My training wasn't really anything special. I did quite a few trail runs earlier in the year and have averaged about 50 miles per week for this year so far (despite starting from 0 at the beginning of the year with an injury). I've pretty much been doing base building this season with a couple shorter races and a marathon thrown in for good measure. I also didn't obsess over this race and thought I'd treat it like a fun learning experience while also trying to at least run a respectable time (whatever that might be for something like this).
I was a little curious what effect the forecast hot (mid 80*s) weather and the elevation (the race began at 6500') would have on me though. I really wanted to be able to run below 4:30:00 for this race, but really had no clue how it would play out. The course only had about 4200' of total elevation gain/loss, which is less than many of the training runs I've done - though I have never run farther than about 25 miles on a training run and 26.2 miles in a race.
Shawn and I drove down to Ashland Friday and had a fairly uneventful trip. It's about a 9 hour drive though. We arrived in Ashland in the afternoon and checked out the Rogue Valley Runners store, had a bite to eat and a cool frosty beverage, then headed up to the ski area about 40 minutes out of town. It was 97* in the town of Ashland, but as we climbed up to the ski area the temperature kept dropping. By the time we arrived at the parking lot the temperature was around 73*. We hoped that race day would offer similar high temps! We met the race directors, and one of them - Erin I think - offered us another cold frosty beverage. Sweet! I am beginning to like trail runners!
I set my tent up and hit the sack around 9:30 or so. At 5:00 am sharp the loud music started. That gave us a couple hours to get our race packets, get some food down, socialize, and get our drink and fuel stuff situated. It was already in the 60*s an hour before the race, so I went with my trusty Race Ready shorts and no shirt. I did apply lots of sunscreen though! I also decided I'd try to run the race in the Inov-8 X-Talon 212 shoes. However I placed my trusty old Brooks Ravennas in a drop bag to be placed at the 22 mile point of the race if the Inov-8s weren't working out.
The race start was a very laid back affair with the RD asking everyone to move forward to the line. Then we were off! I settled in to what I hoped was a reasonable pace pretty much right away, and the first half of the race was uneventful. I hit the half way point in about 2:15 so was right on pace. I also felt very good, but was pretty hot. The trail was heavily cambered which is something my body really doesn't like, and I hoped I'd do ok with it. However between the cambered road and the super lightweight shoes I began to have some issues with my right foot. Between miles 15 and 22 I was limping a bit and really concentrating on letting my left side do the most work. My right ankle and foot were quite painful. I swapped shoes at the 22 mile aid station - losing 6 or 7 positions to the necessary task. Thankfully it was a good decision as my foot felt much better in the Ravennas. After the 22 mile aid station the course was pretty much 4 miles of unrelenting uphill running. It didn't take long before I was reduced to run-walking. It was surprising how fast I'd lose my breath! Even with this 'failure' I was able to get back 3 or 4 positions by the end of the race though - and had a good kick-fest with another runner the last .25 miles or so.
Right after crossing the line the same RD who'd given me the beer the night before stood with a 22 oz. microbrew in each hand and said, "Pick one!" Nice! I definitely like this trail runner crowd! Did I mention that yet! There was a hose near the finish where I gave myself a nice quick and cold rinse, then I nibbled on finish line goodies and waited for Shawn to show up.
I ended up finishing in 4:47:30 which, despite being an ugly +17:30 positive split, was good enough for 13th place OA and 4th in my AG (ten year age groups). The winner completed the course in something like 3:43 - damn! I've got some work to do before I do another one of these!
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