Alright, let's backup a bit. The Summer Roundup was awesome. I am a huge fan of running. I watch it on TV, follow it on websites, and try to follow our local runners as they tear it up in Ultras. What does this have to do with the Summer Roundup? I got to watch the lead runners as they screamed past me on the second lap! My race not withstanding, it is great to watch the race play out live as a participant. I also really enjoyed the course. I think that I went out way too fast the first lap and then it was a total yard sale the rest of the race. But knowing what was to come the next two laps made it both completely engaging and absolutely dreadful at the same time. I race quite a bit and it has been a while since I completed a race in which I wasn't at least somewhat familiar with the course. I had never run in this part of the park and was taken a bit by surprise by it's one big climb. As usual it was well ran and a great time.
This leads me to the Barr Trail Mountain Race. In the same way, it was great to see the lead runners flying back down from the turnaround at Barr Camp. The running groupie in me knew that there were some ridiculously fast runners competing. I heard that in addition to Andy Wacker, there would be a couple of Kenyans mixed in with the normal assortment of really fast locals runners in the race. What I didn't know was that Andy would show up a bit late and end up passing me on the W's. I remember thinking to myself "this kid has it all wrong. Why would you start in the back and then completely fly by everyone this early in the race?". Of course I had no idea who he was or how the rest of the morning would transpire. About four miles in the leader came flying by the mid and back packers and I looked at my watch and he had about a four minute lead. Then came Andy and the third place finisher and they were shoulder to shoulder. Only after reading about the race on Facebook a full ten hours after it ended did I find out exactly what had happened. How does a guy show up seven minutes late for a race and still win? This is just another one of the great stories that comes from many of the runners in this area.
As I grow older, ( and it's coming fast!), I tend to appreciate more and more the community that we live in. Whether it is rubbing elbows with accomplished ultra runners, lining up against Ironman finishers, or encouraging someone finishing their first 5K, we live within a community that is full of folks that all want to accomplish their next goal.
The big one is in a few weeks and I am finishing up whats left of the training. The plan is to do a couple of dry runs up the Peak before the taper. I have a few days off coming up and it will be good to get a couple of full runs in.
See you out there!
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