First in Reverse or Last Mule to the Barn

“It hurts up to a point and then it doesn’t get any worse.”

~ Ann Trason ~

First in Reverse or Last Mule to the Barn

Yesterday I ran my first 25K trail run. It was a race for some, but for me it was a run with the intention of working on my mental attitude when things get tough. To be completely honest I should have done more long runs in my training; nevertheless, I had a decent base to accomplish my goal of finishing without getting frustrated.

Preparing for the run

Almost time to run

Before the race started I was talking with my wife and Bob about how many really good runners were in this race. It was clear that they were going to push the front of the pack along. I joked that they would be home showered with their feet up when I finished and I hoped not to be last but if I was, so be it. I received some advice from Eric Orton (www.runningwitheric.com) to be patient for the first 20K and try to blast the last 5K. So why not give it a try.

Through the rock wall

The start came and I held back because I did not want to get caught up in the initial push. We headed up Sander’s Mound and back down knowing that this would have to be done again at the end of the race. For the first few miles I settled into a comfortable pace with a small group and I was hoping we could stay together for most of the distance. Then we came to the first aid station which was also the 10K turnaround and I was not going to stop. One person in the group was doing the 10K and another was going to look for a band aid, so I stayed on the trail but hesitated since I didn’t know if they were all stopping. Two turned and two went past me.  I realized I didn’t know who was who because they were behind me and I did not know what they looked like. I waited for a minute and went on, and would be on my own for a while.

Mile 10

 I knew I was near the back of the pack but I worked to stay focused and keep my pace. After the halfway point I stuck an earbud in my right ear and turned on my trusty old ipod shuffle.  At that point I started walking the hills and running the flat and downhill sections (I turned off the ipod with a couple of miles left to focus on what I was doing).  By mile 12 I was now pretty sure that I was the last runner out there and was having some muscle spasms in my legs. I thought of the quote at the top of this page and knew that I was hurting but it was not going to get worse so I kept pushing on.

The intended blasting of the last 5K turned into determined forward progress. I came around the corner almost to mile 14 and in my head I was saying “Talk to me Goose”.  I looked up and saw my wife and one of the photographers from Mile90 photography (www.mile90.com). They were a sight for sore eyes and tired legs and gave me encouragement as I approached. I smiled at Kristen and said “what was that we were talking about being the last mule to the barn?

Coming to mile 14

Joking with Kristen about being the last mule to the barn

Now I came out to the turn that would lead me down the hill and up to the top of Sander’s Mound for the last time; then it was time for the home stretch back down and up two more hills to the finish. At the top of the mound I allowed myself a little celebratory moment throwing my arms in the air Rocky style. I thanked the photographer for waiting for me and headed for the finish.

Last trip down the mound

Headed for the barn

As I came up the last hill I saw my wife again and glanced at the nearly empty parking lot. I turned the last corner to a small but enthusiastic group of people cheering me in. I am pleased with my run and my longest trail event to date. Mostly I was able to work through some things that previously led to an unhappy death march to the finish. Even though I finished last, I actually feel better about the effort in this run than I have in other races. Thank you to everyone’s support and encouragement along the way. 

Sweeping Trails and Breakfast Lead to a 50 Mile Pact

"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."

~ John Muir ~

Sweeping trails and breakfast lead to a 50 Mile Pact

Me and Kristen

Always amazing Mile90 Photography

 My wife and I have recently teamed up as course sweeps for a couple of Trail Nerds races. For those of you who do not know what sweeping is, it means following along the course and demarking it, picking up trash and making sure no one is left behind. We have a good system where she goes ahead and picks up flags and I follow behind wearing a backpack to carry everything and pick up signs and the like. It is a great way to get some time on my feet on the trails without the pressures of a race, and the only way I can keep up with her.

Creative race distance sticker

It is so nice that we can do these activities together since we both enjoy the outdoors and each other’s company. I am grateful for the time we have to talk about the trails we are on, things we are thinking about or events going on in our lives. I love how nature has a way of allowing conversation to flow easier and freer most of the time. It also gives way to peaceful solitude while you are not alone, if the parties involved do not feel the need to always fill the air with unnecessary sounds.

This last time as we arrived at the park we saw an Eagle fly directly over us and later on the trail a Blue Heron flew over us and we encountered three deer. The deer looked surprised to see us; since we were sweeping they looked at us like “what the heck took you so long? Your herd went by a while ago.” They were not afraid of us, simply as curious as we were. Kristen and I stood there for a little while and just watched them watching us. Once they saw enough they moved on deeper into the woods and we got back to work.

We cruised along with our duties and explored along the way, enjoying the day. This course was a big loop with switchbacks and pretty nice single track trails. There were some rocks and roots but not too many…just enough though. This turned out to be my third run in two days and my legs were getting tired. As we got closer to the end I guess tired legs combined with relaxing my guard some led me to catching my toe on a small root and bouncing on the ground. With the backpack on and a handful of flags I was a little like a stranded turtle for a minute. My wife came back to check on me as I was assessing the damage (minimal) and I got up, dusted myself off and moved on. If you run trails you will fall.

Yes, I felt like this

Once we turned everything over and visited with the race director for a while we headed to the car. On the way up the hill to where we parked we realized it was time to find someplace to eat. There is little better than breakfast after a run in my books. So we headed to find a place to wash up, appease our hunger and relax. We rehashed our morning and continued our conversation on how much better it was to run because you want to versus when you have to while training for something.

I was telling Kristen that as much as I do not care about t-shirts and medals, there was one thing I would like before it is all said and done. I would really like to earn a belt buckle and my only chance was a 50 miler at the end of March. I am familiar with the course because I paced a friend there last year and covered thirty-one miles of it. I told her that the one thing I did not want her to do is go aid station to aid station like she did last year. Reason being this time I would not be doing it for someone else and I was afraid that it might be too easy to have her and the car there when things began to fall apart.

Turn around point for 50 miler

I have to be honest, I did not anticipate the next turn in the dialog. That is when she said “what if I do it with you.” What? Yes, that would be great! I could try to get some friends together and we could all look out for each other and get each other through it. Wow, you never know what you might talk about during or right after a good trail run. I already have a couple of people at least thinking about it. It is great bonding time when you are out there in the middle of nowhere and the layers peel away and you can be you!