Charleston 10K

Oh, Charleston.  My first time in Charleston, SC was worth the wait.

We (Lovey & I) spent 4 days in Charleston and accomplished (in no particular order); Boone Hall, Isle of Palms, the USS Yorktown, walked laps around downtown Charleston, ate copious amounts of delicious seafood, and oh, ya, ran a 10k.

One of the best parts of destination racing is experiencing a totally new course, not just the locale, but also the feeling of hitting different ground under my feet, sucking different air into my lungs, experiencing different sensations, textures, feelings.  Running Charleston was so perfectly different.  The challenge is in embracing that difference.

The race course ran around a plantation.  When we signed up, race information was sparse, as it was a small race geared towards locals. When I heard (saw) "plantation," I thought "fun! scenic! Southern!"  I did not think "trail race!"

My bad.

So the race: the plantation was a hard to find spot, a right turn off the main road onto a grassy path cutting through trees so thick it immediately become dark.  Parking was easy, we were directed onto the LAWN by a very young race volunteer about 20 yards from the start line.  We stretched and jogged around in the company of gentle rain, giant trees with hanging Spanish moss and pristine white egrets watching us.

Eventually that time came; RACE TIME.  The race start line was in the midst of a grassy knoll in an otherwise forested area.  The clues were starting to come together at this point.  A muddy, rocky, somewhat grassy-ish trail was the only way out.  Oh, that, that's the course!

And then we were off, the 5kers and 10kers together.  My goals, which had been to race smart and run hard, quickly morphed into 'don't fall or die, and please finish.'  I didn't see Lovey after the first few yards; he disappeared in the blur with the other fasties and I didn't see him again till the near end.  The group stratified immediately, the fasties, the middles (me), and the slowies.  After getting a feel for the group, I passed quite a few, and settled into the front of the second pack behind a group of 3-4 guys.  Once the settling into position happened, I really started focusing on the run.  Luckily it had stopped raining, but when grass gets wet, it gets slippery.  The parts that weren't grass had turned very muddy, so most of mile 1 (really most of the course) was dodging around giant puddles or braving it and running right through them.  I'm not very mud puddle brave.  I hit mile 1 in 8:44.

With that came the realizations that 1. I would not PR, (ha!), 2. my legs were working really hard, 3. I was already kind of ready for this to be over.   Mile 2 (9:11) was spent mostly in my head.  Trying to lose the negativity, trying to figure out how to stay upright, trying to stay positive and focused on such unfamiliar terrain. I was using my arms for stability, not really propulsion, so my legs were working a bit harder. 

But, wait, isn't that the WHOLE POINT of  destination running?  To experience something different?  If I wanted a flat, fast 10k, I could have stayed home.  Mile 2 was insanely long, but really just the right distance to talk myself into letting go of race expectations and enjoy something I never could have done at home.  Mile 3 (8:58) was about learning to embrace the difference.  Most of it was running over knobby roots that protruded out of the ground every 12 inches..  How do you run over roots that are at every foot??  Whatever, work the stabilization muscles and get through it.  It is a different experience racing while looking at the ground non-stop. 

The course was two loops.  At the split, the guys I was following turned left for the 5k finish, I alone turned right to complete another loop.  At mile 3.5 I turned around because I was alone. It was eerie.  In the far distance (Luckily this stretch of the course ran along power lines, so it was pretty straight until we turned off and went back into the trees) I could see two runners behind me.  By mile 4, I turned around again at the were right there.  They passed me with a "hello, how are you?"  Even while racing Southerners exchange pleasantries.  Running in the South is like running in the bathroom right after someone has taken a hot shower.  Holy humidity.  

By mile 5 I noticed a hip pain/upper quad muscle pain that wasn't allowing my leg to fully extend backwards.  After some post-race foam rolling (yes, I brought it with me), and a Lovey massage, it was fine and hasn't bothered me since.  Mile 5 became the mile of self-motivating; ignore the pain, ignore the heat, ignore the feeling that I can't catch the people who passed me, gulp water at every water stop, and JUST MOVE.

At mile 6, Lovey appeared, cheered me through the turn, then ran over to the finish to cheer me down the long stretch to the finish line.  That .2 is brutal every time I run a 10k.

4th overall female; 1st in my age group, 57:00.

Not too shabby for my first all trail, trail race.

Lovey finished 3rd overall, 1st in his age group.  We both received stone plaques (so cool!) and a gift certificate to a local running store.

Trail running is a beast.  I admire people who tackle races like this regularly.  I enjoyed the challenge, but I don't know if its something I'd really get into.  I would love to trail run to train regularly.

South Carolina: DONE!

Colorado 5k

When I first started running FOUR years ago, racing was a completely foreign concept to me.  Slowly, I have learned that not every race needs to be a balls-to-the-wall effort.  Sometimes, races can just be about running the moment, in a beautiful place, enjoying those running around you.

Colorado was that race for me.

The best part?  My younger sister ran it with me.  And won.

Colorado has one thing that makes my inner runner quake in fear.  Altitude.  I live at about 123 feet above sea level.  I raced at 5,000 feet after only being there 3 days.  That's a big change.  I ran sans watch or phone.  This race wasn't going to be about time.

The race course was around a lake at a state park, surrounded by the gorgeous Rocky Mountains.  Luckily, it was flat, but it was also a trail race, which I've never done it before.  Throwing all caution and expectations to the wind, I set out next to my little sister, determined to have a good time.  The race was really small, the smallest I have ever run.  More like a large family event, but since we have hiked this area extensively in trips past, it seemed like the perfect place to race. The race was an out and back, and we ran the first 1.5 miles together.  At the turn around, we were 1 and 2 for females.  I could already feel that 5k burn in my legs plus that awful, there's no oxygen in the air burn.  At the turn around, my sister slowly pushed the pace and I couldn't keep up.  I trailed slowly behind her until about mile 2.75, where she really stepped it up.  We passed one male in the back half.   Despite her living at 7500 feet and being completely used to the altitude, she really killed it.

26:22 for me.  8:30 pace.  For altitude and trail running, I'm pleased with it, despite it being a ways off from my PR.

This race exemplified the relaxation I strove to feel during the weekend.  I am currently finishing my last quarter of graduate school and flew to Colorado for a weekend break from school and work.  I came back into town feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and ready to tackle the remainder of the quarter.

At the end of the race, some bald eagles were spotted flying around the finish line, so some of the race photographers actually stopped taking pictures of the runners and started taking pictures of the eagles!  My sis and I went for a walk around a portion of the lake, and she pointed out some other cool birds.  We stayed around for the awards ceremony where we both were given gift cards.  She also won a sweatshirt in the raffle.  The third place female runner kept saying her goal was to catch us, but she couldn't do it.  She seemed so frustrated by that!  I have never been told I've been a rabbit before, but I guess I was one to her!

This was my first, but hopefully not my last Colorado race!!