Isn't it surprising the places you end up hurting after a race? Sometimes it's pride that hurts, sometimes it's legs. Neither for me, this time - just my face from frostbite and my shoulders from running with them crunched up due to being cold.
The Greenland Trail 50k had been one of my goal races for this year. Unfortunately, the weather gave no favors this year. It was brutal. The conditions deteriorated rapidly and continued to worsen throughout the race. Halfway through, the wind was whipping ice straight into our faces, the windchill carried frostbite with it, and the trail quickly become obscured by the huge snowdrifts. Visibility was poor. A few of the stragglers out on the trail mentioned how they didn't remember signing up for climbing Everest today.
The race director closed the finish line early, and I ended up completing only 3 of the 4 loops - 37.5k. However, unlike my last marathon, which felt like a huge disappointment when I did not make my goal time, my experience at the Greenland Trail races gave me *more* motivation to keep training and running hard rather than less.
I have the Pikes Peak Marathon to look forward to this year, and I intend to focus my training and do everything I can to succeed in the race. The Greenland Trail 50k did not work out like I anticipated, but I was one of fewer than 50 people who continued to endure the conditions for at least 3 loops. I feel tough as nails! And I know that mentality that carried me through the difficult conditions today is not something to be ashamed of. I feel prepared to tackle the next challenge - and I sure hope the weather is at least a little bit better.
