(shorts, tank, pack, shoes)
It’s been a minute since I’ve finished a race;). I’m happy to report, I’m back at it! Andrew told me when they saw me at mile 6, Brooke said to him, “Mom’s back.” And I felt that way, too! I needed a nice break, let my body recover, and to find something that made me feel very excited… and currently, that is the trails.
A special thanks to Max and Andrew for being my carrots to chase after during training;)
I woke up, took a shower (a tradition that I do each time I run a race), had my Perk energy and some sourdough bread, and got to the starting area at around 7:40 am. They explained the course a bit (I was very thankful that I had practiced this course beforehand because I tend to get lost;) and then we headed to the starting line. We started at 8 a.m. Oh, the chillness of trail races:
I ran about .4 miles with my friend, Adam, and then told him to go ahead because he was practically running circles around me. The first two miles there was the strongest headwind I’ve ever experienced in this canyon but I would happily take that over it being hot, so it didn’t bother me too much. The clouds kept it perfectly cool the entire morning.
At mile twoish, we dropped into Johnson’s Bowl, which we run often and I can never get enough of… I don’t think it’s possible for a human to remember any of life’s problems in this place.
After the climb out of Johnson’s Bowl, I took 1st for about 4ish miles. The woman who won was so inspiring to me on the climbs. She just zipped up them and then I would gain some ground on her on the flats and downs but once those climbs came, she passed me quickly and so strong.
Thank you, Amber, for pictures along the way. Seeing you and Kyle gave me quite the boost.
At mile 6, I saw my family and the kids, and then again at mile 7.5. We passed through two parking areas at those points, which made it easy for spectators to get to. I get a high from seeing them along the way.
We then entered Dry Canyon, which is the part I was most afraid of. I told myself that hiking this portion was faster than trying to run it, so I hiked it. I wanted to stop and take about 48 breaks but kept telling myself things my friends Sarah and Rocky say-> “Comfort is a slow death” and “Quit whining and start climbing.” Those two mantras got me through that 25ish minutes of pain. Every muscle was shaking, and my heart rate was so high.
I also told myself to just get to the flowers because once you get to the flowers at this time of year, you are done with 98% of the climbing.
At this point, Andrew was sending me encouraging texts, and they played on my AirPods, which was so helpful!
As I was hiking at one point, I came across Amber and Kyle again on their trail run, and that gave me a boost to get running again.
And then it was allllll downhill (the good kind of downhill, not figuratively) to the finish line. I think my average pace at the top was around a 9:35, and I made the goal to be under 9:00, so I really pushed those downhills. And I did it, I averaged an 8:51 without falling haha. I was less than a minute behind first place!
Max jumped out of the car when the crew first dropped me off at the starting line because he assumed he was coming with me. I need to make it up to him.
The kids snuggled in the truck bed while waiting for me.
The two of us have a lot of trails and climbing to do this summer together…
The first-place woman wasn’t there for the end, but we got a picture together:
The map was a pretty one, and Strava was so proud of me… I usually take a lot of breaks on trail runs, and so the achievements were high on Saturday;)
And here are some splits:
Post-race Coke and Costco pizza… yes.
I tried out the Maurten Gel 160 (also took one caffeine and one normal one), and it was amazing. It will be my trail go-to now. There are so many carbs in one pack.
The dogs were living their best life after the race.
And Beretta even went for a swim.
I cannot understand:
And a few more thoughts:
*My friend, Kodi, won the marathon! 5,500 ft of climbing!
*My eyes were so tired by the end, which is not a feeling I am used to experiencing during road races. Trail races take sooo much energy to scan the ground for hazards constantly.
*The trails make my heart rate higher than anything I’ve experienced elsewhere.
*I’m feeling fired up to work on my climbing.
*I had the time goal to finish with less than a 9 min/mile average, but really, for me, trail racing is so much more about surviving as quickly as I can, and I rarely even looked at my watch. Partly because I don’t want to look away from the ground and trip, and mostly because I’m way more lost in the adventure, in my zen, and forget to look.
*Zero back or hamstring pain (why I dropped out of my marathon last October)… I am feeling very grateful for that.
*I really can’t believe I didn’t fall the last mile, my legs were so wobbly and it was so down!
*I will be doing this race every year now. It was SO well marked.
*It was my first run with this pack, and it really just felt like a second skin. 10/10 from me.
*I woke up on Sunday so sore. I loved it.
———————————————————————————————
Tell me a highlight from your weekend!?!
Any gels you are loving these days?
Any races you love to do every year?
Question from Skye, “Where’s your favorite place to go on a trip?”
Source link
