| Date/Location: | January 1, 2014 – Auburn, CA |
| Distances: | Hill Climb 1 – 3m Old Foresthill Rd Hill Climb 2 - 1.2m Raley's Hill Resolution Run - 10m Trails |
| Time / Place: | Hill Climb 1 - 16:56 / 1st (prior PR 17:13, 2012) Hill Climb 2 - 5:52 / 2nd (prior PR 6:19, 2013) Run 1:17:18 / 1st (PR 1:16:04, 2011) |
| Teammates: | Hill Climb: Charity Marshall, David Malicoat, Flor Hodges, Jeff Brooks, Jesse Warda, Karen Nickel, Kayden Kelly, Troy Soares, Charles Davis 10Mile: Bryan Hacker, Carolyn Goulding, Cheryl Haggerty, Dave Campbell, Dieter Stenger, Gary Carpenter, Jesse Ellis, Jesse Warda, Karen Nickel, Kayden Kelly, Lora Spangler, Mo Bartley, Scott Eckardt, Stephanie Holloway, Troy Soares 10K: Rebecca Marsh, Roni Jones, Tom Barrett 5K: Anna, Celie & Will Cranney, Emerson & Leah Booth, Mason & Christine Kelly, Stephanie Ganzenhuber |
Part 1: The Bike
What a beautiful morning! It’s a bit cold but couldn’t ask for better weather! Still, it’s hard to get out of bed and I think “is it really worth it?” But again, “how can I miss out on starting the year right?!”
I make it to Overlook before Troy since he had to stay back to adjust his calculations for today’s start times on the bike. I’m excited to see that Karen and Jesse are already there! Folks trickle in and then it’s time to go. Before we start, Troy says a prayer for all of us which I really appreciate. It reminds me of how thankful that the Lord protected our friend Lance Loveday when he was recently hit by a car. We will miss him this year but know he’ll be back to dominate in the future!
The pre-ride to Old Foresthill is shorter which I like since it means there will be time to get home and some food in our tummies before the Resolution Run. We do climb up Millertown Road on the way which is tough but I purposely hold back and just let the legs adjust.
Soon we are bombing down Hwy 49 to the Confluence. I descend my best but still behind the rest of the gang since I’m still chicken going fast on curvy roads. Maybe the New Year will bring even better descending for me.
We regroup at the bottom and I peel off most of my layers and give them to Rob Hodges, our official timer for the morning. Burr, I’m cold, let’s get this show on the road!
We line up and Charity takes off with a big lead. She will be hard to catch. As I have a few moments to think, I remind myself of the goal to break the 17-min barrier on this hill. That means no slacking…I need to be pushing hard the whole way. Ugh, this all sounded great when I made the goal a few months ago but now after staying up late for New Years, this doesn’t seem so great. I know that with focus on Christ, I can put in a good effort.
David takes off, then Karen, and then Flor. A few seconds later it’s “Ready, set, go!” From the get-go, I push hard. The body is whining but I ignore it. I try to ride efficiently…pulling up on the pedals and sitting up tall. After a few minutes I start to feel better…thanks God! I catch up to Flor, then David. Karen is still out there as a carrot and I just try to close the gap. I can see Charity way up the mtn. I won’t catch her but I hope someone else does so she can be pushed harder.
Once I get just past the Mammoth Bar area, I know it gets better. I catch up to Karen and tell her good job. I’m barely able to talk so I know I’m pushing hard. Jesse goes by and I try to jump on his wheel. Too fast! I manage to say “catch Charity”.
I make it to the “flat section” and Troy goes by and tells me to get on his wheel. I barely hang on for a few minutes but it’s enough I think to help me get my goal. “Go Troy! Catch Jesse!”.
Almost done! I look at my Garmin and I have under 2 minutes to get to the top under 17 minutes. Come on, go! I push as hard as I can. As I make it to the last turn, my timer is ticking…16:20, 16:30, 16:40…Dig! I cross the line at 16:48! Wow, thank You Jesus! I cannot believe it!
Everyone finishes hard and seems to be happy with their results. The New Year is off to a great start already!
We bike to the Foresthill Bridge for one last climb. We line up with the fastest at front and pace line across the bridge. Once we get across, it’s every man and woman for their self. Troy, Jesse and Kayden are leading the way and they duke it out to the top. Flor is right behind me and goes by me like I’m standing still. I give all that I have to catch her. I’m with her for a moment and then she finds another gear and zooms away. Wow, awesome! And, she hasn’t been on the bike in a while…a natural talent for sure!
I make it to the top and I am done! Yeah! I rush home to let our babysitter, Celie, get home so she can get ready to do the Resolution Run, too with her family.
Part 2: The Resolution Run 10 Miler
This year, Troy, Anna & I have properly fueled for this race. It’s easy to improve on that based on what we did in the past. Troy didn’t eat anything after the ride when he last did the 10 miler 2 years ago and unfortunately bonked around Mile 2. Anna ate too much before in years past and got terrible cramps within the first mile of her 5K. Last year I ate very little before and trained little so I bonked early on. 2014 is going to be a banner year I hope!
I drop off Ariel at our friend’s house (the Marshalls) and run to the starting line. My legs are definitely tired from the hard effort on the bike so they will be the question mark today. I get there and see so many familiar faces from our weekly track group…cool!
Troy, Anna, Karen, her friend Becky and I pray before the race starts. Another reminder that this race is about His glory and not mine. Time to go! Anna head towards the back of the pack with Mason and his mom Christine to get in a better spot. I hope they have fun today. Anna is usually tougher when I’m not there and will hopefully not complain too much.
Ready, set, go! As we get going, I run into a few more track folks like Jesse Ellis. Karen and I are racing the same run event together for the first time surprisingly. I tell her that sub-8min pace is a sub 1:20…something to think about. As we head over to the China Bar Rec area, she pulls ahead. She sure can run smoothly downhill like a deer. I try not to pound too much.
Mile 1 is 6:53 thanks to the downhill. I try not to think about how the downhill is beating up my legs. Feels good now but on the uphill it’s going to hurt!
Mile 2 is 7:07. Almost to the first uphill, Cardiac bypass…feels like it sounds! I see Karen and two other girls ahead. I hope to catch up soon.
I hit the hill and as usual my legs scream. I push through the pain and manage to catch up to the first two girls. Karen is running strong and it takes me the whole hill to close the gap. “Good job Karen” I say as I come alongside her. As we hit the top I see Carolyn from the track. I’m too winded to shout out hi to her.
Mile 3 is 8:08. Wow, thanks Lord for a strong climb! Now it’s flat followed by more downhill. Hard to say how the legs will feel after that. I see Mo up ahead and am surprised to see her. Along the way I catch up to Gary and then Kayden. “Good job!” I also pass Dieter from the track.
Mile 4 is 7:38. Down the dam road…ugh, poor legs! I see Mo pulling away now. Up ahead is the “Supergirl”, wearing socks with capes on them, and our friend Jesse Warda.
Mile 5 is 7:13. Off the road and heading over to Robie Point now. The real test starts now. Do the legs have what it takes? I catch up to Jesse and tell him good job. I also pass Supergirl and try to tell her I like her socks. She’s got her earbuds in and she’s in the zone so I get no response…oh well.
I pass Mo and tell her good job. She encourages me and I am touched. I start to feel a bonk coming on so I pull out my gel and start working on it. Suddenly it flies out of my hand and drops. Bummer! I need it and I don’t want to litter so I go back. Mo passes by and I start up again and hang with her. Running along with Mo is a real treat. She is constantly encouraging others and she is constantly being recognized.
Mile 6 is 8:33. Almost to Robie Point and will be able to see where some of the competition coming back from the out and back. There is Dave Campbell running strong and I tell him good job. I hope to see Troy soon. Within the minute I see him coming with his smile. I tell him good job and to go get Dave. Three women are way up there and looking really strong!
Mile 7 is 8:15. Mo and I hit the turnaround and get to see who is behind us. Supergirl is coming fast and Karen is right there. I give Karen a high five. Dieter is up the road and I give him a high five too.
We hit Robie Point hill which is one of the toughest, besides the last mile of the race. I’m able to pull away from Mo and Supergirl. It’s a super steep downhill on the other side and I do my best to try to float down…though it’s more like a stampede.
Mile 8 is 8:18. Okay, this mile coming up is the toughest. I barely have any juice left in the legs so I use my arms and try to push off more with each step. Thank you Lord for letting me get this far!
Mile 9 is 8:32. Almost there! On each consecutive hill that comes, I try to push hard to get a gap. I’m not looking back so I have no idea what’s going on behind me.
Finally, the last hill and soon the finish! This hill mentally is tough. Made it! The finish line is around the corner and I give what’s left to get to it. I hear Anna cheering and I look up and see her running towards me. With her encouragement, I am able to surge to the finish. Yeah, I’m done!
Supergirl finishes behind me and I wait to tell her good job. Mo comes next. I see Karen and the clock is ticking close to 1:20. “Come on Karen, break 1:20!” She presses on and does it! Yeah! I got the pleasure of cheering in the rest of our friends! Thank you Jesus for a fun day! Now off to get Ariel and go to the pizza party/awards party!
| Name | Race | Age Group | Place | Time | Notes |
| Leah Booth | 5K | F0-10 | 1st | 28:44 | 13th Overall! |
| Emerson Booth | 5K | M0-10 | 2nd | 28:44 | |
| Stephanie Ganzenhuber | 5K | F30-30 | 1st | 32:46 | |
| Anna Soares | 5K | F0-10 | 2nd | 36:34 | 3 1/2min PR |
| Celie Cranney | 5K | F11-14 | 3rd | 36:55 | |
| Will Cranney | 5K | M0-10 | 6th | 37:33 | |
| Mason Kelly | 5K | M0-10 | 10th | 47:22 | |
| Tom Barrett | 10K | M50-59 | 1st | 47:27 | |
| Rebecca Marsh | 10K | W19-29 | 1st | 55:31 | |
| Roni Jones | 10K | W40-49 | NA | 1:15:00 | No chip |
| Bryan Hacker | 10M | M50-59 | 2nd | 1:06:56 | |
| Dave Campbell | 10M | M50-59 | 3rd | 1:10:38 | |
| Troy Soares | 10M | M40-49 | 1st | 1:11:20 | |
| Robin Soares | 10M | W30-39 | 1st | 1:17:17 | |
| Mo Bartley | 10M | W50-59 | 1st | 1:18:30 | |
| Karen Nickel | 10M | W30-39 | 2nd | 1:19:51 | |
| Kayden Kelly | 10M | M30-39 | 5th | 1:20:42 | |
| Jesse Warda | 10M | M30-39 | 6th | 1:21:15 | |
| Dieter Stenger | 10M | M50-59 | 9th | 1:21:26 | |
| Gary Carpenter | 10M | M50-59 | NA | 1:24:40 | No chip |
| Scott Eckardt | 10M | M30-39 | 8th | 1:25:04 | |
| Stephanie Holloway | 10M | M30-39 | 8th | 1:38:53 | |
| Jesse Ellis | 10M | M19-29 | 1st | 1:41:19 | |
| Lora Spangler | 10M | W30-39 | 12th | 1:43:33 | |
| Cheryl Haggerty | 10M | W30-39 | 16th | 1:51:36 | |
| Carolyn Goulding | 10M | W50-59 | 20th | 2:32:35 |