A Different Breed
Yesterday was the Muddy Paws 10 mile trail race at Kendall Hills. First off, let me just say that the course was beautiful, the company (Red, Debi, Jim & Kurt) was superb, and the weather was just about perfect. This is a race to help raise funds for the local Humane Society so people were out there with their four legged companions as well. It's a good cause and I'd be lying if I said that after it I didn't want to run to the shelter and adopt every unwanted pet there. But as I've promised my husband, once we actually sell our house and move to a bigger one we WILL be getting a dog (hopefully one that will run with me cuz I'd love to have some protection on my early morning runs) so hopefully at that time I'll be able to find a dog that fits my needs; my cat, however, is hoping that this idea never comes to fruition. That cat only loves George anyway...screw her! Besides, she would make a really lousy running partner...
Anyway, back to the race itself. I've been running for around 4 years and all the "races" I've ever done have been road races (minus the Towpath marathon but come on, that's still as tame and flat as a road race just better cushioned since it's all limestone) yet I've "run" on plenty of trails over the years. Until yesterday, I hadn't ever "raced" on a trail. My best 5 mile road race was 38 minutes, my best 10K race-47 minutes, and of course my best 10 mile time was 1:24 so naturally going into this I tried to predict what my finishing time should be, which in hindsight seems so naive and well, almost endearing. I figured I could add a minute or so per mile and hope for a 9 minute pace. The funny thing in this is that I've run trails...did I think that some race magic was going to make it easier? Did I think that the name "Kendall Hills" was just an ironic coincidence and what lay ahead of me was really just a nice flat winding path through the woods? Aw, how cute, my optimism feels almost comical now.
Once I realized that my strategy needed tweaked I thoroughly enjoyed this race. I decided to run comfortably the whole time and it paid off since I felt great all the way until the end. I met a really nice woman named Holly who went on to win first place in her age group. She was extremely good natured and easy to run with. She lost me at the last water stop since I got distracted by the girl with the infamous screwed ankle. And once again, it was rubbing her bloody from the inside out...that makes my innards hurt just looking at it! I got moving again and felt pretty strong but then in the last quarter mile a woman in my age group who I knew was behind me (thanks to a little inquiry I did with Holly since she had been running with her previously) passed me, putting me into third place for my age group. That's okay though, cuz she looked to be a really talented, strong runner so it wasn't a huge surprise. I think her name was Marta and she definitely kicked ass!
Waiting at the finish line were Jim, who blitzed through the course in a way that still astonishes me, and Debi who opted for the 5 mile race. George hasn't been able to make it to my last couple races so it was so nice that I still had a cheering section even in his absence. I don't know what it is but the sight of Debi always, ALWAYS makes me happy. Whether it be before a training run or at the end of a race, her smile is just contagious and so naturally I caught it and smiled all the way through the finishing chute. Holly was also standing there yelling for me which I thought was nice. I was seconds behind Marta but still felt thrilled and was happy to slap a congratulatory high five with her before stumbling off to find a banana and water. I joined the group and cheered Red on who was only a couple minutes behind me.
I got my only dose of relaxation for the afternoon by sitting in the grass and bullshitting with my friends since I had to fly home after the race and clean the house and do the yard work in preparation for today's open house. Which by the way, does anyone want to buy my house? Anyone? Please?
Anyway, back to the race itself. I've been running for around 4 years and all the "races" I've ever done have been road races (minus the Towpath marathon but come on, that's still as tame and flat as a road race just better cushioned since it's all limestone) yet I've "run" on plenty of trails over the years. Until yesterday, I hadn't ever "raced" on a trail. My best 5 mile road race was 38 minutes, my best 10K race-47 minutes, and of course my best 10 mile time was 1:24 so naturally going into this I tried to predict what my finishing time should be, which in hindsight seems so naive and well, almost endearing. I figured I could add a minute or so per mile and hope for a 9 minute pace. The funny thing in this is that I've run trails...did I think that some race magic was going to make it easier? Did I think that the name "Kendall Hills" was just an ironic coincidence and what lay ahead of me was really just a nice flat winding path through the woods? Aw, how cute, my optimism feels almost comical now.
Once I realized that my strategy needed tweaked I thoroughly enjoyed this race. I decided to run comfortably the whole time and it paid off since I felt great all the way until the end. I met a really nice woman named Holly who went on to win first place in her age group. She was extremely good natured and easy to run with. She lost me at the last water stop since I got distracted by the girl with the infamous screwed ankle. And once again, it was rubbing her bloody from the inside out...that makes my innards hurt just looking at it! I got moving again and felt pretty strong but then in the last quarter mile a woman in my age group who I knew was behind me (thanks to a little inquiry I did with Holly since she had been running with her previously) passed me, putting me into third place for my age group. That's okay though, cuz she looked to be a really talented, strong runner so it wasn't a huge surprise. I think her name was Marta and she definitely kicked ass!
Waiting at the finish line were Jim, who blitzed through the course in a way that still astonishes me, and Debi who opted for the 5 mile race. George hasn't been able to make it to my last couple races so it was so nice that I still had a cheering section even in his absence. I don't know what it is but the sight of Debi always, ALWAYS makes me happy. Whether it be before a training run or at the end of a race, her smile is just contagious and so naturally I caught it and smiled all the way through the finishing chute. Holly was also standing there yelling for me which I thought was nice. I was seconds behind Marta but still felt thrilled and was happy to slap a congratulatory high five with her before stumbling off to find a banana and water. I joined the group and cheered Red on who was only a couple minutes behind me.
I got my only dose of relaxation for the afternoon by sitting in the grass and bullshitting with my friends since I had to fly home after the race and clean the house and do the yard work in preparation for today's open house. Which by the way, does anyone want to buy my house? Anyone? Please?
3 comments:
Great job! your, add one minute per mile, pacing strategy made me laugh. going from road to trail can be pretty demoralizing in terms of finishing times, but it's so much more fun. See you at the Buckeye Trail!
So you met the famous "screwed" lady. Cool. That was a fun race. I've had a very hard time coming to terms with my trail pace being so far off my road times, but as you said...trail running is a different breed. Can't wait for this weekend! Josh is right, too...it's so much more fun.
Maria, sounds like you really enjoyed your trail race! You even had a good attitude about getting "CHICKED" at the end of the race. Can't wait to hear about your 50K trail run this weekend!
PS Good luck selling your house, hang in there, it will happen! Are you moving closer down this way?
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