The Race
So now that I have some time to write some stuff, I thought I would tell you all about my race this last weekend at Hagg Lake. This was my first ever trail race (I've done lots of trail running, but never raced) and was also the longest race I've ever run. The course was 25km (15.5 miles for you non-metric people) of mud and water.
Now Saturday, it was a little cold and a lot rainy. Seeing as how I am smarter than everyone, I decided to run the race with just my high school cross country uniform on. I figured it's going to be pouring rain the whole time and the last thing I want to do is carry around a bunch of extra weight. I also started with the glasses on, but took them off after I decided it was raining too hard and I couldn't see. If it's a light rain, I like the glasses on so that I don't have to squint to keep the rain out of my eyes.
I eventually pulled away from most of the pack and even the superb Mark McGhee. That guy is awesome. I think I was lucky that day. The first half of the trail was in pretty good shape. Lots of pine needles and leaves, so it wasn't too muddy. The organizers did a great job of clearing debris so you didn't fall into any blackberry bushes. I like the first half of races because there are lots of people to pass. It's mentally much easier when you're passing people. I had a great time and didn't seem to be cold at all. We wound our way up and down until we reached the dam. Now, there is no trail at the dam end so you had to run on the road. The road is quite exposed to the elements and holy crap was it cold. I tried to rub my forearms with my hands, but everything was so numb it didn't matter. Things really started to thin out at this point in time.
Second half of the race was much wetter and difficult. There were sections running through 4 inches of water, through little creeks on the trail, and no one to pass.
If you ever need a good mental battle with yourself, this is the place. The most difficult section was a grass covered hill that didn't have a trail. It was steep and every time you took a step, you slid backwards and towards the lake about a foot.
There was a water stop with about 8km to go and I decided to stop. My knees were killing me and I thought my sock had slid into my shoe and under my arch. So I stopped, had a cup of water and then went to adjust my sock. Turns out, my sock was still there, but mud, and lots of it, had infiltrated my shoe and piled up under my arch. I didn't want to clean it out, so just pushed on.
Here are a couple of pictures with a mile or 2 left to go. You can see how muddy it is.
I ended up finishing 15th out of ~220 people. It took me 2 hours and 9 minutes. I'm definitely going back next year. Hopefully, I don't get massive nipple chafing again. They still hurt.
http://www.haggmud.com for more pictures, results, and info
Now Saturday, it was a little cold and a lot rainy. Seeing as how I am smarter than everyone, I decided to run the race with just my high school cross country uniform on. I figured it's going to be pouring rain the whole time and the last thing I want to do is carry around a bunch of extra weight. I also started with the glasses on, but took them off after I decided it was raining too hard and I couldn't see. If it's a light rain, I like the glasses on so that I don't have to squint to keep the rain out of my eyes.
I eventually pulled away from most of the pack and even the superb Mark McGhee. That guy is awesome. I think I was lucky that day. The first half of the trail was in pretty good shape. Lots of pine needles and leaves, so it wasn't too muddy. The organizers did a great job of clearing debris so you didn't fall into any blackberry bushes. I like the first half of races because there are lots of people to pass. It's mentally much easier when you're passing people. I had a great time and didn't seem to be cold at all. We wound our way up and down until we reached the dam. Now, there is no trail at the dam end so you had to run on the road. The road is quite exposed to the elements and holy crap was it cold. I tried to rub my forearms with my hands, but everything was so numb it didn't matter. Things really started to thin out at this point in time.
Second half of the race was much wetter and difficult. There were sections running through 4 inches of water, through little creeks on the trail, and no one to pass.
If you ever need a good mental battle with yourself, this is the place. The most difficult section was a grass covered hill that didn't have a trail. It was steep and every time you took a step, you slid backwards and towards the lake about a foot.
There was a water stop with about 8km to go and I decided to stop. My knees were killing me and I thought my sock had slid into my shoe and under my arch. So I stopped, had a cup of water and then went to adjust my sock. Turns out, my sock was still there, but mud, and lots of it, had infiltrated my shoe and piled up under my arch. I didn't want to clean it out, so just pushed on.
Here are a couple of pictures with a mile or 2 left to go. You can see how muddy it is.
I ended up finishing 15th out of ~220 people. It took me 2 hours and 9 minutes. I'm definitely going back next year. Hopefully, I don't get massive nipple chafing again. They still hurt.
http://www.haggmud.com for more pictures, results, and info
posted by T-Unit at 2:38 PM
6 Comments:
Nice thighs...runner.
For nipple rub...there are various ways to do it, but you can create a tight fitting manbra that covers just the nips. this beats the bandaid fix that some people suggest because the sticky on the bandaids is non-effective on a sweaty body.
On that same day I ran 1.68 miles on a treadmill. I suffered no nipple damage.
I must say, LB is doing a great job turning The Cruise into a real athlete.
I walked briskly from my workplace to my parking lot. I came in 1st.
yeah, no kidding! he's out running me right now, but only b/c I'm on injured reserve, but I can stationary bike the crap out of him!
Laura's new nickname is "IR".
Mine should be "Nips"
My chafed nipples bled again today during our run. Now I have to walk around holding my boobs.
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