Mt Hood Scramble

Since I hurt my calf (see previous post), I've had to take some down time, and it has been difficult. I want to be out there, so I do smart things like sign up for races when I'm injured.

So the Monday after I injured myself at 20th Century 100k, I signed up for the Mt Hood Scramble, not just a race, but a brutal one at that. I couldn't run, but at least I had something to look forward to.

I tested out my legs a few days later, and something wasn't right; I wasn't feeling the kind of pain that I endured with the torn calf that weekend before, but my calf and the back of my knee just felt wierd. I dont know how to describe it.

I took it easier after that, but my calf continued in that manner for a while. Even when I went for a short three-mile jog the day before the Scramble, I wasn't feeling right only a mile into the jog. When I woke up the next day to get to the race, I still wasn't feeling right, and I was already favoring that foot.

So against my better judgement, I decided to run. I met up with a couple other runners at the Portland Running Company to carpool, and we were off to the Mountain. We arrived early, collected our bibs and I watched enviously ar others were warming up, I was afraid that if I were to try to warm up, I might injur myself (smart, huh).

I lined up in the back for the start of the race, and ran gingerly from the beginning. People were breaking through the snow, faceplanting, and falling into tree wells all over the place. My leg wasn't feeling horrible so I kept a conservative pace but passed several people with ease.

I had a great time, enjoyed the views, and kept a smile on my face, although I have to say, it wasn't all that hard to remain happy out there.

I was originally dreading the several ice-cold river crossings (I would guess probobly 10), but with every crossing, my leg felt better and better. Or maybe It was simply becoming more and more numb. (Photo Courtesy Brian Conaghan)... I need to get back into shape!

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I eventually felt good enough that I even started kicking after the last turnaround and caught at least a dozen runners in the final treacherous downhill stretch.

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The Red Lizards were well represented at the Scramble.

Beautiful Views! And as a testement to the difficulty of this 6.8 mile course, no one was able to break an hour. My time of 1:54:47 put me in the middle of the pack.

One of the guys who I carpooled with, Pat Fear, finished 4th overall with a time of 1:07:29, only 2:24 behind the winner.