there is a distinct possibility that I am INSANE.

[ilanarama]

So, I ran another crazy trail race yesterday. This one, the Kennebec Challenge, was touted as being "approximately 14 miles" although my Garmin registered 14.75 and other people reported numbers over 15 miles. Elevation gain was about 3000 feet, topping out at 12,147 feet (and then back down), but there were dips and descents and one long nasty descent just before the final climb (which, to add some excitement, was not actually on a trail but simply a scramble up a steep tundra hillside), and the total ascent, Garmin tells me, was around 3400 feet. Oog.

I finished in 3:19:20, 10th place among the 27 women, not exactly stellar, but not too sucky. (The female winner came in just under 2:45; the male winner set a course record at 1:59.xx, but he is 22, so. The DFL made it in just under 5 hours, although because they allowed people who thought they might need extra time to start 30 minutes early, she wasn't all that far behind.) I didn't carry a camera but one of the people I carpooled with did, and she started early and I caught up with her at a really cool spot and she took my picture, so when I get hold of her I will have some nifty photos to share!

Oh, actually, here is not a photo but my GPS track overlaid on Google Earth with a little tilt, so you can "see" the terrain: medium | large (much better for viewing)

Mile 1: rolling but generally up, decent jeep road. 10:17 pace. Maybe a little fast.
Mile 2: More of the same. Feeling a little gastric distress. 12:51 pace.
Mile 3: Dashed behind the bushes and felt much better afterward. Fortunately I was carrying toilet paper. 13:38 pace.
Mile 4: Whoa, getting steeper and bumpier. Walking the steep bits. 14:53.
Mile 5: Forked off onto a real 4WD road, bumpy and nasty and OMG steep. 15:45.
Mile 6: Even steeper, and now the altitude is starting to get to me as I'm over 11,000 feet. 18:23.
Mile 7: Not quite as steep, but the altitude is killing me. 17:34.
Mile 8: Okay, this is ridiculous. Loose talus downhill at 25%+ grade, too scary to run. Then 50%+ uphill with no trail. Pausing every few steps to breathe. 26:16 pace.
Mile 9: Downhill, yay! Steep trail, not so yay. Rolled my left ankle twice. 12:21 pace.
Mile 10: Still steep downhill, but getting back onto a jeep road. 12:27.
Mile 11: Steep downhill on jeep road, rejoining the original jeep road, motoring past tired people. 9:51.
Mile 12: Back on original jeep road which has a lot more uphill than I remember. Get passed by woman who I finished just behind in the 7 miler 2 weeks ago. 9:34 pace.
Mile 13: More of the same. I could be done anytime, now. Please. 9:10.
Mile 14: Haha, pass some more tired people, but I'm getting tired, too. 9:18.
Mile 14.75ish at 8:52 pace, smelling the barn (well, the food at the finish line) and I am DONE.

The wildflowers were awesome. The weather was lovely. The creek at the end was very cold but I soaked my legs in it anyway, which I think is part of the reason I don't hurt too terribly much today. Then we went to lunch at a very nice restaurant at the mouth of the canyon, and then I went home and took a nap. \o/

Comments

[sara]

*high-fives you*

Yeah, yesterday's bike ride was about 2,600' gain and loss, and...the real problem is that scheduling will not permit me to do it again tomorrow. I have to take kids to camp and go to the gynecologist instead.

[ilanarama]

I first read that as taking kids to the gynecologist. Yeah, I'd rather go biking!

[sara]

I did get a long walk in this morning, which is good because it is very, very hot outside today (and supposed to stay that way all week, ugh).

[ilanarama]

Yay long walk! Boo heat.

[sara]

It's like 102 in my driveway right now. This is the PNW! That ain't right!

[ilanarama]

Ugh. It has only topped 100 here once in recorded climate history.

And yeah, it's not supposed to be like that where you are! Stupid weather!

[blnchflr]

Dude, it looks pretty crazy, the terrain. But I still envy you for being able to do such races :o)

DFL: Dude/Dudette to Finish Last??

I still haven't decided about the ½-marathon coming up in the middle of August. I'm not in shape for it,* but I could accept that and do it anyway, and just let it take me 3+ hours. But if it's sucky 3+ hours, it's not worth it. Argh, but I've done the 10k - twice! - and the ½-marathon has new and way more interesting landscape (and a small castle! With a moat!). *Sigh*, decisions…

*Two days ago I managed to run 8k in one stretch - sadly the longest I've run in one stretch. And it took me 55 mins, lol!

[wychwood]

Dead F* Last, I think.

I'm traumatised just looking at the terrain map. Go ilanarama!

[ilanarama]

Hee, yep. And honestly, it's not so bad when you live here. Well, okay, maybe it is.

[blnchflr]

Well, that's not very nice - Imma go with "Dude(tte) to Finish Last" :oP

[ilanarama]

Well, in this race, the DFL person got a nicer prize than any of the winners!

[ilanarama]

wychwood has it - Dead F'ing Last.

I have to say, since it's already almost August that sounds like seriously not enough time to prepare. Three weeks? Unless you're going to walk it, I think I wouldn't do it. You should really get up to 2/3 the mileage of any race you're going to do, and I don't see that you can do that safely if you've hardly been running.

[blnchflr]

I have been running! Just not well enough, obviously :o)

[ilanarama]

Not "not well" enough, just not FAR enough. If you can run every other day and make your runs longer up to 15k, you can do it. It might not be comfortable at the end, but you can do it.

[blnchflr]

Well, I'm going on vacation on Thursday - I know one can run while on vacation, and I'm bringing running shoes, -bra, and -clothes, but I'll be travelling ½ day + all night to get to snakeling, then again all night 2½ days later to get to allzugern - blah blah, low on sleep, I won't be running a lot I reckon :o)

I think it's gonna be another 10k for me, and my goal will have to be to do at least as well as last year, which was 1:07:28 (you probably can't fathom how anyone could be that slow, *g*).

[ilanarama]

I used to be that slow! I just got faster because I started running a lot. But my best friend here - the woman who got me into doing marathons, actually - still runs pretty slow. But she runs marathons! (She's hoping to break 5 hours this year...)

Somewhere between sucky and stellar?

[tiredmamarunning.blogspot.com]

I think you were closer to stellar! (Ready to kick ass at IPR, too!)

Re: Somewhere between sucky and stellar?

[ilanarama]

We shall both kick ass at IPR!