Red Devil 25K

June 2/3, Cashmere, WA (Red Devil 25k) – 15.5 miles.  Laura and I set off for Cashmere/Wenatchee about 10:30am on June 2.  We had the wonderful pleasure of having Megan Weed on our adventure.  Megan was kind enough to drive our asses all over the central part of Washington.  (She may have a whole other side of this adventure to tell!)  While Laura “studied” for her finals in the backseat, Megan and I had time to chat and catch up.  2.5 hours later, we arrived at Lincoln Rock State Park – home for the night.  I had to say a few choice words when I realized I forgot the Discover Pass in my car.  Grrrrr!!  After paying the $10 DP fee, setting up our condo, unloading the car, putting the camp chairs up and filling the water cooler; it was time to relax and nosh.  Mother Nature was kind to us over there.  She provided a nice breeze and warm sunshine – aaaahhhh!

Soon, it was time to head into town Wenatchee and pick up our race packets.  If you have learned anything about Laura and I, it’s we consume coffee and ice cream for our pre/post run “rewards”.  Megan had the pleasure of being a part of this…..debauchery.  Megan also had the pleasure of seeing the other side of the tracks…….

Back at camp, we feasted on pasta dinner made by Megan.  YUMMY!!  As the sun set, the breeze turned to a wind.  We decided it was a good time to say goodnight to good ‘ol Abe and head for the tent.  Don’t be fooled, it wasn’t time to sleep.  It was time to play some Yatzee!  Megan and I might never play Yatzee with Laura again.  Let it be known, Laura Sanderson is a shark!  J  After 3 rounds, and Laura winning, Megan and I said she couldn’t play anymore.  One more round of Yatzee, then it was lights out.  I have to pause a moment to give a shout out the campers that started their car and left it running 20 minutes before they left at Midnight.  Awesome, we love you!

6am – wake up, get dressed, make breakfast, take down campsite, pack up and head to the trailhead.  Yeah, the heading to the trailhead wasn’t that simple.  Megan was awesome!  She took Laura and me in stride and got us there in plenty of time.  (I would have yelled and told the two of us to get out and find our own Fing way there.)

9am – Three, Two, One, GO!  Up, up, up!  This was a challenging race.  We started out on a wider trail, crossed over two large streams and then started the single track uphill.  Laura took the lead position and set the pace.  Two miles into the race we hit a tough spot; my calves were burning out and I couldn’t find a good pace, Laura was struggling and “couldn’t get out of her head”.   We had to make an adjustment, so I took lead.  For the next 8 miles, I felt great and Laura hung in there.  Right around mile 11 is when we hit our second tough spot.  Laura took the lead and I followed.  It was my turn to keep my eyes on her knowing she would get me to the end.  As always, she did!  Laura and I splashed through those two large steams and crossed the finish line in 3:01, placing second in the team division!  Woot!

Three things need to be noted about this race.

1.        We have no pictures because we pushed through this race and didn’t stop.

2.       Laura and I ran 57 minutes faster than we had the weekend before on Tiger Mt.  (Maybe that is why I felt sick to my stomach at miles 14-15)

3.       We found out about a coast to coast race in Costa Rica…….