Salida thoughts

Once again, just like every other year, I head into Salida thinking I'm in good enough shape to break four hours. My previous times:

2008 - 5:01:07
2007 - 4:28:26
2006 - 4:47:32

I've run this race every time it's been held, and the course is responsible for my three slowest marathon times, excluding Pikes Peak, by far. Something always goes wrong at this race - the weather is awful or I get lost. Which I suppose is one of the reasons I love it.

Some other thoughts:

-Rick H and I bet a six pack over who would win. I've never finished anywhere near him, but I think the time has come for that old man to get his due ass whoopin'. It's a long race, I have a fast, recent marathon time behind me, and if that doesn't seem to be working, it's an out and back course and I'm a lot bigger than him.

-A time honored tradition will be ended this weekend as I'll actually be taking the same woman from last year. The first three years all saw me with different chicks. After seeing a miserable, snowblind Katie finish last year, I was pretty sure she was never gonna speak to me again, much less run the race again, but she has persevered.

-Jon, the RD of the race, once broke his leg during Hardrock and had to crawl to an aid station for medical attention. That's one of the awesomest things I've ever heard!

-I'm already hungry for Moonlight Pizza!

-The race website says the course is 90% dry, so maybe I'll have a chance at a fast time. Of course, it was probably 85% dry last year; but that wet 15% was mostly taking two steps and falling down so who knows what'll happen this weekend.

-Good luck to everyone running this weekend. Salida, Way Too Cool (aka the JT 50K), Coyote Two Moons, Catalana. However, if you're running the St. Pat's Day 5K in downtown CS you're a poser.