Brazen Racing's Rocky Ridge, 2013

So many pictures!! I'll keep it as short as possible -
Another great Brazen Racing race.  As always, everything was smooth and above average - shirts, medals, food, packet pick up, easy parking and shuttles for those who had to park off site, great music, great course, great volunteers, great vendors, good atmosphere pre and post race.  Pre-race there was a hot beverage buffet with coffee, hot cocoa, tea, and hot apple cider..with everything you could possible want - cream, sugar, and marshmallows.  Races started on time, no lines or having to wait for anything.

Emma and I started first, then 15 minutes later Myles and Sophie started, with Brian checking in w/Myles at different points in his race.  Brian had been sick with Strep all week and was not registered to run, and could not have run the whole thing w/Myles if he had wanted to.  He was super worn out by noon, it was a lot of activity for a guy who had been home and down all week.

Emma and I had a good run.  Not great, or stellar, just good.  We just ran, worked on getting up the hills, down the other side, and to the finish.  We pushed and pulled each other and kept each other pushing....but man o man, that is one big hill.  We were both wiped at the top, but we just kept going.

Sophie had a good 5k, not her fastest, but she said it was "ok".  She's pretty much with the same group of runners now at most of the Brazen 5k's, a group about her speed that she knows well enough to chat w/as she's running, so she did a bit of that and got herself up the hill and to the finish.

Myles...Myles and Brian don't jive well when it comes to certain things.  Running is one of them. He tends to melt down with Brian when things start to get hard, and getting up that hill is hard. He was already in tears at the bottom of the hill before he started up it.  So he and Brian had a difficult time, but he finished and was glad to get back to the food and treats.  I think from now on I will be on Myles duty, we skip, hop, dance, sing, twirl,and on occasion actually run when we do 5ks together and he knows when I say "there's no crying in trail running" that I mean it. (He didnt' see my DNF at Diablo 50k last year, sshhh)
Here's what all the above looked like in real life -

 This picture made me laugh so hard! Those are the Ultra Gam Gaiter Gals...I'm not sure if Brian is looking at the gaiters or the gaiter gal's booties : ) Busted, dude.

 Sophie finishing.

 Myles finishing along side the 13.1 winner.

 Me finishing, I like to whistle while I finish. Or make fishy faces. Not sure which I'm doing.

 Emma's finish.

 Above is Emma and me about to make a right turn and start up the climb.

 Sophie is one happy runner.

 Look past the ladies to the drama going on on the hill back there, that's Myles in red shorts and Brian trying to get him moving.

 Well...I'm sure there's some life lessons in there somewhere...maybe like "as long as you are making forward progress it's ok to cry, just don't stop" or  something.

This is actually from the 13.1 course which had it's own "running of the bulls" except these are mamma's and babies, and those are the lead runners/eventual winner scaring them off the course.  Mixed feeling on this, I know there was money on the line, and it's the championship race of the half series and extra money on the line, and like I've said over and over on the blog, you can't be a trail runner around here and have a fear of cows.  You have to hold your ground, nicely and in a respectful way, maybe sing to them and tell them they are pretty as you pass so they stay calm. They are just everywhere.  That said, it is baby season, there are mammas and babies everywhere right now. You've got to respect that we are in their house, charging through it.  I get it's a race and all and the 2 lead dudes are super close together in this shot and probably neither wanted to slow down for anything, but as cool as these pictures look, it made me cringe a bit to see these mammas running w/their babies to get out of the way.  I also know this section seemed like it had a lot of rollers, and they most likely came flying up over the top of a hill and saw the cows and rather than stopping to debate the right/ethical thing to do, they are probably deep in the zone and just thinking "keep moving, don't slow down", so I do get it.

I'll leave you with the view of the second aid station. This is after the huge climb when we have reached the top of the ridge.  The views are amazing looking down both sides. (not the top elevation wise, we would climb a little more, but we reached the back of the ridge, along the top of it).

I'll do a second post with my own pictures in the next few days. Overall, as always, it was a great time. This was year 5 for our family at Rocky Ridge....maybe time to attempt the legendary 13.1 next year???