The Wasatch Back Relay was awesome! This was my third year doing the relay, and it just seems to get better every year. Our efforts at planning bore fruit and I think the team, with a number of new members, really came together well. I was in Van 2 and I thoroughly enjoyed spending all that time with my old running buddies Verdon, Kerry, and Tom, and getting to know Kevin and Scott. They were terrific additions to our team, not only as good hardworking runner, but as friends. I have a feeling they may have contracted that incurable WBR-itis condition that some of us have had for a couple of years now. It was great having so many more teams this year. I love the feeling of comraderie and family that exists not only in the van and the team, but among all the participants. I feel a special kinship to my fellow runners that I can't explain. About the running...I've trained harder than normal this year, and I think it paid off. I feel good about my performance. My first leg was leg 9 which is rated "Hard" and climbs to the summit of Avon Pass. The race book said it was 3.8 miles. It climbs about 750 feet with an average grade of 3.7%. I began at 5:40 p.m. I was estimated to run it in 34:45. My actual time was 35:35, but my Garmin showed the distance as 3.97 miles. My target pace was 9:06/mi and my actual pace was 8:58/mi. It was hot but there was quite a bit of shade along the way. The heat and uphill lived up to the "Hard" rating, but the beauty of the scenery, the joy of finally getting to run, and the breaks provided by the shade make it quite enjoyable. I ran hard but within myself and recovered pretty quickly. | 