I threw this trail race into my schedule at the last minute. Sounded like more fun than a long run!!
My strategy in trail races has generally been to run fast at the beginning to get ahead of slower runners before the trail narrows. Then when I can, I run fast – on flat, comfortable downhill, and non-technical surfaces. I “recover” on uphills, steep downhills, and technical terrain (rocky, slippery, narrow, or otherwise scary).
Looking at the elevation profile of the route and talking to runners before the race, I decided to employ the usual strategy, and it would be very important to start out fast because the trail narrowed quickly to single track for quite a long ways. Then I planned to run the early and middle miles as fast as the course permitted. I wasn’t planning on saving much for the late miles because the hills were so steep for so long. It wouldn’t matter how tired I was – those hills would bring the pain either way.
So I lined up near the front and got off to a very fast start. This first mile of the race was the best mile I’ve ever run. I got a good position before the trail narrowed to single track. It was downhill and rocky, but there was no slowing down given the train of runners behind me. I concentrated on foot placement, freaked out about my ankle a little bit (sprained about a year ago, finally healed about 6 months ago), and kept up with the runner in front of me so that no one tried to pass me. It was awesome!
In the second mile I realized that I was going to run much slower than I anticipated. Although the general trend of the first half of the course is downhill, there were a ton of steep up and downs not depicted in the race website's elevation profile – and I felt them for the first time in the second mile. Miles 2 and 3 were just under 7:00.
Miles 4 and 5 had a lot of rollers, but I kept a good pace. Both were just under 7:30.
Mile 6 was 9:44, which is explained by (1) water station (walked and stood to drink - never done that before!); (2) lots of very steep downhills where I had to apply the brakes, and (3) walking up a hill that was too steep to run. As I was hiking up it, my hand were almost hitting the ground it was such a steep slope! Legs were JELLO at the end of this mile. I couldn’t take downhills as fast after this because I lost control and stability on the big downhills in this mile.
Mile 7 had a creek crossing, which was a first for me. I stopped, and said, “Oh $h!t,” while the guys running around me just blasted right through . . . It had about 18 inches of water in it! It took me 3 or 4 steps to get across it. My shoes were so heavy after that! Decent mile at 7:30ish.
Mile 8 marked the start of the massive hill until the end of the race (9.66 miles by my watch). Mile 8 started at 250 feet, and we climbed to 720 feet by the end. Really really really steep from mile 9 to the end. I walked for a second time. The finish line was perched at the very top of this hill. I have never seen so many people walking in the last paces before the finish line. What a tough finish!
Splits (elevation loss (-) and elevation gain (+) in feet)
1 – 6:36 (-247/+5)
2 – 6:56 (-171/+81)
3 – 6:55 (-115)
4 – 7:27 (-65/+85)
5 – 7:25 (-133/+147)
6 – 9:44 (-136/+194)
7 – 7:29 (-187/+32)
8 – 8:13 (+65)
9 – 10:02 (+263)
9.66 (16k) – 7:54 (10:30 pace) (+184)
TOTALS: 1:17:07 (8:03 pace) (-1059/+1055) – 4th female and 46th of 326 overall.
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