Race Report
Run Legend 10 Mile Trail Run at Sleepy Hollow State Park- Lainsburg MI
Place: 338/415; 19/26 for age group 25-29; 121/174 for female finishers
Finish time: 1:50:31
Pace: 11:03min/mile
Race didn't go as well as i had hoped it would. Training was great. We were doing our training runs at a 10min/mile pace and i always felt good and strong during them. I had high hopes and expectations for this race, and those went out the window after i fell apart after mile 6.
Those first 6 miles were at about 10min pace and i really felt good. I thought i would finish it strong and in good time. Then, i got hot and desperately needed water. Water was nowhere to be found in the middle of these woods and i skipped water at mile 2 because i didn't need it then. The aid stations were too few and too far inbetween. By the time i got to the aid station at mile 6.5ish, i was in real need of a drink and some carbs. The gatorade provided felt good and i thought it would be enough. I was wrong. I was out of energy and it was hot and humid. I started walking up the hills and running when i reached the tops. After mile 8, i started walking more often. I would run when i was in the shade and on the dirt trail, but walked when i was out in the open fields where it was hot and humid. I just felt like i was overheating and just couldn't move, and the trail was more and more in these fields and less and less in the woods. Not to mention that running in tall grass is a lot harder than running on a dirt trail. I think i walked the majority of mile 8 and that really screwed up my overall time.
I rejoiced a little when i saw mile marker 9, but then had to fight the urge to cry because i was so exhausted and hot and sore and did not want to continue. But, i have never quit anything and i was not going to quit this race. So, i picked up my feet and started running again. I just had to finish, because finishing meant sitting down and food. At 9.5, i started hearing cheering. Encouraging, but defeating at the same time as i knew i still had a little ways to go. At 1/4 mile to go, my carpool companion graciously came to run with me in and gave a lot of encouraging words (he finished with a 9:12 pace).
I was disappointed when i finished, because no one really stuck around to cheer people in (all that cheering i heard at 9.5? no idea where those people went...). And they announced that they were starting to pack up, so take all the food you want. My response was "What!? there are still people running!" it kinda made me feel like i didn't matter because i wasn't one of the 'fast' people. the runners on the trail were all nice and friendly. we would ask each other if the other person was okay, because we all looked pretty miserable. (nice to report that although we were all hot and tired, no one was injured.) as for the race organizers, i have to say differently. the race was well organized, but it seems that they really didn't care about the runners.
would i do this race again? Yes, but i would do a few things differently:
Lesson 1 learned- carry water with on anything longer than a 5 mile race. Aid stations may not always be where promised and water need may be greater than realized.
Lesson 2: carry Gu or Sport Beans on anything that requires more than an hour of running. I feel with that energy, i would have been able to keep pace and finish strong.
Lesson 3: tape up or bandage areas where you know you are likely to get blisters. (i thought i would be fine, but the 4 blisters on my feet say otherwise....)
Lesson 4: avoid walking down stairs as much as possible the next day. (OMFG i couldn't believe how painful it is!)
Lesson 5: accept that no matter how well training goes, anything can happen on race day and you could just have a 'bad day' and not run as well as you know you can.
Now i'm taking these next few days off to allow the blisters to heal. I may hit up the pool so do a few laps. Then training for the Capital City River Run Half Mary in Lansing begins. With all this mileage under my belt, i may do a few speed workouts to improve pace time. The race is September 27, so i have a little time to heal and train.
Keep on keeping on....
Place: 338/415; 19/26 for age group 25-29; 121/174 for female finishers
Finish time: 1:50:31
Pace: 11:03min/mile
Race didn't go as well as i had hoped it would. Training was great. We were doing our training runs at a 10min/mile pace and i always felt good and strong during them. I had high hopes and expectations for this race, and those went out the window after i fell apart after mile 6.
Those first 6 miles were at about 10min pace and i really felt good. I thought i would finish it strong and in good time. Then, i got hot and desperately needed water. Water was nowhere to be found in the middle of these woods and i skipped water at mile 2 because i didn't need it then. The aid stations were too few and too far inbetween. By the time i got to the aid station at mile 6.5ish, i was in real need of a drink and some carbs. The gatorade provided felt good and i thought it would be enough. I was wrong. I was out of energy and it was hot and humid. I started walking up the hills and running when i reached the tops. After mile 8, i started walking more often. I would run when i was in the shade and on the dirt trail, but walked when i was out in the open fields where it was hot and humid. I just felt like i was overheating and just couldn't move, and the trail was more and more in these fields and less and less in the woods. Not to mention that running in tall grass is a lot harder than running on a dirt trail. I think i walked the majority of mile 8 and that really screwed up my overall time.
I rejoiced a little when i saw mile marker 9, but then had to fight the urge to cry because i was so exhausted and hot and sore and did not want to continue. But, i have never quit anything and i was not going to quit this race. So, i picked up my feet and started running again. I just had to finish, because finishing meant sitting down and food. At 9.5, i started hearing cheering. Encouraging, but defeating at the same time as i knew i still had a little ways to go. At 1/4 mile to go, my carpool companion graciously came to run with me in and gave a lot of encouraging words (he finished with a 9:12 pace).
I was disappointed when i finished, because no one really stuck around to cheer people in (all that cheering i heard at 9.5? no idea where those people went...). And they announced that they were starting to pack up, so take all the food you want. My response was "What!? there are still people running!" it kinda made me feel like i didn't matter because i wasn't one of the 'fast' people. the runners on the trail were all nice and friendly. we would ask each other if the other person was okay, because we all looked pretty miserable. (nice to report that although we were all hot and tired, no one was injured.) as for the race organizers, i have to say differently. the race was well organized, but it seems that they really didn't care about the runners.
would i do this race again? Yes, but i would do a few things differently:
Lesson 1 learned- carry water with on anything longer than a 5 mile race. Aid stations may not always be where promised and water need may be greater than realized.
Lesson 2: carry Gu or Sport Beans on anything that requires more than an hour of running. I feel with that energy, i would have been able to keep pace and finish strong.
Lesson 3: tape up or bandage areas where you know you are likely to get blisters. (i thought i would be fine, but the 4 blisters on my feet say otherwise....)
Lesson 4: avoid walking down stairs as much as possible the next day. (OMFG i couldn't believe how painful it is!)
Lesson 5: accept that no matter how well training goes, anything can happen on race day and you could just have a 'bad day' and not run as well as you know you can.
Now i'm taking these next few days off to allow the blisters to heal. I may hit up the pool so do a few laps. Then training for the Capital City River Run Half Mary in Lansing begins. With all this mileage under my belt, i may do a few speed workouts to improve pace time. The race is September 27, so i have a little time to heal and train.
Keep on keeping on....