Day 4,426—Good to be Home and a New Rating from the Mohican!—

 

Start time: 8:39 a.m.

Weather: High 60s, wind 5.6 mi/h, Humidity 70%

    I took a bath late last night, and I stretched whenever I had a few minutes to spare. When I started this run, I didn’t know what to expect because I had been dealing with a lot of foot pain in the center of the sole of my left foot. That pain was still there, and now I was also experiencing my shin hurting. I remember that pain suddenly hitting me in waves after mile 80. I was using the hiking poles by then, and I tried to use them to minimize impact as much as possible when I put my foot down, but it was still hitting me in waves.

   I was looking forward to relaxing today and for this week, so this run was fun, but I wasn’t super motivated to start early. I was hoping to knock out the writing for this race over the next couple of days, but today wasn't a great start. I took my daughter to the Sheep Detective movie this morning, and tomorrow I am going to take her to the science center. I will have time on Thursday and Friday to write. I am going to do an individual rating each day this week, at least, if not start posting parts of the race write-up.      

Aspect rated: Sleeping Accommodations

Rating: Close to Perfection

Personality: It is Best to Camp  

     I stayed at Mohican Adventures Campground. The campground was quiet, clean, and had plenty of bathrooms, and the showers weren’t too far away. It came off a little old school, but the best part of the campground was how close it was to the race. I was about .15 miles from the start/finish. This improved so many aspects of the race. I could easily walk to the packet pickup, the race meeting, and the race start in the morning. I was able to sleep until 4 a.m. for the 5 a.m. start and had enough time to set up my self-supported aid area, eat breakfast, and get ready for the race. There are at least two other campgrounds nearby, so I would pick one if I were doing this race. If you don’t like to camp, they also have log cabins. You could stay in a hotel or rent a house, but you’re looking at a 30-minute drive at least.

     After I finished the race, I took a nap in my tent, then came back to pick up my drop bag from the Covered Bridge Aid station. When I got there, I decided to sit and watch some of the runners finish. It was something I have always wanted to do, but usually I have already left. This time, because I was able to camp so close, I suddenly had so much more time to do things.