Mt. Falcon

So, I decided to do the Mt. Falcon race and see how it went. After a couple too many beers on Friday night, I woke up with the puppy at 5:45 on Saturday morning and said what the heck. I went and registered about an hour before the race and did a little warm-up. I was still a little bitter about the Teva Mt. Games and was looking to go out hard. So, that is what I did. I went out pretty hard, and had a nice little lead heading into the climb. There is about a quarter mile prior to starting the 2.5 mile steep climb. The race is 4 miles up and then back on down. So, I was a bit anaerobic heading into the climb after going out so hard. I settled into a nice pace and got ready for what was ahead of me. I hit the Turkey Trot junction in just under 13min and got to the top (gazebo) in just under 25min. I have run comparable times in training, but the race is non-stop, and there will be no recovery at the top. I reached the parking lot in just under 35min and it was time to prepare for the descent. I think the downhill in this race is more demanding than the uphill. It is steep and really takes a toll on the quads. I made the descent in about 22min and ran 57:12. They said it is a course record. That was a nice change from the previous week, but again I did not feel great. I will have to talk to Joe (my coach) and see what he thinks we should do. I have a nice base and obviously need some speed mixed into this whole thing. It is still very early in the season though.

On a different note, Adrienne and I tilled and planted our garden. Everyone out here plants on Mother's Day, but not us. We waited a month. I hope it all goes well. The garden in about 500 sq. ft. and has about 30 plants in it!!! I am very excited to see everything mature and eat from our own garden. We build a cute picket fence around it to keep the Guinness Monster out. I have been watering it everyday and there are already some peppers showing up. We planted some herbs in a half whiskey barrel, and those will be delicious as well. We are very excited!!! I am sure there will be more yard work this weekend, and some house cleaning. But the garden is delightful!