Tuesday: Areas of blowing dust after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Windy, with a west wind 35 to 40 mph increasing to between 70 and 75 mph. Winds could gust as high as 95 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. Windy, with a west wind 70 to 75 mph decreasing to between 30 and 35 mph. Winds could gust as high as 100
mph.
I'll be out there in a few weeks getting in a few long runs above 8,000 feet and can't wait!
On another note, I was very disappointed to not get into Western States, but I knew the odds were low. My odds for Masanutten don't seem to be much better. Regardless, I was sitting on the couch this afternoon staring at Olga's little wooden buckle chest resting on top of the fireplace mantel. I was instantly overcome with the urge to open it up and take out the one buckle owned by many that I have purposefully avoided holding since I found out about Western States (WS). Hell, I even refused to hold the 2007 buckle from the person I paced that year. I held Olga's silver buckle from WS and looked it over in detail. It was at that moment the importance I had put on the race for so many years seemed unwarranted. Yes, WS holds a great historical significance to ultra running and no one can deny that. Plus, the elite level of runners is great, except for those times when even they get stymied by the lottery. But, I had personally put too much importance on getting selected to run it. Do I still want to run WS? You bet! Will I be monitoring the race from my computer on race day? Absolutely! But, I'm no longer going to get my hopes up of getting in anytime soon, due to the continuously growing number of applicants. It's a liberating feeling. There are many mountain races out there I want to experience firsthand. No, they won't have the crowds and the aura surrounding Western States, but it's still 100 miles in the mountains and that is what I truly enjoy.
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