I was lucky enough to get my race fee comped by the powers that be at Falls Running Store. (Thank you, you know who you are.) So I had no excuses not to show up and run this event. The weather somewhat cooperated and it wasn't brutally hot and humid like so many years past. Because the only thing worse than torturous hills is the addition of extreme heat!
For those that are not aware of this race, and most who read this are in the know; the DDH has seven unforgettable hills. These hills are not thrown at you until after mile three. It's always fun to hear the first timers around you comment on the pre-hills of the race. They complain how horrible the hills in the first few miles are, but these baby speed bumps are not what the race is truly famous for being.
It's not that the hills are steep or long or winding to a never-ending peak, it's that they are all three of these combined. Jim Adams, owner of Falls Running Store and race director, can always be found on the course right around the beginning of the nasty hills. He makes himself available to hear your sarcastic thank you's, your vulgar cursing, and your wheezing gasps. He knows you'll be back next year.
I set out to run this race at a pace that was comfortable and livable. My running has not been at the forefront of my life these days so I wasn't shooting for any amazing time. Plus this is the DDH we're talking about. Theres not a lot of point to try and race your ass off on this excruciating course. So I ran at a strong, steady pace sans Garmin and only my regular watch. I was hitting decent splits for a runner on the decline. I climbed the hills and carried my own water. I was out to survive and run, that's it.
It was the last mile the course of my race changed. My friend Mitch jumped in all smiles. I informed him that if he wants to run with me he has to be quiet, I needed to concentrate. There were two women in front of me that I had played leap frog with throughout the race. "You are going to pass those two," Mitch says. Annoyed that he was telling me to do something I already planned to do, I said, "You don't get to tell me how to race."
I caught up with the first woman. She was pleasant and encouraging, "Nice pace you're running!". "Thanks," I say, "you too." I pull away from her and set my sights on the next one.
The woman in the green shirt and spandex shorts. With only the last turn around Druid Lake I approach her. She sees me beside her and picks up the pace. I do the same. She insists on being in the lead, but I refuse to let her have it so I lock on to her pace. She kicks in another boost and so do I. The finish line is less than 100m away. She takes off and so do I. We are in a dead sprint to the finish. My heels are kicking my own ass. I haven't pushed it this hard or wanted to beat someone so bad in a very long time! But I had to have her, I had to take her down!
I would say technically we crossed at the same time, but I got my tag torn first and that means my name will be before hers. Hey, that stuff matters especially when I managed to pull my A-game out of nowhere and beat this woman who was most likely in my age group.
After we crossed the finish line, I turned to my competition and high-fived her and quickly walked off to bring myself down. I had to walk for a bit to talk myself out of hurling. I haven't pushed it that hard since my track racing days.
It's fun to race like that when you least expect it. I was just running that event, but GreenShirt SpandexShorts made my race much more meaningful and memorable. Thanks GS-SS! I think her name was Stefanie Gisler, and yes, she is the same age!
