Grab a cuppa tea or joe and settle in, it's another long SaskAlliecat ramble......
I was eerily calm about my 10k trail race today. I had a great sleep, a decent breakfast and really didn't fret about the things out of my control, which is not my norm. It felt like any other training day that I would drive out to the lake for except hubby came and drove me and it was an hour earlier than I would typically go.
It was NOT a nice day at all; 6 C while driving out this morning and oh so windy. The forecast called for winds in the 20's gusting into the 30's kph but after running last week in wind gusts on the same course that were around 50kph, these winds were definitely stronger than that. Unfortunately, as we were watching the 20kers leave and were waiting for our turn to go, the rain started. It wasn't a nice warm summer rain, but a blustery cold, chill-you-to-the-bone kind of rain. We did our race debrief under one of the tents, and fortunately the rain died down a bit as the starting gun went off.
Now as some of you may know from my previous posts about this trail course, there is a lot of very narrow single track trails, including the initial trail to the base of the first hill. They didn't talk about that at all in the race debrief, just mentioned the colour pins we were to follow and the last minute course change they did that had us following a bit more of the 50k course ("whatever you do, do not go right but don't worry there are signs" which there was; they have the course very well marked). So needless to say, there were people starting at the front of the pack that shouldn't be. I knew based on my training times on this course, I should be in the top third so tried to start near the front but not so far front to hold others up. But just as we got through the shoot, and you figure we should all be running, there are walkers.....what the heck. You're kidding right? Now, I have absolutely nothing against anybody choosing to come and walk/hike this race. It's an incredibly hard but gorgeous trail and in our back yard so Go for it, but please, choose your starting point in the pack appropriately, especially given all the single track trails. I think there was also somebody crouched down in the middle of the trail that we were all trying to avoid running over, but it was such a blur, I'm not even sure anymore what that start was all about. Maybe it was just people trying to start their watches and having issues, I know I was looking down to see if my watch had started when I realized there was a serious traffic jam in front of me. So after that little debacle, there were many of us running through the grass beside the trail vying for position before the nasty hill-that-kills, leading to the horseshoe. I watched the front of the pack running up the first portion of the first hill and thought nope, I can't do that. It'll kill me for the rest of the race (I learned that from last year's 5k) so was very pleased to see the people immediately in front of me start walking as soon as we hit the hill. Perfect. We're power hiking up the hill. There is a little jostling for position but it feels like I'm in about the right spot, give or take a few runners. As I approached the very top, the wind really hits you broad side. I remember what this felt like last week so grabbed on to my hat, but as I was trying to grab a Kleenex from my pocket (my nose is running like a steam train with all this cold wind) my hat blows off my head. Fortunately I had my buff pulled up over the back of it and my ponytail through the tab in the back so it slowed it down enough to grab it. I carried it along the entire ridge until we deked down onto the deer trail that runs along the side of the hill. The rain made this portion of the trail a little sketchier than normal given the clay based soil, juniper roots, and very narrow trail so I didn't run as much as I have other times when it was dry but the group I was running in seemed to be keeping the same pace and navigating this area in a similar fashion so all seemed well.
At this point I remember from last year that there should be a photographer nearby. I am not a smiley runner and have a really good RBF (Resting B!tch Face); last year's pics were not great so I'm watching for him. He's not at the first spot, but I see him at the second spot, should I smile? Do I wave? Is his camera pointed at me? Oh wait, you're past him now. Likely another picture with RBF again 😆. Oh, boy. Oh well. It is my natural expression. I don't think I'm grimacing at least this year.
We hit the point to veer off where all but the 5k runners go. The 20k and 50k carry on to a separate loop, while the 10k skip the loop and head straight up the next hill. This hill isn't as steep as the first one and has a wider path but it goes on and on and on, climbing then levelling out then climbing and levelling and climbing. A few people step out to hit the aid station. I have my Tailwind with me that I haven't even touched yet so carry on up the hill. I end up stopping after the first climb, take a drink and carry on. There is a group of people stopped to peel off a layer and reposition their running bibs. I get distracted by them (I'm so easily distracted), and ended up tripping over a rock on the middle of the trail. Fortunately I caught myself before hitting the ground, so it was just a stumble and a little curse word. It was a good reminder to run my own race and pay attention. Shortly after this, at about the 4K mark, there is a runner flying toward me! Wow! Is he bookin' it! He is the leader of the 10k pack already making his way back down the trail. Crazy fast! Can't wait to check his final time when the results are posted.
At this point the pair of friends that had running and chatting behind me the whole time overtook me when I walked to drink some of my Tailwind, but then I would pass them as soon as I started to run again. We did this a few times over this second hill but then once we reached the top of the hill, we found our rhythm with a women in grey in front of me, and the 2 friends behind me. We pretty much ran the rest of the race in this configuration, running at a very similar pace. As we reached the last incline of this second hill, my eyes were peeled looking for my heart shaped rocks that my friend pointed out to me last week on our final training run together. I missed the smaller white one, but was able to see the large red one. Yay! Denise is with me, in my heart, on this run. I can hear her telling me, you're almost there. Keep going! 😍 Such a great friend!
At the top of the hill is the course change. We dump down the back side of the hill onto another skinny little deer trail, I see the signs directing me to go straight instead of switch backing on to another set of hills. Phew! Don't you worry 50k route.....some day, I'm coming for you! We meander through a grassy trail, beside a pond we could see from up on the hill, onto the side of the hill, through a gully of trees with their leaves all gorgeous red, yellow and orange, and back onto the interpretive trail we were just on. Now we just need to run back the way we came! Yay! We're about 2/3 done. Sweet!
Now we're meeting runners that are behind us heading up the hill. The pathway is wider here so no worries at all. Wow! Who's this guy bookin' it up the hill now? He can't be a 10k runner behind me running that fast?!? Nope... he's got the 50k bib on! He's the leader of the 50k pack! So my geeky math brain starts kicking in. He started 30 minutes before us, has done the loop for the 20 and 50kers, so he's done roughly 17k in about 80 minutes?!? What!!!! The person who won the 50k last year did it in 5:45, so yup, there's the leader or at least someone from the front of the 50k pack😳. I'm in awe!!! I continue on at my comfortable pace, hiking up the hills and running as much as I can.
Finally, I turn onto the final leg of the race. It's another long up-hill that was a lot more fun to run down than up, but I remember my training and walked where I needed and managed to navigate that sketchy part on the way out but now climbing it without getting lightheaded and didn't even need to stop at all to catch my breath. I just kept truckin'. Oh boy, here comes the ridge again. Has the wind picked up even more? Is that even possible?!? Yup! Better take my hat off and hang on tight. I had lowered the zipper on my jacket but kept it on and now it is just a-flapping in the wind, but I'm not cold so whatever, flap away. It's off one shoulder. Perhaps if I wasn't all red faced, red nosed with crazy wind blown hair, I'd look sexy? Ha! Nope. Oh well. I'm a runner! The wind was absolutely brutal! Twice gusts almost took my legs out from under me. You're running at 45 degrees leaning sideways into the wind, just to try and stay on the ridge. That was the only point in the race where I questioned what the heck was I doing! But that thought quickly passed once I got off the ridge. There was a photographer on the final descent that I can't wait to see the pictures! Yes, I'll still have RBF, but my jacket and hair should be blowing out sideways and I'm hanging on to my bright pink hat with all my might. Should be a good look 😂.
Final 600 metres! Yes! We're in the meadow, protected from the wind, hat back on, time to pick up the pace, Allie! I find my groove, have closed the gap between me and 2 runners in front of me (grey lady has already passed them and I can no longer hear the pair behind me). I see the guy stop and look back... will he and his partner move to the side, nope. He was just waiting for her. Can I pass them? Maybe if I cut into the grass but we're almost at the finish line.....I can see it now. Is it worth it? Do you really want to be THAT runner? Nope, all is good. Passed the finish line right on their heels. Still had gas in the tank, felt like I could've run some more but hey, that's ok. Remembered to stop my Garmin shortly after crossing the finish line; unofficial time 1:24:22. I'm happy with that given it is faster than any of my training runs and the course change added another couple hundred metres. Could I have done it faster? Probably, but I feel great so hey! ho! I'm happy. Got my badge, my poutine, but skipped the beer. It was way too cold out and I'm not a big beer drinker. Now if they had coffee and Bailey's, I would've been all in, or if it was more than 10 degrees, maybe a beer would've been more enticing.
Will I do it again next year? You betcha! But next year, I'm running the 20k!
Edit: Race results posted: I finished in 1:24:11 putting me in 20th place out of 58 women; or 37th out of 91 runners. Yay 😊
You have had a time with your training..but you blinking well put that run away, and how
What was I thinking ? 🤔 
I did it! My first ever 10k race!
And we thought that was the top of the hill 
