I was planning to pace the Riverton course but when I got up there I found out the race had been cancelled. First time I have ever actually seen a race cancelled in Utah but honestly I have to give the RD props for cancelling because the course really was pretty bad. The roads were just a complete slushy mess and there was a good 4-5 inches deep of snow lining miles 5-9 on the golf course trail. Anyway there were about 50 people that showed up and still wanted to run the course anyway. I was really glad because I still wanted to get a run in and now I could just enjoy it without the pressure of pacing....that works for me!
For a split second I thought about still trying to hit my pace (1:35) just for fun but as soon as I realized just how much snow I was dealing with, and how crappy I felt still recovering from stomach flu I threw that idea out the window. Sadly I was not in race mode and wasn't fast enough to keep up with Chad...yet also not slow enough to join the leisurely crew so I ended up running the whole course solo. I usually don't enjoy running alone but I actually just kind of soaked it all in and had a good time. It was really beautiful with all of the snow and it is always fun to run in a new place. Ended up finishing in like ~1:38 or something....I don't really remember.
The race organizers heard there were people out running the course for fun and were waiting at the finish with chocolate milk, bananas, shirts, medals, ect. I thought that was a really nice touch since they had already refunded everyone there money. |