Heavy 20 Miler

Driving through the pockets of fog, Matt and I were constantly reconsidering our clothing choices and sunscreen.  Someday we’ll learn to pack one of everything when we drive to long runs on the Hammond Trail, but apparently today wasn’t that day.

Just one day after our mile repeats, we knew that our first road 20 miler this season would be a bit rough.  Couple that fatigue with the dark cloud that settled over our heads for the weekend and it was pretty much a bummer run the whole way.  We ran in silence.  The first 12 miles were steady and quiet.  I enjoyed the thick fog bank that we ran through.  On the quiet, forested section of the trail, it felt comforting.  Every footstep, I thought of the Suzie, Jessie and Terri.  I thought of their families, how they would love to be out running on this typical Humboldt weather weekend.  Matt was the first to say anything, “You know, it is impossible to get that out of your head.  It’s something I’ve been thinking about all day since Thursday.”  These are people that we actually knew, with similar experience to us; it is very scary to think how we could just as easily be in a similar situation.

Silence returned for a few more miles until I finally changed the subject.  “How would you feel if you woke up to an email on Tuesday announcing you’d made it past the White Mountains 100 lottery?”  I asked.  Matt’s only reply was “That’s not even funny.”  For months we’ve been discussing the possibility of running the White Mountains 100, Alaska’s other winter ultra, just outside of Fairbanks.  The idea of visiting our friends and a familiar area is comforting, but I don’t think either of us is ready for a 30+ hour effort.  I’ve joked that I would sign us up for the lottery without telling him.  Of course, I hadn’t.

This was enough to finally break the tension enough that we continued on our long run as usual.  We ran through the park, past the dairy cows (Jersey cows, so perdy!) and the milk goats until we returned to town where we parked the car.  Somewhere around the last mile, I was overcome with a sense of urgency, to finish the run quickly and strong.  The pace dropped to 7:45/mi, 7:30/mi, until it reached 6:56/mi. when I reached the end at 20.00mi.  I never imagined that a run that started out feeling so sluggish and heavy would end well.  Running truly is the best therapy.

Both Terri and Jessie are recovering well, I’m sure they will be back on the roads eventually too.  The hit-and-run driver was found.  He is also linked to an early morning murder that same day about 40 miles away.  You can find an article with updates, here.