Stone Cat Race Report - Part 2

Since my last entry, the race results have been posted. Which brings a little twist to my earlier report regarding timing*. Also, for some reason I can't upload any pictures - Blogger doesn't seem to want to cooperate :(

And now back to our story.

I had debated whether or not to wear my Garmin for this race. I wanted to be able to run by feel, but I also wanted to roughly know my pace, too. If my pace seemed strong, that might encourage me to push it a little more or work to maintain it if I knew what ballpark I was in. Of course, that could also serve to discourage me if the pace seemed particularly slow, but that's another show. In the end, the Garmin won out. I was pleased that I was able to just use it as a loose guide and only ended up looking at it a handful of during the race. Plus, I like having it to log my runs in general. I skipped the heart rate monitor, though - that thing chafes like a m-er f-er on long runs.

After finishing the first lap in about 2:08, I headed out across the open field to start my second and last loop. The good news was that since the marathoners had done a mile-ish lap around the school at the start, the second lap would only be 12.5 miles since the first was 13.5. I tried to do a little quick math, gauging about how long the second lap might take and figured if it was somewhere around 2 hours, I'd be pretty happy with my overall time. I wasn't too hung up on it though, I just wanted to stay focused and on course.

The second lap went a little more smoothly than the first. No logjams and the 50 milers I came upon were easier to pass as we were all much more spread out. The miles seemed to tick by and I focused on just getting to Al Cat's Lounge aid station. So, recall that I had been concerned about my legs just crapping out and darkness and evil prevailing and causing me to walk. Somehow the running gods were with me and to be honest, I felt pretty good the entire run. I never hit the wall, never felt major muscle fatigue, cruised up the hills, and generally felt strong the whole way (I know, I hate it when people say that, but the running chi was aligned and I'm not going to mess with it). This time around, the party was in full swing at Al Cat's and I was again greeted by a volunteer holding a half full cup of beer as I rolled in. Randy offered me some little grilled cheeses (fresh off the grill) which smelled awesome and I would have loved to have one, but I didn't think the cheese would be great for my stomach. I scanned the table for what I was looking for - PB&J - and shoved a few little squares in my mouth washing them down with Gatorade. Pete rushed up to meet me (this was the first point on course I'd been able to see him) and informed me that he had had a Burnt Trailer. Emma snapped some pictures and cheered me on and a very nice woman behind a grill tried to get me to take some bacon strips with me on my way out. It seriously was heaven. I almost didn't want to leave - everyone seemed to be having such a good time (and enjoying what looked like a fully stocked bar set up on a nearby table). I kissed Pete goodbye and started to head back onto the trail. Emma was there with some final words of encouragement and I had another one of those moments of connection where I felt like both my body and soul had gotten some aid.

Two mantras started to formulate in my head (well, three). One was "Fast Freddies" (the final aid station) and the other two were "stay on course" and "pay attention". Things were definitely spreading out more and more and when I wasn't running with Lauren and Eric, I was pretty much on my own. I made sure to pay attention to the course markings and not let my mind wander too much. I also did my best to focus on the path ahead so I didn't trip. More than once I rounded a bend to see someone slowly picking themselves up from the ground or heard a "THUNK" behind me only to turn around and see that same slow, dazed, Frankensteinian walk of someone who had just been unexpectedly pinned to the earth.

And then. There was a rumble in the jungle. Over the course of the second lap the debate of "to go" or "not to go" turned in to "where can I go". This would be a first for me as I have never, ever had to stop during a race in my life for a potty break. I'm happy to report (without alienating any readers with too much detail...ok, there might be too much detail here, so consider yourself warned), that I timed it perfectly. Let's just say that on the poo-0-meter that goes from "You Should Have Brought a Magazine To Wait This Out" to "Cold Sweat", I found the Green Zone (and a well-placed tree). Hey folks, poo isn't just funny, it's scientific!

Back to the task at hand, I found myself past mile 20 and cruising home. The final miles clicked down and I was truly amazed at how I felt compared to how I have typically felt around this point during a road marathon. In fact, maybe it didn't hurt enough and I could actually be pushing it a little harder...? Eh, I'll save it for next year. All told, I think I'm just more comfortable with longer distances (especially on trails) and enjoy them much more than shorter, faster runs (too hard!). Now, at this point could I imagine doing two more laps of this for a 50 miler? Hells no!

On the first lap I had tried to make a mental picture of little landmarks that I could look for on the second lap to indicate how far along I was. Well, that didn't really work and I figured I'd just let the section of trail where the two-way traffic started serve as the "you're really almost there" indicator. The next thing I knew, I was out in that open field and running strong toward the finish. Jamie was timing and as I crossed the line he said "Dude, you were like the third woman!" Say what? Then a volunteer at the finish handed me a very nice green fleece finishers jacket and called me by name (standing there afterward, I heard her greet every finisher by name and hand them a jacket - seriously, does this race get any better?). I grabbed some water and Gatorade and pretty soon Pete cruised up on his mountain bike - he was bummed that he didn't get to see me finish, he was trying hard to get there, but had gotten a little lost in the woods (hopefully not the effects of the Burnt Trailer!) We hung around to watch Chris cruise in about 20 minutes later and Tim rolled in looking strong about 10 minutes after that. We celebrated and continued to watch finishers and hang out with Jamie and Carter (who had been drinking almost as long as the clock had been running - all kinds of feats of endurance were had on this day).

I have to admit, a little part of me wanted to know how close I was to the first and second women - what if my dumass off-coursed-ness had made a difference? Jamie must have read my mind and said something to the effect that the second woman had come in well enough before that my diversion wouldn't have mattered and I was relieved with this news. I was very happy with a solid third place and a finish of 4:16. After a quick trip back to the hotel to check out and clean up, we made it back to the race in time to see Ian's spectacular 50 mile finish of 8:02. I can't imagine running 50 miles, let alone at that pace - truly inspiring.

That evening, with Pete, Tim, and Chris, I had my Portland Pie pizza and whoopie pie dessert and it did NOT disappoint. One of my favorite things about racing with friends is re-hashing the battle afterward over a great meal and hearing everyone's take on the course, their experience, and creating the stories we'll tell and re-tell every time we get together.

In more ways than I can describe, I really felt like a Trail Monster on Saturday. Stay tuned for what's in store for 2010...

*Pete had looked at the results board at the race and seemed to think I was only 2 minutes from the second place woman. But when I looked at the results today online, he mistakenly saw the name "Lauren" finishing two minutes before me and assumed it was a woman finisher, not the dude named Lauren who I had been running with.

Stone Cat Race Report - Part I

I think one of my first introductions to the Trail Monsters was reading Ian's Stone Cat 50 Miler race report in 2007. Who knew I'd be running the marathon two years later as part of the group. This past Saturday I ran my first trail marathon and 8th overall marathon. And let me just say, the road to Hell is indeed paved.

Leading up the race I was fairly nervous. I'd done some research: shaking down everyone who had ever been near the course for details about terrain, experience, pacing; looking through past race results and coming up with a few un-scientific algorithms to get an idea of what my finishing time might be (which turned out to be surprisingly accurate). Even so, I began to doubt my training and my estimated finish time started to expand into a wider and wider range. I settled on three goals - start easy, stay focused, and have fun. Ultimately, I figured I would just have to see how I felt once I started running and let the day unfold from there.

Friday afternoon, after picking up Tim's brother at the airport we headed down to Danvers, Mass to our hotel. Chris flew in from Colorado for the race and it was great to see him again. He and Tim would also be running the marathon while Pete (Mr. Mindy) planned to mountain bike and volunteer. We quickly connected with Ian and Emma who were staying there as well and we all headed to a fantastic Italian restaurant for some carbo-loading. Then it was off to bed and the countdown to the 6:15am start. I got a surprisingly good night of sleep. Even though the hotel room fan kept automatically turning on and off to adjust the heat (and in my half-sleep I thought it was Pete getting up and doing this, but it wasn't). I felt pretty rested at 3:30ish when I finally got awake for good. I had brought my breakfast, so even though the hotel opened their continental breakfast at 4:30am for runners (smart hotel people), I chose to just eat what I had brought and not change what I usually do before a long run.

Fast forward to the school where the start and finish was and the bizarro-world LONG line leading to the men's bathroom and SHORT/NON-EXISTENT line leading to the women's. I didn't even question it, I headed in to take care of business. And well, let's just say I wasn't completely satisfied. There was still something left in the hopper when I headed out on the course and I knew it might just be a matter of time before I'd have to release that hostage al fresco. (Let's be honest folks, poo is just funny).

Waiting for the start, I managed to see Ian, Emma, Carter, Jamie, Randy and Erik which was very encouraging. I'm sure I looked nervous and Ian wished me luck and gave me a hug and it was just what I needed. (I'll be embarrassing people later in the post with my gushing about sincerity and friendship and whatnot, so I'll just apologize in advance). As with all race starts, somehow the time ticked down and the herd headed out to a field where we would set off for the day. Speaking of, I'm not sure where the start line actually was. I just stood with everyone else and when we were given the go ahead, I didn't even know when to start my watch and ended up just hitting it as we stampeded toward the trailhead (and either the course was short, or I started it pretty late, or the satellites weren't just lined up, because I only calculated about 25ish miles in the end - which wasn't a bad thing because I knew my mileage was behind during the race which is sort of the equivalent of setting your clock a little fast in your car). I got split up from Tim and Chris almost immediately and wouldn't see them again until toward the end of the first lap. Incidentally, there was a huge pileup as everyone had to single file onto the trail and then the marathoners split off to do a mile lap around the school to spread things out a bit. Honestly, it didn't spread out at all and we were jammed six ways to Sunday on the singletrack going at a snail's pace. I saw Ian's face superimposed in my field of vision like Ralph Macchio to C. Thomas Howell at the end of The Outsiders. Except Ian wasn't telling me to stay gold, he was telling me that getting stuck behind the slower 50 milers was going to be really, really frustrating. And it really, really, was. At first I just went with it - Emma had mentioned that it's good in a way since it forces you to slow down and not take off too fast - which was excellent advice. The trail did eventually open up to double-track/fire road and I could pick up the pace and pass some of the 50 milers. However, soon we were back on the singletrack and I was ground to almost a halt while people picked their way carefully up the hills, around rocks, and along the ridge. I honestly didn't know what the etiquette was for something like this. NO ONE was passing anyone (and it was a mix of marathoners and 50 milers). I didn't want to be that person who jumped out and ran around everyone, but I was also getting extremely impatient that I had to go much slower than I wanted to be going. So I stuck it out to the next fire road and got back to a more reasonable race pace. I was a little worried the whole race would be like this - super slow - then I'd have to make up time sprinting the open areas. Finally, I saw people passing on the single track, so I started to do that as well - politely saying "on your left" or "excuse me" and they moved aside. It wasn't until after the first aid station that I would say it finally spread out enough where I didn't feel like I was on a slow moving train to nowhere.

The aid stations were phenomenal. Al Cat's Lounge was the first about 4-5 miles in. There was a big painted sign on a sheet hanging in the woods that read "Al Cat's Lounge 1/3 Mile" - and you could hear the cheers almost from that point and smell the bacon and pancakes cooking (for real). As I approached, I was greeted by a volunteer asking me what I needed, how I was, and welcoming me to the Lounge (I was informed the bar was open!). I saw Emma, Erik, and Randy there and at that point just grabbed some water and headed on my way pretty quickly. They all gave me some encouraging words and it was great to see them there.

The miles ticked by and next thing I knew, I was at the next aid station, Fast Freddie's Cafe. This one was a little more low-key, but still just as friendly. I had one of my gels and some gatorade and got on my way. I found myself running pretty consistently with two other guys - Eric from New York and Lauren from Sharon, MA. As it turns out, the three of us would be accordion-ing along almost the entire course. It wasn't soon before I took my first (and luckily only) digger of the day, clipping something on the ground and doing a Pete Rose slide. I popped up and brushed off and was ok except for a bruised knee (not bad) and a few minutes of just regaining my rhythm after the abrupt stop. Toward the end of the first loop, Eric, Lauren and I were chatting a bit and the next thing I heard was some faint yelling and then one of them said "I think we went off course...". CRAP!! I turned around and people were screaming us back. CRAP CRAP CRAP! How did we miss a turn!? It felt like we had gone an eternity out of our way, but when I looked back on my garmin data, it was really only about two minutes or less (ironically, just about the amount of time that separated me from the woman who finished right before me, but more on that later). We ran back to where the turn was and back on course. I was so mad that happened, but there was nothing to be done about it but keep on going, no one's fault but my own.

Pretty soon I started to see people running toward me. Am I off course AGAIN? But we were almost done with the first loop and these were folks heading out to the next loop. Since the marathoners had split off early for the first loop, I hadn't realized that there would be a stretch where those starting a loop would be going by those finishing a loop. I couldn't believe I was already over half-way done and it felt great to see the edge of the field and the next aid station. Here is another reason why trail runners rock. Almost every one of the 50 milers and marathoners I passed heading out on their next loop looked me in the eye and said something encouraging or friendly and I returned the favor by cheering them on. That never would happen (or much less often) in a road race and is practically unheard of in a triathlon. I let myself spy the colors of the numbers that were passing (blue was 50 miler, red was marathon) and saw a good mix, but only saw one female marathoner during that relatively short stretch. I figured the rest of the women were ahead on the course, so I pretended that there was only one woman in front of me and that I was doing well. I finally saw Chris at this point and Tim was a few paces back adjusting his shoe. They both looked happy and I was glad to see them. I finished the first lap feeling strong and hit the aid station, trying not to linger too long. Jamie and Carter were there and it was so good to see friendly faces. Carter was cheering and telling me I was kicking ass and Jamie looked me in the eye and asked how I was doing and if he could get me anything. I said I was doing well and even stopped for a picture. There's something about having another runner and friend offer up such a simple service - not judging, not secretly hoping you'll crash and burn - just complete and honest "caretaking" if you will, and knowing exactly what to do based on what they see going on in your eyes. I'm sure that is a much more valuable service during a 50 or 100 miler, but even at my short time into the race, it gave me an extra boost of mental strength.

One more lap to go and I was still feeling strong.

The Stone Cat Post

The Stone Cat Marathon is this weekend. Am I ready? I have no idea. I know I can do the distance, it's just what happens to me mentally and physically along the way that will be interesting to find out (I’ll be on the edge of my seat!). I've never done a trail marathon before and I don't really know the course (although those who have done it in the past have given me excellent intel about what to expect). I have, however, done several road marathons in the past and if I had to run a road marathon this weekend based on how I feel about my training now, I wouldn't be feeling very prepared. I’ve finally figured out why and I think it has to do with how my long runs went. Let me preface this by saying that I realize road running and trail running are two different beasts and what I’m about to describe may just be consistent with trail running and trail racing in general. (I will let the experts weigh in on that, though - something I probably should have asked BEFORE I started training for this marathon, but (for next year) if anyone has any thoughts on long run training for trail racing vs road racing, I’d love to hear them.)

I’m still getting used to training on trails I guess, but the long runs just didn’t seem…right somehow. It had nothing to do with the fact they were on trails - that was the highlight! It has more to do with how consistent (or inconsistent) my running was during the course of the run. I logged a bunch of 18-20 milers, but most of them weren't consistent - stops between laps, slower paces, feeling draggy and slow on hills and just in general… Somehow I think I would be feeling more confident with a handful of solid unstopped long runs with a few miles of faster paces mixed in which is how I trained for the road marathons for which I felt pretty prepared and had decent results (for me). It all comes down to my greatest race fear, which is that I will have heavy, slow legs early in the race from which I can’t recover and it will be a battle of will to the finish. Funny I should have that fear, because it actually happened to me about 10 or so years ago during a marathon and I’ve been haunted by it ever since. I don’t remember my specific training plan for that race, it was something generic - but I do have a vague recollection that I had never fully engaged in the training (if that makes any sense) even though I covered the miles. Kiiiiind of how I’m feeling about my training this time. Who knows, I was new to marathons then and probably went out too fast without realizing it, but that old feeling is rattling around in the back of my mind mingling unsupervised with the usual thoughts of inadequacy - a toxic pair. I've spent a good deal of time in this life battling some inner demons and I don't want those bastards ruining this race experience for me.

I know all races can’t be perfect, I just wish I felt a little better about the training going into it.

That said, here’s my plan:

I will take it easy on the first lap and then bring the noise for the second if I can.

I will worry about myself and not what everyone else is doing.
I will have fun.

Now for the good: Pete will be there cheering me on. Tim and Chris (my brothers from another mother) will be there running the marathon, too. Ian and Chuck are going to burn up the 50-miler. A whole host of Trail Monsters will be fanned out across the course at aid stations (some sober, some not). My post-race meal will await (pepperoni pizza from Portland Pie and a whoopie pie - two pies, too perfect).

Afterward, I think I’ll take a week off and re-group, maybe do a little planning for the upcoming year. Right now, my two goals for 2010 are - run a lot of trails, have fun.

Scrued

Normally, I'm a pretty good sport about running in bad conditions. But today it kind of did me in. I met Ian, James and Val at Bradbury at 8 this morning. Ian's plan was to do the full Bradbury Xtreme Badass (27 miles of all three race courses) and I was aiming for a "Scruiser", the Scuffle course (6 miles) plus the Bruiser course (12). It was overcast, but not too chilly, and I don't remember if a light rain was starting to fall yet when we set out. I was feeling pretty good and the miles of the Scuffle course went by more quickly than I thought they would. Ian and James pulled ahead about halfway into the Scuffle and Val and I chatted and enjoyed the time on the trail. When we got back to the parking lot after the first 6, I was starting to get a little cold and the rain was starting to pick up. We hit the Bruiser course and the plan was the Val was going to duck out part way through since she is saving her legs for a much longer run next weekend. Once onto the course, the rain got heavier and steadier and even the trees weren't protecting us much anymore. My long sleeve shirt was sticking to me and the cold fabric was getting chilly. The Lanzo trail is the O Trail's slightly less-annoying cousin, but still a little bitch. And in the rain the rocks and leaves were slippery which made the pace and rhythm even slower and more disjointed. As the rain came down harder, I confessed to Val that I was getting ready to call it quits early and would cut out with her when she was ready. We ended up doing about 1/2 the Bruiser and came back on the end of the Scuffle course. I'm glad I decided to adjust my plans and hopefully I'll get in a nice long run tomorrow. Back at the car I had a dry shirt to change into, but had the heat cranked the whole way home. The hot shower felt great. I'll be interested to hear how Ian and James fared - whatever they ended up doing, I'll still consider it Xtreme badass-ism.

Earlier this year I had every intention of doing a road marathon in the fall with the hopes of re-qualifying for Boston. I even had a crazy PR time in my head I wanted to achieve. Things have changed. When I started to think of the road miles I would have to put in to prepare for a quality effort marathon, I started feeling dread...and fear. Pounding away on the road for long runs this summer and fall reeked of injury, not to mention the fact that I'd likely be missing out on group trail runs on the weekends. Having finally come back from a serious stress fracture (my third, and partly the result of pavement pounding) I'm gun shy about more road work even though I've addressed many issues that I believe contributed to the injuries (biomechanics, strengthening, nutrition, training, etc). That said, I've been putting in some good miles on the trail and have been feeling surprisingly well. I knew the trails would be easier on my body, but didn't fully appreciate it until I started doing some longer and longer runs for the first time on trails instead of road. I feel so remarkably better the next day I can see how easy it is to just keep piling on the miles. Of course, I still feel slow - it's hard not to with the insanely talented people I join on the weekends - but I also feel that slowly and surely, I'm getting strong and building my endurance. And I'm grateful to just be running healthy. Brick by brick, I'm building a base and hope to just keep doing what I'm doing, because man, I am thoroughly enjoying it. By the laws of running, I know there will be another injury somewhere in my future, but hopefully it's far away and not serious. Now, I'm going to proceed to jinx myself by talking about upcoming plans. In early November, I'm planning on running the Stonecat trail marathon in Massachusetts. I'm really looking forward to it. This will be the first marathon I've done in about 3 and a half years and my first trail marathon. Stonecat has a 50 mile race that I actually considered for a few days, but in the interest of not breaking myself again, the marathon seemed like the right race at the right time. Depending on how that goes and my fall/winter running in general, I've been seriously thinking of what to tackle at Pineland Trail Challenge next May. Yeah, maybe it's too soon to be thinking about the Spring, but I can't help myself. Should I go for the 50K? If I stay injury-free, I know I can do the distance, how well I can do it is another thing, but I'd have plenty of time to at least feel like I trained well enough and whatever happens, happens. Or......should I go for the 50 mile? It sounds so far, but then again, so did the marathon some years ago. The 50 mile would be a whole different beast for me. Yes, not something I need to be deciding this far out and I don't want to jinx anything. So, I said it "out loud", but I'll pack away any serious thought of it for a little while longer (of course any comments/suggestions from the panel either way are welcome :)

Getting Through It

Had a pretty good run at Pineland today. My goal was to do 18 and I got in about 18.5 miles - of which the last few were mind over matter, so I was very happy I pushed through and met my goal. Ian and Emma started at 7am and I think Jeff must have been with them as the three of them cruised into the parking lot right as I arrived at 8 as did Erik and Jamie . We headed over to the Oak Hill section first and did a few miles. Jamie was trying out the Vibram Five Fingers which left some pretty cool prints in the mud that I came across later when I hit Oak Hill for a second time. Jamie and Jeff finished up at Oak Hill and Erik, Ian, Emma, and myself headed over to "the other side" to run the usual route that follows the race course. I don't think anyone was really feeling stellar the entire time and the trails were really, really wet. But as always, I enjoyed the conversation and just being in the woods and on the trails doing what I like to do and the sun was out which was an added plus. Emma and Ian decided to cut their run a little short as injuries and losing general focus were taking the fun out of things so Erik and I finished the Campus Loop and came back to the parking lot. I still had about 7-8 miles to go so I headed back over to Oak Hill to try and finish up. As I headed out I saw Ian and Emma soaking their legs in the pond which looked oh so nice! I felt my pace slow a little bit and was just kind of feeling blah and not as energized as I hoped. I really wanted to get in the full mileage, though for several reasons: 1) if I was merely "tired" and not in any pain, I wanted to push through whatever bad place I was in for the mental training as well as getting in miles on tired legs, 2) I wasn't in the mood to beat myself up later for stopping without good reason, 3) I want to start building up my long runs and felt like this was a critical one to complete (more on these reasons and some ideas I've been mulling over in my next post). Those reasons kept me chugging away and eventually I found myself back at the parking lot having finished and actually feeling pretty decent. My ITB has been a little tight lately and I'm occasionally feeling that shin-splinty thing, so I made sure to stretch really well afterward. Lying in the grass staring up at the clouds and feeling the warm sun on my face while I stretched out my legs was a peaceful way of ending that morning's extended meditation on the trail.

Pride Run

This past weekend we went to NYC to visit with some friends, hit some museums, and go out to a super fancy dinner. I also had the chance to run the Front Runners New York Lesbian and Gay Pride Run on Saturday - a 5 mile jaunt through Central Park. The New York Road Runners put on about 50 races per year (including the NY Marathon) so this was just another routine race for many. I was still amazed at how smoothly and well-organized everything was - there were over 3,600 runners. The best part of the race was getting to see my friend Richard, whom I haven't seen in about 9 years or so. We were running pals back in Philadelphia, when I first started "really" running and would run together with a group almost daily on the streets and trails of Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. Hours of great conversation passed back in those days and I never thought I would find another group so enjoyable to run with until I found the Trail Monsters here in Maine. Richard and I met up before the race and had a few minutes to catch up while we did a little warm up run, then it was off to the corrals. They have organized, seeded corrals for little 5 mile races! I was pretty much just doing this as a "fun run", I didn't feel like I was really trained to do fast, short, run. The morning was getting warmer and warmer and there wasn't going to be much shade along the course. As an experienced NY road racer, Richard gave me a quick verbal overview of the course. He mentioned a few hills and started telling me about one that lasted about 2-3 (I waited for it) minutes. Whew. Thought he was going to say 2-3 miles. After last weekend's Mt. Washington race, hearing about a 2-3 minute hill made me giggle. We were in separate corrals as Richard is super speedy, so we wished each other good luck and headed to the start. After what seemed like a lot of speeches and instructions and the National Anthem, we were off. It was pretty crowded most of the race and I just kept telling myself it was only 5 miles since I was kind of nervous about racing in the first place (I always am) and especially over a short distance. I found a relatively comfortable pace and clicked through the miles. It was a blast running in Central Park, which is beautiful, even though I wasn't really taking in everything around me. Finally, the home stretch! I tried to kick it up, but didn't really feel like I had much left. I was glad to be done. Once over the finish line, we were herded through like any race, but at the end, they were handing out bags of pretzels, water, and...giant popsicles - which was an awesome idea given that it was so hot out, but a definite wink to Dr. Freud. Hello! What says Gay Pride race like huge popsicles everyone was walking around sucking after the race. Genius. Though I would have liked to have gone a little faster (who doesn't say that after any race?), it was still fun and I'm glad I did it. Afterward Richard and I met up with one of my closest friends from college and his partner for a yummy brunch downtown and we all got to sit outside, relax, eat good food, and catch up. A great trip!