Hello everybody. Thank you for dropping by. It's now Wednesday 17th April with only 10 days before my first 50km race of 2013 and possibly many of yours if you do any of the OUS events.
Presently it is sunny and fairly mild; a nice change from all the up and down weather we've had this Spring. I had a look a few days ago on the PYP website and the race director walked the course and posted photos. It looked very bleak and still very snow covered and I'm hoping we get a few really warm days to melt everything and harden it up. I'm not whining and whatever comes on the day we'll all deal with but I'm hoping for as pleasant a day as possible.
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| Start/Finish Area 10 Days Before Race |
Training To Date - Injuries
So, how are things looking? Time to pull out my tarnished crystal ball. Let's examine the facts. I was doing swimmingly well in November through February with training and then it all seemed to go up the creek. I had over a week off training in March as we had an intense refit in our retail store which entailed 12 hour physically demanding days and left me with no energy. Then I got a large blister on the pad of the foot on my first outside run which resulted in another 5 days off and then, and most worryingly, some completely out of the blue injury which I'll be damned if I can figure out what it is but that has plagued me for almost a month now.
Sometimes it hurts so much I can't even start running, other times it comes on after 5-6 miles and other times it is always there, in the background, waiting to pounce, but just reminding me and making me worry, but not enough to make me quit. Sometimes when I walk I don't feel anything and sometimes when I turn a certain way or try to lift my leg a certain way there is sudden pain. And the frustrating thing is I can't press any part and feel pain or when I can move a certain way and feel the pain even then I couldn't say what exactly is the problem. It seems to be right groin/hip/ass problem. I've googled it and the worrying thing is my self-diagnosis seems to possibly point towards a possible hip fracture :( I'm hoping I'm completely off-base but I've not had a similar injury in my running so it's a new one on me. Maybe with a hip fracture there is no way I'd even be able to run at all which is not the case. I did manage a 15.5 mile run followed two days later with a 17.5 mile run and a 1 hour run of 8.1 miles. I must say while the fitness is definitely not there, I can at least run but I am not enjoying my runs.
My plan is to get a 10 mile run in tonight followed by a 20+ miler tomorrow (post script: the long run didn't happen - just wasn't feeling the love) and then just taper it down for next week with perhaps a 10 miler and a few 6.2 milers. I am not happy with the quality or quantity of my runs leading up to this but I hope I get through this race unscathed but I'm certainly nervous.
I have an order of Raspberry Hammer Gels coming along with S-Caps which I've never tried before. Last season I had constant issues with throwing up and I'm hoping the S-Caps may be the answer and that it was a salt problem. I'll let you know. I also ordered a new pair of insoles. Damn these insoles are expensive! I was shocked to see some insoles costing almost as much as a new pair of minimalist shoes. My blister was caused rubbing through one so I need to get this addressed. Of course my watch battery croaked but fortunately I have time to get it replaced before next week.
OK, so get to the chase! What are my expectations/goals for the race. Well, I think I'll simply say that my primary goal is to finish. I am going to take 2 Advil's before the race starts and I think I'll say that I hope to be finished in 5 hours 25 minutes or less. I'm not going to hope for anything better than that as my injury, lack of off-road training and new course makes me less than optimistic. The only good news is that I tend to run better when it's cooler and I doubt it will get into the high 20's.
I look forward to meeting some of the runners I met last year and making new acquaintances. It looks like a fairly challenging course in the ski hills of Horseshoe Valley and it will be a good training run for the 50 mile Sulphur Springs course a month later. My intention is to drive up at 4am on the Saturday morning. Yuck. Well, wish me luck. I think I may need it. And best of luck to all of you who are participating. I hope all your winter training went well and I look forward to seeing you all out there.
THE DAY BEFORE THE RACE
I'm now writing this the morning after the race. I had Friday off and spent the day leisurely gathering my race kit. I had decided I'd go to bed at 10 pm and leave the house at 2:30-3:00 am for a quiet drive up and then just crash in the car when I arrived until registration opened. With that in mind I put the rear seats down and laid out some duvets and a sleeping bag and pillow. It's not the Hilton but it actually isn't too bad.
Packing for a race is like packing for a vacation. It takes quite a bit of time. You wouldn't think that and maybe if I had everything in one place it would be fine but because of the season I was unsure what clothes I'd need until I was there, plus there is the preparation, laying things out on the bed and deciding what needs to be in which bag, what food do I need in the cooler, how many shoes do I need, what medical supplies, etc.
I headed out to Shoppers Drug Mart for some Voltaren cream (no smell to it unlike A5/35 cream) for my hip and then to the local supermarket for a pre-made sandwich, salt/vinegar chips, bottled water and a treat of O Henry chocolate bars. Then it was home to make up a salad and pre-heat the thermos flask which I was going to put in some soup broth. After tasting it cold I decided it was a horrible idea and instead opted for hot chocolate. I also prepared my belt pack with Raspberry Hammer gels, S-Caps, Advil's and I found some ginger candies which some people say is helpful when the stomach starts rebelling and decided to have some with me.
The hard calloused blister on the pad of my foot I decided to duct tape and ran a length from the big toe half way down the foot and formed it so there were as few wrinkles as possible and put on socks so I could walk around the house and leave it on to the race. I think that is a better option than applying on the morning of the race because it settles in better. All I can tell you is it worked. A quick shower and shave and everything was either in the car or waiting for me by the door for my 2:30 am departure.
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| PYP Logo |
RACE MORNING
I had a fairly restless sleep from 10 pm until 2:00 am and decided to get going. I made some toast and by 2:35 was on my way. It was dry and about 5 degrees. The weather forecast for Horseshoe Valley was 15 degrees and a combination of sun and rain. The roads were quiet and I was quickly on Highway 400. Just as I got into Barrie the rain started and continued until I arrived at The Heights at just before 5 am. There was one other vehicle camped out in the lower parking lot and I parked some distance away so as not to disturb them. I settled down in the back with the rear window down a crack to get some ventilation and slept restlessly with the rain coming down in various strengths until it got light out.
At 7 am I got out and drove up to the upper parking lot where the lodge is and the rain had mostly stopped by then leaving a very water-logged parking lot. I headed into the lodge and they were just getting out all the kit. The one runner there before me was entering the 12.5km race and it was his first ever cross-country run. I wished him well. I got my number, 55 (50km runners got numbers under 100, 25km runners and 12.5km runners got higher numbers). With the kit came a raspberry Hammer gel, a bottle of PYP branded Honey, a yellow PYP T-shirt and your running number with pins (no tracking number - they manually walkie talkie the times from the finish gate into the ski chalet where the volunteers do their stuff on the computers) - they have a full view of runners coming down the final ski hill - which - by the way - is a total bastard to run down when your quads are shot and there is snow and slush and ice. How I didn't end up in a face or ass plant I have no idea!
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| Muddy Parking Lot At Chalet |
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| Find the Runner on the ski hill - gives you an idea of scale. It isn't Western States but it was challenging for me! |
I found the toilets and took care of business and headed back to the car to rest as people arrived in dribs and drabs and the race director and crew set up the finish area and got things set up inside. With about an hour to go I headed back in for another pit stop and said hello to some familiar faces - Ron Gehl with his trademark hat (no Laurie today), Swiss Miss (aka Iris Cooper), and Helen Malmburg, race director at Halliburton Forest 100 miler and keen ultra runner in her own right. I am contemplating that race but we'll see how the season goes. Elise McGuire unfortunately came down with an ear infection so I'll see her at the Sulphur Springs 50 miler.
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| Runners talking in the chalet after getting their race kits |
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| Line up of runners getting their race kit |
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| This side looks up the ski hill and is the start/finish. People leave their drop bags along here - aid station was at little hut |
I headed back to the car and began to organize myself. It was quite chilly and I decided on gloves for a lap. I had shorts on and a black Under Armour top and on top of that a lightweight fluorescent yellow long-sleeve top and then a long sleeve jacket. I applied my Body Glide to friction points and my cream to the hip/ass area and filled my handheld with water and one of my belt bottles (the other I have just powder and fill at aid stations when I need to save on weight). I packed up my drop back with things I might need coming through the start/finish area and dropped it off and then it was inside the chalet to stay warm.
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| Home Sweet Home |
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| My good luck charm. Miss you. . . |
People were milling about, coming inside, going out, saying hello to old friends. This is the first OUS race of 2013 so many people would be seeing each other for the first time in 2013 and the ambiance was friendly and there was a buzz of voices and activity. About 12 minutes before the start the race director, Adam, got on his sound system and told everybody to start forming up outside. We got out there and it was cool but not raining and everybody was chatting and getting ready. I think I lined up about 3/4 of the way back but it was hard to tell really as it was just a big thicket of people rather than a line. I saw Chis McPeake and Kim, his wife, and he was telling me stories about a killer of a race he'd done in the USA a week or two before which, from my Google searches, made our ski hill look like an ant hill. The race director had taken his mike outside but whether it was not working properly or because people were talking, I didn't hear a thing he was saying other than there were 2 minutes left, 20 seconds, GOOOOOOOOOOOO!
And that's how it started. . .
THE RACE
LAP 1 (OF 4) - EACH LAP 12.5KM - TIME 1:12
It took a moment or two for the sea of runners to get going. You have to remember that everybody set off at once (12.5km, 25km and 50km runners). I don't know how many there were all together but I didn't want to get caught up at the front with runners doing one lap and try staying with them accidentally. It felt good and because of chatting and the start coming so quickly I didn't really have too many nerves. You pass to the side of the ski chalet between it and the ski hill and then it is a short down into the parking lot and then a few hundred feet and a sharp left onto wooded track which is very wide. It was boggy in parts but for the most part comfortable with some leaf cover and very straight. Down here for about 1/2 km and then a sharp right into weaving single track through the forest. There was a conga line here but it was fine and I tucked in. After a few hundred feet you come to a stream crossing and here people were clustering, trying to either cross it on two small logs or 3 boulders. I decided to hell with this and ran across and got one foot soaked but passed 8 Muppets waiting their turn politely. The forest trail continued and remained pretty flat. You come out of the single track onto wide forest trails again which were leaf covered and wet but not horribly muddy.
It's after this part that it gets a bit blurry but I'd say the first 4 km of 12.5 km is relatively flat. There was a left turn and you were obviously on part of one of the ski hills and it was down steadily but across a field of snow which was our first experience of this on the course and it made footing difficult and challenging and slippery but near the base it was a little muddy and then volunteers directed you right, almost V shaped, and you begin a steady accent up another ski hill. Half way up there was a ski lift and again, another small snow field and getting steadily steeper until you were walking - at least I was. At the very top there was an aid station and I found eating a few orange slices really perked me up. I filled any water bottles I needed and then you carried on to the right along the top of that hill and then joined a larger ski hill which you had to walk across a big snow line which was hard packed and narrow. Then I recall a steep hill of about 30 feet and across another ski hill and then another section of snow and up you went with two very friendly onlookers and volunteers who pointed you to the left and into technical single track.
The course was extremely well marked with bright orange tape. On my 3rd lap I did come across a guy who said he'd gone 1 km in the wrong direction but I honestly don't know how he did it. We chatted for a bit but then he left me behind. Getting back to lap one, however. . .This section was by far the most technical. It was very narrow and had allot of undulating ups and downs (hmmm, is that redundant?) and switchbacks and precarious logs at 45 degrees which were slippery as hell on the first and second laps. After this you had a long long bastard of a hill. At the top I think you then had a long relatively flat stretch and you could hear a road. Just before you got to the road there was another aid station and then you did a compete U turn and were 25 feet from where you just ran down. After getting through this again it gets blurry but I think there was some open trail which was relatively flat, then a short hill which took you up to a sort of wide trail which took you gently up.
There was a section which was out in the open and was rock strewn and a short steep rocky section between that took you to a sharp left and back down into the last section of single track through the woods. The thing about the single track is it wasn't always on one side. Sometimes the hill down was on your left, sometimes on your right. It was very varied. Anyway, this last single track section was fairly short and then you did a sharp right and you had a last long hike up to the very top of the ski hill which had the gondola tower which was the top of the ski hill you see from the chalet.
You come along the side of the hill and then you can see the ski chalet and it looks so small. You come down the hill for awhile and then it got steeper and steeper and part way down there was a big field of snow and holy crap this was torture. Your legs are spent, you are flailing all over the place trying to maintain your footing, trying not to loose control and sometimes you slide 2 feet in snow on a foot landing and sometimes stick fast. It was really goofy. And then at the bottom of the snow field it turned to mud. Then you were on hard packed dirt with a small loop which took you down one last really steep hill into the finish gate. You did a sharp left around flags and then you were at the chalet again. I looked at my watch and it said 1:12. Based on the way I felt and that I had 3 laps to go I was worried I'd gone too fast yet again. Pacing is VERY difficult on a new course and first race of the season and being with other runners doing various distances but at least I had one lap under my belt.
LAP 2 - TIME: 1:28
I visited my drop bag to loose my thick jacket and gloves and quickly stopped at the aid station just past the finish line to fill up my water. Then it was off again. By now I had fewer runners around me and as I started up the flat straight section I began very quickly to feel pain in my groin/hip. It twinged a bit on some of the single track sections in lap one but now it was hurting big time. I was wincing with every step and tried slowing down but it was not having it and I was 90% sure I was going to DNF and really pissed about it. I stopped and tried stretching it in different directions, massaging it, doing what I could but nothing seemed to help and the only pace that didn't make me wince was walking. I was cursing and deciding whether to just walk back to the start and announce that I was done. I popped 2 Advil's and an S-Cap and a Hammer Gel and hoped the pain would dissipate if I could just keep at it.
I decided to walk the damn lap if I had to. I tried to pick it up and was limping with every stride. I tried not to grimace at the volunteers as I hobbled by into the first single track but I was in allot of discomfort. I was able to increase the pace somewhat but it was a punctuated by a continued set of profanities "ouch ouch, fuck fuck, ouch ouch" with every step. I hoped the numbness would come and I must have looked quite a sight going up the hills. It was comic actually with me hobbling/dragging my right leg up after me and the steep single track sections with log cover were the worst.
Somehow I got to the end of the second lap and went to my drop bag to get some more Voltaren gel but stupidly had left it in the car. I was really annoyed at myself and just found myself staring and rummaging around the drop bag with no real idea of what I was doing. I was having a bit of a mental funk. The pain had lessened somewhat and I decided to just pick up a new belt bottle with my mix and head off so that's what I did. . . plus, when people clap you on and yell encouragement you really don't want to stop.
LAP 3 - TIME 1:21
I wasn't flying anymore but because of having completed 2 laps I now knew what to expect somewhat which is good. Knowing a course gives your head a chance to process what is coming up and get you through the tough times. Plus you can pace yourself better and this is probably the key factor. That could be why I did well in my Niagara ultra last year. I train there all the time and even though it is not cross country, I know every undulation, every turn, every km marking and it gives me an advantage. Anyway, back to lap 3. . . I was running alone now but did spot a woman runner a few hundred feet ahead and did work my way up to her after getting through the wooded single track section. I am terrible with names but I did slow a little to chat and it was helpful to me also. She was suffering somewhat and she did have a big race coming up in the Alps I believe, later in the summer. Ah, looking at the results her name is Cathy Gallagher.
I could tell my pace was a little too aggressive for her and tried to encourage her to get to the hills and then we'd walk but I did end up outpacing her and then I had to concentrate on getting up the hills myself. I think this is the point another runner caught up to us who had said he got lost. I thought he looked familiar but I could be wrong. Anyway, I latched onto him and while he was stronger on the downhills because I was really favoring my groin/hip and trying not to worsen it, I was stronger on the ups and kept catching him. I never took the lead or wanted to and was huffing and puffing but knew at some point he'd drop me and thought it was better to keep behind him.
We got to the aid station at the top of the ski hill and made our way across the ice sheet and back into the extended single track and it's here that he pulled away from me for good. By this point the sun had come out and it was getting very warm out there in the open sections. I'd guess low 20's and I didn't like that feeling. I popped another S-cap and gel and continued. The reflection on the snow was really strong and I'd wished I'd worn my sun glasses. I continued along and really don't remember allot about this lap. I think of all of them the third lap is the toughest mentally. By this point you are really tired and know you have another lap to do. I tried just to look at the trail directly in front of my feet and not to look up and in the distance to see how far something was and just keep the momentum going as long as I could. My goal was to stay running while it was flat and plod up the hills and try to feel the grove in the single track sections. Coming down the final ski hill was very painful and the quads were really shot. I could feel my toes slamming into the tops of my shoes and at points in this lap I could feel hot spots developing in one shoe on the pad of the foot but overall I felt they were in pretty good shape.
I passed the finish line and made my way to my drop bag and collected another belt bottle with powder in. I topped up my water at the aid station, had a few slices of orange which did help allot. Note to self. I like orange slices in an ultra. They had gummy bears and Heed and pretzels and banana slices and water but your body tends to choose something it thinks it can deal with. It's hard sometimes when you are exhausted to focus on your body and it takes practice to force yourself to get something that will help you, even when you don't want anything. That's why pacers are important. They can watch for signs and see that you are not hydrating, or eating, or peeing, or whatever.
LAP 4 - TIME: 1:32
FINAL FINISH TIME: 5 HOURS 34 MINUTES - 24th PLACE OF 72 FINISHERS
Somehow I'd come to the end of lap 3 and now I was here I knew I'd finish. 37.5 km done and my longest run of the year. As I'd mentioned in earlier blogs, my training much of the winter had gone really well until March and then this hip thing came up and I didn't get my long runs done at Sulphur Springs because it was a sheet of ice with the long winter we had. I was still favouring my hip but didn't have any more Advil's and don't like to keep popping pain killers. And stupidly I'd left the Voltaren gel in the car but I figured I could carry on and my limp was far less than it had been. I got out of there as quickly as I could, gobbled a few more orange slices and thanked the volunteers.
I came across one guy on the long single section. We ran together for awhile and he told me this race an injury had flared up on him and we commiserated together, discussed our various upcoming race plans and then as we were running along he said he needed a pit stop so I carried on and I didn't seem him again until the finish line. It turns out I was talking with Bill Lovett and he normally places very well - he did an 8 hour 24 minutes at the 50 miler in Sulphur Springs. About 2 km after I left him I felt the need and stopped for a quick pee also which is a good sign after 4.5 hours of running. I was paranoid someone would come flying out of the woods and catch up to me. It's kind of stupid but you are aware of the lost seconds and by the fourth lap when you are so spread out and see so few runners, you'd rather they were runners you caught rather than ones that caught you.
I tend to loose it in the last sections of a race and I think it's been partially mental and partially just running out of juice, and partially when the heat gets to me. I was happy this race was cooler and while the sun and heat had begun to bother me on lap 3, there were long periods when the sun was behind clouds on lap 4 and it cooled somewhat. I know I should not have tried anything new on the day but I think my new insoles were far more comfortable on my feet even though they added some weight and I think the S-Caps really injected much needed salt/potassium preventing my stomach from revolting. I did have one brain fart along the way when I reached for my belt bottle with mixed drink and accidentally pulled out one that only had powder in it only. Nothing like sucking back a big wad of powder.
I think I was conscious about keeping up with my gels and drinking water and Perpetuem at regular intervals. I didn't mentally quit at any point in this lap and begin the dreaded death march when you know you've got nothing left and just plod on to get to the finish. Although I was slowing, I just kept looking down, focusing on keeping moving. There were only two points I stopped and both were on the really dreadful steep hills. I was gasping and needed to just collect my energy and I did begin to feel queezy in the stomach here but was able to go on. I totally forgot I had ginger candies with me but hopefully will try those out on another occasion.
I walked up the long steep hill to the aid station and saw one runner ahead and then looked back, expecting to see the other guy who had stopped for a pit stop, or a new runner, but there was nobody and I was determined not to loose any more placings. I caught up to the guy on the section across the snow field and I'm not sure if he was doing the 25 or 50 km. I told him to keep it up and entered the single track. After this section I passed a few other runners who I believe were struggling on their second lap and to each I congratulated them and made my way. I had a close call heading into the single track section when I got an intense foot cramp begin when I landed a certain way and it was touch and go whether it locked up and became agony or not. I stopped and tried to move it in ways to make it go away and was rewarded. I've never had a foot cramp in a race before but don't imagine it would be very pleasant. The calves were constantly twitching madly when I bent over for a breather on the two hills but thus far they had behaved themselves. It is usually after I finish that I have to be careful and I've learned that if I sit or lay down I will always get calve cramps that leave me writhing on the ground and trying to get the damn things to unlock. The best thing for me is to stay standing, even if I have to bend over, and after a few minutes of gentle walking I'm able to sit and the cramps stay away.
So, I finally got to the boulder field and knew I was entering the last short section of single track which would reward me with a view of the backside of the final ski hill. I knew I was almost there and didn't have anybody breathing down my neck. Half way up I took a final rest to collect myself and then tortured my legs one final time on the steep decent. I didn't make any effort to sprint at the end and was just so damn relieved that it was over. I crossed the finish line and there were some spectators who clapped and congratulated me and then I believe Adam, the race director, came over and gave me a pair of funky running socks with the skull and cross-bone logo of PYP on them. Cool. No medal and that's OK. I shook hands with a number of the other runners that were at the finish line and we swapped some stories and cheered on the next few runners, one of whom was the guy who went for the pit stop, Bill. I was glad to see him and high-fived him. Of course you are always glad to finish in front of someone but somehow it seems you are all part of the same experience and that becomes even more important than your placing. He played a part in me getting to the finish line how I did. Had he not been there, right at that time, maybe I would have had a different 4th lap. Each person you come across shapes your race either directly or indirectly in the later stages I think. Lap time for fourth lap 1:32.
I hobbled over to my drop bag and then made my way to the car where I sat on the back and sipped hot water that had been sitting in the car. I assessed my feet which felt pretty good and only had some gashes and cuts on one leg from a section which had thorny vines which caught me up. I recovered for a few minutes at the car and then grabbed my camera and Bar-B-Que ticket and made my way inside the chalet. I got directed to the plates and food outside and my hunger had definitely not returned but I knew I needed to get something in my belly to get it going again and choose a giant sausage with bun and put on some lettuce and ketchup and a tiny bit of cold pasta. I sat in the chalet in view of the big hill and watched tiny specs appear periodically at the top which resolved into runners as they made their way down the slopes and come through the finish gate.
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| Proud finisher of 2013 Pick Your Poison 50km - now in possession of a fine pair of running socks |
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| Happy to be done. Got the socks - now let's get the hell outta here. |
I struggled to eat at first but kept at it and eventually began to feel human. I didn't know where the water was and had no energy to find out. Someone had left a half filled bottle of water at the table so I helped myself. Ahhhhhh. I looked around and saw the computers they had set up which were scrolling through the names of the racers in each of the races and as the director communicated with the timing crew, they updated it on the computer. Cool. So when I had eaten part of my sausage I hobbled over and had a peak and it showed me as finishing in 24th position. At that point I had no idea how many had entered or finished. I guessed that almost 100 had signed up and maybe 80 had not DNS or DNF so that would have put me in the top 1/3. I can live with that. In fact I am very happy with that. What a course! It had everything. We had wet conditions to start, some great single track, some really nasty hills, snow fields, a creek crossing, some wide open trail and some sun also.
POST RACE SUMMARY
Lap 1: 1:12
Lap 2: 1:28
Lap 3: 1:21
Lap 4: 1:32
Total Time: 5:34
Placing: 24th of 72 (16 others DNF'd)
Making comparisons to other ultras I've done which include Niagara, Sulphur Springs, Limberlost and Run for the Toad; my personal feeling is that thus far, PYP is the hardest. I'm hoping to do a number of other races OUS races this year and maybe I'll change my mind but for now PYP ranks as the hardest with the best combination of terrain.
I went outside after my sausage and took a few photos and ran into Kim McPeake and just at that moment her husband, Chris, was making his way down the hill so I took a few photos and we cheered him on. I headed over and congratulated him and then decided to head home. I got back to the car and had grand plans of washing with soap and water and towels and changing to get more comfortable but then decided to jump in and get going. I opened a bag of salt & vinegar chips and chugged a little water and then began the 2 hour journey home which was substantially less going home due to taking the 407 toll road. Highway 400 south was crammed but never came to a standstill and when you are tired I hate stressful drives but I got home in one piece feeling good about the race.
I unpacked everything and had a shower which was a relief and then had a well-deserved pizza. I stayed up to the wee hours of 8 pm and went to bed, waking again at 9 am the next morning. During the night I know for the most part I was sleeping and restful, but I do recall times when my legs were screaming at me and turning over was very painful. Still, that is part of ultra running. There were some there talking about doing a marathon today after their 50 km! I'm not one of them. Let me recover for a few days.
My goal is to go to Sulphur Springs this following Sunday and get a 25 miler training run under my belt before that race. I don't think I'm up to 3 laps (37.5 miles). I want to keep the laps to two hours and hope this hip/groin thing doesn't crop up but we'll see. My feet were relatively unscathed with no blisters and my two toes (next to big toe) on each side were very tender but don't seem to be discolored so should be good. A few cuts and scrapes. Legs sore as hell today and very tender to touch and likely will be worse tomorrow but it's all good.
The PYP volunteers were amazing and the race Director and his team did a great job all around. Thank you for everything!
And thank all of you for reading my race report experiences. I hope they help inspire or motivate you and it was lovely to meet some new runners and say hello to some faces from previous years.
Happy Running everybody and look back to my next race report on Sulphur Springs. It and I have some unfinished business!
Alex Campbell (aka The Running Dude)
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