So we position ourselves at the 5 hour pace and wait, and wait. the race had been delayed 45 minutes so the cold was really chapping my ass. I just want to start! Looked briefly for Aaron's flag but could not see it: he was probably wrapped in it to stay warm.... We goofed around a bit and finally started to walk towards the line. One odd thing was a couple of deer got caught between the thousands of people and a long line of porta-potties and were absolutely freaked, running, skidding to a halt and then tearing off in the other direction - I was sure someone was gonna get hurt, then we were passed them and starting the run. I saw quite a few people fall in the ice, particularly when they went up on the sidewalk. I was running with Jorge and Jay until the half where they would stop. After about 1 mile, Jay went ahead and Jorge and I ran. I barely remember the first 9 miles - they were really smooth and a little slow, but just what I had planned to do- Jorge was a little slower and started having IT band issues again about then and I dropped him when an amazingly incredible ass passed us. Jorge told me later that I said something to him about the perfect rabbit and took off - I remember it a little differently: that I was soliticious, asking after his health, making sure that he was ok, asking if he needed anything.... Well, anyway, I followed the perfect rabbit but this bunny was cold and uncaring and dropped me at about mile 11, the bitch. This was a truly demoralizing event... as soon as she lost me, my stomach got very empty (her absence or lack of food?). I could almost hear Haley "you have to eat!! you need fuel, dumbass..." With an even more demoralizing feeling in my stomach I realized I left my gu and cliffshots at the house. Oh no. With every step I got more hungery. At mile 12 I called my sister and told her that she needed to bring me some food - and a Dr. Pepper... and that I needed it by mile 13 (her house is at mile 16 or so).

"What do want me to bring?"
"A cheesburger and fries"
"Really?"
She puts nothing past me and for a moment I contemplate eating a cheesburger and fries....
"Hello...?"
"Kidding. Two powerbars and a Dr. Pepper. No diet."
"What about the carbonation?"
"I piss on car-"
"Ok, Ok...."

I get to 13 and there is no Kelly. Tuns out that the closest she could get was mile 15. Shit. Ok. Ok. I asked the medical aid stations for food and they had nothing. At mile 14 or so I got some frito's from a spectator who thought I was being cute. Those fritos saved my ass, cuz my sister was really at mile 16 but didn't have the heart to tell me -she parked and walked towards me...., bless her heart.

Some time in here I kept getting a welling of emotion akin to crying - to the point that I had to actively concentrate on NOT crying. I don't know where it came from, but I was really amazed by it. I got control and trudged on: Bode Miller wouldn't cry - and I know for damn sure that Chuck Norris doesn't cry, so I didn't either.

So, in terms of running, I really felt good to this point and was even increasing my pace a bit. I was concerned that I had not urinated through all this time and forced myslef to go, but it was not much at all. Hmmm...

So I finally meet my sister and walk with her for a while (probably about 5 minutes back towards her car) I ate a protien plus and drank the Dr. Pepper (no diet). While we walked I took off my cotton cover-tee and gave it to her, and my gilligan hat was completely soaked through so I took it off an appropriated her knit hat. I also finally tossed my sodden gloves and was amazed at my wingers - the were a little numb and tingly at the same time and pickled. I then appropriated her gloves, the poor thing - I had her walking, carrying my soaked clothes, hat, gloves and her own stuff... thank god she was there. So I left her and started to run. Everything went great until about mile 19 or so when the cramps came to visit. *you know when you were a kid and someone walking behind you kicked the bottom of your foot, forcing your leg way out in front of you* That is what happened to me - I was running and felt a little tightness in my right hamstring and thought to myself: that's not gonna be good... BLAM! As I picked up my right leg to move it in front of the left it was like I got punched in the back of the leg. My leg actually shot out too far in front of me and I almost fell. This drew as many stares as "C'mon bode!!!!" So I yelled "C'mon Bode!!!!" by way of explanation. They seemed to understand.

The cramps only visited for a few minutes and left. Mile 19, 20 and 21 were actually enjoyable - I did what I shouldn't have done and calculated I was going to finish well under 5 (which was my uber-secret asperation) instead of my stated goal of under 6. I was tired but still ahd plenty of gas and had a really good outlook.

At about mile 21.5 my big toenail seperated from my toe.

Wall, meet Welshy.

Don't think about the toe. Don't think about the toe. ohhhhhhhhhh....

The toe (throb)

The toe (throb)

The toe (throb)

At about this time both of my feet started to really hurt and I just started focussing on all the pain in my legs that I had not been aware of the whole time. My arches hurt badly. My calves were so tight that I felt like they were going to pop. I was prepared to hit the "wall" people talk about, but had I assumed it would be an energy, motivation thing. I had never considered it would be physical.

My toe threw my cadence off and exposed all the dormant pain in a big way.
At mile 22 or so there was an out and back that was very difficult for me. I guess about a mile and a half on an incline, then back down. The worst was just when the out and back starts, you can see all the tents and festivities across the bridge/lake. God that view sucked. I couln't run uphil. I walked most of the incline. I kept waiting to come up to mile 24 and felt sure I had missed it. When I finally did come to it, I was pretty wrecked - not only had that mile and a half taken me about half an hour, my sub 5 hour run, which a short time ago was almost a certainty, was gone. Insult to injury, the 5:00 pacer passed me running the other way. Bitch. so I did what I had to do: "C'mon Bode Miller!!! Put the hammer down!!!!!"

I reached the top, turned around and started running back down. This was an ok time for me. My legs felt like they were full of painful gravel, but I was about to finish a marathon, so my adrenalin was helpinmg, I guess. At mile 25 I had a beer with the Hash House Harriers. At beer number 2 I kind of snapped and realized I wasn't done yet... I walked across the bridge and started running about half way down into the chute -

I realized Aaron was at the turn a little to late to talk, but it was nice to see him "It didn't take you 12 hours after all!" he yelled, but I was already passed him...

Into the finishing chute everyone was quite... Huh? No one was yelling and I was dissapointed so I took matters into my own hands: I put my hand by my ear as I ran and looked every fucker in the eye until they yelled and finally had the whole chute yelling for me - once there was an acceptable volume, I raised up my hands and accepted their accolades....

I would have gottern some shoes that would not have devoured my big toe.

I was really bummed by the whole after race celebration. No beer, the grounds were sporadic and the party was outside. I couldn't find people and kind of walked around in a bit of a daze until I realized I could call them. We didn't stay long.


We get to Austin late or the expo because my frends are tards. So we head to the expo and get our packs - I was a little dissapointed by the expo, but no worries. I think Whiterock is a better race in terms of the even't aspect of the thing, but still, most of the Mary was downhill, so whaat's to complain about? One of our group wanted to go to Run Gear to try to get a Jacket as the pickings were pretty slim so we rolled to run gear. Run gear did not have any jackets and looked at us like we were idiots, so to put them in their place we bought ridiculously overpriced rain and cold gear from them. That 'el show em.