On October 1st, I ran the HARRC in the Park 10 miler at Pinchot Park. It was only $30 to register and the start time was 10am.
10am start time? SIGN ME UP!
I didn't sleep well the night before... and I ran a very hilly 8.5 miles the day before... but it was okay because I was just running this race "for fun". I love Pinchot Park. It's so beautiful, especially during the fall and winter.
The weather could not have been more perfect. It was sunny and right on the cusp of being warm but still brisk. The trail was so dry, I couldn't believe it. There were leaves, but only a couple spots you had to be careful.
I got to Pinchot around 9:25, which was plenty of time to get my bib, go to the bathroom twice, and just chill out before the race. Even though there were a lot of runners around, it was very quiet and peaceful.
The first half mile or so of the race was a loop around the huge parking lot. It is always a good idea to start a trail race like this so the group thins out. There was a pack of young runners that BOLTED to the front. I was honestly near the back at this point!
Once we got on the trail, I was warmed up and wanted to get moving. I passed a lot of people in the beginning (which is hard to do on single track) and kept clipping people the whole way through the race.
I stopped to pee at a a tree once, stopped to reset my podcast twice, and stopped at all three water stops to chug two cups of water. (I decided not to wear my hydration pack.)
I didn't wear my Garmin because I lost it! I seriously do not know where it is... I mean, it's somewhere in my house, but that's as much as I know!
I'll be honest... even though I was going to just run for fun, it was hard to not push myself, especially since I felt very comfortable running on this course (I used to run here all the time), and I was feeling surprisingly speedy.
I ended up finishing in 1:28- just four minutes slower than when I raced it 7 years ago. I was pretty pumped that i did so well!
Since I didn't think I won anything, I hopped right in my car and drove home! I was getting pretty darn hungry, but managed to shave and stretch before I made this epic lunch...
Oh, we got an ugly shirt.
A few days later, the race results were up, and I saw I was the 7th woman! #4-6 were only a minute faster than me. It sort of makes me wish I had pushed harder!
Oh, I did want to mention that I had a weird feeling in my foot. I remember getting this while I was running the Dam Half. It is the only time I ever got it. I can't even describe the feeling... it's not a pain.....
I only felt it during the race. It went away after. I should probably buy trail shoes... I have been wearing road shoes for my last three races... that have all been on trail!
I know I am not describing the foot thing well... but any ideas? (It didn't hurt when I got off the trail, so I am wondering if it's just all the rocks and roots and stuff?)
Way to go...great recap. That is a really ugly shirt. They couldn't have done a better design and used better colors? Green and gold are CSU colors and I hate it :( But I still cheer for them. Not sure what that foot thing is. Does it ONLY bother you when you run on trails?
ReplyDeleteYeah it only bothered me toward the end of this race and the Dam Half. Gonna go look and see if they still make my trail shoes!
DeletePinchot park looks like a lovely place to run! Good job on the race. I have a pair of trail shoes you may have but they are those Altra zero drops and I don't know if I'd want to do that to you..lol
ReplyDeleteYou would love Pinchot! It is trail but there are sections that aren't super technical so I feel like it's a nice spot to introduce someone to trail.
DeleteHaha no thanks on the Altras haha! I wear Mizuno Wave Ascend trail shoes... if they make them anymore.
DeleteCongratulations on your race and it looks like a great run! For not really racing you did a GREAT job with it and it's awesome that you can run one without the crazy competition mentality and still do very well.
ReplyDeleteI hate it when the shirts are big and baggy and look like a tent on me. It's really a shame when races have bad shirts because if people wore the shirt (if it was nice enough to wear), it is extra publicity for that race.
As far as the foot goes, it could be your shoes OR just because you ran the day before then ran on the trail that day. You might just need new shoes, I would try that first and see how it goes, and if it still hurts maybe see someone then. Also try rolling out your foot with golf balls, that always helps the bottoms of my feet.
Thanks girl! Yeah when I ran the race several years ago, we got a nice fitted orange shirt hat a wear all the time. I will wear this shirt to dye my hair and paint. That's it. I think I do need to get trail shoes because it has never bothered me on the road, just during those two trail races.
Deleteugh! That is one ugly color for a shirt! Congratulations on an awesome race! I saw some of the pictures online, it looked like a great day for a race.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the picture of your foot!! I hope it feels better. I find that running trail rubs the fee completely different than road. For me, running train it is guaranteed that I will end up with a blister on the side of my toes, no matter what I do.
It was awesome weather! My feet are ugly but more so the nails, not the bottom. :)
DeleteI had a pain there once in my foot, and it was Sesamoiditis. Nothing really major, but annoying every now and then - and I couldn't wear high heels for several months. I got it from showing off with the XC runners, running up the big hill. I have learned my lesson with that. LOL! The Sesamoiditis just went away on it's own. Google that - maybe that's what you had!
ReplyDeleteI looked up Sesamoiditis, but it looks like it's over a wider area than just that joint. But who knows!? I'm going to try getting trail shoes before I go running crazy trail again.
DeleteI've had some foot aches that bother me when I'm not running, and then I'm fine running. The shirt design doesn't look too bad, but the cut doesn't look good.
ReplyDeleteI know the cut is more like a pj top!
DeleteGreat job in the race! I would be nervous to do a trail race because I never run on trails. Sounds like you had perfect weather. I wish we day more days like that this fall!
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteI'm sure you have!
ReplyDelete