This past weekend was my first true test to see if I could run 2 half marathons 2 weeks apart. My goal in 2019 is to run half marathons in back-to-back weekends in New England so I can cross two states off my list.
Sioux Falls was a great race for me two weeks ago. Cheyenne prove to be more a challenge. The biggest thing was E-L-E-V-A-T-I-O-N. Running at 6,200 feet is no easy task when you are not used to it. I knew I was in trouble in the first .15 mile when I struggled to breathe running up a tiny hill. I had to slow down to walk to control my breathing. This was not going to be my day. Thankfully I had 8 years to complete it. Ha! Well no, I actually had less than that because I had a plane to catch in Denver.
It was the inaugural year of this race so there were a few hiccups as you can imagine. But nothing major. The biggest thing was more water stops and maybe some sports drink for those that need it.
The course was ok. There some nice parts but quite a bit was on busy roads or next to busy roads like the long stretch along the interstate. Not so much fun.
The first three miles were tough on my breathing. Mile 4 I finally had a mile under 14. Woo hoo! So different from my last half. After that “spectacular” mile, I tried to keep as many of my miles under 15 as possible. I didn’t do so great at the goal.
During mile 6 the course wanted us to turn left. Well this woman in front of me (who drove me nuts the entire first 6 miles) didn’t turn. She went straight. At first, I was concerned for her that she got off course but what she really was doing was cutting the course. Seriously! I saw her later and she was easily a mile ahead of me. We figured she cut about a mile. Argh so annoying.
We made our way around downtown Cheyenne. The silly capitol building was under scaffolding, so we couldn’t see it. :( The finish was at the cool old depot. But there wasn’t much fanfare. I got my medal, my banana and was on a bus back to our car.
It was an ok race. I’m not sure I would come back. I’m also glad to get another high elevation state out of the way. Idaho, Utah and Montana scare me. Hopefully I can find a race with a good time limit…I need it!
Finish time: 3:19:35. Only 35 seconds slower than I predicted. I’m getting pretty good at predicting my time. ;)
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