This race has been on the radar for a while since it was a good excuse to go up and visit my friend Doni in Idaho. The race name was changed for this year from "Just Cuz" to the sponsor, Moinelli Jewelers Half. Since this race is focused on a different theme every year, it made since to have it sponsored by a jewelry store for its Gold Rush theme.
After SGM I really wanted to take a break from racing. I've had some pain in my right outer foot area and have not quite come back to 100% health wise for the past 6 weeks. I ended up telling my friend that I wasn't coming after all, shortly before I was expected to leave. I went to a Dr. appointment later in the day and was given some steroidal medication for my throat/cough. I changed my mind and decided to go since I really just wanted to visit and I had the free entry.
I had no real time goal going into the race, except that it would be nice to beat my time from last year and/or win. The only catch was that I didn't want to fight too hard for either one of them (I know that sounds very naughty to say.) I didn't plan my splits and decided to just run it.
Friday night I ate the equivelent of two Thanksgiving dinners. For the first time in a long time, I finally had a good appetite. Too bad it came on when I was a guest in someone's home! We spent the night playing family games and catching up. We went to bed around 1:00AM and neither one of us cared since the start was at 10AM.
We drove up to the park to load the busses. IT WAS SO COLD OUTSIDE! We even debated wearing our warmups for the race. The temps were in the 30's but the wind was absolutely freezing and strong. It wasn't until 5 mins before that we both agreed to strip down and run in our original planned attire. Everyone was dressed in gold for the theme. We sprayed our hair with gold glitter and looked very rich as a result.
The race started and everyone went out fast, including myself. The first two miles are the steepest of the entire race. Lots of rolling hills and winding roads made up the rest. The course was beautiful and the sun started to shine. Two girls were ahead for the first two miles. I caught second place and stayed 10-15 seconds from first place. At times I wondered if I was going to surge ahead or stay behind and not put forth the effort. It's easy to go for the latter when you don't feel mentally into it. I'm glad I refocused myself and continued to look ahead.
I hit the 10k in 39:24. Mile 6 had a decent hill that I pushed well. I stopped at the aid station to grab a water. I'm not quiet certain why I actually stopped, but it was only for a few seconds. I took a GU then looked ahead and noticed she had gained quiet a bit of ground ahead of me, ~20+. We approached mile 9 where the biggest hill of the race was coming up. I was close behind at this point and decided to make my surge on the hill. I was prepared for her to come with me, but she didn't. I knew the last three miles to the finish were not going to be as fun after coming out of the canyon and facing some heavy wind. I started to slow down, especially the last mile. I crossed the finish and was third overall. The first guy was way ahead of everyone else, the second guy was in sight for most of the race, but pulled away in the final miles. My friend Doni placed third at the sacrifice of her two big toe nails! We were awarded gift certificates for placing.
We made our way to the mining activity afterwards where we mined for treasures. We had a great time and walked away with some nice things. Moinelli's was great. Wish they could celebrate their new store opening every year:)
Splits: 5:52, 6:06, 6:41, 6:31, 6:27, 6:29, 6:53, 6:27, 6:50, 6:35, 6:57, 7:08, 7:27
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