The Non-Race

If you've been reading my blog for long, you know I've been talking about running the McKay Hollow Madness 25K for quite some time.  I've been more excited about this race than I have about any other race, ever.  I wasn't as prepared as I "should have" been...but I felt good about what I was going to be able to do.  I have developed what is probably an unhealthy confidence on the trails which allows me to go a bit faster than what I can on the roads.  I don't quite understand it, but I love it nonetheless.  I "knew" I wouldn't win anything (they don't do age group awards, only top 3 females and top female masters), but I believed I would do "well" (without overly defining that word).

I had been watching the weather for weeks.  Early on it was predicted to be fantastic, just a low chance of rain on the Wednesday before.  As the date drew nearer however, the weather became more and more foreboding until around Thursday when Weather.com was forecasting a 100% "chance" of rain.  How is that possible?  100% chance.  Usually, I would bet those odds.  But...I didn't want to believe it so I continued to prepare to race Saturday morning....even when I woke up to crashing thunder and blinding lightning. 

My alarm went off at 4am so I could take my thyroid meds (one hour before food).  I had intended to go back to sleep until it was time for breakfast, but I couldn't sleep for all the racket going on outside...not to mention all the thoughts bouncing around in my head concerning the race.  I was in complete denial that it would be cancelled.  Four hours later my denial became undeniable when the director pulled the trigger and blasted shotgun holes through my dreams of running this race this year.  Everyone present when the announcement came was given their "finisher's" shirt.  (What else were they going to do with all those shirts??)

Several people decided to go ahead and run the course anyway, but being the sensible person I am, I knew that wasn't the best idea.  (Okay, so really my husband told me he really didn't want me to run in the lightning because people get hit all the time and he didn't want to lose me...it worked.)  There was also a group that went out Sunday morning to run the course...but I didn't want to miss church for a run that wasn't a race.

Warrior offered to go out with me some time and run the course since she knows it like the back of her hand, having done it many times, but she wasn't going to be able to go for at least a couple of weeks.  I was crushed.  I have several triathlons coming up and felt like running 15.5 miles of TOUGH trail wasn't the best "training" for those races.  At worst it could even be potentially hazardous to my summer racing plans if I put off running the course too long and ended up twisting an ankle or something.

So, Monday morning, after a full night of hard rain, I decided to run the course alone.  (The comment about the rain will make sense when I write up "How I Earned My Shirt"...hopefully later today!)

Thanks for stopping in...come again soon!
:D