Finally joined the Grandeur Peak Fun Run. I awoke early, like I always do now whether I like it or not, and ambled around, looked outside a few times. Wasn't sure if I should go back to bed or get suited up and drive to SLC. I knew there would be regrets if I didn't go and saw my friends commenting on how fun it was. So I went. The entire crew was there. The mountain was covered in cloud. At go I ran up the hill like I have been trained to do, then hiked steeply up Grandeur's West ridge. Maintained a steady and aggressive pace which got me to the summit in my best time ever - 50 minutes 30 seconds. A personal record by 6 minutes. I had banked enough time to try for the under-two-hour finish. Since I didn't take water or gels, I worried if I would be wobbly on the downhill but I held up well and felt strong. Two days of rest was beneficial. I did stop at Church Fork/Pipeline intersection for two drinks, then ran strongly 2 miles to Bambi Hill turnoff. Slick mud was a challenge up the steep trail, but got up quickly, then made the last descent to the finish. Crossed the line at 1 hour 57 minutes and some change. Very happy to have met my goal of sub 2. It was fun running in the rain.
|