Pisgah Mountain – Paranoia won’t destroy ya.

High drama drive from Vermont condo to New Hampshire race start. Post-Irene roads had taken a beating, forcing the friends we were following to take a creative route that ignored several “road closed” signs and gave my new car a workout on washed-out gravel paths, next to smoldering brush and deep ditches. We even passed through two covered bridges! It was kind of exciting, but I worried we would have to turn back at some point, possibly angering the law or missing the race start.

James’ evil laughter when he compared the extensive markings on my 50K course map to those for his intended 23K.

Finally wearing those arm warmer things they handed out at Bear Mountain, so it was not run in vain!

Paranoia won’t destroy ya. Having seriously sprained my ankle at Pisgah last year, I not only wore an active ankle brace, but also packed a spare (for no reasonable reason I can think of). Five miles into the race, I saw a runner hobbling in pain with a newly sprained ankle. He quipped that he’d give me a dollar for the brace I was wearing. I rejected that offer, but let him know another one would be ready and waiting for him at the next aid station, where Diana/Whisperer held my refueling supplies. She told me later he was going strong at 19, so it seems like it did the trick!

Using Bimbler power to push through tough spots…Recalling Ultra’s 100 mile triumph (If he can do THAT, I can do this) and Allstate’s pledge to do a real-time empathy run on the Pisgah Mountain Road near her house.

Hearing Sandy report at the 25 mile aid station that she’d loved the 23K and was finally “converted” to trails!

Discovering a smiling, unexpected Whisperer on the final paved road, who ran me to the finish in her Teva’s (a more intense effort than she anticipated, as I had just zoomed past a female runner who was ahead of me the whole race, and didn’t want to give up that place!)

Seeing Catamount demolish his prior PR by a whopping half hour.

The beautiful, cool, sunny day and wonderful, runnable course. I adore all those evergreens, ponds, bouncy wooden bridges, and ridgeline views. The whole day just seemed charmed, with zero falls, zero ankle rolls, and my head, stomach, and legs all on good behavior. Even my feet survived ridiculously unscathed, pedicure intact (despite the gnarly, bandaged feet pictured on the ugly race T-shirt!)

Getting a PR (5:33ish, 13 minutes better than last year) despite being so undertrained I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to complete the course. This seems like a dangerous precedent that could encourage further ill-advised endeavors…

Race results