quad dipsea

(this is another entry about running, so you might want to skip it).

on saturday i ran the quadruple dipsea trail race; 28.2 miles and
9200' of climbing on a double out-and-back course (mill valley to
stinson beach and back, then turn around and do it over).

(i think i've mentioned before how much i like the dipsea trail, the
terrain is varied, the views are gorgeous, and the trails are a nice
mix of singletrack, fire roads, and stairs, LOTS of stairs. it's a
justifiably famous run).

the weather was perfect, very clear with a bit of a breeze on the
hilltops, and 242 people started the race at 8:00 sharp and headed up
the 676 steps for the first time.

and then i ran for 5:42:27 (58th), which is a long freakin' time to do
anything but sleep. it's the longest period of time that i've run for,
and by the time it was over i was completely trashed.

i hurt all over, my skeleton hurt, i was a little nauseaus, my
calves felt like they were going to explode, and i haven't been so
happy to stop doing something in a very long time.

i was hoping to finish in under 6 hours, so i'm pleased. next year i
wanna finish in under 5:30