Run Rabbit Run is in the books. My training had been more focused for this race than any other race this year. I DNF'd Zane Grey. I had a tough time finishing the Grand Canyon and fell apart the last 10 miles of the San Juan Solstice. I even sputtered in the last quarter of the Dirty 30. Those races were frustrating but my training hadn't been that great. In all honesty it has been a year long recovery after Leadville.
Things started coming together and I had a solid 2 weeks of training before my taper where I felt tired and strong. I had peaked at the right time. I stuck to a good taper plan and hit the race with an ambitious goal of 10:30 with a stretch goal of 10 hours. In 2011 I clocked in at 11:30.
I started off the race well and really felt great in the middle sections of the first half. I clocked several miles under 10 minutes and was cruising along. I made it to the top of the Rabbit Ears at 5:01. Sub-10 hours was a possibility. About 70% of the climbing was complete. I came off the pass and logged some good miles until the end of mile 28. There is a 500 foot climb at this point and I hit a wall. I walked several miles and stumbled into Base Camp aid station. I sat down, focused on eating and tried not to think about the next 20 miles. I sat down for a good 8 minutes. This was disappointing. I left the aid station walking and struggled to run the downhills. My hips, back and groin had all tightened up and my energy levels were zapped. I was worried about breaking 11:30.
I slowly walked 3-4 very runable miles and kept eating. Then I came back from the dead. The food had given me energy and my core loosened up. I put in some strong miles and my new goal became sub-11 hours. I continued and climbed up the backside of Mt Werner at a very good clip. When I got to the top I realized if I ran sub 8-minute miles for the next 6 miles I could break 10:30. I tossed on some The Black Keys, let out a roar and let it rip. It felt like I was sprinting for 45 minutes. The miles clicked away and the goal was in reach. I gave it all I got and crossed the finish line in 10:30:11.
It felt great to finish a race strong. It was great to hit my goal. I had come short on all my race goals this year and was starting to question what I was really made of. This finish was very satisfying and will hopefully propel me to a sub-10 hour 50 miler some time in the future.
The baby is coming soon and time will be harder to come by. It is nice to know that I can accomplish these type of goals with average training weeks around 35 miles. I'll continue to focus on diet and begin some core training during the winter months. It is great to end the racing season on a high note.
