2013 Trail Nut 10k

I have always heard that it didn’t really matter what you ate the morning of the race, as long as you ate something that wasn’t going to upset your stomach in the next few hours. I have read that what you put in your body the day before a race is far more important. So in the past, I have always tried to drink plenty of water and eat a high carb dinner the day before races. For some reason, I decided that my pre-race dinner this time would consist of fried catfish at Mama’s in Montvale. This turned out to not be the wisest decision I have ever made (mistake #1). I will explain this more when the time comes.

I was looking forward to the Trail Nut race this year, just because I enjoy running on Bedford trails and I really like Falling Creek Park. Having run this race last year, I would have the opportunity to compare finishing times. This race would be my 5^th Mountain Junkies race of the year and the last RNUTS race I would take part in this year. I am going to skip the last RNUTS race at Carvins Cove in June. The only race distances for that race are 25k and a full marathon. Having backed off my long runs over the last few months, there would be no way I would be able to get ready for distances like that.

 

So, I started my morning with my usual bread and banana breakfast. Although my Nutella was out of date, so I had to use peanut butter on my bread. I chased that down with a nice hot cup of black coffee and some water. Once I was showered and dressed, I headed to Falling Creek Park. It only takes me about 15 minutes to get to this park, so this is one of the closer races I will run this year. I got to the park about 20 minutes before race time. I had just enough time to do some light stretching, listen to the pre-race talk, and head to the starting line. I probably should have run a little bit to loosen up my legs because later in the race (mistake #2). My legs would began to tighten up later during the run.

After giving the half-marathon runners a 10 minute head start, the 10k runners were sent on our way. Even though I live fairly close to the park, I had not run on the trails there since last year’s Trail Nut race. Somehow, the course was still pretty familiar in my head. I had decided to push my pace early to get in front of some of the slower runners before we got into the wooded single track portion of the race. So I had about 200 yards to make a move. Once we ducked into the woods, I joined a group of runners moving at a pretty good pace. I wanted to average sub 8:30 minute miles for the entire run and after glancing at my watch, I realized I was going much faster than I had planned. The first 3 miles went by quickly while I was running in a group averaging around 8:00 minute miles (mistake #3).

"don't puke, don't puke, don't puke..."

 

After mile 3, I began to get very nauseous and my thighs started to get really tight. This is about the time I realized I had made mistake #1 and #2! I had to back off the pace I had set in the first few miles to try and make my stomach and legs feel a little better. This did improve my legs, but my stomach would never improve. It was the sickest feeling I have ever had running a race. At one point, I started looking for large trees to hide behind while I puked. I tried to concentrate on the trail and the next turn, in order to get my mind greasy fish sloshing around in my belly! I told myself that if I stopped, I probably would still feel awful. So there was no use in stopping at this point. The damage had already been done.

During the two miles of my worst issues, I clocked 10:00 minute miles. This would really hurt my goal to average sub 8:30 miles. Although at that point, I was just happy to not see my dinner again! Before I knew it, I was passing the 6 mile marker and I knew the last 0.25 mile was going to be a climb out of the woods. So I pushed myself to the finish in order to shave a little time off my time. Once I popped out of the woods, there was a nice 50 yard trot downhill on a grassy surface. I spotted Anna and the boys up on the hill cheering (that always makes it easier to finish strong). I came across the finish line with a time of 56:20.48. Since the course was actually 6.5 miles, that made my average pace 8:40 minutes/mile. So, I didn’t make my goal, but I did beat my last years’ time of 58:59.43 (9:26 minutes/mile).

 

After eating some food and drinking some fluids, my stomach and legs started to improve. This race turned out to be one of the more mentally challenging races I have run, due to my stomach and legs. I am definitely lying off the fried foods for pre-race dinners and warming up better next time. As I mentioned before, I am not running in the last Mountain Junkies RNUTS race this year and I do not have any scheduled races in the near future. I think I am going to run in the Lynchburg 10 Miler in September and I would like to run another half-marathon in the fall sometime. I guess I will figure out those races after I enjoy the summer with my family.

This coming weekend, my beautiful wife will be running in her first 5k ever! I can’t wait to stand on the sidelines and cheer her on for a change. I am so proud of her for putting in the difficult treadmill runs late at night, in preparation for this race. I will be writing another post that will cover Anna’s race, so stay tuned.

Trail Nut 10k

On Saturday I ran in the Mountain Junkies Trail Nut 10k at Falling Creek Park in Bedford. This was the second Mountain Junkies race I have taken part in, the other being the Montvale 5 Miler earlier this year. They are very well organized events and all volunteers and runners have been great. If anyone is thinking about getting into trail running, I would recommend checking out one of their races. I don't think you will be disappointed.

On to the race details. Well, I am actually going to start with my pre-race experience. I usually wake up a couple of hours before running in races. That way, I can get something to eat and let it setting for at least an hour before I have to run. Having to start the race at 9:00 AM, I got up at 7 and fixed my normal oatmeal breakfast. Then came the hard part; getting the boys up and out of the door. Our plan was to leave the house by 8:15. It takes about 15 minutes to get to the park from our house. That would leave me 10 minute to pick up my race packet and 15 minutes to stretch and warm up.

That was the plan. But after struggling the get the boys up and moving and having to take short pit stop myself to take care of pre-race upset stomach issues, we finally got to the car at about 8:25. We got Eli strapped in the car and while Anna was putting Coy in his seat, she came to the realization that he must have had some pre-race stomach issues too. So she ran inside to perform a quick diaper change and then strapped him in his seat. We were finally off, but we the time was 8:34. I started to panic a little at this point because packet pick-up was suppose to end at 8:40. At this point, it started raining too. We decided, since it was now raining, that Anna would just drop me off at the park and then take the boys to McDonalds for breakfast. After getting to the park around 8:50, I rain down to the registration table to get my bib. Luckily they didn't pack everything up yet and I was still able to get my packet.

This gave me just a few minutes to try and stretch and warm up. They did a staggered start for the two race distances. The half milers started at 9 and the 10k runners started at 9:10. I headed down to the start line right after the half milers started, to try and get a spot near the front. I had big plans of getting off to a good pace and sticking with it the entire race. I was going to be very aggressive and push myself during the race. I had run the majority of the course the last Saturday and I felt very comfortable with the course. I set a pre-race goal for myself to run a sub 55 minute 10k. When the 10k runners were sent on the course, I tried to work myself towards the front during the first 1/4 mile. This section was in an open field with plenty of roon to make passes.

I got to the woods and the beginning of the single track course with only a few runners in front of me. I was very pleased with my start and I was happy to not have to dodge a lot of traffic in the woods. I had my iPod Shuffle to help me keep track of my mile splits and after my first mile split came in at 7:55, I got a little scared. Did I really just run the first of 6.25 miles at that pace? I made myself back off a little during the second mile. My second mile split was over nine minutes. Then I thought to myself that I slowed down too much. It was during my third mile that I realized that my race was not going to be my best performance. My legs felt like two logs. I just couldn't run at the pace I wanted to. I am not sure if it was my rushed pre-race or the humidity, but my energy was just shot.

I decided that I would listen to my body and not try to push myself too much. I didn't want to be out of commission for the rest of the weekend because of a early Saturday run. So, I didn't even check my splits after the second mile. I yielded to many runners during the next few miles. All of those runners that I forced myself by during the first 1/4 mile were now passing me back. I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed for running such a fast pace at the beginning. At the beginning of the race, I really didn't fell like I was running too fast. My legs were just not on the same page on that day. I guess everyone has those days, but this was my first bad day that was actually a race day.

My legs felt very tight the entire race. They never loosened up like that normally do after a few miles. So, I just set a comfortable pace and set my goal on finishing the race to the best of my ability. The last 1/4 mile was over a very hilly section of the course and I pushed myself up this section pretty well. When I popped out of the woods, I saw Anna and the boys about 50 yards up the path, about half way to the finish line. I started to wave and motioned to Eli to come give me a high five. During my recent Blossom to Bottle 5k, I was able to give Eli a high five during the half way point and it was such a good feeling. I really wanted to do it again, but he was acting shy because of the other people around the finish line. So, I decided to go to him. I ran of course just a little and gave him the high five and made sure to re-enter the course the same spot I had left. I hoped they wouldn't disqualify me! I actually gave up a few seconds on my finishing time, but it was well worth it.

I was mildly surprised when I saw the clock at the finish line. It was started at the beginning of the half mile race, so I knew it would read 10 minutes faster than my actual time. It was showing 1:08:50. So, I was still under an hour. That surprised me because I backed my pace off so much, I just knew I was going to be over an hour. My official time was 58:59. So, I didn't get my pre-race goal time. but since this was my first ever 10k, it was a PR!

I guess I should mention that I was able to reach a second goal I set for myself on Saturday. I had dealing with a stomach bug for must of the week and I actually ran the race with toilet paper in the pocket of my running shorts. Just in case I had to duck into the woods and that care of some business! Luckily, I didn't have use the toilet paper and my stomach didn't get upset at all during the race. I guess I need to be thankful for the small victories for my run!

All things considered, I had a good time on Saturday. The Mountain Junkies put on a great race with plenty of good food and drinks for after the race. I enjoyed some bagels and fruit while hydrating with some Gatorade and water. I got to hang out with Anna and boys afterword too. That always makes my body heal quicker. I definitely learned some important lessons during the race on Saturday. I definitely need to take my pre-race preparation more business like if I want to feel better during the race and I need to do better with my early race pace. Hopefully I can learn for these mistakes and make my next race better.