Revel Rockies 2017 - A lesson in oxygen
Now if you don't know what a point-to-point run is, let me explain. So you show up. Get on a bus. They drive you away from your vehicle and the finish line to a location a set distance away. They drop you off and say "Good Luck!" Your job now is to run back to the place you left! Yup. Point-to-point. Got it? Good.
It was an early morning. Buses leave beginning at 4:30 and they will absolutely stop shuttling folks to the start at 5:15am. So I was up at 3:30 without fail. Only was able to squeeze in a couple of hours, but got to train. Big race at the end of the year.
On the bus and meet a fellow runner from Iowa who has run the infamous Boston Marathon. He was a fast fellow and flew in just to run this event. He had heard how beautiful and fast the course was and had to experience it for himself. We exchange pleasantries and well wishes upon arrival at our destination and part ways.
An hour before gun time, and we're left to fend for ourselves in the cold mountain morning air as the sun rises behind the ridges to the east. We're in the beautiful town of Evergreen. Some 13.1 miles away from Morrison where the finish awaits.
National Anthem begins playing, the crowd comes to a quiet hush. We know it's game time. Everyone to the start and promptly at 6:30am we're off.
So initially this was supposed to be an easy effort, nice slow long run. I had told myself that if I get in under 2 hours and 10 minutes that would be cool. Just keep a level head and get the miles in. Don't push it. You're at elevation I say.
But I'm a little crazy in the head.
Before long I've told myself that since it's a downhill course maybe if we can get in around 2 hours that would be cool. Yeah, I lied to myself.
Out the gate and around the corner, I was initially with the 2 hour pace group. I put some speed out there in an attempt to warm up. The first mile or so was uphill before turning left onto the two lane mountain road that would take us to the finish. That's where the I could feel the decent.
I was holding a sub 9 minute pace and yet my lungs weren't on fire. [YET] This is interesting I think to myself. So I keep the pedal down somewhat. I begin thinking, can I PR this course and come in under 1 hour and 50 minutes?
So I'm on it. But not fully committed.
Three miles in. killing it.
Four miles in. Still killing it.
Five miles in. killing it?...
Six miles in. Feeling alright.
Seven miles in... slight hill! Muscles need oxygen to function. Now I'm thinking, am I dying? Where's the oxygen? I start focusing on getting in as much oxygen as possible and keeping my cadence up as I fight this strange geological phenom known as an accent during a "downhill" race. I begin to doubt if I've pushed too hard.
The wheels begin to wobble and fall off around mile 8. I fight through this mental battle as my body begins to break down from a lack of oxygen and a poor execution of my fueling strategy.
Apparently oxygen is important.
Mile 8.5 I push through and mentally back in the game. Tell my body to shut the hell up. Advise my lungs that the quicker we get this over the quicker we get to a lower elevation where there's oxygen. So we put the pedal back down hard!
I know that a sub 01:50:00 is no longer in the cards, but there's still a shot at a PR.
Mile 10, 11, & 12 pass quickly. The quarter mile there's another slight geological abnormal feature one could consider another fvcking HILL!!!! LOL!
As crazy as this blog may seem of this run. I actually had fun. I enjoyed the views. It was beautiful. Serene. One of those magical views where displays its beauty in ways you've never experienced. And I fvcking loved it!
Was it as magical of an experience as I thought it was? Or was it simply 13.1 miles of oxygen depletion? Either way, I'm glad I had the opportunity to run Revel Rockies 2017. The run back down the mountain to a place with slightly more oxygen molecules in the air.
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