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| Colorado River |
Note: the photos included here were taken along the race course, but not during the actual race, hence, no people. Also, these pictures do not do justice to the natural beauty we experienced. The entire race course ran adjacent to the Colorado River.
Moab has two half marathons a year; one in the spring, the Canyonlands Half Marathon, and this one in the fall, dubbed The Other Half. Very creative. I love it.
We're up at 5:30 AM. Temperature hovers around 40 degrees. It's really, really dark, but the desert sky is just lit up with stars. Phenomenal. We jump in the van and head out to our shuttle pickup point downtown.
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| Is that just not beautiful? |
Roo: I am so bummed. I was supposed to run this race with Bob, but my herniated disc injury kept me from doing any kind of run or walk training. I so wanted this race to be my running debut, out here in the western desert, on a trip that means so much to us. So, now I'll drop Bob off and go back to our duplex and be pissed. Just have to beagle up and get over it.
Bob: Yeah, Roo was not a happy camper. She was really looking forward to doing this race. It was the major catalyst two years ago to do this trip in the first place. But I reminded her that now it was just one experience in a myriad of wonderful experiences.
Roo: I know that, and I have had such a fantastic time so far, with more amazing experiences to come. So, since I wasn't there, I'll let Bob tell you about the race. (Note: no spectators were allowed along the course in order to preserve the fragile desert ecosystem from hordes of rabid running fans).
Bob: Ok. Well, in a word - fantastic!! This was my first half marathon in 10 years, and double the race distances I have been doing recently. Add to that the altitude (5500 ft.), dry climate, and two huge hills; I knew I was going to be challenged.
So, after Roo dropped me off, we were shuttled 33 miles to the race start in the middle of the desert. We arrived at the race start at 7:30 AM. It's 40 degrees and I am freezing. Thankfully, there were 10 barrell fires going, and we all huddled around them for warmth. Race start was 8:30 AM. Around 7:55, the sun rose above the red rock cliff walls surrounding us. Oh my god - what a beautiful sunrise. The colors were other worldly and absolutely beautiful. I have never, ever seen a sunrise as beautiful as this anywhere. Finally, 8:30 arrived, and the race was started by the rythmic pounding of Native American drums. Very cool. We were off!!
In a nutshell, this was my experience:
Mile 0 to 6.5: Flat, beautiful scenery, felt good and strong.
Mile 6.5: First big hill. No problem climbing. Recovery difficult due to altitude.
Mile 6.5 to 8: Rolling course, no problem. Had to slow a bit to facilitate recovery. Stunning scenery.
Mile 8: Killer hill #2. Final nail in the coffin. Climbing no problem. Recovery minimal, if at all. If the low oxygen density didn't take my breath away, the scenic beauty would have (and did anyway!).
Mile 8 to 12: Very rolling course. Slowed significantly. Legs tired, but ok. Just can't breathe!! By mile 10 I didn't care about the scenery anymore. 5k death march to go!!
Mile 12: Last hill - not bad. Native American drums pounding as we climb the last hill - spine tingling and goose bumps. Only thing missing was smoke signals and Indians whooping and hollering over the crest of the hill. Would have made a great John Ford western.
Mile 12 to 13.1: Down hill finish into the Sorrel Ranch Resort, our race finish. Food, beer, and great jazz music greeted us as we (I) stumbled across the finish line. Got my finishers medal (Moab Man), food, beer with complimentary race glass, stretched, then high tailed it to my waiting shuttle bus back to Moab. Put the parsley on the plate my dear, I'm done!!
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| Colorado River |
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| Red Rock Canyons |
Roo: I met Bob at the shuttle drop off point downtown. He looked good, but tired. Now that he was done with the race, I could get it out of my head and move on. I'll be back!! Unfinished business!!
We went back to our duplex, showered, ate, napped, then off to Desert Doggies to pick up our desert doggies. Boy, were they ever happy to see us, and we them!. Early to bed tonight. Tomorrow is the first of two big National Park adventures...........
For more info on Moab, go to http://www.discovermoab.com/
For info on the half-marathons, go to http://www.moabhalfmarathon.org/
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| Red Rock Cliffs |
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