Final Trail run and a new piece of kit

[SaskAlliecat]

My trail race is under 2 weeks away now and I ran my final trail run yesterday. I'm heading out of town on Thursday for a conference for the weekend so my runs will be relegated to the hotel treadmill 😩 or an evening road run when I get home on Sunday. Not ideal but it is what it is. My legs have been heavy, I'm achy, I'm exhausted, I've been painfully slow and battling with wicked heartburn so perhaps a break will be good. I ordered a new piece of kit a few weeks ago after dealing with nasty spear grass,burs and an aberrant porcupine quill that somehow ended up inside the heel of my shoe over the last few runs. They are dirty girl gaiters called Run Til you Dye 😆. They are bright, they stand out and they worked pretty good. My feet were still filthy (it was very muddy and wet out there given it rained) and only had one thing poke me in the foot that made me stop. I couldn't find anything so I must have brushed up against one of the many prickly pear cacti that are on my trails. But, I haven't washed and picked through my socks yet to see how many little spear grass seeds worked their way in through the mesh of my shoe. It would be nice if they went further down the toe of my shoe and they may if I lace my shoes differently but I don't want to change anything before race day. I also tested out my new long sleeve heat gear top and my full length heat gear tights in case race day is cooler like it has been the last 2 years. It was nice running in full tights and not having the scratchy grass bugging my legs, but it wasn't nice when I had to drop them to go pee on the trail 🙄. That will suck if it occurs on race day..... blinding other racers with my bright white bum 😵

The pictures are of my gaiters: the left is pre-run with my newly cleaned shoes (necessary for the Velcro to stick to the back of my shoe); the right is after their maiden voyage. They are even brighter when they are wet 😎and stood up very well to my muddy escapade. I definitely can't hide with those on my feet 😂

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon]

I like those Sask, what a great idea. It’s horrible having things poke into your legs and feet whilst running, and those babies seem just the thing! Also, you might scare nibbly critters away! 😅

Ooo your race is slow close! Smart move getting some warmer gear ready in case it does cool down. You sound very prepared. 🏃‍♀️👊

It’s cooler here now - at last! Woohoooooooo! 🙌

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

I was still peeling burrs off my thighs but I can't wear a full body suit 😆 . I guess that is the downfall to wearing tights but it is worth it. Whatever Mother Nature throws at us on race day, i’d like to think I’m ready 🤞🙏🏻

[Lavender1962 Half Marathon]

Ooh! I love your gaiters. And the taper begins! The well deserved rest will do you some good. You’ve put in all the hard work and I’m sure it will pay off on race day. I can’t wait to read your race report!

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to Lavender1962]

Thanks Lav. I’m doing the typical second guessing of everything. I had hoped to run it faster than I’m likely too on race day but I was focusing on completing healthy and happy so trained at a slower pace than maybe I should have. But it is what it is. I did this with the other distances too and then wanted to sign up for more races afterwards because it was enjoyable. We’ll see if that happens this year. If not, I’ve decided I would volunteer at one of the Aid stations next year and still run the trails in the summer without the pressure of a race. But time will tell. Sign up is in February. That’s a long ways a way to be making any decisions now.

[Lavender1962 Half Marathon in reply to SaskAlliecat]

Being healthy and happy and enjoying the race sounds great! 🏃🏻‍♀️😊👍

[David_G Metric Marathon]

No, certainly can’t hide wearing those! Very best of luck with your run🏃‍♀️ I’m sure you’ll do yourself proud🙂👍

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to David_G]

Thanks David 😊

[Decker Ultramarathon]

Awesome colours there Sask. 🌈 You’ve worked hard, and I know it will pay off. No need to question anything now. Hope your conference goes well without too much stress and I’m really looking forward to hearing all about your race experience!

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to Decker]

Thanks Decker. The conference should be good. I'm going the night before so I don't have to drive at the crack of dawn; the first night of the conference has a session called unWINEd that has one of our veterinarians that is a sommelier do a wine tasting and I actually get CE credits for it! Sweet! Then there is a yoga session one of the mornings that I'll go to as well (no CE for that, just general wellness 😊). There is such a high suicide rate for veterinarians and a lot of mental health isssues and addictions within the profession that our association has opened up their eyes to it and have really tried to support us as a whole. With the shortage of veterinarians in our area (and it's getting worse, not better), things are only getting tougher. The AGM will be the most stressful part likely and I just sit back and listen to the blowhards speak their piece then vote the best way I see fit, not what the loudest people say. I'm hoping this year is less dramatic, but who knows what people's agendas are. We get the wine tasting that night, so all will be well 😆.

I'll be sure to post my race report, good or bad, however it may be.

[Decker Ultramarathon in reply to SaskAlliecat]

At least there is wine tasting so there is an upside! Your report will be wonderful as always! Just try to enjoy the time. Easier said sometimes, I know.

[Dexy5 10 Miles]

What a difference a run makes to your shoes. Hopefully you don’t have to clean them after every run. Love those gaiters SaskAlliecat.

Good luck with thAt race, but most of all , enjoy it.

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

Lately that is what happens to my shoes after every run on this trail, which is 2/3 of my race course. There is a Spring-fed area where it is always muddy, mucky, smelly and gooey. Somehow I manage to get down it without sliding on my backside, but I'm waiting for that to happen. The main reason for using poles is for this muddy area and all the water crossings - it's nice to have another point of contact as you're slipping, sliding around). I don't wash my shoes every time (often I just wait for the mud to dry and brush them off), but they were very stinky after this last one and I noticed one of the velcro pieces for my gaiters came off. Time to clean them up and super glue the Velcro on to keep the heel portion of the gaiter's down where they belong.

Thanks for the well wishes. I'll do my best to enjoy my race. For some reason, I'm feeling more pressure with this one than I did with the shorter distances. I'm not sure why but my goal is to finish and enjoy it, so I may have to remind myself that on race day.

[Dexy5 10 Miles in reply to SaskAlliecat]

👍

[Tasha99 Marathon]

Whee on earth do you run up get shoes like that and go past cacti?! 🌵

I love your gaiters!

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to Tasha99]

Saskatchewan, Canada in the prairies where people think it is bald @$$ prairie but we have some serious hills in the river valley. When we first moved here, I saw a tumble weed and didn't realize they were a real thing. I thought they were just a thing of old westerns 😂. Giddy'up cowboy 🤠 🐂🐄🐎🦌🌾🐍

[Tasha99 Marathon in reply to SaskAlliecat]

Oh yes I remember now! 🤣 tumbleweed

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon]

Funky! Love those.

It's nearly here! I know you'll be great 👍🏻😁

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Thanks. Here's hoping 🤞

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

What fabulous colours Saska! Even the dirty ones 😮 They look amazing.

Gosh, you do have to deal with a lot on your runs. We are so lucky here on the whole and don't have to face some of the things you do.

It sounds as if a little break will be good and then you'll be raring to go again. I have no doubt you'll be tickety boo on the day 🙂

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

Thanks IP 😊. It’s the challenges I endure on my runs that have made me fall in love with it, but I will admit this distance has been a bit of a chore lately. I won't be looking at running the 50k race anytime soon, but I have 4 + years before my 50th so never say never, I guess 🤪

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon in reply to SaskAlliecat]

What distance is this one? And gosh you are young! 🙂

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

This is the 20k. Thanks for the young comment; I'm the old lady at work 🙄😆

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon in reply to SaskAlliecat]

That's a fair old distance on trails, but I imagine you've done the training and put the miles in.

The age thing is all relative isn't it? My mum, who's a youthful 86 year-old still talks about certain clothes shops that sell clothes for "old ladies" 😂😂 I have to laugh as she says it in all seriousness and doesn't consider herself one of the "old ladies" at all 🙂

[AlMorr Half Marathon]

Good luck for your trail run, those shoes are very colourful, I am sure they will be very comfortable to run in.

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to AlMorr]

Thanks Al

[Bluebirdrunner]

Super kit Allie, all the prep done. A change of scene and routine will do you good, rest those legs a little.

A happy, healthy run, aiming to get round is fantastic, I'm sure you will enjoy your trail come race day....

We all think you're amazing, and can't wait to hear all about it!

Good luck😊xxx

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

Thanks Jan 😊. As much as I've enjoyed running my trails this summer, I am actually looking forward to some carefree, no pressure short town runs this winter. I think I'll be focussing on strength training a bit more this winter 💪

[Hidden]

Love your dirty girl gaiters! Just what we need right now as we seem to have a plague of ticks.

I’m tired and slow too. I think we’ve all reached that stage in the training, as a few of us have said the same.

Good luck with it all! Xx

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Flick. I chose these colours so the ticks should stand out on the pattern. They had some great designs but some of the others the ticks could've been camouflaged. Thankfully our ticks are mostly done for the season. We don't tend to get the fall surge, but I still spray my shoes and legs with icaridin, just in case 😖

[Hidden in reply to SaskAlliecat]

Not had them all summer - suddenly the dogs were coming back with them

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

😩