Photo Courtesy: Glenn Tachiyama
This was a quick power trip to Orcas solo. It was good to get back to James’ race, it’s a killer course. Hard, tons of climbing…7500 ft and a great scene. I took off Thursday night after my kids were in bed and crashed in the Gorge. Got up early Friday, hit Seattle at lunch and hung with my brother-in-law, Andrew before pushing on to Anacortes to catch the ferry to Orcas Island.
This year I opted to crash in my rig. After a good night’s sleep, I got up, ate and did a short warm up before toeing the line. I knew going into this I was not in top form. After the broken rib and hand in November/December, I just hadn’t put in the volume I normally have on my legs by this time. Add to the mix that I (and my whole family) got the flu on Monday (5 days prior) and I knew I was in for a challenging day, especially the latter miles.
The weather was just gorgeous this year. Clear, sunny and brisk at the start, but it warmed up quickly and by 10 miles in I was down to light gloves and sleeveless jersey. Nice. The course was in stellar shape and I went out a little hot given my fitness level, but oh well.
I did pay for that “oh well” around 25 or 26 miles when my wheels came off. I was in 5th and 1st masters, but Adam Hewey, another strong master’s runner, came rolling up on me at 26ish closing strong like he always does. I immediately tried to suck on his heels for 100 meters or so, but couldn’t match his pace. Just wasn’t there. So, I just maintained the pace I was holding and hoped nobody else was bringing it home hard. I ended up staying in that position the rest of the race and rolling in for 6th place 17 minutes faster than last year in 4:55. Great race once again. James really knows how to put on a race. I highly recommend one of his races (rainshadowrunning.com).
Also, found out I got chosen in the Wasatch 100 lottery. So, September 100 is chosen. Giddyup.