Had I written this report Saturday after the race, it probably would've been filled with negative comments and thoughts. I struggled big time, but lets start from the beginning. I drove 2 hours south, to Birmingham, Friday after work to stay with one of my very best friends and prepared for the race. Well, after a late dinner that consisted of steak, potatoes, garlic cheese toast, salad, and many hours of sitting around talking, I finally got in the bed about 12:30AM. My alarm was set for 4:30, but I ended up getting up at 4:00 because I was tired of staring at the ceiling. I got ready and left the house by 5AM. After a 40-minute drive across town, I arrived at beautiful Oak Mountain State Park where I had to literally scrape together $3 worth of change to pay the fee to get into the park. Whoops! I completely forgot about it and I rarely carry cash. I apologized to the park ranger as I literally handed him a fistful of nickels and dimes. Moving on... I got my race packet and fooled around smearing body glide on my feet before putting my socks and shoes on. I went to a little church service they were having at 6:15 which was nice. I really enjoyed it. Xterra was having 3 races, a 5k, a 10k, and the 21k that I was doing. The 5kers were supposed to start at 7AM, but that got pushed back until 7:20AM. I hate when races start late. The 21kers were off at 7:30AM with a shotgun start. The 10kers were 10 minutes after us. We ran about a mile up the road before dropping into the woods. I started out waaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too fast; probably a sub-9 minute mile. I was just going with the flow, but would come to regret this very soon. We were running on beautiful single-track trails the entire day. The first mile had lots of switchbacks. Easy enough. About mile 2, I started walking. About mile 2, I was seriously considering a DNF for the first time ever. About mile 2, I wanted to cry. About mile 2, I was already in a lot of pain from a stupid blister. About mile 2, I came to find things were still easy. The heat and humidity were getting to me and I was being a big fat baby; plain and simple. About mile 2, it seemed like I had been passed by everyone competing in the 10k event. About mile 2.5, the hills started. (Let me add that my buddy who had never ran at the state park told me he heard that it was an "easy" race and much easier than McKay Hollow, a similar trail race in my hometown.) We climbed one hill. Okay... I can do that. A few steep hills are okay. About mile 4, I decided that I was actually okay with walking the rest of the race. I wish I would've counted how many hills were in this section. I'd say it was 4 miles of nothing but straight up and down. It might flatten out for 20-30 feet, and then it would be another hill. They were so steep! I really would love to see some of the more elite guys run some of those downhills, because I do not see how it was possible. I'm pretty good about letting gravity take over when I do downhill on the trails, but I couldn't do it here. They were scary steep. I was miserable. Everyone around me was walking. Oh, and complaining about the hills! At about mile 7, we ran on the road for a mile before we hit another trail. Oak Mountain also had a triathlon going on, and my friend, Matt, and I passed each other at this time. I thought that was cool! He is an awesome athlete, and he was flying up the road on his run portion. (Update: He just told me on facebook that his relay team finished 1st overall; awesome! He also told me that I looked great when we passed each other; total lie!) Before we drop back into the woods after the road section, I asked the aid station workers if they had a first-aid kit. They didn't but asked what I needed and I said a band-aid because I had a killer blister on my foot (2 days later it is still killing me; by far the worst I've ever had). A guy had some with him and I was thankful! I sat down on the side of the road and took off my soaking wet sock and shoe (I had crossed 2 small streams) and tried to adhere the band-aid to the ball of my left foot. They don't really like to stick to wet feet though. I did my best. I noticed at this time that my hands were shaking terribly. I still don't know why, but just went about my business. I got passed by several people at this time and seriously thought that I was now in last place. I'd say it took me about 5 minutes to do that whole foot thing. Then, I was off again! At this point, I think I'm about 8 miles into the race. I did have on my garmin, but I absolutely refuse to look at it. I think it would've depressed me to see how slow I was going and how far I still had to go. So, it was on my wrist, but I never once glanced at it. (I do plan to plug it into my computer this week to see the elevation gain/loss for this race.) The next 4-ish miles were some of the nicest, most beautiful switchback trails I've ever had the pleasure of running on. They were wonderful. Of course, I was already exhausted, so I couldn't run them like I would've liked. I did a run/walk combo that worked fine. I ran for a while and then walked when I was tired. At this time, I did see a snake which freaked me out a bit. I was all alone in the woods and he was in an opening on the side of the trail. He didn't bother me, but I was then worried that he had "friends" around. Thankfully, I didn't encounter any. I finally got out of the woods after winding around a beautiful lake for quite a while. A worker told me that I had just a .50 mile to go on the dreadful asphalt. Boy was the sun hot that was beating down on my shoulders! I told myself that I was going to run the rest of the time... only .50! I could see a guy in front of me taking a walk break and I was determined to catch him. Don't let me fool you, I was not moving fast; 10:00 pace at the absolute best. Before the race started, the RD told us that we had to go through a "mud-pit" and that there was an option to go around it, but our time would be penalized if we chose to do that. Well, with less than .50 to go, we still hadn't encountered it. I was thinking that he had been joking and was disappointed because I love good muddy runs and really didn't come across any in this race because it had been so dry. He wasn't lying. The guy in front of me literally ran through the lake I had been running around for a while. His first step was about at his knees. Okay, that is fine. His second step went up to his neck. This time I 100% promise that I am not exaggerating about that. I know my jaw dropped. The official that was standing there told me to jump in, so I did! I did the same thing as the guy in front of me. Everything went underwater but my head. It was a thick Alabama mud bottom, and I am very surprised that I did not lose a shoe. It was very hard to move in. The "mud-pit" was about 20 feet long and then we came out on the bank with less than 100 yards to go to the finish. When I came out, the guy that I was determined to pass was on the side of the path throwing up! I have a weak stomach, so I tried to pass him without looking over there. Then I thought that it was mean to just pass him like that so I told him "good job" and kept running. Then I realized how mean that was. It seemed like I was telling him good job for throwing up when I was really just trying to encourage him. I looked for him after the race to apologize because the more I thought about it the worse I felt. I never saw him though. It turns out that I didn't finish last. Thankfully. I was close though; I was 122 out of 128. Wow - that is embarrassing. Anyways... I knew absolutely nothing about this race or course going into it. I just knew that it was a trail half somewhere different and I wanted to try it. I had set an A goal of 3:00, a B goal of 3:45 (my McKay Hollow time), and a C goal of just finishing. I crossed the finish line in 3:01:01 although the course was a little short; it was more like 12 miles rather than 13. Oh well. Truth be told, I'm not complaining one bit that it was short. In the end, I'm happy with my time but still disappointed in my performance. I walked a lot and think I'm better than that. I'm okay with walking the hills. The last couple of miles were just nice little rollers, and I should've been able to run them if I were in the condition I wish I were in. I guess that is a goal to work towards. A few thoughts about the race: (1) Huntsville, where I run most of my races, has a strict no headphones policy which doesn't bother me whatsoever as I don't run with music. Birmingham does not, so A LOT of people were running with headphones. I am fine with that, except for the fact that the 10k racers started after us and were trying to say "on your left" to us slower 21kers and I saw A LOT of people not hear them and therefore not move out of the way. That was frustrating to see. I know that if I were fast and encountering that problem, I would've been upset. (2) At the first aid-station I got passed by these 2 guys that were running the 10k in vibram five-finger shoes. I can't decide if I like them for running or not. I like the minimalist mentality, but am not completely sold on running in them; especially trails. Well about 200 yards after the first aid station was the first significant hill climb. I was about halfway up it (walking, of course) and they were coming back down towards me. One of the guys was limping badly and when I looked at his foot, he literally had a branch sticking out of his toe area. It looked awful! I asked him if he was okay and he said yes. The guy behind me asked if he stubbed it and he said yes. I have a pair of vibrams (they were a gift), but am now 100% convinced that I will never wear them on the trails. Poor guy. (3) I think I'll be okay with never doing another race in the summer again. Temps got into the 90's this weekend but felt well over 100* and the humidity was just terrible. I heard someone describe it as they "felt like they were breathing soup" it was so muggy outside. (4) I'm generally curious about what type of aid people use on longer runs. So here is mine. I didn't have a single thing to eat until about 4PM on Saturday; no snacks during the race, no gu, etc. I carried my handheld water bottle with me and drank about 3/4 of it throughout the race. At each aid station, I would get one cup of water and splash it on my face to cool off. That is the extent of it. (5) I didn't take an ice-bath because I went back to my buddies and hung out for the rest of the weekend. I am feeling it today. My hips are letting me know that they are here. Ouchie! In the end, I had a good time and am glad I did the race. I seriously considered a DNF. I just wasn't feeling it the first several miles. The blister + the heat and humidity were getting to me. I have never quit anything in my entire life and didn't plan to start on a stinkin' half marathon. A full, an ultra, a triathlon - maybe. Hopefully not, but maybe; but not a half! Also, I'm not really proud of this, but thought I would share with my FRB friends: I went to check what my official time was online, and it turns out that I got 3rd in my AG. They were giving out hardware for AG winners, but I didn't stick around for that so I didn't know. I would be super excited if I felt that I worked hard and deserved it. I didn't. It was a pitiful race. It just so happens that only 3 people were registered in the female 20-24 division. Maybe one day I'll actually work hard enough to feel I earned it... something to strive for. Sorry this is so long!
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