A Crazy Trail Run

I have two races scheduled for this year. One is a half marathon on November 17 and the other was a 10K at Kincaid Lake this past Saturday. I prefer racing longer distances because I get to run long and slow. My husband says it's because I'm a race snob and think 5Ks are just too easy for me. PUH-LEEZE! I'm not speedy and I'm not competitive. Have ya seen my past race times?

Anyway, I ran my first 10K of the year on Saturday, October 6 with an unofficial finish time of 1:10. No PR there. Not only would this race be my first of the year but it was also my first trail run, the Eddie's BBQ Race for Da Ribs 10K Trail Run. Funds from the race benefited the Rapides Junior Runners, a local nonprofit organization that encourages the sport of running to children ages 3-14. I knew this trail race would mean a slower run since I'd be trying to divert roots, pass on narrow paths, walk/run steep hills, and run on varied running surfaces (i.e. sand, mud, gravel). But I was still hopeful that I'd run this distance faster than my previous 10Ks.

Little did I realize, though, that I'd be ending the race...hobbling! When I went to sign in and pick up my "goodie bag," I knew something was off when they realized I was a female and not a male. I know my name is foreign but good God (Forgive me Michael. This is for emphasis.), the online form that I used to pre-register asked if I was Female or Male. Duh...I selected Female. Me girl...NOT boy. This was gonna be fun...

Then...there was no race bag as was promised on the imATHLETE registration page. I just got handed the race shirt.

Once the race was ready to begin, the race director had a few messages to share including teasing folks who might come in around 1:30 as their race time. I thought that was uncalled for and not encouraging at all. Nothing wrong with that race time!

Off I went. I was clocking a 9:30 pace but soon noticed that the trail path was very narrow and only wide enough for one person to run on at a time. So if you wanted to pass someone, you literally had to run on their heels to get their attention if you were trying to pass. This really only happened to me at about mile 5 when a fellow runner would NOT let me pass. Ludacris knows what I'm talking about! "Move! Get out da way!" (Minus all of the expletives, of course. I didn't think to call her any foul names.)

 

She would run and walk to drink from her water bottle. I didn't mind stopping to walk one or two times but it got annoying when she would run a tenth of a mile, run a little and stop, run a little and stop, run a little AND STOP. You know what I mean...AND she would not let me pass. So, I just said to myself that I needed to show some good sportsmanship and let it be. Do I get some extra points to heaven?!

Before that incident, I had to stop abruptly right before mile 3 because some other runners were warning all of us that bees were attacking runners up ahead. Uh...say what?! The start and stop lady asked me what we should do. And in true Trang fashion, I said, "Let's just run through it." (Like I'm some superhuman, right?!) I only said that because I just couldn't believe that bees were on the attack. Sue me. Turns out though, it was true. Heh...so we ran around the path we were supposed to and I found my running groove and started to sail off.

AND THEN...I fell!!! Hard! BOOM! CRASH! KAPOW! Not once but TWICE. Of course, after I realized that I had fallen, I looked around to see if anyone had seen me fall. At the time, I was more embarrassed than hurt. I scraped my left knee and upper thigh pretty badly. I'll spare you a picture. (Wait, I just realized I'm not a true blogger yet because I didn't carry a camera with me. ;)) Then, at mile 5, I fell on my right side after seeing the start and stop lady trip before me. I must have fallen where she tripped. Ugh.

When I think about this 10K, I cringe a little bit. It was probably the best and worst $30 I have spent in a long time. And believe me, I've purchased a lot of crappy stuff in my 30+ years of life. (I still think about the baby wrap I bought and never used. It's brand new if anyone wants it. :)) I was drawn to the race because of the distance and the goodies the race director stated he'd provide to all those that registered. I doubt I will run this race again, although the funds would benefit the Rapides Junior Runners.

I learned two important lessons from this race. Keep a first aid kit handy in your vehicle at all times (which I did) and don't sign up for a race just because it's cheap. Boo-yah!