Boulder Dash 5 Miler

 I was back racing this past weekend, and this time, I was going to run to the bottom of a quarry. Quarry runs at test of lung capacity, strength in your quads, and sheer stubbornness in your willingness to keep pushing. 

I ran Boulder Dash 5 miler a couple of years ago, and I decided that I wanted to try it again. They have two races: a 5k and a 5 miler. The 5k does the perimeter of the quarry, and you guessed it; the 5 miler goes to the bottom of the quarry. 

The course is entirely gravel and dirt. Given Helene had just gone through about 24 hours before, there was plenty of mud. Gray mud covered the back of my legs, shorts, and my back. Somehow, I even had the gray stuff on the front of my quads. I don't know how. 

We were led out by a pickup truck. We quickly fell into running in its tire tracks. Anywhere else was just soft mud. Getting to the entrance to the quarry, they had us weaving around these giant piles of gravel. The decent to the bottom was rather easy. I did my best to lean into it. I know that leaning back is the worst for both my quads and my hamstrings. 

Making the turn, I focused my eyes up the hill instead of over looking at the ground directly in front of me. I settled into a solid pace. Definitely, I was feeling it in both my quads and lungs, but I kept reminding myself that the top was getting closer with every step. 

Once I hit the top, I needed a second to gather my breathing before making my push over the final 2 miles to the finish. 

I finished 2nd overall. After the race, I was looking back my race from two years ago. Apparently, the quarry has gotten deeper. Two years ago, I ran 4.5 miles, but this Saturday, I ran 5.25 miles. My pace across these two races was virtually the same. In retrospect, this race didn't feel nearly as hard as two years ago. I walked away wondering if it felt easier because I knew what to expect or was it because I am in better shape. Let's hope that it is the latter. 

The Cool Down Runner