Trail Run Race Review

I finished my first ever trail run! And I LOVED it! Not so much at a couple of points and not so much when I first finished, but I recovered quickly and am definitely considering the next one. I learned a lot today.

Last night I definitely had the jitters about it. Everyone was so kind to remind me that it was going to be REALLY humid...and on top of that, it stormed well into the night keeping me up to think about the race. Phil was concerned about the wet/mud. Really?? Because I hate "mud runs" so much?? I LOVE running in the mud and getting dirty!! :) So that was the least of my concerns.

What I did wrong:

• I always wear my "shoe wallet" when I run. It holds my keys and my timer/pace thing for my Nike+....don't do that on a trail run. I lost them BOTH! But here's the good part of this story: someone found my key! It really was a miracle. I thought for sure it was gone forever out in those trails! We considered going back to look for the chip because I know I lost it around 2.4 miles...but Phil had to get home because he had guy plans today. So I'm hoping that someone found it. Either way, I'm just glad my key was found! Thank you to whoever stopped to pick it up!! That was so kind.
• Carb loaded too late last night. First of all, I don't need to carb load for a 4.6 mile run...but, Jake was already spending the night at Mema's so she took him a little earlier so Phil and I could have a date night. We hadn't had one in a while, so I was really looking forward to it! But, Phil was running late at work and by the time we got to my favorite restaurant EVER (Macaroni Grill), there was a wait. So, I had my "create your own pasta" waaaay too late last night. It was, however, well worth the wait! Whole wheat penne with chicken, tomatoes, spinach, and roasted garlic. YUM!! It was still on my stomach this morning, though, and didn't feel so great.
• Not enough water. So apparently there isn't much water on trail runs, which makes sense, but I wasn't thinking. With this humidity, I should definitely have carried a small water bottle. I meant to, but forgot. I will definitely bring one on my next trail run.

What I did right:

• I finished 4.6 mile trail run in 50 minutes!! I was very happy with that. I was really hoping for 10 minute miles, so that wasn't bad at all!
• I stopped. Yes, I know, typically this would be in my "what I did wrong" part since I have never stopped on a race before (when I say "stop", I mean "stop running"). But, it was the steepest hill and I needed a short recovery. It was probably only a total of maybe 1.5 minutes, and it was well worth it. And, everyone was walking up the hill so I didn't feel TOO bad. I ran 1/2 of it and walked the other 1/2 and I'm okay with it. It allowed me to really push for the last 1-1.5 miles.
• I passed some people! That's right - for once I wasn't the one getting passed! :) Okay, so I definitely was in the beginning (as usual) but once on the trail, I passed some people...and they didn't pass me again a minute later. :) That felt good!!
• I had fun!! I loved it. The hills (except for that one vicious one) were not bad at all...in fact, I liked them because after we went up a short ways, we got to go down!

I stayed behind this older gentleman for a long time. I thought about passing him because I could have gone faster...but, he was keeping me grounded (literally) by setting a comfortable pace for me to follow. And, he was just so kind! If we came across a big root or water puddle, he would warn the few of us behind him. I felt like he was the kind of man who would've helped me had I gotten hurt. So I stuck with him until we came to the rocks we had to climb up, and then I passed him. But, he helped me for a while, and I appreciated it!

Immediately after the race I was talking to a friend and said I enjoyed it but definitely didn't want to do the longer ones. But, I am definitely taking that back. I would love to do a longer one....in cooler weather. I could barely breath as I walked from my car to the packet pick up area...it was so muggy. The cool weather of the fall will make it much more bearable. I feel like the exercises I've been doing (specifically the plyometrics, lunges, etc.) have really made my legs stronger so I was able to do this without having ever even run on a trail before.

So, I'm thinking I will most likely sign up for the 11k on November 6. November = a breath of fresh, cool air!

Last but DEFINITELY not least, this is by far my favorite race shirt! - and I have a lot of them. As soon as I pulled it out Phil said, "wow, finally a women's shirt!" YES! Most of the time the t-shirts are too big and just fit wrong. In fact, for the Freedom 5k, they only had men's...it's like a dress on me! We pay for these races, so I really appreciate GTC giving us one that I will definitely wear for something other than sleeping in! :) Phil had already left so I had to take this picture myself but I had to do it to show these great shirts.