Utah Spartan Super, US Nationals, July 20, 2019

Bad blogger, I haven't posted since March.

Ouch. 

Geez, I've only moved houses, started renovating the new house, and been taking master's classes in Nutrition.  Oh, and I took up golfing.    Those are not excuses, people!  They are REASONS.

Actually, I've been so busy that even my workouts have suffered, which is saying a lot as I usually keep those at the top of my to-do list.

Since I last got any blogging done, I've completed:

Boston Spartan Sprint (twice) May 11

So the Boston Sprint was just because we were out there for work already.   The venue was nice but due to recent heavy rains we had to park 40 minutes away and take a LOOONG shuttle ride to the venue.   I made it just in time run up to the starting corral and start racing.  Then because I was there, and the race was so short, I did the course again.   I started 15 minutes after Jim on the second lap and tried to catch him, but it didn't work, he was booking it and stayed well ahead of me.



Timp Trail Marathon May 18

The Timp Trail Marathon is a tough race, I had done it 5 years before and wanted to revisit the course.  My mistake.   The lower elevations were riddled with soul-sucking mud, and up on the high bench, there was 7 inches of fresh snow and thick fog.  I crossed a meadow in a sea of white so thick that I could barely see anything but fresh indentations of footsteps in the snow.  I remember hoping that the first feet knew where they were going!  It was a relief to suddenly see a bush pop out of the whiteout, then a tree.   Back down to the lower elevations brought no relief, only more mud.   I wrote in my workout log after that race...."Don't ever do this race again, unless it's a super dry year!"    I was happy to finish faster than my first time, even though conditions were slower on course.

As a side note, several miles into the race, I caught up to a guy shouting in Spanish into his phone, while videoing himself running along the muddy path.  He sounded like a deranged soccer announcer, which brought up lots of memories of really boring Spanish television announcers sounding WAY too excited.   "Estoy aqui en los Montanas de UTAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"  (cue heavy breathing)   "Estoy corriendo mi primer MARATON en UTAAAAAHHHH!!!"   I had to run extra fast to get ahead of him, but could hear him in the distance still shouting into his phone: "Si se puede!  Si se puede!  SI SE PUEDE!"   

That's gonna be some amazing video, folks.  I went home and told Jim about this guy.  I don't think he really believed me.   I do wish I had some photos but I left my camera in the car to keep it dry.

Results:  https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=63193

Corner Canyon Half Marathon Jun 8

Corner Canyon half marathon was the morning after I got home from a week in Iowa renovating my parents house.   It was just a mile from our new house so I literally ran home after I finished.   I do like doing races close to home, but this one I was tired and was happy just to finish.   Jim won his age group in his race!   Funniest part of the morning was Jim actually spotting this same Mexican guy, again shouting in Spanish into his phone about how amazing this race was gonna be!   I can't wait to go watch that video....not.




Boise Spartan Sprint (twice) Jun 29

The Boise Spartan Sprint was a fun race.  Our friends Michelle and Tom brought their whole family to race with them, so on my second lap, I started with 12 people I knew, definitely a first.  We stayed together for all of about 1/2 mile.   Then Emily and I decided to head out and go at our own faster pace.   The course was really nice, not too hilly and very runnable.  I wasn't sure if just a Sprint race was worth the long drive up from Salt Lake, but once I was racing I felt really happy to be there.     Plus we took an extra day and visited friends on the way home, so it turned out to be a nice weekend.





Utah Spartan Super, US Nationals, July 20, 2019

Now back to the Utah Super, at a new location this year.   Snow Basin, above Huntsville, a little higher than last year so maybe a few degrees cooler.  Maybe.   We started at about 6200 feet and climbed to 8200 feet.   It was the final race of the US Nationals so plenty of familiar faces in my Age Group starting corral.   As usual, I "let" a bunch of women get ahead of me on the initial mile.   I'm just not a fast enough runner.  But the obstacles helped me reel them in, and I tried to stay focused on maintaining my speed as I got tired.  I had to yell at myself a little.  "Don't let that woman get away from you on the downhill!"   I felt like I gave it everything I had, and finished 6th even after missing the spear, in 2:16 over 9 miles.   After a quick turn around, I registered again and ran it for a second time, this time in 2:45.   It was a bit hotter the second go round!   But the second time I even hit the spear along with all the other obstacles.  In two weeks I have the Spartan Aspen Ultra, which is 30 miles and higher eleveation, so this was perfect training to do the 2 laps on a mountainous course.

Results: https://admin.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-42231?entryID=42415997

After two laps, any muscles I have left are all cramping!