On Saturday, Dec. 1st, 14 of us carpooled from San Diego to the big town of Ridgecrest, CA. Our goal, to run and complete the High Desert 30k & 50k. Our group consisted partially of trail running newbies and some old pros. A great group all around.
Not long after leaving San Diego we started to notice the wind picking up and the temperature dropping. The closer we got to Ridgecrest, the windier it got. Me, being the genius with the bright idea of running in the desert in December, started to get a little nervous. I knew if the wind continued and temperature dropped that I would be in for it come race day.
We all got checked in, picked up our race packets and headed to the local pasta establishment for some carb loading. It wasn't fancy but mission accomplished. Next we were off to Big 5 for last minute items. With 10 women in the group, I'm still a little skeptical about the shopping being necessary or not. But I sure as heck wasn't going to argue!
Race day. The weather channel has the local temperature at 19 degrees. Yes, that is Fahrenheit! Yikes, I haven't seen 19 since I left DC a year ago. I was a little nervous about the amount of grief that I might catch. Luckily everyone was in good spirits and ready for the run.
And we're off. The 30k runners are Kim Martini, Ses & Greg, Nancy & Jeff and Eldar & Erin. The 50k runners are Mindy, Rebekah & her mom Lynn, Marie & her dad Will, Nicole & me. What a good looking group we are! The very first thing we notice while leaving the parking lot is a local runner wearing only what looked like his sister's running shorts and a Fabio hairdo. That'll wake you up!
It was a beautiful sunrise in the desert. As the sun began to rise, so did the temperature. By noon it was close to 55 degrees. Perfect running weather. The course was laid out very well with extremely friendly volunteers at each aid station.
All fourteen runners finished the race with big smiles on their faces. Not sure if that was due to being finished or knowing that there was beer & pizza at the finish line. You tell me! For Kim, Nancy, Jeff, Eldar, Erin, Ses, Greg, Will & Lynn, it was their first. Great job! For Marie, Rebekah, Mindy & Nicole, it was a new 50k PR. Way to go!
CONGRATULATIONS to all of you! You guys trained hard and it showed. You made this run not only look easy but very enjoyable. Everyone seemed to have a great time and many are talking about what's next. Thank you all for a wonderful adventure!
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