One down, forty-nine to go...

Event #1 is in the books!  And what a day it was. 

One look through the bedroom window told us it was cold and frosty outside.  Everything was covered in a thin layer of white - snow, ice, frost?  Whatever it was, it made me want to crawl back under the covers.  We begrudgingly got up, dressed, double checked gear; I went to get the car while Bex! made breakfast as well as sandwiches for later.

About the car:  I own what we like to call an SUV.  But it's not what you think.  In this case, SUV stands for Sport-y Utility Vehicle.  It's a sports car, people.  However, it does have a trailer hitch onto which I can mount a bike rack.  We go car camping and get some really strange looks as we drive up in a Mitsubishi 3000GT with mountain bikes on the rear end and all our gear crammed into every nook and cranny of the car!
However, in winter and given the likelihood of snow up on the mountain, we opt to play it safe so we rent a real SUV through ZipCar. 
My car weeps when we load the borrowed vehicle and drive away.  (sniff)

We hit the road about 7:30 and as we got out of town the skies began to clear and the fog burned off.  We realized it was going to be a gorgeous, sunny day!  This was also the exact moment in time I realized I forgot my sunglasses.  A quick stop at the Freddy's in Sandy and we were on the road, me sporting some snazzy new shades.

Oddly, the temperature climbed as we climbed - getting warmer the higher we got up the mountain.  There was a weather inversion in place that had the temps colder in town than up the side of Mt. Hood, making for spring-like conditions where we were heading.

We arrived at the White River Sno-Park about 9-ish.  Parked, walked over to check in for the race, hit the 'always-pleasant' Honey Buckets.  Then the debate was on:  what to wear, what not to wear, what to bring, what not to bring.  It was really warm which caused both of us to wish we had brought shorts/skirts.  To put your minds at ease, Bex! would have been wearing the skirt, although I think I would look pretty damn fine in one.  Just sayin'.

We got our gear ready and walked up to the start area.  With the help of my camera crew (Bex!) I filmed a short video intro to my 50@50 Project and if I can EVER figure out how to upload it to my blog, I will do so.  We also shot a short post-race clip which I hope to share some day.

There were maybe 150 people participating, give or take.  The race officials made several pre-race comments, one of which went something like "...there are 600 flags and 400 cones marking the course, so if you get lost it's your fault!"  I like these guys!

And then... we were off!

The course consisted of two laps of about 4k each.  We were doing the 8k because, well, we're just like that.  In true X Dog fashion there were parts of the course that ran not on pre-existing trails but through the woods, off trail.  X Dog is known for that; we expected it.  The course started with a gradual uphill for about 3/4 of a mile which led to a very steep, pretty long climb that roasted my calves and Achilles tendons.  Ouch.  All I could think as I caught my breath at the top was 'we get to do that again on Lap 2!'  Ugh!

From there the course was rolling, with a couple of short steep scrambles and some downhill that was slippery, even with snow shoes.  Since the course consisted of breaking new trail through deep snow, there were stretches where there was no room to pass, so we were at the mercy of those ahead of us.  Not that we're speed demons or anything, mind you.

We finished lap one in about 50 minutes, took a few minutes to adjust gear and have a snack.  Then it was back up the steep hill!  Once that was over, we ran most of the second lap.  Those doing the 8k with us were more spread out along the course.  And some were done already, because they were either doing the 4k only or they were really fast in the 8k!!  Yes, we got lapped by some of the sprinters.  I guess we enjoyed the scenery a little more than they did!

My legs were getting tired, so I almost tripped a couple of times.  While I don't really change my gait much wearing snowshoes, there is the matter of the cleat on the bottom.  There is a pretty big one under the ball of the foot and a smaller cleat 3-4" back from that.  These are for traction.  With my legs being worn out, it was more difficult to remember to raise my foot high enough for the cleats to clear the uneven surface of the snow.  So, yeah - almost face-planted a few times.  Bex! did, too.  I think we were both secretly hoping the other one would fall, just for the laughs - and subsequent teasing that would occur.

In fact, at the end of the race, charging through the chute at the finish line, I tripped - yet again - and came the closest I'd come all day to falling.  I recovered though, and Bex! said she actually thought I was just doing the 'lean to the tape' like the sprinters do.  "Yeah, honey.  That's what I was doing.  Leaning - not falling."  Riiiiight.

The event organizers had a big pot of split pea soup, which really hit the spot.  We got our sandwiches from the car, where we witnessed a miracle, then walked back over to the crowd to hang out for a little while.  I talked to the X Dog rep and told him about my goal for the year.  He said to send a link to this blog and he'll post it on their website.  He seemed pretty excited about my quest!

I have to say I was feeling somewhat euphoric, knowing that my first event was finished!  Bex! had a big small on her face as we soaked up that feeling of accomplishment.  Getting the first one done makes me very excited to keep going, to add to the list.  We will be looking out at March, April, May to see which events are out there.  Plenty to choose from, as Portland is gaga over races!  As I firm up the schedule of events for the 50@50 Project, I will post details and links here.

We decided to drive back via Highway 35 to take in the views from there.  It's beautiful country - lots of vineyards and orchards.  We hit I-84 and cruised home.  I was getting tired but listening to 'The Sporkful' podcasts and sipping hot chocolate kept me going. 

Next events are Feb. 2nd and 3rd; and Feb. 9th and 10th.  Two back-to-back event weekends will be a challenge but it will really help buy us some time off later in the year.

Again, thanks for the support and comments!

Now, back to trying to figure out video uploading...