On February 24th, I ran the Explore Your Limits 10K trail race. This is part of a race series that I signed up for as part of my plan to reclaim my fitness (as best I can, at my age) and to lose some weight. I weighed 3 pounds less this morning than I did at the last RNUTS race on January 27th, and one pound less than the day I went into the hospital to have my first baby 28 years ago. So hooray for that milestone!
The race is held at the Explore Park near Roanoke. I think it was in the mid-40's at the start, which is pretty balmy for February. I elected to wear my running tights and a 3/4 zip pullover that is a bit heavier than the plain technical type of shirt I would normally have chosen. This was mainly because I had no one with me to hand a jacket to, and I knew I'd be pretty cold before the race began. There was a pre-race briefing about 15 minutes ahead of the start and then we were all to walk to the start.
At the briefing, we were told that because of the rain the day before, the trails might be slippery in places. We were especially cautioned about not hurdling quickly over the silt fencing when crossing the new road that's being cut through the park.
There is a 5K that is held at the same time. I saw a few of my former middle school students before the gun went off and said hello. They were running the 5K, which started 10 minutes after the 10K start.
The first part of the race was on the road (briefly) and then onto a nice wide path, which made passing and getting into position a bit easier. Then it turned into downhill singletrack trail. It was a bit rooty but not too rocky, with switchbacks that had me occasionally grabbing at a tree for extra security. My goal in this race (as always) was to remain vertical!
There were sections of the race that were out and back, so you met some faster runners coming at you on narrow singletrack trail. Course etiquette expects the slower runner to yield, and it can be a little tricky sometimes to get off trail enough to let them pass safely. I worry I'm going to be in their way and cause them to fall.
This was a much hillier race than I anticipated (meaning longer and steeper sections), although I probably should have expected it when the big, steep hill just before the 5K mark is nicknamed "Vomit Hill."
So I treated it much like I used to run ultras, back in the day. I ran the downhills and the flats, and walked the uphills unless they were pretty gradual or not too long (or right at the very end of the race). Because of my strategy, I pretty much see-sawed the entire race with a man who would pass me on every uphill (I don't think he ever walked anything) and then I'd fly by on the downhills (which has always been my strength. I don't like to hold back.) Eventually in the final mile, I passed him again and he never passed me back.
I chuckled as I could picture my grandfather saying to me, "4th out of 5? 105th out of 137? That's pretty crummy, ain't it?" This is what he said to my mother over 30 years ago after her first 5K (around age 40) when she was so excited to have completed one and finished in something like 400th out of 500. Papa was always so competitive. I guess he thought she should win!
It's become a family joke at this point. We don't REALLY think it's crummy. It's just a funny thing to say to remember Papa Frank.
I finished the race without any falls or ankle twists, which might be a first for a trail race. So I am very pleased with that and how strong I felt at the end. When I looked at my Garmin stats later, my heart rate got quite high at times (I'm guessing on the uphill hikes)... sometimes in the 180s and even a few brief spikes in the 190s. That's considered way too high for a 54-year-old, although all my life my heart rate has been higher than doctors expect. Anyway, I'm glad I chose to walk those uphills. I felt tired but I didn't feel like I was pushing it. I never felt bad or like I had to stop. The 3/4 zip running shirt I wore turned out to be a bit too warm, but I was able to push the sleeves up and unzip it. So it wasn't bad, but I still wished I had worn a different shirt. If I had realized I'd be walking really near my car on the way to the start, I'd have worn a lighter weight long-sleeved shirt AND a jacket to the briefing and then ditched the jacket in the car.
I would definitely do this race again and recommend it to others. It's well-organized and the trails are very runnable - as I said before, a bit rooty but not many loose rocks at all. Mountain Junkies always has great volunteers and post-race food, which this time included CHOCOLATE MILK. Oh, it was heavenly. The former cross country coach at our local high school once told me that he thinks it's the best post-run recovery drink. I won't argue with that! The next race of the series is in Montvale (two weeks away!) and I'm looking forward to it. Until then, Happy Trails, everyone!
Good job!
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