RACE #6 - Signal Peak Challenge

It has been nearly two weeks since the race, and I think I have finally recoverd. I thought after the Sandia race that I had seen the worse of it, but this was a whole other level of suffering. I hadn't given the course its proper due before the race began. A little background. The race was called "Signal Peak Challenge" It was about 20 miles north of Silver City, New Mexico down a beautiful winding mountain road. The day before the race my wife and I drove over to the course and met my father who drove down from Albuquerque. We set up camp and prepared dinner next to the course. It is such a beautiful place. Tall trees that smell like vanilla and green in all directions. Wonderful. I was feeling pretty good about the race and excited to see what I could do the next day.

I can't say I wasn't warned. There was a sign at the start that said "Enter at your Own Risk": Hmm, that can't be that serious can they? I should have listened.

It was a 32 mile course that I figured wouldn't be too bad. Granted the base elevation was 7,500 feet, but it only climbs to 9,200. I mean that is only 1,700 feet. Nothing, right? Well, after 1 hour and 10 minutes of climbing I realized it might be a big deal. Now that was just less than half of the first lap. After the climb the course descended and climbed back to the start finish area and another trip past the previously mentioned sign. And these laps were brutal affairs. Steep up after steep up after steep climb after another steep up. I'd never been on a course that started and stopped at the same spot, but some how managed to climb the entire time.

Another problem is that I miscalculated my water consumption and the amount of time I would be out on course. By midway through the second lap I was completely out of water and there was no feed station where they were helping out with liquid. The end result was that I was dehydrated by the end of the race in a big way. Too bad, because I lost two spots as a result of it, but still managed to finish 5th. AWESOME! I would have loved top 3, but 5th is great! I am still pretty stoked about that. We'll see what I can put together at the next race........