ridge AS, I was a few minutes behind my plan probably from taking photos and being careful in the snow and muddy sections. I was not concerned. I was running at a comfortable pace and not feeling fatigued by the altitude. Alan and I stayed together for another mile or so and then he went on ahead. We would see each other 4 or 5 times throughout the race.
The first few miles after Lyon Ridge were memorable and seemed to be full of those "Sound of Music" moments with the beautiful scenery of the high country.
Then we entered into a more forested section as the trail snaked around through pine trees and dropped into Red Star Ridge. I was a minute behind at Red Star. I got my drop bag and drank a Boost. I also took my shoes off to clean out the debris that had collected inside. I placed the camera in the drop bag and continued on.
Just out of Red Star , I saw Wayne Coates from Tucson. I had met him and his wife at the WS training camp on the second day. The stretch from RSR to RF seems uneventful in my memory. The previous summer I had driven this stretch of the course in a rental car and occasionally would see things that I remembered from that drive. It was in this section that I ran a bit with Wendy from Minnesota. Mostly I was trying to keep a decent pace moving forward. Also, I wanted to make up a few minutes and arrive to RF on time with respect to my schedule.
I came into RF about 1 minute ahead. I weighed in at 152 pounds (12 pounds above my start weight). I told the volunteer that I thought that the scales at the Friday medical check-in were low, and my start weight was actually closer to 145 instead of 140. Even so, with a start weight of 145 I was still up 7 pounds. The volunteer did not seem overly concerned, and let me go on along. I was not overly concerned . ( For the remainder of race, my weight stabilized. It fluctuated between 144 and 147 pounds at the weigh-in check points). Another volunteer had filled my bottles with water while I was being weighed. I took the bottles and I thanked him . I spotted my crew in the crowd and told them I was ready to go on and would see them at Bald Mtn Aid station. 25 miles down, 75miles to go.
The next section of the course that follows around Litle Bald Mtn is magnificently entertaining. What a way to spend a Saturday morning! Being treated to the panoramic views, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven ....the scenery brought tears to my eyes. Before I realized it , the single track yielded to a forest service road and I could hear voices and noise coming from Little Bald Mtn Aidstation.
I arrived ~5 minutes ahead of my plan. This aidstation seemed easier for both me and my crew to deal with... it was much more laid back and less crowded than RF. Gigi wiped my face off with a wet towel, and she had a Boost waiting for me as I had requested. I thanked Gigi, Doug and Katie for being there and then said goodbye to them. I would not see them again until the early evening at Michigan Bluff. Onward Ho to the canyons! |
