Dirty Soles 10K Race Report

Back home from the Dirty Soles 10K trail race at Fountainbleu State Park. My official time was 1:07:37.9 which was better than expected and the race went well. For the most part, the trail was technical, meaning it had lots of roots and the ground was slightly uneven. There wasn't much elevation, as you can see here. I was relieved because I hadn't hit the trails as much as I would have liked.

Now to the business. It was more than a 10K. It was meant to be a 10K and half marathon, but the director, Jeff, just had the 10Kers do the first loop of the half marathon route, which he had marked as 6.55 miles. We'll deal with the discrepancies later. The race definitely earned it's name. We started the race on a utility road that lead into the trail system. I used the Comite River Park Trails as a gauge and brought some bug spay. As soon as I walked into the packet pick up area that morning, the mosquitoes were swarming. I had a small spray bottle of repellent and other people needed it, so I was glad to help.

Now, to the race! The race started on that utility road and one hundred and 50 meters into the race, we hit a a small pond. Some people decided to go straight through it, and fell. Not me. I did a careful slog around the muddy perimeter and quickly learned that it didn't matter. :( Around the 1.3 mile mark, we were required to go through a small canal. Twice. The first crossing took us knee deep. I was in capris, so I pulled them up. The second crossing seconds later was about mid-shin.

It seemed cool at the time, mainly because it was getting hot and the water was cool. But I also was suspect. We were in a huge park, but it was surrounded by neighborhoods. I was really wondering what was in that water. Anyway, I also worried because I still had five more miles to go and my shoes were old. Those Saucony's had served me well, but they were mainly neutral shoes, not fully equipped for the trails, let alone shin-deep water. I had on my Balega's, great socks, so I just told myself to focus on the run. I still needed to make sure to keep my form, not trip and of course, finish!!

The rest of the way, I just watched the people in front of me. I always use the other runners as motivation. If I'm feeling good at my current pace, I just want to keep them in sight. If I feel slow, I start to go after them. Crazy alert: I talk to myself a lot during a race. Every tough segment, I congratulate myself, then encourage myself to stay focused because I still have a ways to go. When I hit the halfway mark, I let myself know, "you've hit the halfway mark, good job, but you still have a ways to go. Stay focused."

That is basically how I finished this race with a time I was happy with and will continue to employ that in my running. Now, some issues. This is not the first time there have been issues with races by this director and his lack of due diligence. I truly believe that if I pay my registration, it is my job to show up, get my swag and run. That's it. I don't think that's too much to ask. It should be noted that the night trail race was also organized by him. I didn't feel like the trail was marked well enough and that was obvious since multiple people got lost. Jeff also didn't explain the course very well, since he appeared to be on beer number three or four during the explanation. For Dirty Soles, on top of the lack of properly marking the 10K route, he also didn't set up a side chute for the half marathoners. He also did not apologize for not doing his job! During the night trail race and Dirty Soles, he admitted, "Oh I didn't set up such and such. I guess I should have."

REALLY, GUY!?!?! I don't think I'm being uptight, mainly because this director is an experienced trail runner. He has run many races himself and knows what is expected. He is not doing that. I have really got into trail racing and at this point, I don't think I'll run many more of his. For the upcoming race, he posted that participants should be ready to swim. I asked if it was a full swim because some people wear iPods and not all Garmin watches are waterproof, his response was that he hadn't mapped the trail yet. SO WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT!?!? This is after he announced that the race is being moved because of scheduling conflicts. That was three months before the race. Three months before the race, you haven't reserved the race site??? That's way too much fail for me to deal with!

On a happy note, his brother is an awesome photographer. LOOK AT ME!! Lookin' like a real runner. :)

Trail Runner? - Thunderbird Moonlight Trail 6K

Saturday night I ran my first trail race. Yes, my first time running a trail race, at night. You were required to wear a headlight and I got a moderately priced one at WallyWorld. I headed out to St. Francisville kind of early because I was sure I'd get lost. I had not been there since I was in middle school.

The forecast showed that it was 56 degrees, but at 5 p.m., it felt much colder. I had on another hooded jacket until 10 minutes before the start. I spent most of the time chatting with other runners and stretching. By 6 p.m., it was in the high 40s and I was nervous. I had just started running again at Comite River Park, a wonderful set of trails near my home. My first run was the previous Monday and it was slow going. I actually stopped a couple of times to check the map I carried with me. I was scared I'd get lost but the routes are well marked.

That fear hit me a few times during the race. It was a bit weird when I was by myself. You couldn't see anything except the ground illuminated by your headlamp and of course, my breath. Orange flags blocked off other routes and during stretches with no flags, I got a bit nervous until I saw another.

The trail is at the back of a parish sports complex. The first quarter mile of the race was in an open field. The grass was a bit uneven. You made one big u-turn, headed around the baseball fields and into the forest. I was in the middle of the pack. At the turn around, it was cool to see about 20 headlamps bouncing your way. As we headed toward the woods, the space between the group in front of me was growing. That made me nervous, because as I said, I worried about getting lost, but I knew it would be a bad idea to push myself so early in the race. It was only 3.7 miles, but the farthest I had ran on a trail was 2.85. As with the only other trail I had ran, you quickly were on sharp, rolling hills, some extremely steep and muddy, some filled with roots.

For most of the race, I was able to stay just out of arm's length of a few people. Once people actually hit the trail, which can be a bit like an obstacle course, they slowed down a bit. By the time I even thought to check my GPS tracker, I was at 1.9 miles. My legs were burning, the nails on my left hand were filled with mud from stopping a fall. My right hand was numb with cold and dirt-stained from using small trees to pull myself up ridges. But I was halfway through and got bit of a rush. I soon caught up to a group of three. One guy let me pass and I stuck with them through a few more obstacle-like areas. I actually felt like I had caught my breath a little bit and the path was flattening out. I had to push it. I checked my phone again and I was at three miles. The push was just barely that. My legs were heavy, but I knew it was almost over.

I came out of the woods at a gravel road and saw a single headlamp off in the distance. This was the initial turn off where volunteers directed us onto the trail. The light began bouncing and I realized the volunteer was headed towards me. He let me know to take a left with the road and I'd see the finish line. At that point, I pushed as hard as I could. My legs were heavy, the cold air was burning my lungs, but I was at the end and there was no slowing down. I finished in 44:27.3.

I didn't expect to do that well. I don't know if I'll be doing another night trail race soon, but I'm definitely sticking with the trails. I have one right near my house and my half marathon training includes three mile runs that I'll do on trails twice a week. It will help me get stronger and can only help with my road races. I think I'm addicted.

So it begins

Yesterday was the beginning of what I hope to be many more trail runs. I only ran three miles. I live near the Comite River Park trails. It's about four miles of trails but connects to Hooper Road Park, which is about six more miles.

As you will see, it was slow going, but it was a nice cool day. Trail running definitely takes more out of you, but I'm up for the challenge. I took a water bottle, but I need one with a strap. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal to hold a water bottle while running until, you're running through the woods and exhausted. One of my goals in 2012 is to run the Forge Trail Series. Yep, all four if I'm still in Louisiana. This trail running stuff has gotten in my blood.