Well I did it! I officially became a nerd today. A Trail Nerd, that is. I paid my membership dues in dollars and also paid my dues in sweat. This morning I participated in my first official trail run, and as crazy as this may sound: It Was a Blast!!!
The event was the 2012 Trail Nerds Summer Intro 2.8 mile run. The run took place through a wooded local park on trails that were (by my unofficial estimate) about 90-95% single track, which means the bare area we were running on was about 2 foot wide in places and very difficult to pass. And, despite its advertisement as having “no major hills”, there were some “minor” ones that gave this trail-newbie a good kick in the pants, or shorts as it were. We were jumping over exposed roots and fallen trees, occasionally ducking under overhanging branches, and generally having one heck of a good time.
So fast, he’s a blur…yeah, right.
As you can see, on the few wide parts of the trail I was being paced by a much younger (and no doubt fitter) crowd. 🙂 I was very nervous in the hours before the race this Saturday morning. I had never done anything like this and despite regularly running 2.5-3 miles several times a week, I had not run on uneven, natural trails. My normal trail-running routine is on hard-packed wooded trails like you see in these pictures. After I registered and got my number, I spent the next 20 minutes walking around the park warming up and trying to burn off that nervous energy. It did the trick. By the time we bunched up and got the “go” sign I was able to settle right in to a nice even pace…until we almost immediately bunched up again to enter the trail proper.
A very nice lady was out in front of me during the first third of the trail setting a very nice pace and I was happily following her until she stopped for a brief drink at a turn-around point. After that I felt my confidence boosted and set my own pace, when I could, and even worked up the courage to pass some people when I felt I could pick up my own personal pace.
The back half of the race was much more hilly than the front half and things slowed down a few times when the trail was too narrow to pass. I got behind a crowd of 8-10 who were mostly walking during the steeper moments, which was probably a mercy as I might have been foolish and pushed too hard. As I broke out of the woods on to the wider trail I was pleased that I had enough in me to kick it up a slight notch, keep good form, and cross the finish line in a time that was much better than I anticipated. I finished the 2.8 mile run in 32:48, which averages out to running 11:43 minute miles. The goal I had set for myself was 13 minute miles, so even with some forced walking I beat that goal and beat it good.
You can see photos of the race and the race results here. I mentioned to Mary when I got home that this story can be any way you choose to spin it. I beat my own personal goals and I finished 91st out of 159 participants. Not bad. If you look a little closer, I finished 12th out of I believe 14 in my age bracket (41-50) and last out of the males in my age bracket. There were a number of young kids who beat my time, which did not surprise me at all give that a girl who had to be around 6 years old tore past me around the 2 mile marker like she was fired out of a rocket. And if you look at the stat lines there are more than a few single-digit-aged kids who beat me. To be honest, I find that fact enormously entertaining.
One of the many things I loved, yes LOVED, about this event that it was very much a family affair. There were people running with their dogs, with babies strapped to their chests, and with their young children keeping pace with them. While the race was handled very much like a professional event, to my untrained eye, it never felt like a serious competition. People appeared to be having fun. I know I did.
I left Kansas and drove the 40 minute drive back to Missouri and it wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration to say that I had a huge grin plastered to my face for the whole drive. I got home, took my still-wringing-wet shirt off my back and settled down to have a nice cool iced tea from my celebratory race mug. All was right with the world.
Special thanks go out to SeeKCRun who took awesome pictures, for free (credit goes to them for the two “action” pics of yours truly) and to the Trail Nerds folks and anyone else who helped to put together such a great event. Next up for me:
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I was very encouraged by the plethora of comments left on my post last week about getting healthy. A number of you are on that same journey and are blogging about it and by way of encouragement I wanted to share a few of those links here:
Amanda and her Holy Donkeys post.
RusVW’s 60th day of his Clydesdale Warrior Journey
Tim and his own Race Day story.
Finally, a Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there.
(Image property of Ryan Knapp…thanks Ryan, great pix!)
Carl, you are awesome!
there are a few events like this every spring in my city, and damn you, now I really want to sign up for one next year. it’ll be my first, and all your fault! i hope you are proud of yourself. 😉
Do it, and share the pix! I am proud of myself now and will flaunt it today. I need an “I made the Little Red Reviewer sign up for a race!” sticker to wear.
you are in so much trouble, young man. 😉
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that…
That sounds like it was a ton of fun. I’m very happy for you my friend. Great job!!! My son and I were out on some trails on Friday morning working on a Boy Scout project. I just love the woods. Hopefully I can join you one day as well out on the trails.
The woods are great. As long as you can move fast enough to outrun the ticks! I’d love to have you come out and do one of these with me. That would be a good time indeed. As I told you on the phone earlier, it really was more fun than I anticipated. Not that I anticipated that it would NOT be fun, but the fact that I had to concentrate so much on the trail and had some natural energy coming off the vibe of other runners meant that I pushed myself harder and that I also didn’t really even think about the way I was feeling, I was just enjoying the moment.
Yuck! I hate ticks and yet I continue to go camping with my son in Boy Scouts. 🙂
I need to actually start working up to doing something like you did. Maybe I can target at race this fall and do it with you? I sure think I would enjoy myself as well.
Alright, here is the one we should do Jeff:
http://www.psychowyco.com/lakeperrytrailruns/id13.html
Let me check the Boy Scout troop camping schedule and make sure we don’t have a camp out that weekend. If we don’t then I’m IN.
Score!
YES YES YES!!! These races are sooooo addicting! 😀 I have yet to run one on trails that have more than just rocky paths (though those can be murder on the ankles!). Incredible that you beat your goal by that much! Just fantastic! I can’t wait until I can be out doing this again. 🙂
Remember that even if you’re thin, kids weigh a whole lot less, and are more limber! Morrigan did his first 5K with me in October. He claims to this day that he was going “slow” the whole time, but he did the 3.1 miles in 26:42, or an 8:56-min mile. We’re both itching to do another one, but it’ll be fall before we can. Stupid leg.
I love that there are actual pictures of you running. None of the events I’ve ever been in got pictures that way.
And thank you for linking to my post. 🙂
I am COMPLETELY addicted now, Amanda. I’ve already signed up for the Rock the Night event, which is probably way too crazy for me to do for my second run, but the idea of running those trails at night just sounds too fun, and then the week after that I’m signed up for a daytime 5K that is on their roughest trail. So I’m breaking myself in easy. 😉
I was so pleased with my time, even more pleased given the walking parts and how that didn’t stop me from having a great (for me) running time. I’m also seeing that I need to work some more intense runs in with my training runs because I obviously take it very easy on my workouts.
(I forgot to tell you this Jeff!), there was this one kid who was running “with” me for awhile who was definitely younger than 10. He would sprint, kind of hang back until I was close, then take off like lightning again. Eventually it must have got the better of him because he slowed way down, but while it was happening it was pretty funny.
I was SUPER impressed by this whole deal. Couldn’t believe how quickly they got pics and race times up online. Talk about instant gratification, it was incredible!
You are very welcome for the link. And hey, do you and the fam want to come back up in October and do this with me?:
http://www.ruggedmaniac.com/?gclid=CP7fzqeF1LACFYRgTAody0vpzw
They say the best way to improve time is to do intervals. That’s what I was just starting when I was banned, haha. Ah well. I’ll be back at it in September, assuming I can still run a 5K by then! I really need to find a place to run that isn’t all hills. Hills are TOUGH.
You should add that new picture you found to the post (assuming you haven’t already by the time I post this, lol). 😀
Oh my gosh, that mud run! It would be like a trial run for the Dirty Girl event! 😀 I would love to! Not sure my bank account would love it, haha! 😀
I’m not sure I can add it, I need to research and see if they allow free usage as that site is actually selling the pics.
We’d put you up and feed you! 🙂
I’m so tempted now to sign up for that one. I have a month and a half to decide before the registration fee goes up. We’ll see.
Ah, that’s true, I didn’t think about that. (the copyright issue)
Do you know the registration fee? The Dirty Girl was $65…oy. Worth it, but I tend to stick to races that are a lot cheaper than that, heh. I am so considering it, Carl. I shouldn’t be, I’ve already got several vacations going this year, but I find myself wondering if I’ll have enough points on my Southwest card to pay for most of a roundtrip flight… 😀
I think your Dirty Girl thing sounds great! This one is $68 through July 27th, then it kicks up $10, so your DG one sounds very reasonable, lol!
If you’re serious about housing/feeding me, I will take the next month to look into this. I would love to do it, but I am not sure I ought to spend the money. I *can* afford it, I’m just not sure I *should* you know? But I AM tempted. Really. It would be so much fun to do this with a friend.
If you decided you wanted to do it we would definitely put you up, no worries about that. I completely understand about the money though, especially as the Christmas holidays are right on the heels of this and any extra funds are always nice to have around that time of year.
I wish it was nearer to the end of Sept/beginning of Oct. The weather could be perfect at the end of Oct. and it could be mighty chilly. The ol’ mud wouldn’t feel near as fun in 40-50 degree temps, LOL!
Congratulations, Carl! Running’s never really appealed to me personally, but a trail like that looks a lot more fun than the road running. Enjoy the next one!
I didn’t think it would appeal as much to me either until I found a really beautiful trail to run on near home and now I miss it if on the days I’m not running.
And thank you!
Okay, okay, now I am convinced it time to start moving this body. sigh! I don’t want to but you made it sound like fun. Baby steps, fast walk on the beach or boardwalk, bike ride but run, hmmm, will
see.
Have a nice Father’s Day!
I’m definitely a fan of the baby steps. I started working out steadily in February, and was working out sporadically a few weeks before that and planned all along for this mid-June race to be my first. No sense pushing too fast.
And thank you, I appreciate that!
Carl, you look so fantastic in that last pic! I’m incredibly proud of you! And how did I not know about trail running?! I totally hate running but I have always loved bounding around on a forest trail, jumping roots and dodging branches. I’m sure there are trail runs here in Seattle so I’m going to see what I can find. Thanks for the inspiration!
That was a fun one, we could see the guy way ahead and everyone was waving or doing something. I’m so happy he got the shot.
I didn’t really know about it either until I went to buy good shoes at a running store and they had flyers about the Trail Nerds runs. It got me excited. I imagine you have some really great ones in Seattle.
You are an inspiration Carl. The terrain sounded a little difficult (I’m not good with roots and branches) and yet you still beat your time. The best part for me about this is that you had fun. That’s what matters. Keep on smiling Carl! And I hope you have a wonderful father’s day.
Thanks TBM! It was a little more difficult than what I was expecting but ended up being a good challenge. And I agree with you, the fun was the best part. I was glowing with a sense of accomplishment and joy afterwards.
Love this entry, and so proud of you, Carl, for this accomplishment! Your time is incredible, and the pics (and you) are so inspiring!
Thanks for the shout-out. It means the world to me. I was just commenting on FB the other day how this is an incredible community that I never knew existed. The support is neverending, as are the challenges. I, too, am addicted, and I plan on sticking with this (and this great community of runners) for the long haul. Keep it up, keep sharing, and keep loving every step you take!
Thanks Rus! I’m so glad you are chronicling your journey. Now I’m wishing I had done that instead of keeping everything quiet, although I knew from past experience that I can talk the talk but don’t always walk the walk which is why I kept mum this time.
I’m right there with you on not knowing about the community and am glad to have discovered it this past week.
trail running: No. Wishing you a happy Father’s Day: YES!
Thanks Richard. Wish you could trail run, you are missing something special!
Congratulations (and Happy Father’s Day) Carl! The new healthy lifestyle, the running – wow… lots of changes since I have been out of town. I am very happy for you! It does a lot for the mental health, too, don’t you think? I am a dedicated runner – love it – but I took up swimming as well last August and dropped 40 pounds. (Weight room work helped too – I have muscles!!) Changed my diet also – went from vegetarian to dietary vegan and pretty much eliminated “white” carbs. I feel dang good! Did a 15K last fall, and I am headed to Malibu to do a half marathon with my son in November. So we are on the same plain!!
My summer break is here, so I will be around – looking forward to back-reading your blog, and of course keeping up with the latest. Happy summer!!
Thank you! I forgot that you were a runner, or at least it seems to me that I have some thought of knowing that in the back of my head. Wonderful to hear from you, sorry its been so long!
We may be on the ‘same plan’, but you are rocking it at a whole ‘nother level! Way to go! Swimming is such good exercise. I know whenever I swim, which is really rarely now, I always feel so worn out, in a good way.
Congrats on the 15K and on the upcoming half-marathon. And how awesome that you get to do that with your son. That makes it all the more special, doesn’t it. I’m so thrilled for you.
Well I started running when I was 40, so there is still time for you to knock it/rock it up to the next level! A friend is pushing me to do a full marathon with her next spring, so…… we shall see.
Have you read Born to Run? You would love the stories about the ultra marathons up and down mountains – it was very inspirational for me. Who knows what your running future holds?
As for running with my son, you are right – I can’t think of anything more special!!
No I haven’t. The only running book I’ve read was Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk about When I Talk about Running. I liked it, but then I really like his fiction. At this point my goal is to stick with 5K runs and to kick my runs during the week up to 5 miles. But we’ll see, maybe one day I’ll be tempted to run a 10K.
I’m really excited about your run with your son, I hope you’ll either write about it or at least drop me a line when it is done to let me know how it all went.
That’s awesome, Carl! I have started running more myself and really like the Nike+ GPS app. However, I can’t run when it’s really hot outside, and these days… it’s really hot outside 🙂 I may try and tackle the treadmill one day….
Yes, the heat and humidity are the enemy. I’m starting to get up even earlier so that I can do my running while it is still tolerable. I’m worried the definition of “tolerable” will get a bit confining soon.
Carl,
If you liked that you should give orienteering a crack. I did it once in Australia. It was the most fun I think I’ve ever had running.
Congrats again on all your efforts.
Stuart.
I had never heard of that, but it does sound fun! I’ll have to look and see if they do anything like that around here anywhere.
And thanks Stuart, I appreciate it.
That looks like so much fun! I love that there are kids involved. What a great way to promote good health and exercise.
It was a great deal of fun, Joy, not the least of which because it was a very family friendly event. I’ve signed up for a bunch more this summer and fall. It is a great motivation to keep working out having these events every few weeks.
Epic effort! Great job, Carl 🙂 I’m hoping to start doing similar runs myself.
Thanks Jamie, it was a lot of fun. I’m almost disappointed I don’t have one coming up this weekend. Next one is the 29th and it is a night run, can’t wait. Although I have a feeling my required head lamp will be a primo insect magnet for the whole 5K! And after that another one the very next weekend. I can’t believe how psyched I am about these upcoming events.
Proud of you,Carl!!
Thank you mom!
Kudos!! Wish I could run trails again but I’m thankful to be walking briskly these days! Keep up the good work.
Brisk walking is great too, I do plenty of that myself when I can. Thanks, and you too!
Way to go, Carl! You are awesome 🙂