trail racing

or, what was it I missed so much about trails when I was marathon training?

My return to trail running after six months of almost exclusively road running actually resulted in a more balanced appreciation for both disciplines. Each has its challenges, joys, frustrations, and benefits. The past couple of weeks, my trail group has done intervals on the hike & bike trail and the road, and the speed work has been a welcome change. For awhile, I wondered if concentrating on trail running was a mistake. Maybe I should have focused on road and track-based speed work during the "down time" before marathon training resumes, considering the BQ goal. But two months in, my foot seems completely healed, and I'm convinced that the trail work is strengthening my structural foundation while maintaining the cardio and mileage base, leaving me better prepared for speed work. On to the race report:

The Maze:
A mere month after the marathon, I was questioning my sanity, as the first race in the 30K trail series loomed. I soon learned that a 30K on the trails can feel a lot like a marathon. Started before sunrise, opted not to wear a headlamp (good choice), set the watch to beep every 15 minutes to remind me to hydrate and (every other beep) eat. Ran with Noel from work, who started faster than was comfortable for me, and I worked to keep up anyway. Here's where I learned to never disregard start easy, finish strong. Before the first aid station, I let Noel know I needed to back off a bit, and she graciously slowed her pace somewhat. But I was already working beyond comfortably hard, and would hover there the rest of the race, miserably so in the last 10K. After the aid station at mile 3, Noel offered to regale me with the epic saga of her week of jury duty on a criminal case. I don't quite understand how people have conversations while running. For me, talking expends energy that I need to keep running. The only reason Noel didn't beat me in this race is because she talked for at least six miles. Granted, I asked some clarifying questions and threw in some commentary, but even so, I was still working to maintain pace while she blithely bantered and ran.

Oof! early in loop 2 of the 3 loop race, my toe caught a root when I cut between two trees and I went down hard on my right knee, reopening a scrape from the previous weekend. That's a pain that's gonna linger. Not supposed to be experiencing the last lap lazies just yet, but I am already fatigued. Noel waits while I assess the damage and then we ease back into running. She cautions me to take it easy and let the adrenaline settle. Good advice. When we finish the second loop, Robin is there with the Gracie dog, who gets quite confused when I run past.

Loop 3 is a practice in managing discomfort, staying alert enough to keep from tripping again, and a hard realization that I'm not fully recovered from the marathon. Post-marathon, both quads were sore to the bone for a week and a half. The left more so than the right. Years ago, when I played softball, I trashed my left quad sprinting bases. Every spring, I'd pull the same muscle early in the season, but I haven't been that kind of sore in years. The last 10K of the trail race brought that to mind and I decided that the marathon had aggravated the old injury (muscle memory works both ways) and this trail race wasn't helping matters. Fortunately I had a massage scheduled for later in the week. My awesome pacer Noel pushed me onward, claiming my marathon training gave me the edge on the last 10K. We managed to pass another masters female in the last 5K and I finished a couple of seconds ahead of Noel.

The aftermath: Third in my age group, 5th masters female, and not quite as sore as after the marathon - I was able to walk downstairs by Wednesday following the race. That's progress. There was serious chafing, but I'll spare you the details.

A note about Noel: two weeks after The Maze, she was in quite the bike crash and suffered broken jawbone, cheek, and orbital bones. Fortunately, she was wearing a helmet and riding with a friend who was able to get emergency help. There was no car involved in the crash; one moment she hit a spot of gravel and next she was on the pavement, unconscious. Scary. It's motivated me to finally get a RoadID. Ride with a helmet and emergency identification/information, you never know when you'll need it.