A quick note for those who have asked about the race in Death Valley this weekend: It was definitely not the race I signed up for – but was, without a doubt, an adventure!
Quick run down:
• The average rainfall in Death Valley for the month of February is 0.42 inches and only 2.33 for the entire year. On the day of the race it rained nearly an inch. And it rained the day before!
• I saw the most incredible scenery including a double rainbow (the day before the race), one of which was so vibrant – you could see the violet end of the spectrum.
• I was so excited to take pictures of the rainbow, I jumped out of the car before it was in park – and it ran over my foot. Okay – not entirely, but enough to snuff my shoe off.
Due to flooding and 15 inches of snow (yes – snow) in Titus Canyon, we had to run the alternate route (trail run) to Badwater (below sea level).
• It rained nearly the entire race.
• It was windy.
• The new course was an out and back. It was a significant two mile descent to start and a gradual decent to the turn around. The reverse was true for the return.
• I think I added significant distance to the race weaving around the puddles and avoiding the mushy sand to find the best line to run.
• On the return – I no longer tried to avoid the mud puddles. There were just too many!
• Mud can be slicker than ice.
• You could see the finish line for three long miles.
• I only stopped once to walk for 20 seconds. I yelled at myself to keep running.
• The last two miles were the longest two miles I’ve ever run. I shuffled the entire two miles. I think it would have been faster to walk.
• I was a wet, cold, muddy mess when I finished.
• They had the BEST tangerines at the finish line. I think I ate the equivalent of 8 before they dragged me away!
• I wore shorts and a long sleeve shirt. My legs were freezing and my shirt was so wet – it stretched over my hands.• My feet were pruned.
• My shoes were full of mud and water.
• They may charge us extra to clean the rental car!
• It was miserable.
• It was incredibly fun.
• And I shared the experience with some great people – a couple friends I’ve known for a while and some I just met. I am in awe of the athletic talent of my friends!
And yes - I’ll definitely do this race again!
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