Yesterday I did the Sandia Snowshoe race. I did the same race a year ago as preparation for the Mt. Taylor Quad. Here are the highlights from last year's race:
* I'd never been on snowshoes before in my life.
* I ran naked, I didn't bring Garmin.
* I went alone and ran into people I knew there.
* I was totally intimidated by all the other people there who looked like they owned their own snowshoes.
* Did I mention I'd never snowshoed before?
* Snowshoeing is really cool, and a whole lot like running with dishes on my feet.
* The race was advertised as 4miles across the Crest.
* I was happy with a sub-1hr time (57:03 or 57:30, depending on who you read).
This year, by comparison, I'm a complete pro: not only do I own my very own snowshoes, but I had actually trained for this race.
Well, Ok. By training, I mean I've been snowshoeing three times this year, at altitude. Clearly this is a huge improvement.
This year I also recruited lots of others to come with me - a host of outlaws, and my cycling/quad skiist friend Dave. He claims he's not a runner, but owns his own snowshoes too. And he's snowshoed before. By my standards, he's also a pro. My outlaw friends also own their own snowshoes - many of them came up with me a couple weeks ago to try them out.
They're also pros.
Curiously, the advertised distance for this year's race is 3.2 miles. It sounds like they shortened the course, doesn't it? No matter, 3.2 miles of snowshoeing is still plenty of playtime in the snow.
We got to the top with not a lot of time to spare - but having already been out in the snow a couple times this year, I managed to find what I needed and still be overdressed at the start line. I'm a pro, remember? I also brought Garmin for a change. This time, instead of wearing running shoes, I wore my Keen Hiking boots. Yeah - isn't that cool? Keen make hiking boots! I told you I'm a shoe whore. They are waterproof, light, flexible, and have excellent arch support. I vascillated between running shoes and Keens, but in the end, the thought of dry, toasty warm feet won out.
So: I'm at the start line, breathless, over warm, and they start with a shout...GO!!!
Click HERE for the rest of the race report
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