Part IV: Pole Creek to Sherman

Really felt on top of the game during this section. There's a small climb (about 1,000 feet - tiny by Hardrock standards) from the Pole Creek aid station up to Cataract Lake. It's not terribly steep and I was able to run a lot of it, passing quite a few runners.

After the lake it's a 3,500 foot drop down to the next aid station and I had a blast running the entire thing. I got a feeling here that I was gonna be able to finish the race, and it was such an awesome feeling to know that all the hard work was gonna pay off. The views were incredible, the people around me were incredible, the effort was nothing, and I was having such a great time I remember thinking "it's a great day to be alive and in the mountains." Just one of those moments where I realize why I do all this crazy shit.

I laugh several times down the hill, including when I pass two places where Melissa allowed me to take 20 minute naps last year!

Soon the fun is over and I'm at the Sherman aid station. After escaping an overzealous volunteer I grab a seat and start to shovel down the yummy mac & cheese. Gawd that stuff was like heaven!

Funny moment at the aid station as well. Despite several pounds of vaseoline the lining of my shorts continued to chafe my nutsack. That was the only problem I was having at that point, and I worried how much shit I'd take if I had to drop from Hardrock for that. I asked a medic for scissors. He gave me a super heavy duty pair, the kind you could cut through clothes with, and I reached down the front of my shorts...drawing all kinds of stunned looks from the peeps at the aid station. But don't worry ladies, I only cut the lining out of the shorts.

Into Sherman at 13:41, out at 13:49. 28.7 miles, over a quarter of the way there with Handies Peak looming.