Hawkeye 25k - Racing on the Trails

My first trail run is in the books...the Hawkeye 25k! I learned a few things and am excited to keep that learning going.

Leading into the race my long runs had ramped up to 16 miles and I did one 12.4 mile run on the course the week before.  That one run on the course was my extent of trail runs prior to race day.  May not have been ideal, but about half of it is on flat crushed limestone or road instead of all of it being on unstable surfaces.

Normally for a triathlon race I spend at least an hour (or two) prepping everything...getting the bike ready, putting my race nutrition in little baggies, packing my transition bag, packing race clothes and post race clothes, and rechecking my spreadsheet...I would be so lost without my list!  But, for running races the most difficult part is just figuring out what to wear. The temp at the race start was to be the mid 20s, sun, and with little wind.  I decided on capri pants and a really lightweight long sleeved top with a tank top underneath. My other concern was shoes and socks.  I didn't think the course would be very muddy, so wore my Zoot Kiawe racing flats which have very little traction, but drainage holes that I hoped would help with the water crossing (yes, we got to run through water). As for socks, I just recently purchased trail running socks and am still trying to figure out what I like and don't like.  Only one pair had been worn more than once, and seemed good enough, so Fitsoks it was!

Race morning I was up at 5:45am, did my morning chores (let the dog out, let the big girls out, get the little girls up, make coffee) and had breakfast a little after 6:15am.  I learned last fall that my normal pre-triathlon breakfast does not work well for running races, so I have switched to a bowl of cereal with a banana, and a good amount of coffee.  Shortly after 7:30am we headed over to the race site, which is only about a 10min drive from our house.  The 50k started at 8am with the 25k at 8:30am.  I was glad to get there early to have time to chat a bit (kept seeing people I knew, which was great!), and hit the restroom before doing a very short warmup.  I debated on skipping the warmup, but with the temp so cold I wanted to at least run a little, so jogged around the parking lot for 2 minutes.

The girls are growing up so fast!

I lined up near the front and we were off.  There were a pack of us running together for the first mile, then we started spreading a little more thin.  I could tell there were 4 women ahead of me, but not by much and I didn't seem to be loosing any ground.  Shortly after that Julie (my Thorsday morning running partner that is coming back from injury) dropped back.  The remaining 3 women and I stuck pretty close together for the next few miles.  At one point I felt strong and took the lead, which was taken back about a mile later, but she stopped at the next aid station (not just quick stop for a drink, but an actual stop), and I was back in the lead.

At 6.5 miles into the race is a water crossing.  All 4 of us reached it within seconds of each other.  During the training run I gingerly crossed trying not to slip on a rock. This time I just went, not caring how deep my foot went into the water...wet shoes is wet shoes.  And, I was out first, but not by much.

The water crossing...fun stuff!

The water was flowing a bit...

The 4 of us leading the 25k women's field.
Somehow I was able to climb out just ahead of the chick ahead of me.
I am definitly the least fashionable looking of this group.

This is where the hills and real trails start.  I think I am pretty decent at hill climbing, so wasn't too worried about this section of the course.  But, I quickly learned how wrong I was.  The first few hills weren't too bad, but my legs were really starting to feel it.  Not too long into this section, Britt passed me...flying up a hill.  She arrived at the next aid station before I got there, and took a bio break, so I was back in the lead again. It didn't last nearly as long as I had hoped, and Britt was back flying up another hill in front of me.  Going into the race I didn't expect to have to walk any hills, but twice I decided it wasn't worth the effort to attempt to run up such a steep hill...I wasn't going much faster than those walking them, so walked at least part.

Going into this race I wanted to enjoy the experience, but my competitiveness took over when I was in that lead girly pack. Now I was hurting, hating the hills, and just wanting to get to the paved road that takes us back into the finish line.  I wasn't having fun and was wondering why the hell I signed up for a 50k in 3 months that would be even more hills and technical trail...and twice the distance!

Finally, I popped out of the woods on to the road, and just as I get there I am passed by another women in the 25k.  I had no clue she was that close to me, and she was quickly ahead of me.  There were 4 miles left of the race and no way I was going to hold the pace she was going.  I couldn't see Britt either, so decided that I would finish strong, but not push my limits.  And, by strong, I mean something that felt kind of fast, but was actually kind of slow.  The hills had beat the endurance out of me, and I was spent.

A few days before the race I had looked up last year's results to get an idea of what times were like for the women. I noticed the course record had been broken at 2:01:something. Second place was 2:09.  So, something under 2:15 sounded look a good time to aim for even though I didn't really know what to expect.  As I rounded the corner for the final stretch to the finish line I looked at my watch and saw it wasn't even 2 hours yet. I picked up the pace in hopes to get under the course record.  I crossed in 2:01:09 and later found out I did come in under the record, although two other women beat the record by more than I did.  Also, the chick who passed me when I reached the road also caught up to Britt and passed her with a half mile to go.  I am pretty sure that no matter how hard I had tried at that point, I wasn't going to move up in the standings, but I probably should have at least tried.  A huge flaw of mine.

Final results...3rd place for the women and 11th overall out of 152 finishers.  Good enough for my first trail race.  And, only one, little fall (went into some grass to avoid a puddle and tripped over a hidden log).

Spent a while at the finish line eating the great post race food spread, then over to Big Grove Brewery for lunch and drinks with friends while waiting for Wes to join us.  He spent the morning volunteering on the course riding around on his fat bike.

So much food!  This isn't even all of it. They were also making pancakes!

Finishers medal...also a bottle opener :)

Age Group prize (3 legged stool).  Will come in handy camping this summer!

Garmin file for those that are curious:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1119360010