I was working Eves the night before the race. I left a couple of hours early making it to bed shortly after 11 pm. With the 9am race start and only 90 minutes to Hilton Falls it was almost like sleeping in getting up at 5:30 am. for my usual hot tub and coffee leaving for the race at 6:30 am. Didn't sleep all that well it was super windy and snowing. It sounded like a train it was so loud. Turning the alarm off and skipping the race crossed my mind but its and Ultra , not a 10 ker do it wasn't to be missed.
The race start sucked , it was cold and windy. I made a last minute change in the car switching to my Mizuno " Breath Thermal" as a base layer vs two long sleeve Tech Ts with a Shell. I was suited up with the Breath Thermal base , Long Sleeve Tech T over it then a Shell over the two shirts. Wore wool socks , wind proof underwear and light weight tights below. Hands were two pairs of gloves , wool liner and then a knitted fabric glove over that. On the head was a buff worn as a sweat band covering the ears then a ball cap! About a K in the Shell came off and thats more or less the way I ran the first of 2 25 km loops. I was moving slowly at first but picked it up a few Ks in moving well through the many Ks of super easy tractor trail type running. The course was allot like Pick Your Poison except there were no Ski Hills. There was a few Ks of somewhat rooty and rocky stuff but it was no bit deal or so I thought! At around 18k I fell, not a rolled ankle, not a kick somehow I was going down. As is usual I go for the protective roll ...one problem, it was on rocks. Whacked my right ankle and left knee on a rock , it hurt like hell and it was tough to stand up. It was one of those once over quickly damage control. It was hard to get moving again and I was limping along for quite a few Ks. I was cold , my hands were really getting cold when I realized the wer caked in snowy ice balls ...did I mention that the course was covered in Snow! Before the race started the RD said because it was so cold anyone wanting to drop after the first loop would get a 25K time. I spent the last 5 K of the loop thinking about dropping. I was hurting , cold and not at all enjoying myself. About a K before the start/finish I threw my Shell back on. I was moving at a much slower pace then the start so I was actual quite comfortable and it really helped with the cold hands! Allot crossed my mid in the last K of the first loop but when I hit the start / finish without hesitation I headed back out. Figured I would at least get to 30K see how I felt and either head back or carry on. I would rather DNF trying then quite at 25K and get a time! The second loop ended up being OK , slowed up but was still running all the flats , downhills but was walking the technical bits and any of the very few hills I encountered. Did do much in the way of nutrition , gelled once in the first loop and did one Endurance Tap in the second. Grabbed some smarties and arrow bars heading out on the loop and had a smoore at the 5k aid station. Did water at all the stops and was OK hydrated throughout the day. At the 45K marks the last aid station stop Merlin was there and had some Cherry Gin to offer me , hesitated at first then went ahead with a shot...loved it, big thanks to my Endur buddy Merlin! Strangely enough I was OK with the cold on the second loop ....maybe slightly hot but it was by far way better then being cold. So I finished before 4 pm slightly under 7 hours. A pretty slow time for such a fast course but I really felt like I had accomplished something going that far on such a cold and windy day. I was really happy just how good I felt on the second loop. Although very pelased with the day I still really really really do not like going long in the cold!
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