Robie Freakin' Death

It started last April, when I realized that an awesome half marathon was going on just beyond the hills in Boise.  I got an itch to do it... 

... Then this February 20th registration opened at noon, sold out in 9 minutes, and I got a spot.  And for February, March, and April I was freaking out. FREAKING OUT! What was I thinking trying to do The Race to Robie Creek Half Marathon, The Hardest Race in the Northwest?  

I trained as much I could, and to the best of my abilities... I still felt totally unprepared.  Did lots of 7 to 9 mile runs on hills and treadmills (on elevation), and since the foothills were practically mud, that's pretty much all I knew to do.  The I did lots of stairs in our town home. 45ish minutes going up and down our stairs. I had to prepare for 8.4 miles up hill and 4.9 miles down. 

Yesterday April 21st arrived. Matt's parents took me to the starting line (Matt was out of town with ROTC stuff), then took the boys to McDonalds.  2 minutes before the race I realized I had to pee, but then line for the bathroom was too long and I didn't was to chance being late. 

Race started, and it was fine. I went up, up, up, up the hills into the neighborhood and enjoyed all the cheering for the two miles, and the Rocky Sound Track being played from various homes to motivate the runners. Into the hills we went. And I was like, "What the *bleep* am I doing? I should just turn around and go home." But I kept going. Was able to pee at a port-a-potty around mile 4... 

... and then I hit a wall. And I seriously had to walk mile 4 to 5. I mean, going up hill for 4 miles kicks trash. 

Ran for most of it till the summit. THE SUMMIT! Holy smokes. It's INTENSE. Most walk the last 3/4 miles till the summit, and I so did.  I was able to run down the steep hill on the other side of the summit with no problem. A lot of people had trouble, actually, and I really don't blame them. Going down steep hill for miles at a time is very crazy, but I think all my stairs from my training helped me out a lot. 

AND did I mention that it was the HOTTEST Robie in 10 years?! It was really hot. 85ish, no cloud cover. Sucked the energy right of me. The race starts at noon because, hey, this is Idaho. Most the time it is cold this time of year. Sometimes snow. Not this year. 

My goal was to finish under 3 hours. I finished in 2 hours and 59 minutes. YES!  Got my t-shirt, ate a plate of food, then went on the buses to get me back home.  Met a cool guy who RAN THE WHOLE STICKEN THING!  Matt surprised me and picked me up, and we actually gave our new friend a ride to his car--which was 4 miles away. 

What else... what else? 

Had my CamelBack, drank a liter of that, but also had lots of oranges offered throughout the course. Gatorade too. And some nasty GUs (energy supplements). I had extra GUs and gave them to people who were really cramping up on the down hill. 

It's a fun, crazy race. Always a new theme each year. This year it was Samurai SailToad, so everything had a like a "Japanese" feel.  Haikus on boards posted on the side of the road, and things like that. 

Here are some pictures I took with my phone. Well dad-in-law took the pictures of me! ;)

There are stamp tattoos that you can put on your self.  I chose "Our Lady of Perpetual Pain." 

Running through the canyon and this random and awesome flute quartet  was on the side of the hills. 

So funny! And very cool. 

And here is the videos I took on the very summit of the race. It was awful. 

And actually I want to clarify that it took my 2 hours to get to the top, not 1.
My brain was getting mushy at this point.

going down, Down, DOWN!

See the mountains? Pretty!

And some crazy ladies cheering us towards the end. It's a day of celebration for everyone, apparently! 

And here is the picture that the Idaho Statesman took of me while I was finishing the run. I was sprinting and screaming. I don't think the emotion translated well in the photo, haha!

Do I look like a salt lick? Well I was. Totally covered in sweat and salt. That was totally weird to wipe my face and feel all the salt minerals. 

Um yeah. I'm tired. And my legs hurt. But my shoes rocked it. And I didn't get burnt. I don't think I want to do this race again! 

Bye, guys.