Pigtails Flat Ass Snow Marathon

I can't believe we did this, but we ran a marathon yesterday in the snow. It was dang hard work!

It was a "will we or won't we" kind of week around here. Will we really get as much snow as they are predicting? Will the big storm really come? Will there be school? Will we still race on Saturday? Will Eric race on Sunday? Will we have high winds? Will the big trees in our front garden fall on the house? Will we have power? The answers were yes, we got about 6 inches of snow, yes the big storm did come, no, there wasn't school on Thursday or Friday, no, the high winds didn't hit our area (they were a little further north), no, our big trees did not fall (no wind), yes, we raced, no, Eric's race was cancelled and yes, we have power. Now we wonder if more snow will come (the answer is apparently yes, because it is snowing right now), will we get freezing rain and will we be able to travel at Christmas? (Christmas was going to be at our house, but we moved it 150 miles north to my parents so they wouldn't have to drive).

On Friday afternoon, we got the email saying Eric's race was cancelled. There was a big storm predicted with snow and high winds, and running Tiger Mountain during those conditions did not seem like a smart thing to do...even for a race called the Dumb Ass. So, Eric quickly signed up for yesterdays race - Pigtails Flat Ass. A long straight shot down the Cedar River trail and back. We prepped for the race, even though the final decision would be made when we got up in the morning. Part of that prep was Eric putting screws in our shoes.

Saturday morning we got up and decided to go for it. Reports were that there were 1-3 inches on the trail and that is was runnable. It was about 20 degrees out, so we bundled up. Jenny came over to pick us up, then we went down to Sumner to get Rob. The roads were okay, and we made it with time to spare. We stayed in the car till just minutes before the start - actually, as we were walking up to the start I heard Van, the RD, say "one minute to start". I didn't have time to see who was there before we started running, didn't have time to say hello to anyone. That's okay though because I was warm - standing around before hand would have meant starting cold.


Linda and Jenny, Steve and Rob in front of them. Notice the sunny blue skies?

I ran with Jane and Jessica. Jessica was our original couch to 5K participant two years ago, and yesterday was her fourth marathon, and more importantly, her qualifying marathon for the Maniacs. She was pretty excited all day long.

It was interesting running in the snow - some sections were chunky and hard to run on, others were like running through sand, and a few were fairly smooth. My water bottle spouts froze up, so I would stick one in my pocket to thaw and use the other one, then switch. Jessica's hose to her water bladder froze up and she couldn't use it, but she had some water bottles too and she did the alternating thing to make those work. Jane had a snow boarder's water pack with an insulated hose, so she didn't have our issues. The screws in the shoes worked great, giving good traction.


Meeting up on the trail. The sun is gone.

We ran and ran and ran. Jane eventually pulled ahead. Van had self-serve aid stations with water and gatoraid, blankets over the top to keep them from freezing. Arthur pulled up alongside the trail and ran along with us for a few minutes, then we saw him again at one of the self-serve stations. At the 12.5 mile mark was a staffed aid station where tc, Shawn and Jessica had food and hot cocoa for us - wonderful! After leaving the aid station we got to run with Bret and Gail for about four miles. It was fun chatting about races and weather with them.

My left hip was hurting by the turn-around, I think just from running in the snow, Jessica said hers were hurting too. I had lots of energy though - probably thanks to my burrito and hot cocoa back at the aid station. I also stayed toasty warm all day - I wore tights and my gaiters (to keep my ankles warm), two shirts and my rain jacket, two pairs of gloves, ear warmers and a hat. We watched the day change from bright and sunny to dark and stormy, but made it to the finish line before the wind and snow started, and though we drove home through falling snow, the roads were still clear. Our final time was something like 6:29 - about an hour over a more typical time for me, but then again, everyone was adding time yesterday.


Last quarter mile. The sky is getting darker.


Under the freeway and steps from the finish line!

All in all, a very good day that left me a bit sore. I briefly considered an ice bath last night, but after being out in the cold all day, decided to pass. We got about four more inches of snow last night, and frankly, I had enough of running in it yesterday, so today turned into a day off. Eric and I went to Starbucks and enjoyed a cup of coffee, then to the grocery store. Riley is home safe and sound from college after driving over the pass yesterday. He made it home just ahead of the storm. Web won't be coming home after all, we've talked to him several times in the last few days and he is warm and safe. They have plenty of food on hand, and we got a package out to him, so all is well.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy the holidays, your family and friends, and stay safe.