The race starts in the town of Los Alamos, site of the Manhattan Project and birthplace of the atomic bomb that, um, ultimately led to the demise of some 210,000 souls in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But this isn't a history or political blog. This is a running blog, written by a runner who sometimes falls off script and succumbs to his make-the-world-a-better-place subconscious dissonance. Did we need to drop the second bomb? Just wondering.
Running at altitude when you live at sea-level is the ultimate game of self sabotage, particularly when you don't prep for it. They say it takes some three to four consecutive weeks to acclimate to a race at altitude. I was lucky to get three consecutive days, which is disappointing given I often train in the mountains. Perhaps this is why I was a little peeved when several runners passed me while I was sucking wind on the course around 9,000'. I heard one of them casually mention that she lived close by at 9,000'. Really? Did she have to rub it in? I've always been jealous of runners that live at altitude.
There is a famous scene in the movie Billie Jack where Billie confronts his nemesis in a park. He tells the guy "I'm going to take this right foot and I'm going to wop you on that side of your face...and there is not a damn thing you going to be able to do about it". If you haven't seen this, watch it here, it is so awesome. The scene was filmed in the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe. Billie Jack was a hero to so many of us who grew up in the 1970s and the reason I am wearing the hat you see above. I digress.
The penultimate moment for me on this day was when I was making my way in the snow to the 10,500' high point of the course. Every other step resulted in slip and slide to my hands and knees, followed by surge in heart rate, then a wondering...why-do-I-sign-up-for-these-damn-things. Then from somewhere below me was a voice that kept repeating these chant-like slogans about business and motivation. I couldn't help but laughing. When we reached the top of the caldera I had to thank the guy - Max - and stop for a selfie.
When I finally crossed the finish line, apparently my body didn't look great. The race director approached me immediately and asked me if I could accompany her to the first aid tent. Wait. I know I had a couple of face plants, but I didn't realize the blood had continued to flow. As I sat there with the medics I couldn't help but revel in the accomplishment of finishing the most difficult 50k in all my running days.
