I have been looking forward to this morning for two years.  Even before deciding to take on this year-long project, this race had a special significance, which is unusual because races are generally on my schedule primarily to keep me motivated.  And, despite the pandemic, it stubbornly remained on the calendar.  Small block starting times, limited participants, masks until being released, and instructions to go straight to your vehicle after crossing the finishing line were the rules of the day. In a year when my racing schedule had evaporated, the organizers had managed to pull off the one event that I was fixated on.