so i'd been super stoked to get my ass on a plane and head to the east coast to see my awesome running buddies dave and tone! been WAY too long! the texts were flying all week in anticipation and i finally got settled in on one of the 'leg stretch' seats late thursday afternoon.
i arrived around 9 newfie time and the guys met me at the gate - well, actually, it was the front door. they were busy chatting with someone! but no worries! we went back to their place for some slow cooker stew! mmmm - they sure know how to spoil a girl! the next day we picked up my race number and then treated ourselves to a coffee at gracie joes!
the start was saturday at sunrise in pouch cove, and from there we were to run 50k on the east coast trail back to quidi vidi harbour in st. john's. we had until sunset to finish. the race was very low key - i loved it! i think there were just under 30 runners. um, please note - it WASN'T raining YET ...
oh ya! did i mention that THIS guy is currently undergoing chemo treatment for multiple myeloma??? and that he was attempting his first really long trail run since a stem cell transplant just two years ago??? and did i mention how much i am inspired by him ...
our view from the start line at pouch cove ...
here are a couple of pics i borrowed from the ECT facebook page ...
i absolutely love this one ...
me, dave and tone stayed together for the first little bit, but then tone pulled ahead.
kool shot of dave coming up off a climb ...
me and dave stayed together most of the way. it was raining pretty good at some points and i was getting really cold! i probably got kranky a couple of times, but mostly because of the rain. but then, attitude is everything, so i sucked it up and figured i may as well settle in for the day! rain or not! besides, the views were spectacular ..
i especially loved the sounds. one being the waves crashing up against the rocks - made you realize how powerful the ocean really is! and another was hearing the foghorns off in the distance. so kool!
we had to be careful on the steps and bridges! all the rain was making them super slippery! not to mention all the roots and rocks! after awhile i stopped trying to avoid the puddles on the trail and just stomped right through them. my poor feet were wet the whole day!
wicked waterfall ...
hang on dave - i won't let you fall !!
i will admit to a couple of awesome hissy fits! these happened at the water crossings! unfortunately i had lost my sense of humor at the time, as they would have made for very comical pictures! the first wasn't too bad - after a few attempts and dips up to my mid-thighs, we made our way over. the second however was fucking nasty - at least for me! i am not comfortable with really fast moving water - especially when there are a ton of rocks and rapids and a slight slip could end me up in the atlantic (okay, i'm exaggerating, but it was scary). when we got there i kinda panicked. a volunteer was trying to help us across but instead of just showing me the easiest way, he tried to explain it. i yelled at him, 'which is the easiest?' and then promptly lost one of my shoes in 6" of mud. dave knew better than to laugh (out loud) and he calmly handed it back to me. dave went first and half-way across, he wasn't sure where to go so he asked the guy. for fuck sakes - buddy was texting on his phone! i screamed again - i could see dave ending up in the atlantic - and he finally made his way over. i somehow managed to get to the other side, the whole time muttering 'this is fucking stoopid'. it was hilarious! and the best part - i was absolutely fine once we had made it. back to laughing and having a great time!
we came off one climb onto a jeep road and banged into these guys! hahaha! awesome!
after the second check point, the sweeper caught up to me and dave, meaning we were at the back of the pack! luckily he missed my big fit at the river crossing! and of course i just HAD to get a pic of this ...
and i'm not sure if it was my imagination, but every time we hit a road section, it really pissed down! i tried to run a bit faster here - i found it warmed me up! here's tone coming down one of the hills ...
i'll stick to the gravel ...
there was a cut-off point at the 41k mark - i'm not sure what time it was, but if you didn't hit it you couldn't go on. it would have been too dark to be out on the trail. dave was pretty tired and he decided he was happy with what he'd accomplished - gee - only 41k dave!? only 8 hours of running?! how fucking amazing is that!?!? i can't believe this guy! i know very few others as strong as him.
i just made it, so i kept going - i tried to book it so i would finish by sunset. richard the sweeper caught me after almost an hour - just as i was crawling on my hands and knees with my butt up in the air trying to maneuver a really slippery section of rock! very attractive i'm sure! hahaha! we paced each other over the last 4k of pretty gnarly trail but it was fun. i actually felt really strong - best run in a long long time! we came down off the mountain and onto the street where we ran the last couple hundred meters to the finish line - inside the 'inn of olde' !! so kool! everybody else had been there awhile and were enjoying the beer so i got huge cheers as we came in! my time - 9:57! good grief! dave and tone were waiting for me and i promptly tucked my cold, wet arse up against the wood stove!
and our finishing prize - not a shirt, not a medal - a curly wurly! i devoured mine!
when we made it back to the house and i stripped off my soggy shorts, we had a good laugh at the lines on my legs! tan, wind, dirt - who knows! but a warm shower never felt so amazing!
the rest of the visit was spent relaxing and eating pizza, chips and chocolate. my poor tummy! these long runs are going to kill me! and yes, it was still raining ...
anyone wanting a really technical, yet beautiful 50k should try this. like i said, very low key but so worth it. as for me - oh ya - i got to run some sweet trail and spend time with two guys i love a lot.
