HM Recap: LVTC Holiday Half (Henderson), NV, December 20, 2014

Nobody, I think, ought to read poetry, or look at pictures or statues, who cannot find a great deal more in them than the poet or artist has actually expressed. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun

The LVTC Holiday Half was an event I chose based on its date, not extensive research into the characteristics of the course. Mostly local runners, few in number, took part. The chatter at the starting line pre-race led me to believe I had a significant challenge ahead. The Three Sisters. Many of the runners were remarking how it was a difficult course to bike let alone run. One-quarter through the course I encountered them, three big hills. Then, the turnaround led me back to them. A local runner filled me in on an alternative name for them--the Three B's.

The last quarter of the race I was spent. The Three B's had taken their toll and had a significant impact on my time. I was never so happy to finish, just finish, a run.

Highlights:

• Cool and overcast, more like MN weather than NV, favorable for running
• Solar power plant - the sun broke through the clouds as I was passing and the giant panels were adjusting position
• Chatting with another runner and getting pointers on what half to run in Hawaii and which compression pants to buy
• PR for elevation change: over 3100 ft