July '09: After 5 weeks of illness and injury in May, I certainly seemed to be riding the Running Gravy Train. My objective was to be strong and groin-pain-free as I planned to run a blazing fast, Damn Wakely Dam 50K on July 19th.

July 12th: Boilermaker 15K (Utica, NY)
The Boilermaker is the largest 15K race in the country. It's post-party sports 12K runners and 20K+ spectators and is sponsored by Matt's Brewing Company. So, there's more then enough free Saranac Beer for everyone!

In preparation for a good run, Margarita Jeannie, Long Shots, J-Man and I ran the Adirondack Distance Run 2 weeks earlier. It's a 10M from Lk. George to Bolton Landing (NY). Much more amazing then my piddley 8:40 pace was Long Shots! He finished just minutes after me following hip surgery the previous October. He's one heck of a fierce competitor!

The Boilermaker was fun! Most of the course was spectator-packed with local entertainment. There were miles of folks performing and playing music every 1/10 of a mile! There were even belly dancers! I've never experienced anything quite like it! I'd run it again...

July 18th: Damn Wakely Dam Ultra 50K (Adirondack Mts., NY)
This was my big race of the year that wasn't. Groin-pain free, I finished my 3rd Wakely the slowest ever. Ugs. a 9:05 finish time! Ok... so what happened? Good wellness training; not nearly enough ultra training. Thank goodness I finished!

However, the Abhul Boys all finished with PRs! And, Mt Girl? Finishing her first Wakely... last (?)... only made her acutely determined to come back in 2010 and finish the darn thing without getting lost!

Arriving mid-afternoon in a drizzle... like last year... I was nothing but hopeful that tomorrow would be a cool and cloudy race day! (It turned out to be a muggy, cloudy and not too hot for a mid-summer day trail race.)
From the designated camp ground for the Wakely, surrounding water views and the dam are cooling Adirondack images. And, the Black Flies? Well, that was another thing... right up there with the 4:00 AM bus departure and 1-1/2 hr bus ride to the start line the next day!			Mt. Girl She's always up for any race adventure!