Phantom Phun

Phantom 24 Km Run : North Vancouver

After volunteering at Fat Dog 100, I was given the added bonus of a free entrance to this run.  Both events are put on by Mountain Madness  http://www.mountainmadness.ca/races.php.   Volunteering rocks!

I showed up just for fun,

And as you can see from the pic below- I definately had Fun ! ``runners high`` or what!

Fun HILLS , beautiful run along the RIVER , MUDDY technical return, and a sprint to the finish!

I enjoyed the MUD so much, I took a dive to really get into it (involuntary)

 I practiced 50km pace, taking the hills slow at the start to keep my HR down and prevent calf cramping.

As this is a 24 km, I was passed a LOT...so I picked it up the second half.

I could not believe how much gas I had in the tank the last 4 miles.

2 hours in I was ready to race!... but it was over by then- too funny! Finished in 2:28

I will definately take this approach for my next 50 km though.

The race is reccommended;

It is well marked.

Great volunteers.

Diversity of terrain

Enough aid stations

Upbeat atmosphere
At about 1.5 hrs in I had a lovely visit with girl representing ``save our skin`` . She was so nice, but I never got her name. She beat me in the end- thanks for that final push !

I liked that (other than top 3) results were not posted at the race...so could feel like I had a good run, based on how I felt, and not how I placed.

YUMMY post race food! Potluck. -wish I had some of their recipes.

The soup was sooo good! Best I`ve had in a long time.

  - Thank you Don Scott for not posting the horrible pic you took of me literally inhaling the soup- this one much better.  

It was a great fall  reunion with many runners I met over the summer.

I look forward to doing it again next year.

WHAT ABOUT JIM ...

He sends me off to the race, telling me `they are calling for freezing rain and hurricane force winds!`Funny. 

The next day  : JIM  takes me on an 8 mile `recovery run` to  scope out some cool new trails in the heart of Belcarra forests, ending with a beautiful oceanside run.  Its so nice to run with my husband again! I love his sense of adventure.  Half way thru the run, I`m hurting, but I had to tell him `` you`re fun !`` .  Its amazing how quickly he is getting back into running. I had a hard time keeping up with him.

Heather