What's been going on lately with my running? Well, this past weekend had a couple of medium long runs only a week after the Meego Bingo outing where I managed 19 miles.
Friday night, I strapped on my road running shoes and ran with the Friday Night Road Dawgs. The plan was 20 miles. I was uninformed as to the route but knew there would be several Quik Trip stops, so I ran with only a water bottle. Everyone else had their Salomon and Nathan packs, and extra layers to put on. I had only shorts and a tri-blend t-shirt. It was a bit nippy running 5-6 miles south into a stiff wind, but after that, it was cool but the wind was not a factor. My 24 oz bottle lasted from on QT stop to the next. I ended up having a perfect run--many miles in the 11-12 minute range. I was not really all that wiped out the next morning and managed a short dog sniff-run.
Sunday morning I met up with a bunch of friends on top of Turkey Mountain to run the Electric Peach Half Marathon. This was a creation of the JV Collective. (Not Junior Varsity--Justin/Victor) These guys are getting their feet in the race directing pool. This race was a "Fatass" event. What the heck is that you ask? Well, let me tell you. Don't google it. Fatass events are races that are no fee, no frills, no t-shirt, no medals, and no whining. Originally they were races just after the new year to rub a few pounds off the---well----ass. Justin and Victor have another couple of races up their sleeve later in the year, so stay tuned.
The name Electric Peach was chosen because the course included the pink and the yellow trails, with a Powerline out and back after each loop. Forty-two runners toed the line, with a few of the planning to only run the first loop of the race. I had my sights set on the total distance, which turned out to be 13.8 miles--but who's counting.
My buddy Clint Green helped mark and check the course, and then roamed the mountain taking pictures. All of the race pictures I borrowed from him.
At least four runners ran with their dogs. Kate was being towed by Miss Taylor, who was also spotted dragging Brandon Plate up and down the Powerline Trail. I need to run my Roxie solo and I believe she could be a good racing dog.
Clint waited around for me. At this point, I was the last--but to make excuses, I started a couple of minutes late.
Mike Rives ran well helped by his trekking poles. I got a pair of these for Christmas, and have yet to use them. He swears they make life easier.
One hour and 47 minutes after the starting nod, Justin Franklin broke the strand of toilet paper. This dude was just flying. At this point in the race, I had covered 5.5 miles.
Here's the top three men and women flanked by the race directors.
I caught up with Laura after about three miles. My shuffle was faster than her walk. Her run was faster than my shuffle. She eventually pulled ahead but I caught her somewhere during the first Powerline jaunt. After Powerline we had a loop on the Yellow Trail. The first half is non-technical and a gradual downhill--so I decided to see if I had any added speed I could muster, and stretched out my stride and concentrated on a slightly faster foot turnover. After a mile or so of this, I caught Johnna and Misty. I walked for a bit talking to Johnna, but Misty took off concerned about making the 4-hour cutoff. I actually thought we had it in the bag, but I was wrong. Time expired with just under a ha;f mile and two steep hills to go. I finished in 4:08 and was pretty happy with that.
A few gag awards were passed out. Brandon won the Ugliest Attitude award. HAHA. He must have had gas and a pained look on his face or something because every time I see him he has this goofy grin.
This was a challenging route; some easy stuff, some technical sections. Having Lipbuster and Powerline as the final two miles of the race was a nice touch.
And the course elevation is an accurate picture.
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