11. Lefty convincing me to give the race a try, even though my leg left was extremely stiff, achy, and downright painful after last Sunday’s Bluff bite and most of this week. I could always stop after the first out and back when the course comes back to the start, so I went. Thanks Lefty!
10. The pre-race festivities, which included a cameo appearance from Nipmuck Dave….(if anyone knows the person who dropped a gu pack on the course last year, Dave is looking for them…and he isn’t happy!)
9. Mud…..mud……water crossing…..mud…..slippery bridge…….mud…..knee deep mud …mud (did I mention there was mud!)
8. Being on the course with my fellow Bimblers all day long! I think I was always within a minute or two of another Bimbler! Special thanks to Nadia – I think I basically ran with her the whole day!
7. The rain that came down harder and harder! I couldn’t help but think of Iggy and an amazing girl run in 2010 where “We all enjoyed the rain washing and drenching us as we stood on bridges over creeks allowing the water to wash away the stress of our daily lives.. off our bodies dripping down into the river to be washed away forever further downstream.”
6. Little potatoes and salt at the aid stations – yum! I ate much more today than I usually do…maybe there is a lesson in that!
5. Cranking the tunes on my iPod during the 2nd half – Amy Winehouse, Dixie Chicks, Melissa Ethridge and of course Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s rendition of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’
4. Running the course 35 seconds faster than I did 2 years ago despite the muddy condition. Winning my age division and a comp to next year’s race……OH NO, I have to go back next year!!!
3. Getting the pie that was intended for the 2nd place Male. He left without it so RD Clinton Morse asked me if I wanted it…..Score!
2. Hearing the cheers from Diana all day long! Her final ‘Go Shellygirl’ in the last .5 mile was what got me the PR.
1. Feeling strong and happy on the course! No leg pain, no leg tightness. I have not felt this good at a race in a long time. Thanks Kerry!!
Yeah Shellygirl. Glad you went for it! You definitely have to go back next year. Can’t waste a free entry!! 🙂
Great race and report, Shellygirl! It was actually great to see you pull away from me (!) in the second half of the second half! Congrats on a great day! 🙂
p.s. Ah, the flat written word… Shellygirl, To clarify: Normally I would fully expect you to pull away from me, certainly at that distance, but given your worries about your leg and possibly needing to DNF the race, yesterday I was very happy to see you GO! 🙂
Cat – I think ‘pull away’ might be a bit extreme! It defintiely was fun to feel so good on the course, but I think being able to run with fellow Bimblers for so much of the time really made everything that much better! Plus…I hadn’t run a 50K two weeks prior like a couple of Bimblers I know!!
Congrats Shelly Girl – you primal runner you!
Glad to hear Guthrie got you put back together so you could win another pie- that is awesome!
You are a classic over achiever …top 11 …. I love it!!
Over achiever – now that I think of it that too is simply the Bimble way…. explains a lot really.
🙂 Congrats!!
Nice job SG! Congratulations to you and whathisname for a great season of running and reporting. I just love the pictures of you on the front page – especially the one of you going over the top of some hill.
SG—so fun running with you! reminded me of Breakneck a while back. You were a powerhouse…the further we went the stronger you got! Great news about scoring that pie–I am so jealous–and sorry about the comp! 🙂