2012 pajarito trail fest 10k race report 9/22/12

Oooooof, it hurt. Race was run counter clockwise instead of the traditional clockwise. Typical start and end at the ski lodge (~9000 feet), with a 10,400 foot summit betwixt. I will give you the super abbreviated race report.
1. Go out too fast on the downhill with fast people
2. Go lactic on the first climb straight up a ski slope.
3. hold off the rampaging hordes on the single track climb
4. suffer on the going straight up the ski hill parts again and again
5. Crack badly just before the summit
6. Hit the summit of the ski hill
7. Take a picture and get passed by a bunch of people

8. Suffer on the initial technical descent
9. Pass a few people back on a bit of rollyness
10. Suffer the second part of the initial technical decent
11. Hammer hard on the less technical descent
12. Hold off more rampaging hordes of descenders
13. Wait, whats this? A mile of climbing to the finish? Crap.
14. Let 4 people pass you as you have lost the will to live
15. They are kinda passing me slow
16. Crap, they are not pulling away.
17. Double crap, they are right there in front of me.
18. I resign myself to sprinting past all of them
19. Accomplish number 18.
20. Spend the next 20 minutes trying not to vomit.
21. Eat breakfast burrito.
22. Help daughter run kids race.
23. Go home, take nap.
24. Deal with intense quad soreness for 5 days.
Other thoughts. It was hot. It was challenging. I hated it when I was doing it, but in retrospect it was pretty fun. Even with all the super steep fire road sections. Good job on the trail fixing post fire. I might be in shape for this one day. I finished 10th overall in the 10k race, 9th among mens, and 3.875th in the 30-39 age group. Time was just under 1 hour and 11 minutes. I can do better. I need to remember not to take 3 weeks off running right before a race. results here

last year it was not hot and covered in snow:

I did this race in 2009 too:

So thanks to the organizers for putting on the excellent race and all the volunteers that got the trails ready for the suffering. And great job to all the 15 mile racers and all the people that came out and did the duathlon the next day. Due to ridiculous quad soreness, some knee swolage and intense desire to do nothing I skipped it. Maybe next year.