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| Just hoping I don't crash off the start!! |
Fly-fishing, dog long jump, running races, bike races, various kayak competitions, whitewater stand-up paddle boarding, bouldering, free-style slack-lining, and on and on all squeezed into the small (and posh) mountain town of Vail over one weekend. Welcome to the GoPro Games. Both The Girl and I were competing in multiple events; we were both racing the Vail Pass half marathon, she was running the 10k mountain running race, and I was riding the time trial bike race. We arrived Friday evening in time for dinner then quickly collapsed into bed.
There is one highlight to this night. In the middle of the night, I woke up from one of my most classic dreams. In the dream, The Girl was sitting, staring with complete focus down on her bare feet. I walked up to her. Without looking up or breaking any focus on her feet, she said in an intense, confident tone, “These are The Blade,” pointing with both arms to her feet, “when I run, they slice up the ground.” If I was not impressed (and a little intimidated) by her running ability before, The Blades erased all doubt.
Saturday morning, The Girl (aka The Blades) and I woke up early to run in the Vail Pass half marathon. We were told the race goes from the town of Vail up to Vail Pass (aptly named), but the true consequences of this race never really sunk in, we just knew it would include a lot of climbing. Also, while named a “half marathon,” the race was actually 13.7 miles, instead of the true half marathon of 13.1. Just a minor difference, right?
We started off the run around 8,200 ft and the first several miles were relatively flat as we worked our way to the edge of town. I was just trying to keep with The Girl, as we went through these miles at around 7:15 min/mile pace. Then slowly the road started to climb. My ignorance was soon crushed as I realized the road was never going to level. In fact, it was just going to slowly become steeper. It was a bad sign when around the five-mile mark I was seriously questioning if I would finish the race. Also around that time, The Girl slowly pulled away as my legs ached for flat ground; I only saw her in the distance the rest of the race (but I DID keep her kind of in sight the whole time). At mile seven, the course switched from road to bike trail. I walked through this aid station to make sure I actually got some water down; instead, I had to fight back from puking. Fortunately, I got moving again. There isn’t much more to say. It kept getting steeper and I kept getting slower. The last several miles I felt like I was barely moving (I was barely moving), but I kept “running.” To rub salt in the wound, the final 100 meters were one of the steepest parts of the race. After a brutal “race” (more like a slog) that finished at the pass at about 10,500 ft, the warm welcoming we got upon crossing was simply a volunteer saying “good job,” no music, nothing. The Girl and I looked at each other with a look of “What the heck did we just do?!”, got on the bus, and headed back to Vail. We were just happy to be done with that thing!
Because of our next races were the following morning, we wisely took measured to rest and recover so we were primed the next day; we spent the entire day walking around on a warm, really sunny day, watching other events going on – exhausting, but fun! We saw all the vendors, slack-lining, kayaking (seeing Eric Jackson doing flips was pretty awesome), some mountain biking, some dog jumping, and bouldering. Needless to say, we were both completely exhausted that evening. Again we crashed into bed, hoping we would have some energy for the next day.
The Girl’s race started at 8AM and mine at 9AM, which afforded me the opportunity to see her go off at the start. Her 10k started in the middle of town, then quickly headed to the ski hill where it abruptly went straight up. It was amazing to see the line of races working up the hill, pretty rough. I then headed over to my start to figure out when I was going off. It was a time trial, so each racer was staggered by 30-seconds. I guess I should have looked at the schedule earlier, because I discovered I was one of the last to go, leaving a little after 11AM!! Well, at least I would get to see The Girl finish. I made it back over to her finish line to see the first couple racers come in. Not long after the winners came in, I saw two women racing for a sprint finish. In fact, one was REALLY sprinting! Who could have that much energy left? But shortly before the finish line, the slower racer drifted into the other women. It is unclear if an elbow was thrown or not, but it was all in good competition and the racer who worked the hardest reached the line first. I then realized it was The Girl! Not only does she have blades, but she is not adverse to throwing some ‘bows to protect herself! Look out!
After killing some time, we made our way over to my race. I will admit, I was nervous about my start; I really did not want to be the guy who crashed off the starting block! Fortunately, the start went smoothly! The course was similar to the previous days run, but ended about 4 miles shorter. Early into the race, I realized the legs were pretty heavy and it would not be a strong performance. Then I started getting passed. Considering we were staggered by 30-seconds, it was really impressive to see how strong those guys were. I would be putting it modestly to say I got crushed! But, it was motivating to see how strong those guys were. I will remember that during trainer sessions!
As I rolled back in, the weather worsened. As we left the rain had started, perfect timing. All in all, it was a pretty exhausting and exciting weekend. It was amazing how many activities were going on and motivating to see so many great athletes! It is on the calendar for next year, and I will get revenge on that half marathon!
