Trail running race reports
I didn't post a race report for The Maze, since nothing very interesting happened. I did PR by about 9 minutes from the last time I ran this race a couple of years ago. Mostly due to trying to hang on to shubbe and her friend Robin. I hung on for about 4 miles and then got that hot chilly feeling and ran/walked it in the rest of the way.
I didn't post a race report for Enchanted Rock Duathlon, since nothing very interesting happened. I was happy with my run 1 time, disappointed in my bike time, and my run 2 time...was the best I could do but not impressively fast. The finisher's certificate is the coolest I've ever seen though. It makes even average times look fantastic!
Today I ran The Loop, and it inspired me to write a race report. There's much more to say about a bad race than a good one, apparently. I had lots of buddies to run with - Julie, Catherine, Geoff, and shubbe again! Except the race began and I immediately got separated from them all. At first there was just a couple running side by side and blocking the path. And I backed off a little so I could see where I was stepping. And a guy jumped in to that space. So I backed off a little again. And again people jumped in. And I realized I better jump in if I wanted to stay with my friends. So I made a concerted effort to catch up. The trails were narrow but I tried to pass every chance I got. I was in mid-pass when the trail narrowed a little, and down I went. Owwww! I popped up right away, and a bunch more people passed me, all while asking if I was ok. Yep. I'm ok, I said without looking too closely. I kept trying to catch up, and finally I did! Hello Catherine and Amy! Yay! And then the trail opened up wide on a steppy uphill and a bunch of people jumped in between again. Argh!
At that point I gave up trying to stay with them. My hand had a gash and my hip was starting to talk to me a little. I decided it was time to run my own race. I had about 4 miles to go and I asked myself what I needed to do to salvage it and make it a good day. I slowed down the pace and told myself there was no place else I'd rather be (except the finish line). The rest stop was at about 2.7 miles, and I tried to give myself an energy boost with Powerade (I was carrying only water) and one Oreo cookie. If ever there was a time for an Oreo, this was it. I savored the sugary goodness and took off again. The crowd had thinned and I had the trail mostly to myself. Which gave my brain lots of time to whine. The sugar kicked in soon after and I did get that energy boost for about a mile. The trail at that point also happened to be smooth and flat, so that helped. So that got me to mile 4ish. Then I started fading again. I walked up the rocky steps when I needed. I leapfrogged with people who were faster than me on the flats, but slower on the tricky parts.
At mile 5 my Garmin beeped and a woman behind me asked, "Mile 5, right?" We started talking as we ran. Her name was Maria and she had twisted an ankle so lost her run buddies and wasn't having a great day either. We agreed it was much nicer having company and decided to finish the race together. It was wonderful to have somebody to chat with and get out of the inner conversation I was having with myself in my head. It made that last mile go much easier.
I did this race several years ago, and was counting on the course finish to be the same. You pop out above the parking lot and have to almost butt-scoot down a big incline, and then you're almost to the finish line. Except...not the same. We popped out above the parking lot at a different but still steep spot, and then ran across the parking lot and into the woods on the other side. Still a half mile to go! Oh the cruelty! But it was nice trail - twisty/turny and soft, not rocky. Maria and I finished strong and thanked each other before rejoining our respective run buddies who had long since finished.
So I have that gash on my hand. And a bruised hip. And it could be a lot worse, but I just feel abused. Time for a rejuvenating and relaxing rest of my Sunday. And I'll be good as new. But for now...
I didn't post a race report for Enchanted Rock Duathlon, since nothing very interesting happened. I was happy with my run 1 time, disappointed in my bike time, and my run 2 time...was the best I could do but not impressively fast. The finisher's certificate is the coolest I've ever seen though. It makes even average times look fantastic!
Today I ran The Loop, and it inspired me to write a race report. There's much more to say about a bad race than a good one, apparently. I had lots of buddies to run with - Julie, Catherine, Geoff, and shubbe again! Except the race began and I immediately got separated from them all. At first there was just a couple running side by side and blocking the path. And I backed off a little so I could see where I was stepping. And a guy jumped in to that space. So I backed off a little again. And again people jumped in. And I realized I better jump in if I wanted to stay with my friends. So I made a concerted effort to catch up. The trails were narrow but I tried to pass every chance I got. I was in mid-pass when the trail narrowed a little, and down I went. Owwww! I popped up right away, and a bunch more people passed me, all while asking if I was ok. Yep. I'm ok, I said without looking too closely. I kept trying to catch up, and finally I did! Hello Catherine and Amy! Yay! And then the trail opened up wide on a steppy uphill and a bunch of people jumped in between again. Argh!
At that point I gave up trying to stay with them. My hand had a gash and my hip was starting to talk to me a little. I decided it was time to run my own race. I had about 4 miles to go and I asked myself what I needed to do to salvage it and make it a good day. I slowed down the pace and told myself there was no place else I'd rather be (except the finish line). The rest stop was at about 2.7 miles, and I tried to give myself an energy boost with Powerade (I was carrying only water) and one Oreo cookie. If ever there was a time for an Oreo, this was it. I savored the sugary goodness and took off again. The crowd had thinned and I had the trail mostly to myself. Which gave my brain lots of time to whine. The sugar kicked in soon after and I did get that energy boost for about a mile. The trail at that point also happened to be smooth and flat, so that helped. So that got me to mile 4ish. Then I started fading again. I walked up the rocky steps when I needed. I leapfrogged with people who were faster than me on the flats, but slower on the tricky parts.
At mile 5 my Garmin beeped and a woman behind me asked, "Mile 5, right?" We started talking as we ran. Her name was Maria and she had twisted an ankle so lost her run buddies and wasn't having a great day either. We agreed it was much nicer having company and decided to finish the race together. It was wonderful to have somebody to chat with and get out of the inner conversation I was having with myself in my head. It made that last mile go much easier.
I did this race several years ago, and was counting on the course finish to be the same. You pop out above the parking lot and have to almost butt-scoot down a big incline, and then you're almost to the finish line. Except...not the same. We popped out above the parking lot at a different but still steep spot, and then ran across the parking lot and into the woods on the other side. Still a half mile to go! Oh the cruelty! But it was nice trail - twisty/turny and soft, not rocky. Maria and I finished strong and thanked each other before rejoining our respective run buddies who had long since finished.
So I have that gash on my hand. And a bruised hip. And it could be a lot worse, but I just feel abused. Time for a rejuvenating and relaxing rest of my Sunday. And I'll be good as new. But for now...