Yesterday morning, I ran the Double Dipsea, a crazy trail run that begins in Marin at Stinson Beach, goes to Mill Valley and back! It is 13.6 miles & 1400' elevation change of stairs, trail, roots, forest, prairie, & crazy hills. I absolutely loved every moment of it! Well, the last 2 miles were a little rough, but I think that was mostly because my legs had taken enough pounding and were close to exhaustion. I felt like I was "playing" the entire time, just running through the woods.
It is a handicap race, so depending upon age and gender, everyone started in a wave, based on a specified "handicap." I am still trying to figure out exactly what this means, but basically, while the waves help to spread the runners out, they also create gaps between the very old and very young runners and the speedy middle-agers. The winner of the race is the first person across the finish line. The clock begins when the last wave leaves the starting line, so essentially, the women's group that went out an hour prior had no "time" until that last group left Stinson Beach. Everyone tries to catch the runners from the waves in front, and if someone is really quick, he/she can try to catch the first wave, to win the race.
Anyway, all I know is I had a blast and I cannot wait to do it again. My legs definitely protested today and were quite sore! I used the foam roller at the gym this morning, which brought tears to my eyes, but I am convinced it works! I decided against my bike ride to Marin today, in order to recover both mentally and physically! Sometimes I just need a break!
No comments:
Post a Comment