It seems like I just got back from Iron Horse, but there's no rest for the weary this weekend! It's time to lace 'em up (screw shoes? Yak Trax? snow-shoes? Who knows?!) and head to the Massanutten Mountains for 71 miles of fun at the Reverse Ring! Despite the crazy amounts of snow we've been hit with in the region, the RD's think they'll be able to get vehicles to the various Aid Station spots on the trail, so the race is officially on!
Some of you may recall my regular "Ring" run last fall that qualified me for this "invitation only" winter version of the race. I honestly have no clue what the trail conditions will be like out there, but I'm guessing the most descriptive word the whole time will be SLOW. Even though it's only 71 miles, I'm 100% sure it will take 3 or 4 hours longer than my 100 miles at Iron Horse two weeks ago, and that has nothing to do with my legs being tired! Quite honestly, my legs feel great (I know I'm recovered when I can run my usual 8.5 mile loop at around 6:40 pace, and that's what I was able to do yesterday), and I'm ready to have some fun out there, no matter what the nasty trail throws at us. It'll be a small race (since it has such a stout qualifier and, let's be honest, is held at a purposely crappy time of year for mountain running!), but there will be about 20 of us lining up to rock and roll out there this weekend. I'm not sure about Utterli (their site is back on the fritz again), but I'll try to call a couple times anyway. If nothing else, I'll be back on Sunday to post a quick report!
4 comments:
The green hand reminds me of the Grinch. Is this a good sign? Hard to say, but I know you will do great in this race. I hope Utterli gets back to functioning soon so we can get your real time updates.
There are all sorts of fun little Grinch-like creatures lurking in those hills out there...probably one or two them is to blame for shorting out the Utterli communication towers and/or eating their maintenance guy while he was out for repairs.
Glad you are feeling good after your sweet victory and are going back for more! Running on the icy, snowy stuff will make those loops in France all that much easier! Have fun!
FYI - Utterli is down, so no updates during the race...sorry! I'll have to check into a new company that's more reliable for future races since it seems Utterli almost never works anymore.
I'm off to the Massanuttens now, and I'll report when I get back from the all the snow and ice on Sunday!
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