A Little More Than Expected

When first deciding to do the 50 States Half Marathon Challenge I'd immediately selected The Mayor's Midnight Sun Half Marathon to knock out AK as it was the most publicized AK race, plus being in Anchorage (a relatively "big city" in AK) the flight would be cheaper than other places.  For folks who have never been to AK this may be a less ideal selection, but having lived in Sitka, AK for 3+ years I didn't need the Alaska experience - just an official time somewhere in the state and some decent bling.  I hadn't expected to knock out all 50 states so quickly, but in January when I realized I possibly could I happen to talking to Denise and she mentioned she and Judy would be doing the Mayor's 1/2 in 2013.  They hadn't expected the additional person, but were open to the idea of room sharing to lower the costs.  When I mentioned my schedule to Krissy she was interested as well.  Four in the room was a little more than we'd expected, but it sounded like fun and helped with the costs so we went for it.  I made the reservations (air and hotel) in a flurry of reservations in January that covered my entire race calendar from February through October.  I ensured I found a hotel that was walking distance from the start/finish (and/or shuttles) and packet pickup with an airport shuttle, as we didn't expect to need a car.  With all plans made, this went to the back of the minds until just over a week before the race. 

I didn't expect my flight to have any major changes, so when I'd received an email saying the schedule had changed I didn't think much of it (typically these are 5 or 10 minute shifts).  Ten days before travel I opened the email and found it was a little more than I'd expected...about an hour and a half shift to be exact that resulted in nearly two full travel days due to layovers!   I'd had flight changes on Delta many times and they were always really good about changing when the problem was due to their schedule changes; while I'd booked this flight through AK airlines it was on Delta flights (partner airline) so I didn't expect any issue getting it resolved.  I was proven wrong.  The lack of customer service was a little more than expected; and eventually I simply cancelled the flight for a refund and rebooked directly through Delta on a more convenient flight. 

The new flight was out of DCA vs. RIC, the airfare was a little more than expected and the parking in DC is also a little more than Richmond; but I figured I'd be smart and park at the metro to offset that cost.  (When you're traveling this much to knock out your states you save where you can to allow you to do more on the trips.)   When packing I checked the Anchorage weather and realized this would be a jeans/long sleeve trip with a jacket.  All packed, travel day arrived and I headed to the metro.  I parked in the multi-day spots and headed through the lonely parking garage to the station.  The lack of security was a little more than I'd expected.  I had thought there'd be people around.  There wasn't.  More accurately, I'd thought there'd be other travelers/witnesses around, there weren't.  There was however someone staying just out of sight and keeping very quiet.  I would have thought I was just being a scaried cat, but it wasn't just the sense of someone watching me, I am VERY sensitive to cigarette smoke and someone was nearby smoking the entire walk across the parking garage and up the three flights of stairs.  The fact that I'd had to park in the bowels of the parking garage was also a little more than expected but there were few designated multiday spots and that's where they were.  When I got to the station, already a little freaked out, I was at first relieved to see another person waiting.  As I approached the gates, that relief QUICKLY turned to increased fear when I was close enough to see the person was actually homeless and appeared VERY strung out on drugs.  I stood a safe distance from him, positioning myself on the far side of him vs. between him and the mysterious smoker.  When he picked up his bags, held his arms out like an airplane, and began swooping and swirling across the pavement in my direction, I began to get a little uncomfortable.  When he stopped mere feets from me and began quickly surveying the area, eyes darting from here to there as if checking for witnesses it was a little more than I expected (and a LOT more than I was comfortable with).  I stepped away (without turning my back) and pretending to be viewing the display of brochures near the station window.  When my eyes zeroed in on a flier with the station times I realized my wait would be more than expected (despite having checked online before planning to park here, I'd somehow messed up and was an hour early).   I immediately decided my personal safety was worth WAY more than the measley 40 bucks I'd save and  headed back to my car.  As I entered the garage, the sight of the smoker literally lurking in the shadows was more than I'd expected - and more of a risk than I was willing to take.  I called Judd, and loudly informed him that if the line was to go dead or I was to stop talking to immediately hang up and call 911 and report where I was and what was going on.  He stayed on the line until I was safely locked in my car. 

Finally at the airport, I settled down, grabbed some breakfast, boarded my flight, and napped until MSP.  With a little less than an hour between flights, I scanned the directory to see if I should grab something to eat or wait until landing.  I immediately saw the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory....all of my traveling buddies know my weakness when going through Atlanta is a chocolate caramel covered apple from Savannah Candy Kitchen, but with no connection in ATL an apple was more than I'd expected this morning.  It made for a nice snack on the plane though.  :)  

As we landed in Anchorage I pulled out my phone and once on the ground turned it on.  After a rather lengthy period of time "searching" I turned to the folks beside me (who I'd already discerned were local) and asked if they had Verizon.  I was informed there was no Verizon or T mobile but I might be able to pick up on the AT&T tower.  No comms for the weekend was definitely a little more than I'd expected.  (Though in hindsight, having lived in AK, I should've known it would be a real possibility!)  I took advantage of the airport wifi to Facebook message Denise & Krissy and let them know I'd be out of comms but waiting for them at the hotel and to update my Facebook status to let folks know I'd be limited to Facebook and email until I hit the lower 48 on Sunday.  Then I grabbed the shuttle and checked into the hotel. 

While I knew Anchorage was 'big city' compared to Sitka, the availability of shopping and dining chain options was a little more than I'd expected.  The hotel was situation right beside an Outback, BW3, and Walmart.  (Sitka had 2 grocery stores, a pharmacy, and gift shops - no chainstores at all!)  I headed across the street and grabbed some boneless wings for lunch while taking advantage of the wifi to catch up on the going-ons via Facebook and Instagram.  Afterwards I headed back to the hotel and caught up reading my magazines while waiting for Denise and Judy, and snacked on the fresh chocolate chip cookies.  Just before 3:00 I had a hankering for watermelon and was about to venture next door to the Walmart to see if they had any, but when I saw the time I decided I'd wait as they were due to land at 3:15.  When I got the email that they were on the ground at 4:20 it was a little longer than I'd expected, but we still had plenty of time for a Walmart run before Krissy got in.  When they arrived at the hotel, Judy's look confirmed my own feelings...the room was a little tighter than expected for four people.  We'd been told it had 2 queen beds, they were definitely doubles at best.  But there was a hide-a-bed, so if anyone felt it was tight quarters they had the option of using that.  Denise mentioned needing to go to Walmart for bug spray given that one of our friends that had previously done this race commented on her Facebook post that we would need bug spray for the huge mosquitos on the trail.  I told them I'd been waiting to get a watermelon anyway and we headed that way.  After a quick spin around Walmart, we dropped our supplies at the hotel - watermelon included

 Then headed to the Seagalley for dinner.  I wasn't really hungry as I'd eaten a few more cookies than expected, but always up for some good seafood and knowing my time in AK was limited I ordered some King crab & a cup of chowder.  I definitely ate more than expected!

After dinner we headed back to the hotel to wait for Krissy.  While there I got a Facebook notification of a comment from Tracy on my status about no phone service in AK.  He was wondering if I was in Anchorage for the race and said he might need a favor.  With no clue what he could possibly need from me, I let him know Denise and I were there and happy to help.  He commented that Marissa was on her way and needed a place to stay.  Given that we had the pull out we ran it by Judy, knowing Krissy would be ok with whatever we decided.  Five in the room was definitely a little more than we expected, but we agreed and Denise called her to let her know where we were so she could join us as Judy and I made up the pull out for her.  Krissy arrived shortly afterwards and we filled her in, then we chatted and planned the next day.  Though we hadn't expected to need a car, the more we looked into things the more we decided it would be a good idea.  We booked one for 2PM Friday to 2PM Saturday as we didn't expect to need it longer than that, then we started folding our tents for the night.  I was first out, given that I was still on east coast time and been up since 2AM, Krissy wasn't far behind given that she's central time.  I'd left a key at the desk for Marissa and vaguely recall hearing her come in, but I went right back to sleep. 

None of us had expected to wake up early, but not used to the midnight sun and still not adjusted from our time zone changes, we all woke up early, showered, and were ready to go by 6:30AM!  We went down and had breakfast, then came back to the room and tried to kill time until the expo.  Marissa wanted to do a day tour, which we hadn't expected but weren't against.  Given that we were covering the room, she decided to cover the car and wanted to get it earlier than planned.  So we headed to the airport, picked up the car, and then headed to the expo.

The expo was quite small, but we got our bibs and still managed to do a little shopping.

While we were there, Krissy found a glacier tour in a brochure and asked if we'd be interested.  We all agreed, but realized we'd need to set out soon as it was an hour away, departed at 1:00, and it was already nearly 11:30.  We headed out.  Marissa called and found out the address for the GPS and that we didn't need reservations and we were off.  The drive was full of laughs and chatting as well as beautiful scenery.  A good ways into it, with me in the center seat in the back, I happened to look up as Krissy was taking pictures out of her windown, Denise was posting pictures to Facebook, and Judy was doing something on her phone.  Everyone's attention quickly came to front and center as I simply stated, "We're going to die."  On a 2 lane road (one in each direction), Marissa was in the process of beginning to pass a car, as our car strained to pick up speed the gap between us and the oncoming car closed quickly and none of us thought we'd make it back into our lane - except Marissa.  As we merged back into our lane just in the nick of time we all heaved a sign of relief.  A few miutes later Marissa bursted out laughing and said, "I can't believe you all agreed to let me drive!"  As she relayed her driving stories we all asked why she hadn't told any of us this before we got the car, then we all crumbled into laughter - but kept a closer eye on the road! 

As we flipped through our race guides, Denise noticed an ad for the exact tour we were headed towards that stated there was a discount if runners showed their bibs.  Krissy called to find out the discount and the result was a confusing conversation during which we momentarily thought we had been given bad information with regards to not needing a reservation and questioned whether we'd be able to make the tour.  In the end, it turns out the concern had been about us making the tunnel opening - we hadn't expected this tunnel as this was the first we'd heard of it, but apparently there is a one way tunnel just before Whitter (the town we were headed towards) that opens in the direction we were headed at 30 minutes past each hour and is only open for 15 minutes.  We quickly realized we'd definitely make the 12:30 tunnel, but Marissa wanted to be sure and gathered speed.  We all dug our nails into the edges of our seats and tried not to have our nerves frayed as we passed more cars!  (We love you Marissa!)  We reached the tunnel with time to spare before the 12:30 opening, though we didn't expect the $12 toll and we certainly didn't expect the toll collector to be so rude!  (We are obviously tourist, so when you give your speel at the speed of an auctioner and none of us understand any of it and ask for clarification - get a personality!) 

Soon enough we were through the tunnel, parking, and purchasing our tours.  A quick picture on the brow and we were ready to get underway.

Not long after boarding we realized there was a bar onboard, though we didn't expect it we weren't against a few drinks.  We'd all selected the fish and chips for lunch; and were happy to hear it was baked rather than fried given that it was the day before the race.

After we finished our meals we decided to go out on deck for a picture.  Being on the water, it was colder than we expected; and having not expected to be on the water at all, it was definitely colder than we'd prepared for!  But we made the best of it and simply popped inside to warm up frequently.  As we posed for our first group shot we also found while the boat was moving it was windier than expected!  As Krissy asked, "Is my hair in your face?" just before the picture clicked, I assured her with "No, but mine sure is!!" 

I would be the one sporting the Cousin It look. 

The time flew by as we enjoyed the scenery, chatted about our upcoming race schedules, and went in and out enjoying the sites.

Soon enough we were viewing several glaciers.

We took advantage of the stops at each to run out for pictures without freezing and/or being blown away.

But after each we retreated inside to warm up!

Along the way we spotted a few seals and otters at play, but only one group of seals let us get very close to them.

And they weren't really comfy with our presence so they slid into the water and went on their merry way.

We hadn't really expected to get that close though, so we were thankful to see them. 

The otters on the other hand, held us to our expectations and didn't let us very close.

 While we had expected to see a bald eagle (this is AK afterall), we didn't expect to get such a close up view of one in his nest.

Our Park Ranger guide quickly explained his nest placement was due to the fact that he fed on the birds that nested just beyond him near the waterfall.

Looking at the waterfall, we saw a few birds flying around it and noticed the rocks were dotted with white (personally I thought it was likely bird poop); but we didn't expect the sheer number of birds we found.  The closer we got the more the rocks came into focus.

We began to realize there were more birds than we'd expected, but we didn't realize just how many more until we were right up on the waterfall.

Turns out the white dots were actually each birds - and while the ranger excited talked about this species and called it by name, I didn't expect it to be seagulls with black feet.  I was less than impressed. 

Soon enough we were approaching port.

A quick photo and we realized that we would need to beat the rush off of the boat and out of the parking lot to catch the top of the hour opening of the tunnel in our direction unless we wanted to wait an hour for the next one.  So, we headed down to wait for the brow to come across, then promptly said our thank yous and headed ashore.  We made the tunnel with no issue and began to discuss our next adventure. 

While onboard an older gentleman had made some suggestions to Denise and drawn a crude map to a pulley system/basket that takes you out over a gorge.  We somewhat didn't expect to be able to find this based on the directions, map, or Denise's recollection of the conversation hours later; but we did!  (Denise rules!)  However, we only found it after going off the end of the paved road and deep into the woods, up the mountain.  (Marissa rules too!)  As soon as we found it, I ensure everyone could expect that regardless of how cool this thing may be there was NO way I was going to check it out!  Anything that required us taking a hike into the woods without a lot of people around and with no gun or at least bear spray was NOT happening!  Call me chicken, but I wasn't looking to be mauled!  As Denise, Krissy, and Judy got out to read the maps/guides posted at the site they found it was closed for repair and while they hadn't expected it, it was a welcome relief to me! 

As we headed back down the trail and towards the road we didn't expect to come upon the Iditarod Trail, but we didn't miss the opportunity for a quick photo either!  Stopping the car in the center of the road and jumping out for a picture, we didn't exactly expect all of the cars that randomly came in both directions as we ran back to the to get going so they could get around us either!

Back on our way, we were in town before we knew it; and head to the Moose's Tooth for a pre-race fueling session.  Our bellies and day full, we headed back to the hotel where we each engaged in our pre-race prep routines before falling into our beds for the night. 

Race morning we slept a little later, but we were still all awake well before the alarm went off.  We had ample time to get in a light pre-run breakfast (which I supplemented with some of my watermelon!!), don our race gear, and head to the start.  On the way to the start I realized I'd had a little too much watermelon and was already well hydrated - so I needed a potty break before the race.  As we headed towards the start (and the porta-potty lines) we realized how short on time we were and how long the lines were.  I opted to not wait, headed across the street, and found an alley.  Everyone else waited.  Krissy was first out so we waited for the others.

Denise was the last of our group in line and as she emerged, we huddle for a quick group shot, and the announcer gave us the 40 second warning!

 Quick smile, hit the corral, and we were off!  None of us expected to run a terribly fast race.  Denise and Judy hung together, as did Krissy and I, while Marissa hung back at her own pace.  While we were prepared for the mosquitos, we didn't expect there to be so many or so early on in the course.  While others were being eaten alive our deet kept them off of us, but we had to be careful not to inhale them!  We also didn't expect to not have a single water stop for the first nearly 4 miles!  While the running/biking trail we were on was pretty, it was not very wide and left you jammed up with a group start vs. wave start; and it didn't offer an opportunity for course support.  (Just something to keep in mind if you run this one...you may want to consider carrying hydration at least for the early miles.)  When we finally came out onto the road, we hit the first water stop and we walked through it.  I grabbed two cups just in case given how long it had been, but found I only needed one.  Krissy hadn't expected to need another but found she did, so I handed it off.  We picked our pace back up and a little over another mile in Krissy needed a break.  I didn't expect to be feeling so good but didn't want to leave her.  About the same time I saw Denise and Judy just ahead and told Krissy.  As she tapered to a walk I went ahead.  As I passed Denise and Judy, Denise cheered for me.  I let her know Krissy was right behind her and I carried on.  I felt certain they'd all meet up, but I didn't know that for sure until they crossed the finish line together later. 

Just after parting with the others I heard a plane.  Having not really looked at the course map, I didn't expect the plane to be so close!

But I quickly found we ran right past the end of the run away, then around the side of the airport,

and onto access controlled property.  After a mile or so we made a turn into the woods.  I did not expect this to be an all out trail run!

But for the next mile we were up and down hills, around stumps, roots, and logs, and through mud

before finally coming back to the path.  I'd never actually run on a trail before - not in its purest sense, and didn't expect to absolutely LOVE it, but I did!  While it was hard work and definitely technical, I am already putting this on my list of things to do after finishing my 50 states! 

Once back on the running/biking path, we were met with more gorgeous views.  At this point the crowds had thinned out and it was more enjoyable as everyone had fallen into their perspective paces. 

I felt good and continued running strong as we headed back to town.

I knew there was a decent hill within the last mile and tried to save something for it, but once I'd crested that hill I was ready to back off and finish easy.  Until I happened to pass the two girls that had crested the hill just in front of me.  I realized they'd picked up the pace when I passed.  The competitive nature kicked in.  I picked it up a bit.  They picked it up a bit too.  With a quarter mile to go we found ourselves in an all out foot race, all three of us in a dead sprint for the finish. 

I felt like I was going to collapse but I dug still deeper.  We passed a few more people on the way to the line.  Literally steps before the finish they pulled ahead and there was nothing I could do about it.  They crossed just ahead of me. 

Several things I hadn't expected here - when I actually got a good look at my competitors, I hadn't expected them to be at least half of my age!

With my PR being a 9:00 minute mile when training and my untrained average being around a 9:30mm, I hadn't expected to run a 6:28mm for a sustained quarter mile!  (Thank you Garmin for that tidbit of data.)  And I hadn't expect to forget to stop my Garmin in the excitement of the finish (never forgotten that before!).   This led me to the results table to get my final time, and REALLY hadn't expected to find I actually beat these gals (who were in the 15-19 age group!) by 7 seconds because they started before me! 

While waiting for the rest of my crew I headed to the snacks...didn't expect to find....

perhaps my favorite race yet!  I literally skipped the rest of the goodies, snacked on watermelon, and waited for my friends. 

Once everyone was back together, had their results, medals, and finishers' shirts, we stopped for a quick picture,

then headed to let everyone refuel.  We couldn't resist...

As we were walking away, Denise remembered hearing an announcement that Judy was second place in her age group!  We went back and she collected her medal!

We then headed to the car.  On the way we saw a tent that left us curious....our logic, if the results tent was where you found the results, the beer tent was where you found the beer, the finishers' shirt tent was where you found the finishers' shirts, the medical tent was where you found the medics, the snack tent was where you found snacks....what should we expect to find in "men" tent???

A few steps later we met Star...a reindeer, in a backyard, right beside the park...not what we expected.

 A beach girl at heart, I'm one that avoid tan lines at all costs.  I switch up bathing suits frequently to not have hard tan lines, untie my top when lying with my back up, etc.  So never in my life would I have expected to have tan lines from knee straps.

But despite the goofy lines, they keep me running so I'll deal with them. 

Back at the room, we rotated through our showers, then headed into town to refuel.  We headed to a restaurant I'd read about for seafood.  We didn't expect to find it closed, but Krissy was quick to produce a back up option.  By the time we got there, all of the post race watermelon had me doing the potty dance, so as the group headed into the restaurant, Marissa and I followed the signs to the restroom.  We didn't expect it to be a country mile away!  Finally back inside we met up with the group and found a table in the bar.  We ordered a round of drinks and appetizer. 

My first drink of the trip, I didn't expect it to be so strong!  I literally managed a few sips before passing it off, knowing my limits.  We all enjoyed very different meals, but each equally amazing.  As we finished up, Marissa and I decided another potty break would probably be a good idea before venturing out to the Solistic festival, but neither of us wanted to wanted to trek back to BFE.  Denise, Krissy, and Judy pointed out a door with a restroom sign literally just behind our table so we decided to not be lazy at the expense of our bladders and headed down the hall.  We REALLY didn't expect it to be a labryinth back to the same original bathroom!  Bellies full and bladders emptied, we strolled through the streets checking out the festival

and gift shops along the way.

Soon enough it was time for them to drop me off at the airport.  As I sat in the airport waiting for my red eye, I realized this race and adventure was so much more fun than originally expected!

The Best Worst Race Ever

One thing I have learned is there are as many different opinions with regards to specific races as there are runners.  You can pull two people from any given race and get one that had an amazing experience and can't wait to do that race again and another who found the event to be horrid and will tell anyone that listens to never do it.  This tends to be because as runners we have such differing goals than our fellow runners at times.  Therefore, I find it best to always consider the goals of the individual recommending (or trashing) a particular event when consider whether to add it to my schedule or not.  (Unless the person relays facts with regards to shady business dealings or scams - which sadly do exist on occasion; in which case I avoid the event/organizer.)

When selecting events for 2013 I saw a posting within on of my running groups mentioning the Bear Lake double, which knocks out Idaho and Utah in a single weekend.  Given the airfare costs to these destinations from my area, I was interested.  A quick verification that the events had finisher's medals (yes, I'm a bling snob) and my decision was made.  The event's website is not the most user friendly; and when I went to sign up I could see there were three options in the drop down by one was cut off so I couldn't tell what it was.  I selected one of the races and registered, finding that the website would not take my discount code for being a member of the 50 States Club.  After my payment was processed, I went on to register for the second race, only to realize that the unreadable option had been the option to register for BOTH 1/2s at a discounted price.  Not wanting to take the chance of losing the registeration fee I'd already paid, I only registered for the remaining race, then fired off an email to the Race Director explaining the situation.  He responded that it would not be a problem to refund the difference and asked if I minded waiting until packet pickup to resolve the issue.  I didn't have a problem with this, but given that it occured in January and packet pick up wasn't until June, I could see where this could pose a problem for some. 

It only took a mention to get Sherry, Krissy, and George to sign on as well.  Unfortunately, Krissy had to cancel due to a last minute work conflict; but the rest of us headed to Bear Lake in early June to check Idaho and Utah off of our lists.  Right off of the bat we had opposite experiences which could have influenced our opinions of the venue.  George and I had hassle-free flights, arrived on time (I even arrived a little early), actually got a better deal on our rental car than our original reservation, enjoyed a peaceful drive through the beautiful mountain scenery mid-day,

checked into the lodge, and was given easy directions and a map to our unit.  Sherry's flight was cancelled, she then spent nearly all day in the airport, got a MUCH later flight, rented a car, made the drive through the mountains in the dark with deer abound, missed the entrance to the lodge MULTIPLE times, couldn't find the unit, and eventually gave up and slept in her car after being soaked by the sprinklers and falling.  We all finally met up Friday morning as we prepped to head to the start line for the Idaho portion of the race.  As George and Sherry were running the full and I was running the half we drove separately.

Upon our arrival at the start location, we saw a few friends and chatted with the other runners.  I mentally noted what a small field there was.  We then posed for a group picture (of all runners), prior to the start.

 The first thing I noted was the absence of a start line.  There simply wasn't a marker of any kind.  The RD was there and some folks asked where the start was located.  He motioned to the road in front of the church (where we parked) and indicated we were starting in the road in that area, heading north about a mile, and turning east to go around the lake.  I then noticed there was no timing chip (at all) and some folks had already started running.  I asked a volunteer and was informed that you could "either go ahead and start and keep track of your own time or wait for the official start and clock".  I thought it odd that the event would offer an honor system for time for those wanting to go ahead early; but the RD explained this event was an add-on at the request of folks that wanted to knock out both states whereas the UT race was their main event and where they focused.  The advertised start time came and went, and there was no motion to get folks organized to start.  I was chatting with a volunteer and some other runners when suddenly I heard the RD say "Go" and people started running.  I cut off my conversation abruptly, while apologizing, and started running from where I was...noting that many people did the same and there was no actual "start line".  At the first corner Trent had stopped for a photo op and was holding his camera out to anyone that would take his picture.  I wasn't going for time, so I trotted off to the side, snapped a few pictures, handed back the camera, and continued on my way.  Sherry fell into step beside me and we knocked off the miles, sometimes chatting, sometimes running silently alongside each other, but both occassionally commenting on the beauty fo the course.

As we approached mile 5, I commented that the field must be slow as we had not been passed by the lead runners yet and this was an out and back.  Shortly thereafter, folks started coming by us on their return.  I couldn't help but notice as we approached the turn around that only 3 woman had passed and one was considerably younger than I was.  As we said our goodbyes and I made my turn I began to wonder if I could possibly place within my age group.  Nearly as soon as I'd made the turn around woman who appeared to be about my age approached the turn around.  I found myself silently willing her to be running the full as I was feeling slack and not wanting to push the pace but hopeful I could still age group.  She turned.  For the next 3 miles I felt her bearing down on my and watched her shadow creep up on me.  I pushed the pace, determined to stay ahead.  I found myself out of breath a few times and while I knew part of it was the pace I was running, the majority of it was the altitude.  I'd find out later we were between 5925' & 6100'.  At the water stop my competition seemed to back off a bit and walk. 

I walked the water stop and then resumed my run, hopefully that I'd opened up a gap between us.  Before long her shadow was creeping over my shoulder again and I had to pick up the pace.  The sun was bearing down on us, the heat rising, and I was begining to have hydration issues as the stops were every 3 miles and the cups were small.  We stayed in a footrace until just prior to mile 10, where she seemed to back off.  I pressed on, hoping to open a gap.  While I walked the water stop I picked things back up immediately and never saw her shadow again.  I picked off another runner; and as I approached the final turn I was confident I'd opened a substantial gap and could relax on the final half mile.  As I made the turn I glanced over my shoulder and was alarmed to find she was RIGHT there.  I barely had anything left in me and felt sure if she was a runner that saved for a final surge she would surely pass me.  Determined not to let go this far along, I held on and really pushed myself through the finish.  As I approached the finish area I was confused as there was no finish line.  The only indication of where to go was a little boy standing on the side of the road, looking at Runner's bibs, and yelling the numbers out to the adults seated at a nearby table.  I pushed past him, stopped my Garmin, and walked towards the water table.  I was handed a cup of Gatorade and turned to see my competition cross the line.  I smiled and thanked her for pushing me; and was floored to learn she'd actually wanted to walk but didn't want to be alone so she'd decided to keep my pace!  Had I known that I may have walked with her!  As runners trickled in we hung around the "results" table and I quickly realized the time keepings was simply an iPhone that had a timer started when the RD said "go".  As the little boy yelled out your number, the adults would write down the number, then as you crossed their imaginery line (which seemed more of a vacinity from what I saw) they'd write down the time off of the iPhone as your official race time. 

I found my time to be slightly faster than what my Garmin said...and my Garmin to say slightly less than 13.1 miles.  I obviously wasn't the only one as a few others continued running past the finish area until they hit 13.1, then walked back.  On the paper they were recording "results" on, my time was fast enough to put me as 4th woman overall; as this paper only listed bib number and time I had to figure this out by looking at the numbers of those around me and I had no idea how many of those were in my age group (except for the fact that one was obviously MUCH younger).  As I wondered to myself if I'd actually get my first age group award and older man puffed his way across the finish line and bee lined directly to the table to confirm he'd won his age group.  His request for confirmation was met with an awkward response about how there were no age group awards today, they were for tomorrow.  He was not happy about running so hard for no award, but I was happy with simply knowing my standing.  However, to further complicate things, a few days later when the official results posted, I found they separated the half results into 2 categories:  Half Marathon and Both Half Marathons.  So, officially I got first in my age group and second female overall in the half marathon (because the original registration link hadn't worked for me), but I had to view both results and look at everyone's time to figure where I'd be if all half marathoners had been considered a group.  Hot and tired, I took a picture with the few Half Fanatics that had finished thus far,

then headed back to the lodge to shower. 

Once Sherry and George arrived back, we laid by the pool for a while and enjoyed the view,

ate, and showered we decided to go get raspberry shakes

then check out the spring that George had seen on the way through the mountain the day before.  Once there, I quickly scampered across the rocks in the water and climbed the biggest one, goofing off.

I climbed down and explored a bit, climbing other peaks...I've always loved playing on rocks!

We then headed back into town, drove off the full course for the next day to check the elevation profile (because it looked KILLER on the elevation map, but totally wasn't), then stopped to pick up our packets for the next day.  While picking up I received my refund for the hassles while registering and George found they had no record of him for a bib, but they had him fill out his information and they assigned a number.  We then headed back to relax and crash.   
As we were making our plans for the next day we questioned the start time.  I pulled out the information I'd printed off the website and we found that it did not list start times.  It did, however, list bus departure times for both the full and the half.  George and Sherry decided to ride together as their buses left an hour and 15 minutes before mine.  I slept a little extra, got up, got ready, and headed to the bus.  After parking I got on one of the buses and waited.  They were supposed to depart in 15 minutes so I just waited.  The bus QUICKLY filled, as did the other 2 waiting.  The driver began turning folks away, telling them there were two more buses that would be back shortly to load (these were the buses returning from dropping people off to start the full) as each of these three buses were at their capacity with 75 people per bus.  When we arrived at the start area we were uncerimoniously dropped off and the buses left.  The website had said today race would have chip timing...there were no chips.  Approximately 225 people now stood on the road with traffic still utilizing the road, 4 porta-potties lining the shoulder, no designated start line, no volunteers, and no instructions.  As we tried to determine what to do a lone runner came jogging through...the first participant in the full.  She was obviously an early starter as there was no way we were looking at someone who had transversed miles 1-13.1 of a full in just over an hour.  As we stood, chatter went around wondering what to do.  Some folks just started their Garmins and took off.  Another full runner came through and we all cheered.  I finally pulled up the website and called the contact number, telling the person that answered that we were all standing at the start for the half and were wondering if we were just supposed to go.  He asked me to tell everybody that someone was on the bus that would be arriving in 5-10 minutes that would officially start us.  I tried to pass the word as I began to wonder how in the world this could be a Boston Qualifier when the time keeping was so shoddy. 

As the final bus arrived the RD got off.  He told everyone the race would start in 7 minutes.  As we all stood in the center of the road, occassionally having to move for traffic to get through, someone asked about timing chips and he informed us that even though the website said that there were only 500 people running both events so it wasn't cost effective.  Someone else asked where the startline was.   He response was "see that sage bush over there?"  as he started telling us to back up.  He continued saying "back, back, back" for a bit but stopped way short of the bush he'd pointed out, then quickly said "go" and waited for us to run.  Again the timer was an iPhone.  I set out on sore legs from having pushed myself so hard the day before, trying to enjoy the run and the surroundings. 

One recurring theme in both races was road kill.  Some worse than others, but lots and lots of roadkill.

Another recurring theme was running over cattle bridges.

We were definitely out in the sticks.  But the views were amazing.

We ran around the southern end of the lake and headed west before heading back up the northern side.

I enjoyed the run, but we had started much later than the previous day so the heat got intense quickly.  By the time we hit mile 8 there was no water, only Gatorade (and RIDICULOUSLY strong Gatorade at that!).  I worried about my friends completing the full as I knew they still had quite a while until they reached this point and would definitely need hydration here. 

I struggled in my last few miles but was still able to pick some people off.  I hadn't finished nearly as strong as the previous day and there were many more runners today (nearly 300 in the half alone) so I didn't think I'd have a chance of age group placement.  But after I crossed the line, when they posted the results I was surprised to see I was only the 11th female overall.  Glancing through the results there were some age groups listed (none of which were in my age group) but many of us had a "1" for age group.  I inquired as to why and was told it was because I'd registered for both races vs. the individual half and they would have to "go back in the database tonight and fix it".  (Which wasn't at all true because I'd registered for them individually.)  I asked how this would affect knowing age group awards as they didn't have a record of our age groups; and was told there were no age groups.  I looked puzzled and stated that the website had said they were 3 deep today and that was what was said yesterday as well, then I was given the response that due to the small number of registered participants they deicded not to give age group aways.  Once the online results were posted two days later I was shocked to see I was actually 87th female and 133 overall in the "half marathon" category.  Not that I thought my time was anything amazing (it certainly wasn't at 2:15); but how in the world did the results on race day show me at 11th or 12th female and 22nd overall?? 

 Hot and tired, I posed for a quick finisher's picture

then headed back to the lodge to shower, eat, and pack.  As I waited for George and Sherry I started to get restless so I decided to head back to the finish line and meet up with them.  On the way I was tempted by (and caved to) another raspberry shake!

As I waited in line they passed me on their way back to the lodge, so shake in hand I headed back and waited for them to shower and pack.  We all chatted about the timing/start issues , chaos at both start lines, and deviations from posted race information (no chips, no age groups, etc).  But in the end, we agreed that it had been an amazing weekend, the area was ridiculously beautiful, and we had positive race experiences overall.  All said, I'll likely go back and run this one again sometime; but I will do so knowing  what to expect and it won't be a ridiculously organized race or a tightly run ship....it will be a laid back experience that gives you a beautiful run, nice medal, and posts official results so you can check off the state.  If I were to view this race critically with regards to organization, information provided, and technical merit it would easily be one of the worst races I've done; however, based on the relaxed atmosphere, medal and shirt quality, scenery, fun, and raspberry shakes...it was easily one of the best races ever!