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So I signed up for my second trail race about 3-4 weeks before the event. I had decided to do the Lake McMurtry trail race in Stillwater, OK. The trails are supposed to be single track, red dirt with a few roots to make it interesting and dirt piles for rolling hills. Easy!
On a Sunday I drove to Stillwater to check out the trails with my friend Michelle. Now Michelle tried to tell me it was raining there. My response was "so; we run in the rain all the time". Then she said "it was thundering at her house". I look outside my house, it is misting, cloudy and cool not anything storm looking. I tell her "Oh it will be ok." I drive towards Stillwater which is about 1-1.25 hours away. When I get about 20 minutes away it starts pouring rain. Great! Then it just as quickly stops. Sweet! Meet Michelle at the Lake, we greet/hug each other, take a pre-run selfie and take off on a trail. At about 20 minutes into the run it becomes a torrential downpour with thunder and lightening. Shit! Of course there is nothing to do but keep running to the turnaround. The rain goes back and forth between a sprinkle and a heavy rain. The lightening lets up and the thunder backs off. The sun shines but it still rains. We are a soaking wet muddy mess. I tell Michelle, "next time maybe I should look at the weather." her response is "or you know, you could just listen to me." Well there is that, my bad.
I have been running Turkey Mountain trails about 2-3 times a week and they are way more technical than the Lake McMurtry trails. I am lifting heavy with Nate and doing some correctives, activation and form work. Staying on my Whole 30 nutrition plan. Being gentle with my foot as it is still tender at times and still recovering. I might have skipped a couple of short road runs if it seemed more tender and normal.
Everything is going great until Easter weekend. I decided to go home and see the family and of course it is Alumni weekend. So I go to the local watering hole to reminisce with high school friends which turned into a late night. The next day I go for my planned trail run of 140 minutes, at Robber's Cave State Park with a friend, Marcus who is about to run Boston. The run turned into 170 minutes because it took longer to get to the cars than we anticipated. Oh well. Sunday night I stay at Mom's. Monday I play with the grandson and stay at my son's house. Tuesday morning I wake up to a sore throat and a long drive back to Tulsa to meet Nate at 9 am for training.
The sore throat recedes to a deluge of sinus drainage and coughing. It is ok, it is just allergies, welcome to spring time in Oklahoma. Or so I tell myself. By the following Tuesday, I am no better and I think I am actually worse. Time to see the physician. Rats! So she tells me: your throat is red, your left ear has fluid on it, your right ear has fluid on it that is infected and your lungs sound junky. So I take antibiotics and I can race on Saturday. Right? "Maybe, rest, fluids, rest, meds oh and rest. Then you can decide how you feel Saturday morning."
I get through the workday on Wednesday and get to bed early to start my rest fest. I am off work now until Monday. Woohoo! I work with Nate on Thursday, get a massage and rest. Friday I sleep in, take meds, take a nap, do a shakeout run. Now that shakeout run, took more effort than it should have. It was a slow run. I coughed during and after. Really think I am going to have to revise my race goals. Notice it does not cross my mind to not race.
Saturday morning race day comes early at 0515. it is the usual pre-race morning of: coffee, dog out, bathroom, dog in, dress, bathroom, more coffee, breakfast in a to go plastic and off to the car. The drive to Stillwater is uneventful just a perfect amount of time to eat, drive and think about the race.
I park the car, find my friend Michelle, locate the bathrooms, find the start line and run into another friend Tenika. We all chat for a bit and then the race director start telling us to gather at the start line. Which literally is a crack in the asphalt. Ken, the race director goes over the course directions. The 12K is an out and back with a lollipop loop at the end before you head back to the finish. To get to the finish you will cross this start line to those cones turn left go back on the trail by the lake edge and come up behind the pavilion up some natural steps just to make it interesting. Insert token eye roll here, because I think all finish lines should be on a straightaway or downhill so you can fly across the line with dramatic flair. Ha!
The gun fires and we are off. There are only about 45-50 people at this 12K race distance. The 50K and 25K started earlier. I take off and pass a few people at the beginning before we get to the single track trail. After we get on the trail I pass one girl ahead of me and keep her behind me. Most of the time it seems like a solo run. You can occasionally see people through the trees or hear people ahead or behind you but for the majority of it I was alone.
The trail is red dirt,, that edges around the lake and is lined with pines, cedars, oaks, elms, it undulates up easy gains/drops of 50 feet or less but it is repeatedly. Occasional roots reach up and trip the unsuspecting. It really is a great trail to run.
I am running about a 13-13:30 pace. I have my watch on but all it show is elapsed time and heart rate, so my pace is just an estimate. There are no mile markers just occasional signs that say race and point in a direction. About 2 miles in is the only water aide station. It offers: water, gatorade, breakfast burritos, chips, candy, liquor, beer and I don't know what all else. I swallowed some water and keep running. These runners are more serious. They are not stopping and having a feast mid-run. I have not seen anyone walking, of course I have not seen many people at all except the 25's & 50"s coming back towards me on the trail. I look at the runner's as they come towards me and their focus is more intense than the trail runner's I have encountered thus far. These guys and gals are running and running hard! The lead 50K guy strides like a gazelle or cheetah. It really is art in motion.
Now I figure I am getting close to the half point. I come upon a trail split, on the left is the sign that says race and points ahead but on the right is the sign that say race and points back the way we came. Oh good, this must be the lollipop loop. Left it is. I run down the trail for a bit and meet some of the runner's I know are ahead of me especially a woman who tells me the turnaround is right up there. Good deal. I get to the turnaround, just a sign, no cone, no timing mat, just 2 trees with ribbons. I turnaround and start making my way back to the finish.
I am coughing occasionally but not bad, I can feel my glutes firing, and I can feel the effects of the effort. I trade places a couple times with a 50K participant who will be out there all day. We trade greeting and I keep moving. Occasionally I can hear faster runner's that are in the longer races approaching behind me, so I move over and give them room to pass and a good job to go with it. The last time I move over thinking a faster runner was approaching but it was the lady I passed in the beginning of the race. So I got back on the trail and took off because I am faster and stronger runner of the two of us, but I had lost focus momentarily or something because I was not getting passed.
This time through the aide station I just keep moving, I don't even slow down. I am ready to be done. I have decided this course is probably a little long but, oh well. I come out of the trees, across the road, down the power line clearing, back on the road, turn left into the trees back along the waters edge to the natural/man made steps to cross the Finish!
The medal guys asks me how many miles I got. I look 8.23. What? He says, "yeah there was supposed to be a guy to turn you guys around but he didn't make it, Sorry."
So then I look up and there is my friend Michelle. Know I now she was behind me. So how is she already finished? So I ask her; how are you done already? So she tells me; "you must of done that extra part that was not for the 12K just the 25K & 50K. There was supposed to be a guy but he wasn't there" So I ask, How did you know to turn around? "Oh , some guy doing the 50K told us."
To make the matters worse or better depending on your viewpoint, Michelle gets 3rd in our age group and I get 4th. So had I not done the "extra" .8 miles I would have gotten my first age group award. Even doing the extra .8 miles I finished 2 minutes behind Michelle. Rats!!!!
So the course was not marked for us to turn around and nobody was there to direct us to turn around. I looked at the course map the night before and there were no designations for the 12K, 25K or 50K. It was just one marked trail on the map. Even with all of that I will take part blame in the outcome. I should have listened to the directions at the onset of the race more carefully. I also could have ran a bit faster or at least 2 minutes or so faster an earned my age group award.
I am happy for Michelle. Truth be told if I had got the age group award because some sap took a wrong turn and ran longer than needed. I would have thought "sorry for your bad luck" and grinned all the way home. So Congratulations to Michelle & Tenika for your awards! Well Done! As for me I will mark this up as a valuable lesson.
Live Epic!
Michelle
