Whatever

Gail needed her monthly race so it really only worked out for us to do the Cupid Marathon up in Rochester, Washington, just south of Olympia. It had a nice 10:30 am start so we didn't have to get up very early to make the 2 hour drive from home.

Gail had just worked three 12.5 hour days in a row so she was still pretty tired on Saturday morning. So while I drove us North she sacked out in the back seat. I knew she was tired as I noticed she didn't move for an hour and a half! We got to the race which is set in a small town that has an old Grange building for the starting area. It was raining but not too cold. We went inside met some friends and stayed warm. Gail was in the ladies room til 1 minute from the start. We ran down the steps and off we went at the start.

The course is on country highways and roads is a double out and back. Many places the shoulders are only a few inches wide and you have cars going by you at 50+ mph. I had the Hagg Lake 50k coming up in a week so I was just planning on cruising this race with a goal of 4:18. I ran the first 8 miles with Gail and it was fun. Soon she stopped for a gel and a walk and waived me on. The rain continued but I never got cold. I picked up the pace and cranked up the tunes. Soon I was back at the start line and we then had to do another 3 mile out and back before starting the second loop.

Once the second section began I didn't see anyone for miles. I have not seen the results but I bet their weren't more than 25 marathoners. Soon I saw Gail after the turnaround. There were zero mile markers on this race. We stopped and she was a bit stressed about how far she had to go. I figured she had 7 or 8 miles. Off we went and I pushed towards the start line. I never go tired on this race but just kind of fatigues or bored. I hit the start/finish area and began my 3 mile loop. I pushed a bit and felt pretty good. I started to pass a few folks but had no clue whether they were early starters or not. This course was pretty darn flat except for one 50 foot knoll or so. I breezed up that and made the final turn to the finish. I crossed in just over 4:19 which was right about where I wanted to be. I didn't want to get too tired as I had the 50k coming up in 7 days. I am not planning on racing at Hagg but I will try to come close to last years time if the course is not too muddy.

Gail was looking good and came in at 4:55. After 3 hard days on her feet I thought that was pretty good for a winter race for her. We then had some great after race food and got in the car for the drive home. This course is for those that just want to get a race in. It is not that safe and the course is poorly marked unless you have run numerous races before. But it motivated us to get a 26 mile race in so I guess that is what counts. Another one in the books is all I can say and I think this is 33 months in a row for Gail now. Good job Detour!