I set my clothes out the night before...
...so I could be ready to go early this morning. The course was about 20-30 minutes away from the hotel, so we set off around 5:30am. The course was twelve out-and-back laps: from the campsite to the marina and back, all beside the lake.
The course started on a packed gravel parking lot entrance and then proceeded onto the paved road. After about a quarter of a mile, the course went up a hill for about a mile before turning around and heading back downhill. It wasn't a steep hill, but a mile of a gradual hill gets old (and tough) fast.
The weather was cool, but not as cold as the prior morning, and I was able to start the first lap without a jacket. Twelve laps is the perfect number to me. It helps you break up the race into easy to handle parts, mentally. Soon I had three rubber bands, and was a fourth of the way there. Adding another lap brought me to a third of the way done. Only two more laps and I'm halfway done. It makes it seem much easier.
I felt good early on, and didn't really notice any soreness from the prior day. As I continued on, I definitely got soarer earlier. By mile 16 I was tired, but continued on.
I managed to survive the race in 4:59. One of my favorite spectators ran me into the finish.
After finishing the race, cooling down and stretching, we drove back to the hotel to grab a quick shower, pack, and hit the road again. Two hours later, after an uneventful drive, we were pulling up in Belle Fourche, SD (pronounced bell foosh).
We checked into the hotel...
...and took a trip to the site of the next day's race. Wednesday's race will be behind the Visitor's Center in the Center of the Nation park.
As we were walking the course, the wind picked up to gale force. We hurried back to the car to head to the group dinner, hoping the wind would die down before the race tomorrow.
The group dinner was at Branding Iron Steakhouse. The menu was underwhelming, but the cheeseburger and baked potato hit the spot (especially since we didn't get lunch). The company, however, was the best part of the meal.
These people have become like family over the past two days, all trying to survive the same trial. The trial continues tomorrow, but I will be on the sidelines. I will be volunteering at the water station and cheering my new friends on. I will return to running on Thursday in Sundance, WY.
Follow me at http://anython.com/running-for-sissy-simon.
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