Day 6, 26.1 Miles. 5hr. 14min. Runners train all year for a marathon, flat road runs that have water drop stations every mile or two. Experts recommend that you run 1 maybe two marathons a year and take at least 26 days off after running one...So how does it feel to run a really challenging marathon after running 4 1/2 marathons in the previous 5 days. It hurts! The Tour de france riders all say they hate the rest days as you have no idea how your body will respond the following day. I agree. On the "rest day" (after running 52 miles)I woke and felt fresh, rested and ready to go. By noon my legs were getting tight and several soakings in the icy river didn't help much. By 4pm I was feeling a little sick, tight chested, swollen and my legs hurt. With little sleep and the knowledge that the worst was far from over I crawled out of my sleeping bag for the last time, groggy, stiff, tired and wobbly. In every run you get a really good sense of how it will go about 6 steps in. I knew I was trashed. My running buddy Jeremy was kind and tried to let me keep up, but with a six mile climb right out of the start I had no chance of hanging on. I hoped to 'survive' til mile six and see how I felt when the uphill turned to downhill. I kept a positive attitude and picked up the pace. Next stop the 'water drop' at mile 9. The trail forked and I stalled. Right? Left? Not sure... I went both ways and neither felt right. My instincts are always solid but I was unsure. "Taking the road (trail) less traveled" I headed on. With no 'water drop' in site I knew I'd gone the wrong way and headed back the way I'd come. When I found the water drop that was at mile 9 my watch had logged almost 13 miles. Adding 4 miles to the day was not what I'd hoped for but at least I was back on track... Knowing my 2nd place was shot and I was solidly in 3rd I kicked back and finished the day at an easy 5 hour pace. (Still amazed that with the pressure of the bull I ran this same leg in 3:35 5 years ago). The rest of the runners all had great days and the group finished strong and early. While I didn't win this year, and hadn't intended to, I had much more fun. Several of my new friends will be dear friends in the coming years and several runners embraced GECKO and offered both support, advice and ideas for the future. The goal was miles without misery. I got all that and a bunch of cool stories and great friends. Once again proving that RATS and GECKOs are a great combo in the desert. To those that followed along THANKS! To those that ran along, thanks to you too... Racer Blog Posts
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