Race recap: Read bullets for summary, a more descriptive translation follows
Favorite things about this race (in order of priority):
1. Location--30 minute drive from my house
2. Course! The course travels through beautiful Joaquin Miller Park to Redwood Regional Park with spectacular views of the Oakland Hills and Bay Area along the way.
3. Cost--$50 for a 30k, cheapest race I've done so far and best served. Hello hamburgers and beer at the finish!
4. Challenge--Trail running is NOT the same as road running and this was my first longish trail run.
5. Date--Perfect excuse for being gone for the first part of the day. Great weather!
Things I would have done differently:
1. Different shoes--I decided to wear my oldest and most worn out running shoes...bad idea! I knew after eating dirt on the first downhill that I was ill-fitted for this run. Trail running shoes are a must!
2. Less ambitious goals--being my first long trail run I should have signed up for the half marathon not the 30k.
3. More downhill training, on trails, not roads--think running uphill is hard? Try running downhill on a trail and see how fast your face lands on the gravel.
Ok, so now for the interested I'm going to provide the most detailed description I can. My brain is still foggy so I may miss a few things but I will do my best.
The race started at 8am sharp. Check in was a breeze, there were plenty of volunteers and a small crowd (a nice plus of trail races, they can be small).
We tackled our first set of hills and my legs thanked me for having done hilI training. I started passing a few runners, some men, and I was able to actually run the uphills (in trail running many runners walk the uphills). By mile 4 I hit my first major downhill and I ate dirt. Yes sir I did. I got up gracefully and decided I was going to walk the downhills, very carefully, if I wanted to finish this race alive. You see, I chose the wrong shoes because I didn't want to ruin my new pair in the mud. Wrong! I should have chosen safety over vanity...oh well.
I remembered from the map that mile 8 was the beginning of the steepest hill so at around mile 7 I ate/drank/swallowed my first gel. Good choice! Check out that hill...woo hoo!
It was a killer! And I ran most of it, slowly. During this stretch I "teamed up" with a group of runners who would zoom by me on the down hills, and then I would catch up on the uphills. Yes it was a huge boost of confidence.
By about mile 12 and with just a little over a mile to go I contemplated stopping at the half marathon mark. It was way too tempting and I dwelled on this thought for a while, but I didn't. I passed the "finish" line and I kept going for the rest of my 5 miles. For a moment I thought I was lost. No runners in sight so I retraced my steps about 500 yards until I met up with some ultra marathoners (crazy people!) who assured me I was on the right path. So I added about a mile to my course, oh well.
The last 5 miles weren't too bad. My right knee was angry but my stamina strong. My legs were ultra wobbly so I slowed down the pace (better shoes would have been nice here!). 2.5 miles to go and I thought: Lucia, you got this. Enjoy the rest. And I did. I finished in 3 hours and 52 minutes, and I came in second for my age category. It was a small race so no huge bragging points here but I felt great!
Last thoughts:
I'm hooked on trail running
Trail races are "chilled." They are mostly on an honor system. There is plenty of opportunity to cheat on your distance, but you only cheat yourself.
I like running with people but I also enjoy running alone--a lot! :)
Need to train on trails. Even though I've done some hill training, my stride is conditioned for roads. I've learned to "glide" when I run and this is it good for trail running.
I like points to point races. There is psychological defeat when I have to repeat the same course twice.
No, I didn't have a hamburger, or a beer, but it was nice that they were available.
See you next year!
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