I Had My Running Shoes

This past weekend I ran the Rim-to-Rim in Twin Falls. The race is 7.5 miles long. It starts at the bottom of the Snake River Canyon, down by the Blue Lakes Golf Course.This is the pack of runners at the start of the race. The first 1/2 mile is pretty flat and uneventful and then you have to climb out of the canyon. The next 1/2 mile is not fun at all and is very steep. At some point, I realized I could walk the canyon faster than I was running it. Once out of the canyon, the road is pretty level and leads out to the highway. I actually enjoyed running along the highway with cars streaking past me at 65 mph. They provided a breeze. A semi went past and I wished he were longer because the shade he provided was so nice! The race didn't start until 10:00 am and by then it was about 85 degrees. I don't usually run in that kind of heat and it was exhausting.

The race continues across the Perrine Bridge. This is always fun because invariably a semi will sneak up behind me (I have headphones on) and honk and it scares me bad enough I might jump. Actually, I love the bridge because it means I'm halfway. Then I get to see my family who are always waiting in the visitor's center parking lot to cheer me on. Another mile and the race descends into the Snake River Canyon on the south side. This is great because I just let the downhill carry me. And this year, the shade on the south rim was a welcome relief. Did I mention it was hot?
At the bottom of the canyon, the race goes through the Canyon Springs Golf Course and back across the river on the foot bridge shown above. The worst part of the race, though, you don't get to see. The foot bridge is at about mile 7. Once over the foot bridge, the race is uphill for the next quarter mile. And it's steep. And it's hard. And it was SO HOT!! And just when you think, "I'm so done" people who have already finished the race start showing up on the edge of the course saying things like, "You're almost there" and "It's all downhill from here."

I finished the race. This is the third time I've ran (and finished) the Rim-to-Rim and I think it was my hardest, even though my time was better than it's been in the past. I'm just glad it's over (for another year). More than that, though, I'm glad I did it to begin with.

PS - photos courtesy of Randy. And yes, he took photos of me running. Do you seriously think I'd post those on my blog? Never in a million years.