I pulled a quad in late December and my training suffered exponentially. I got new shoes, visited a chiro and completely withdrew from all running for a few months. I still did cardio (non-impact, like elliptical) to stay in shape. Luckily my injury finally got better mid-February (about a month before the race).
My sisters and I had planned a long weekend to drive to Moab for the event. We ended up leaving a day early because of weather (crazy Colorado mountain spring storm).
Race day was blue skies and not at all windy - but COLD!! The course is structured so you take a shuttle to the start line. Here is the view from the shuttle on the way up:
Unfortunately they leave you there HOURS before the race starts! I spent so much time being cold that I didn't have much time to worry about the race. Me (far left) and my two sisters at the start line:
I lined up with the 10 min milers (optimistic, I know) and off we went. By the time we were a mile in, I was finally warmed up and super happy I had stuck with the skirt and tank (vs. capris and short sleeve). The course was amazing! Mostly downhill/flat and very scenic. In shorter races I had always skipped the water stations and had never done mid-race "fuelling" - so my first attempt at "gel" was quite the experience.
My sister got a shot of me coming through the chute:
And... crossing the finish line:
My sisters and I had matching shirts made for the race, we got a team shot done after we finished - here is the backs with our names on it :)
The race shirt:
It was hard, but what a sense of accomplishment!! I had no idea what to expect out of my quad, so my goal time was under 2.5 hours - I killed it!
And pretty much as soon as I got that one done... the wheels started turning. Why do it just once, when you can do it 50 times, and in every state?
Best road trip ever!
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