The big workout came this morning, however. Up at 4:45AM to make it over to the Starsmore Discovery Center for the CRUD hill climb. 4.2 miles to the top, over 3,000 feet gained from bottom to top. It was a workout I didn't think I was ready for, but Keith promised an early x-mas present to all those who made it to the top, so I had to go.
CRUD has a lot of runners much faster than me, but they use a handicapped start to make things interesting. I wanted to start 15 minutes early, but I arrived a little late and started at ten 'till along with Keith. I figured Keith would beat me up the hill since I hadn't been running, but after only a quarter mile or so he referred to his true form and fell way behind.
I kept chugging along, determined to run the entire hill without walking. I hit Helen Hunt falls in 29 minutes, which wouldn't have been to bad for me last season when I was getting ready for Leadville. I was huffing like a pack-a-day smoker, and my legs were burning, but nobody had passed me yet and my first thoughts of winning the coveted purple pineapple crossed my mind.
Shortly after the falls trail goes off road. Here the snow was uneven, and I should have taken it easy due to my weak ankle. But screw that, I could hear the horses coming up fast behind me, so I dug in.
Hit the top in 48:49, definitely not a PR but way faster than I thought I'd do today. And yes, I held on for the pineapple.
After waiting around for a LONG time for Keith to get to the top, he gave us each a $20 gift card to Chili's. Not bad, that's about four pints of beer! Then the pack hammered back down the hill. I didn't re-start my watch, but we made it back down pretty quick. Total 8.2 miles, my longest run since I've been back!
3 comments:
Riveting. I was on the edge of my chair the whole time.
Fear not, plans are underway for a sequel!
nice work! speaking of nice work, i liked pitt taking down the duke she-devils.
glad you are talking smack to tony on my behalf. i am sure he is shitting his pants.
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