Short Story – Like last year, another very windy race. Although I ended up with my best overall finishing place (6th overall), it was another lack-luster time. Despite my cold and the wind, this course seems to get me every time. Still very fun. Definitely glad I made the short trip down to do the race and get in a ride on the Slickrock.
Long Story – Before you read any further, I apologize for the long-windedness of the following. It won’t hurt my feeling if nobody reads beyond this point. It’s mostly personal for me to journalize the experience.
I left work mid-afternoon yesterday to drive down to Moab. My wife and baby have been very sick the last several days, so I didn't want to drag them down. So I made the trip solo. The trip is becoming somewhat of a tradition. I've looked forward to it as kind of an 'end of busy season' getaway (although this year, my busy season is only about half over). For the past three years, I've been too cheap to arrange a motel, so I've either tented it, or taken my dad's Tahoe and slept in the back of it (all the motels/hotels in town really jack-up their rates on race weekend). This year I decided to do the Tahoe. I'll usually take my mountain bike and, energy-pending, I'll go and bike the Slickrock after the race. That was the plan again this year.
I arrived into town about 7:45 last night (the town was booming) and b-lined it over to the race charity pasta dinner since it was only supposed to go 'til 8:00. Made it just in time and after a quick bite, I headed over to the expo. While there, I ran into Walter Brown over at his pace team booth. I spoke with for a few minutes and he indicated he was going to race (not pace) the race. He said he was going to use it to gauge whether he’d shoot for Boston next month. Walter and I are usually pretty close in races, so I figured our paths would cross again out on the course (I was right). The expo had a listing of race participants hanging on a wall and I tried to scope out the fast guys and other folks I knew. Among them, Ewen North (several time winner of the race), B.J. Christensen, Josh Steffan, Karl Siebach, and of course, Walter.
I left the expo and scouted out an LDS church to park the Tahoe. It was within walking distance to Swanny City Park (the finish area and bus pick-up). I was taking a bit of a risk setting up there because they had signs up saying no overnight parking. I feared a cop might come and make me move in the middle of the night, but it was worth the risk since I didn't want to park on the road in front of someone's house or go a campground and deal with the sand. I slept about as well as I could have hoped for being sick and being in the back of a Tahoe. Not a great night's sleep, but good enough. Was kind of in-and-out much of the night. The sore throat got real bad at one point that it actually woke me up. Fortunately, the stuffiness wasn't really setting in yet and I didn't feel too crummy.
The race was slated for a 10 A.M. start and we were supposed to be on the buses by 8:15. I got up a little after 7, got ready, and walked to the convenience store down the block to get some hot water to mix my oatmeal. Then up to the park, hit the potty, and had to wait a little while to catch a bus. The wind was already gusting pretty good out of the south confirming my fears that we’d likely be doing battle with it throughout the race. As we drove out of town to the Canyon, the wind didn't seem that bad. Even the first 5 or 6 miles going up the canyon, it didn't seem very strong. That was promising, but once the canyon opened up around mile 6 or 5 (and the rest of the way on up to the start), you could tell the winds were strong.
It just so happened that I ended up on the same bus as Walter and was sitting just behind him. He educated me about his pace team (American Flyer's) which to this point I had knewn little about. It's a really cool thing he's doing. He's a cool guy. He told me he knew B.J. Christensen was planning to go out the first few miles at 5:30 pace and then try and put the hammer down the second half of the race. Walter's strategy was to try and hang with him. I knew that I wasn't up to going out at a 5:30 pace right of the coral, especially on this course and with the wind. I tend to do better when I go out conservatively and kind of work from behind. So that was my plan for today.
The bus dropped us off a third-of-a-mile or so down from the start line with about an hour to spare. I was one of the last buses up there. The area was packed with people. I spent the next 20 minutes in line for the potty and then started walking to the start. I was noticing some discomfort in my left shin (the same that was bothering me a few weeks ago and was starting to rear its head again a little this week), but I was pretty confident it wasn't going to be an issue during the race (it just might be in the ensuing days!). Up at the start line, the wind was gusting very strong. The organizers made us hurry and get our gear bags in the trucks. It was a bit cold being in just the singlet in shorts. I saw Karl Siebach and talked with him. He was hoping to have a good time today, but was doubtful now because of the wind. I think he told me he was going to Boston next month too...Another great runner to represent Utah this year!
Spent the next 15-20 stretching, jogging, and doing a couple strides. Then it was time to make my way to the start. I saw all the expecteds up at line and several other 'fast-looking' dudes I didn't recognize.
The Race - Mile 1. The gun shot and we were off and running. The first mile of this race has the most elevation loss of the course. So you're immediately on a downhill at the start. The wind wasn't that noticeable at first as everyone was jockeying for position. Ewen, Karl, Josh, B.J., and Walter were in the front group and were quickly building a gap on the rest of us. Walter was doing exactly what he said he was going to do by setting up shop behind B.J.'s tall body and using him as a windshield. One guy, who I didn't recognize, was clearly taking the lead and was looking extra peppy. I later learned he was Jeffrey Eggleston of Flagstaff, AZ, (who ended up winning the race handily). Before too long, I started to settle into a group with about 4 other guys. I didn't know any of them. I found myself doing a lot of the pulling right off the bat, which I didn't want to do. We crossed the first mile mark at 5:35 which would be my fastest split of the entire race. I started gauging myself to Walter who was probably 15-20 seconds up on me by the first mile mark.
Mile 2 - A little ways into the second mile, the downhill flattens out and the road turns east and out of the shade of the cliffs. The next few miles are kind of in a more wide open area of the canyon. The head-wind became significantly more noticeable. It felt like the guys in my group were a little slower than my speed, but with the wind getting stronger, I didn't want to run alone. So my options were either to work with them, or try and bridge up to the next set of guys, which would probably expend more energy than I could afford. I decided to stick with them for the time being. Again, I found myself pulling a little more than I thought was my fair share, so I purposefully slowed down so I could fall in behind one of the other guys for a while. At the first aid station I grabbed a swig of Gatorade and also some water. The second split had already slowed to a depressing 5:52. I knew the next few miles were flat and would be windy, so I wasn't very optimistic we could pick up much speed.
Mile 3 - Pretty flat mile. My group was hanging together and we caught another dude with long dark hair and we all kind of fell in behind him for the next mile or so. The road curves south again during this mile. It was windy, but wind aside, I could tell I wasn't on my A-game today. I was feeling okay and determined to still give it my best. Walter was at least 25 seconds in front of me at this point, but he was already starting to fall off the back of B.J. We hit mile 3 at 5:55, already knocking the doors of 6 minute miles…what's up with that!?
Mile 4 - Another flat mile. The course starts to curve southwest here which is the general direction for the rest of the canyon section of the course. Suddenly, the wind didn't seem as bad. Our group was cruising along pretty comfortably at this point but we still weren't going very fast. We crossed the mile at 5:47. The gap to Walter was holding at about 25 seconds.
Mile 5 - Wind was back and this mile has a gradual hill. Me and one other guy (I think his name is Zak James; apologizes if I'm wrong) emerged at the front of our group and it wouldn't be long before we started pulling away from the rest of the group. The mile was 5:57. We may have gained a few seconds on Walter here.
Miles 6-9 - Still fighting the wind. For these miles, it was just me and Zak working together. I was doing most of the pulling. Mile 6 has another little hill and then some down (5:48 split) and mile 7 is mostly down (5:53; should have been faster). Miles 8 and 9 have some gradual rollers (5:50 and 5:47, respectively). At some point during mile 8 or 9, we got just a small taste of a tailwind. Walter was still up ahead of us and running pretty close with another guy who I believe was Jack Dasilva. By the end of the ninth mile, their gap on us had been significantly reduced. I didn't know what place I was sitting in, but was pretty sure it was in the top 10.
Mile 10 - This mile has the biggest uphill of the course for the first half and then it drops off the face of the earth to the end of the canyon. I started to pull away from Zak at the base of the hill. Then towards the top I caught and passed Walter and Jack, although I didn’t do it with much authority. Once on the downhill, I wanted to start pushing the pace and leverage gravity. I was able to at first, but I could hear Jack, Walter, and Zak breathing close behind me and once we hit the 10 mile mark (5:57) I was feeling pretty tired. I thought it was only a matter of time before they passed me and I wouldn't have anymore gas to counter.
Mile 11 - The downhill flattens out and the course goes off the road temporarily and onto a concrete path. You're only on the path for a few hundred feet as it takes you under the river bridge and then it quickly curves south and brings you back up onto the right side of the main road leading into town. Walter and Jack were still breathing close behind me. At the end of the path section, Jack passed me. I latched onto the back of him and we started working together. Once on the road, this is where it got really hard. This part of the course is fully exposed, mostly gradual uphill and straight into the wind. I didn't hear Walter or Zak anymore, so we must have been putting some space on them. This split was a dismal 6:07 and there would be no more sub-6's the rest of the race.
Mile 12 - The hardest mile of the day. A long stretch of exposed, gradual uphill, and headwind as we drudged forward towards town. Jack and I were taking turns. Jack was leading as we neared the right turn before the 12-mile mark. He hadn't been pulling for very long, but motioned for me to take the lead seemingly conceding to let me run off ahead of him. I moved ahead, but wasn't confident that I would put much space on him. We crossed the mile at a pathetic 6:26.
Mile 13 - Now on the side road (5th West, I think), the first ~0.6 of this mile is straight before turning left onto 4th North for the final stretch up to the finish at the park. I could hear Jack breathing not too far behind me. Split was 6:09.
Final 0.1 - The final kick wasn't spectacular, but I held of Jack and crossed the line in 1:18:12, a mere 2 seconds faster than last year. I was tired, but not wasted. Jack crossed about 10 seconds later and Walter was another 30 seconds back. Zak wasn't too far behind. Another lack-luster time on this course, but if there is any silver-lining, it was my best finish in terms of overall placement (6th).
I spent a little time talking to Walter, Karl Seibach, Zak, and a few other guys. Later, I spoke with Keith Barton. Everyone had similar feelings about the race…The wind sucked (or blew) and adversely affected everyone's times. Jeffrey Eggleston ran out of his mind and won the race by a large margin (1:10:08). B.J was second place finishing in just under 1:14. Josh Steffan (1:14:24), Tyler Sewald (1:15:11), and Karl Siebach (1:16:02) were place 3 through 5, respectively. I later learned that Ewen North had dropped out. He commented to me that "it was just too much," referring to the wind, I'm sure.
I stayed just long enough to get a little food, stretch, get my stuff, and see the results posted. I was 4th in my division and they only give awards to the top 3, so I didn't get anything. I walked back to the truck and talked myself into believing that I still had enough energy to go tackle Slickrock. Much to my surprise, the Tahoe battery was dead, but fortunately I found some fellow racers to give me a jump and I was quickly on my way. Thanks again! (If you're out there)
Slickrock. It was extremely windy at the trailhead and I was beginning to think I was crazy for trying to do this. But it’s a violation of personal law to come down to Moab and not ride a bike. The ride was windy most of the time. I felt like it kind helped during the first half when you're heading mostly north. I felt surprising good and nailed most all of the climbs including my one and only attempt at the Bottleneck. There were quite of few people out, including the usual Boy Scout groups. I was on the road heading home by a little after 3.
All-in-all, a good day. I wasn’t particularly pleased with my time, but also wasn’t very surprised by it. My past history on this course, my cold, and the headwinds had the odds stacked against me. I was happy with the 6th place finish though. Now, I have the Salt Lake half to look forward to in a little over a month and I hope to put in a better time there.
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