For this year’s Hypo I decided to run with my friend, Tara. I was debating for days if I should “race” to test myself. In the end, I decided it wasn’t worth it because Sundays are my LSD. And I need to stay on track for the Blackfoot Ultra (less than 3 months). As expected, the route was very snowy and slippery in spots. We had a winter storm warning and watch all day on Saturday. I didn’t mind because that’s the beauty of the Hypo – You never know what is up Mother Nature’s sleeve.
The whole time I kept thinking about coffee. It turns out my gels do not contain caffeine. I want caffeine in my gels because I run so early in the morning WITHOUT coffee. I get pretty grouchy after awhile if I haven’t had my fix.
Good news is I took in 250 calories an hour and drank 1 litre of water during the run. I was well-hydrated. So much so that I pulled down my pants at one point and peed on the trails. Nobody was around. There was only 1 water station so you have to do what you have to do. My right calf tightened but I chose to channel my energy to positive thoughts instead of complaining. (When I got home I gave my calf some tough love with the lacrosse ball)
Tara was pretty grouchy by the end of the race so I do not have a picture of us at the finish line. (Every part of her body was hurting). Race director Arthur took a quick one but I didn’t get a chance to check if it was okay. It wasn’t. I just made a beeline for the brunch. I enjoyed two pancakes, some little potatoes, fruit and coffee.
It was great to see some of the other runners still chatting away. Everyone had smiles on their faces. Loved it!
I didn’t take too many pictures. But here you have them.
