ENDURrun Stage 3 = 30k trail run August 14, 2012

Stage 3 – Bechtel Park 30 km trails
The essential thing in life is not so much conquering as fighting well. –Baron de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games
Pictured here are the stage winners and still champions Jackie and Bob and the final runners Sean and Heather. Who showed that determination is the key to any race. (and yes that is a Guiness in Sean’s hand, presented to him by a fellow runner)
Stage 3 of 7 ..Trail Race. 30km. 5km loop. Each loop run six (6) times. Hilly and demanding course, with parts asphalt, grass, dirt, and wood chips. Eight (8) hills per 5km loop, for a total of 48 hills to ascend and descend. This stage separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls, the strong runners from the casual runners. And the stupid from the smart.
To succeed in this stage, you need two things. Firstly, you need the requisite training, which is hills (strength) and trails. The trails here are not very technical or difficult, but still challenging for one who has not done enough of them, or any at all. Secondly, you need a mental will of steel, because doing the same loop six times is enough to drive anyone crazy.(but we are marathon runners, so insanity is a gift). I had been training on Brimley hills, so my mental (ha ha) attitude was good.
We woke up today with really nice temperature, but calling for rain. We went through the usual pre-race routine: use the bathroom for the last time, chit-chat with the other Ultimate participants, who were were now starting to know by name, stretch our aching legs, and get ready for Lloyd to start us off. Soon it was time to start. We assembled at the start line, did the roll call, got our last minute instructions, and were off!
My goal was to go out conservitively because I should know by now what is happening. Tried some of the Vega pre-exercise poweder and that helped with the first two loops (remember what I said at the beginning?) Well I didn’t pay attention to my innerself and went our hard thinking I could hang on. Wrong. I resolved to run all the hills with no walking. The first loop went very well, (despite a call to….. wait….. TMI…) and I finished it in around 32 minutes, only 5 more of these and I’m done! Somehow I thought I might be able to do this stage in 3 hours or at least less than last year. (look up vainglorious)
On the second loop ran about the same time and then it started to rain.
Then the 3rd loop came up and as the expression goes “the wheels fell off” I had no kick in my legs at all. To comfort myself I started thinking of any songs with running in them.
This is a very pretty course. From the start, you run on grass (beside a cemetery) then some pavement, entering some rolling hills beside a dog park , then running in a a groomed forest trail beside a river and back out to the start.
Between k 4 and 5 Gravity became my friend on the downhills and I chanted Brimley, Brimley on the up hills.
On the 4th loop some of the runners I passed previously asked if I was slowing down, so to put a positive spin on that I said, no you are speeding up. On the six loop, my roomie Paul came into sight behind me which set a fire under me to get this damn race over. (Plus I didn’t want him to get any time on me. I did thank him after for making me pick up the pace.
Pretty soon, the finish line was in sight. I ran across, to the cheers of the runners already finished, and crossed the line around 3:25 (I forgot to stop my watch) but to entertain the others waiting for me, I dropped down and ala Usain Bolt, did 10 push ups.

UP NEXT: Tomorrow’s stage is an evening race, starting at 6:00 …. the very hilly 10 Miler. The only race I know where you start and end on a very severe uphill, and not quite, but close to Brimley.
Comparisons (I am going backwards)
2011= 3:20
2010 = 3:19
2009 = 3:17

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