I also went because Kristin and Russ were going. We all drove down together. I didn't run well that first night and thought I could do much better this time around. I am much fitter and faster now.
I haven't run in over a week, so I was well rested. My calf didn't bother me at all headed into the race and thankfully, it didn't bother me during or after the race either. There were plenty of other issues though.We warmed up a bit on the roads. I didn't feel terrible, but I wasn't great either. I seemed to be a little rusty. We ran into another friend Heather and her boyfriend. I met some other people including a woman, Maggie, who I have a bunch of mutual friends with. She's a strong ultra runner.
I couldn't remember the course, but I knew from experience to go out fairly hard. There is some road and then a flat grassy area before the singletrack section. Once you get into the singletrack, it is hard to pass anyone.
I went out fast. It wasn't really too fast though. I positioned myself nicely. I was somewhere around 10th. My breathing was slightly labored, but not too bad. I was moving good on the road, but we went through some grass uphill and I slowed a bit and was passed by a couple people.
We then got into the singletrack section. I have a cheap headlamp and I'm not sure that the batteries were all that full. The light was weak and I paid for it. I'm fell early on in this singletrack section. I tripped over a rock. I am pretty sure that I was the first person in the front of the field to fall. I lost about 2 spots.
I got up quickly and went on. The fall actually wasn't too bad. I knew with my weak headlamp, it was going to be a tough race. Mile 1 was a speedy 7:24.
The second mile had several hundred feet of climbing. It was by far the most challenging part of the race. The climbs would not have been too bad for me going slow. However, we weren't going slow at all. We were pushing hard while ascending. Once my breathing got too labored, I decided to walk. I think I probably twisted my ankle in this part. I could still run though.
There were plenty of big rocks and trees to see. As I commented to someone, "it isn't the big rocks that I can see that are the problem. It is the little ones that were bothering me. Some people passed me on the uphills and I might have got by a few people too.
I felt better throughout the race as other runners fell too. Once, a guy dressed as Spiderman fell. That was funny and looked cool. It's not something you see every day. That is the fun of a costume race.
We got to a stone road section. I tried to push the pace and didn't see a rut. I twisted my ankle pretty bad this time. I had to limp run for awhile. Right after that, Maggie and her friend went by me. That was a boost though as I had someone that I knew to follow.
I followed them and it was a nice and comfortable pace. This part was uphill, but not as steep. Mile 2 had been a slow 11:04. I was almost starting to enjoy this run. Then, it happened. I twisted my ankle for what I think was the third time. This one was far and away the worst one.
I had no choice but to walk it off. I couldn't run. I had to walk probably about 2 minutes. Ron Horn, the race director, told us before the race that we had to run a loop at one point. This is because a regular trail was overgrown. This loop confused a ton of people. This seemed to be about the only thing that I did correctly.
Chris was winning the race and already finished the loop before I got to the start of it. It was frustrating when I had to walk. It wasn't so much that I had to walk, but I lost contact with Maggie and the group ahead. The group behind took a long time to catch up. I was walking uphill alone. It was very technical in this section and I could barely even walk on the rocks. It was hard to find the trail too, but somehow I managed to find the markings.
It was good to be done with the loop, but also very confusing. The people in the middle and back were coming into the loop and I didn't realize it. That was good though because I saw Russ and Kristin. It was tough to navigate with others as this section was singletrack.
I sort of had to lead the way of my group now. Mile 3 had been a slow 11:54, thanks to the walking. I was sure in for a battle the rest of the way.
A small group went by me at one point, including a little kid. I certainly had not quit, but I was in survivor mode. The rocks were killing my feet and I think I twisted my ankle again. At least it wasn't hurting me too bad now. Most of the group went by.
The kid was laying on the trail at one point. I don't know if he was hurt or more in shock. A bunch of people in the group stopped, so there was no point in me doing the same. I continued on.
I kept struggling with the lighting. I just couldn't see rocks. There were some technical sections too. This was especially true once we got past the fire tower. I passed a guy on the flat part, but he went by again on the technical part.
I was thrilled to be at the fire tower. I knew we were basically at the top of the mountain. There was some slight technical downhill, but that was fun. I tried to let a people pass, but then I realized that it was an entire group going by. I didn't mind letting one or two people go, but I wasn't going to move over for everyone.
It was awesome to see the lights of Reading through the trees. The pagoda at the top of the mountain was all lit up in red and could be seen in the distance too. It was good to be getting close to there. There was a fast section approaching that. Mile 4 was a 10:17.
I knew that the course was pretty easy after the pagoda. There was a lot of downhill and many of it on roads. I followed two other guys and we cruised along. I had energy and could've gone harder, but I was good with my effort. I wasn't going to win an age group award anyway. Mile 5 was a 10:30.
I cruised on the downhill. I was prepared for what was left, even if I didn't quite know the route. We did go through some singletrack too. It had some good rocks as well. Finally, we got this late section that I knew. It was an open grassy section.
A woman passed two of us here. I decided that I should just go with her. I pushed hard and went away from the guy. I knew we were almost done, so I gave a little more. I didn't know the rocky uphill was the finish last time. I was prepared this time and I pushed hard up this technical part. I then ran fast up the hill to finish. Mile 6 had been a fast 7:41.
Even with the fall and badly twisted ankle, I managed a 27th place finish. I think the route from the other year was shorter than this route. I ran about the same pace, according to my watch. I could've run better and less cautious if I had a better headlamp and shoes that didn't twist my ankle so easily. I think I overcompensated for the twisted left ankle and I hurt my right foot a lot. I was limping after the race. It was surprisingly humid. At least I didn't get lost. Maggie and her friend did and wound up behind me.
Post race was fun. Kristin did well and had a blast. I knew she would, since she's awesome. That made me happy, even if I was limping around. I love when others that are new to trail running really enjoy it. It was great to chat with Heather and her boyfriend as well as Chris and another guy from the Lehigh Valley, Dean. We hung out for awhile, before heading home. The friendships are one of the best things about trail running.
I do need to improve a lot on trail races. I just don't know how to really run them. There's no consistency. It's run fast when you can and slowly and recover on technical parts. It's kind of like running repeats. I'll get better at this, although I still prefer longer and slower stuff. That is my future. This was one of my toughest races ever, so I was proud to make it through. I've never been quite this beat up.
I was hoping to help out at Hyner tomorrow. They are clearing trails and then running. I need to run there, so I'd love to do it. However, I'm very, very doubtful. I am simply too beat up. I may try to do an easy trail run somewhere though. As long as my ankle isn't an issue, I'll be able to run more this week.
6.26 miles - 1:01:17 (9:48 pace)
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