The Gristmill Grinder

Well race day finally came and I managed to survive and here is proof:

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Eight months of pretty serious endurance training and I still look like a middle linebacker. At 6' 2" and 235 I felt like an old slow dinosaur surrounded by all of these quick furry mammals. But I managed to finish all 13 miles and 2100' of vertical gain. Honestly I had a blast and was pleased as punch with how I did.

At the start everyone took off while I was still warming up. I started 50 yards behind everyone... and then they just ran off and left me. 3/4 of a mile down the road when I turned onto the trail there was literally no one in sight lol. But I was a bit dinged up and was determined not to come out of this thing injured so I was a bit cautious for the first 5 miles or so... still, I'm not really that good so no worries. At the 1st aid station 2.75 miles in my wife thought I had gotten lost! At 5.5 she said I was looking strong but still 15 minutes behind the back of the pack which was strung out over a couple miles or so of trail.

The next few miles were downhill and level and to my surprise I actually caught a few folks and passed them. Then came the big climb of the day, about 1.5 miles at 5% grade. By this time I was cruising and having a good time. I had a good rhythm going and thought I would surely catch some folks but never did. At the 10 mile aid station Heidi told me still looked strong so I gulped a couple cups of water and took off.

The last 3 were pretty brutal. A fierce climb followed by a mile of really dangerous footing of rocks and tree roots. Then another mile climb to the finish. There were a handful or two of poor souls who were walking and staggering along but I still felt pretty ok and went on by to the finish. Had a total blast and did something that I had wanted to do for 15 years. Trained for it twice when I was twice the man I am now and got injured both times. Never made the start line.

Hell I might even try this thing again next year if I'm healthy. :)

Will

Congrats! That’s awesome!
BKB

I'm impressed! Congrats Willy! I'm also 6'2" ..... well, I used to be anyway. Heck, I also USED to be 235 lbs. and would love to be back DOWN to that weight. These days, I can hardly make it out to the mailbox and back without needing some recovery time. :crybaby

I'm fit as the fiddle, I can walk to the fridge and back without having to stop and rest and occasionally I even sprint to the bathroom

Thanks guys. This was WAY outside my comfort zone so I was absolutely without expectations when I started out. I am kind of amazed that I went thru the training w/o a major injury. I can be a little injury prone and had to be careful.

Will

Believe it or not, the first beer of the year....

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Speaking of injury prone, I wonder how our other runner, Carty is? Ha!

BKB

That’s cool as heck Will.

Last thing saw on Archer on FB he was getting joints replaced or something.


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That’s awesome. I’m glad you were able to achieve that goal. My knees are so bad, I would never be able to do anything like that at anything quicker than a walk.


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That’s me these days Deppity. This acupuncture has worked a miracle on my back (so far), but I’m still extremely limited as to what I can do. If I push it, either my knees, hips, or both go out. I’m a physical wreck these days.

DD this one meant a lot to me.

I learned to swim at this state park, did a lot of hiking there when I would come back to town from school. This is where I tell anyone visiting to see if they want to know what this part of the world looked like before it was settled.

I even married my lovely wife at the very overlook where the 2nd aid station was at. She was waiting for me there, playing Super Bon Bon ala Jack Reacher on her portable bluetooth speaker when I came cruising in.

My wife's awesome. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fagLjawRXM

That's a feat to be proud of for sure!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Penguin

DD this one meant a lot to me.

I learned to swim at this state park, did a lot of hiking there when I would come back to town from school. This is where I tell anyone visiting to see if they want to know what this part of the world looked like before it was settled.

I even married my lovely wife at the very overlook where the 2nd aid station was at. She was waiting for me there, playing Super Bon Bon ala Jack Reacher on her portable bluetooth speaker when I came cruising in.

My wife's awesome. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fagLjawRXM

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That kind of history in a place feels like home doesn’t it?
BKB

Yes, it does Posty. I lived in a lot of places for a lot of years but this was always home. And I have been blessed to be able to return and make a living here among friends.

This is an image of the overlook where Heidi and I were married and where she was waiting for me at the 2nd aid station. The trail runs off to the right for a mile or so and descends into the gorge shown in the photo. Then it runs right back up along the creek at the bottom and then climbs out of the gorge off to the left of the photo.

It is a beautiful place. Beautiful.

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I grew up in country that looks more like that than you could imagine. In Oklahoma. It madeforstrong legs hunting in that country!
BKb

One of these days I need to get out there. I've seen OK in photos look like desert, grass plains, rolling hills, you name it. Of course it is a pretty big state that covers a lot of territory isn't it?

As states go we’re prolly medium sized. There quite a diversity of geology and land types though. East side is green, foothills of the ozarks in the NE and Quachita mountains in the SE. Central is a big N-S band of blackjack forest called the Crosstimbers. And western OK is flat wheat country much like eastern Colorado orwestern Kansas. Most folks know of the latter, thanks to our Dust bowl era.
BKB