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| (Radio towers at the top of Tesuque Peak as seen from a run at Ski Santa Fe) |
I ran the course twice in the month prior to the race: once as part of a Striders group run, and then again with a friend for some additional course scouting. Both trips proved to be very useful. One thing I learned was that there are definitely a few steeper sections, especially on the first half of the climb, that can be walked almost as fast as they can be run and are therefore good places to rest a little bit without falling behind. And of course I gained some insight on what kind of time I should run. On my first trip up I reached the turn around point in about 1:05, running at a moderately hard but definitely not all-out pace. I did not run the entire descent hard in any of my training runs but based on my downhill pace at the Taos Up and Over back in August (about 7 min/mile) I figured I should run 1:45 or better for the whole course - enough to put me into the top 15 based on last year's results, and potentially into the top 10 if I had a good day and could go a little faster on the climb and get my time down closer to 1:40.
(Course route)
About 100 of us lined up for what I was told was the 25th anniversary of this race. Unlike Taos I tried to start a little closer to the front this time. This had the predictable result that I went out probably a little faster than I should have. So the first couple miles of climbing were pretty painful. I did however manage to get into a good rhythm after a big steep hairpin turn that was right around 2.5 miles. Near the top I started to slow a bit but I still kept about a 10:30 min/mile pace even with the walk breaks I was taking. The views were just phenomenal - not that I was expecting anything less given the weather. They were actually a nice distraction from the grind of the climb.
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| (The aspen leaves were brilliant) |
I got to the turnaround point right around 1:02, which I was pretty happy with, especially since the turnaround was 100-150 yards farther up than it had been in previous years. I counted off about 10 runners heading back as I was approaching the turnaround, but I was running along side one person and a group of probably 4-6 other runners was only 50 yards back. So I didn't waste any time and only stuck around at the aid station long enough to chug a cup of Gatorade. Given the clear skies I'm sure one could have seen the hot-air balloons down at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.
What had concerned me about this race the most was the descent: whenever I've come down it before, by about the halfway point I'm just ready for it to be over. It just never... seems... to... end. So I was worried about maintaining my mental focus the whole way down. Knowing this I ran the descent pretty hard for the first 2-3 miles to try and give myself a bit of a cushion on the runners behind me. Right near the top someone came screaming by, but just before the aid station at the halfway point I passed the person who had reached the turnaround one spot in front of me. My splits were around 6 min/mile up to that point. Then things got a little unpleasant. With about 2 miles to go I could feel my legs wanting to give out, and it was around here that I got passed by one more person. By the time I hit the 1 mile marker I nearly came undone: I was starting to bonk, my legs were basically just flailing down the hill, my feet were slipping, and my stomach was really starting to bother me. I looked back hoping there was nobody behind me and that I could ease up but someone was just 30-40 yards back so I just tried to gut it out and I managed to hold my place. I ended up 11th overall with a time of 1:41 and change. First place was around 1:25, with a 6 minute (!) gap to second.
Overall the entire race was a lot of fun and I think everybody had a good time. The wonderful weather certainly didn't hurt, nor did the yummy breakfast burritos afterwards. I think I could have managed my pace better on the first half of the climb. On the other hand I can't say for sure that it would have made any difference. Either way I'm pretty happy with my result. I ran both the climb and the descent faster than I had expected.... hopefully I won't be too sore over the next couple days. I think what will help me for next year are two things. One, improving my ability to run really hard for a couple hours. That will come naturally with time as I continue to build up leg strength and accumulate fitness. And two, improving my ability to stay focused on long descents. This race is definitely going to become an annual event for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone in the area who wants to come out and experience a fun low-stress race on a tough but beautiful course.
ETA: results and pictures are available here
(Me trying not to puke after finishing)
(How many races have a view like this from the start/finish area)
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