Life got very busy earlier this year, and somehow race write-ups did not make it to the top of the priority list. As a result, I missed a few. So, this is the first in a series of very late posts attempting to recap races from 2015 before their details completely vanish from my memory.
July 18 - Run with the Beavers 10M trail race
This was a race I was very excited about. There would be a great battle for the win between Greg, Galoob, and Woolley, and I hoped to spectate for as long as I could. I typically run a pretty conservative pace for long trail races like this one (and did exactly that the previous year), but I had a different, more dangerous approach in mind this time. I'd go out with the top dogs and see how long I could hang on.
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| Milling about the start. I like how this picture captures our pre-race idiosyncrasies. |
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| Ditto for this one. You can never stretch your IT band too much. |
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| The great RD telling us how dumb we are if we go off course. Have you ever seen such an energetic group? Jonny looks like he's the last one waiting to get picked for a team in gym class. |
Lap 1: The race starts up a dirt road for a quarter mile, which gave me some time sneak ahead of Brightman and Jonny, right behind Galoob, as we entered the single track. I ran in Galoob's footsteps for the first few miles, trying to match his surprisingly quick cadence while letting him dictate the pace. It was spicy, yet we still lost a few seconds to Greg and Woolley, who were already engaged in their duel. Galoob picked it up when we spilled back onto the dirt road through the covered bridge, and I had no choice but to let him go. Back on the single track, I managed to work my way into his shadow again, and we pulled up right behind Greg and Woolley. The four of us clambered through the technical section after the stream crossing and up the short, steep hill. Woolley got some separation up the hill, and Galoob gave chase. Meanwhile, Greg had fallen back to me and I started to wonder if I had a chance to beat the trail king. Just as I had that thought, Greg opened up his stride on the long descent near the end of the loop and left me in his wake. I fumbled with my GU and finished the first loop very tired and pretty sure I'd see no more of the top 3 the rest of the way through.
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| Up the first hill, eyeing my spot behind Galoob |
1st lap time = 31:43 (2 minutes faster than last year)
Lap 2: I was astonished at how fast I'd run the first loop and at how far behind I'd already fallen. I had no illusions of keeping up that same pace on the second loop and decided to ease off for a mile to ensure I'd be able to finish strong and avoid the legendary calf cramps of last year's race. By the time, I'd entered the woods, I might as well have been the only person on the planet, for there was not a soul in sight. I began to get worried that I'd somehow lost the trail (despite Bob's declaration that anyone who does is an idiot, or something along those lines). I went a little further without seeing any markings and really got nervous. Just as I thought about backtracking, I saw some movement ahead. Was I catching someone? Or did another runner take a wrong turn? I figured it was the latter, as the person ahead was walking. As I got closer, I saw it was Galoob. I asked if he was OK, and he told me to keep going. I didn't know what had happened, but I figured it would only be a matter of time before he gathered himself and tracked me down. I ran scared the whole rest of the race but never saw him (or anyone else, for that matter) the rest of the way.
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| No man's land. |
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| Mustering a smile, which promptly turned to a frown when Scott told me how far behind Greg I was. (Photo by the legendary Scott Mason) |
2nd lap time = 33:36
Total time = 1:05:19 - nearly three minutes faster than last year
I was thrilled with my time and happy I'd decided to take a chance and run with the leaders. It wasn't the smartest way to run, but it was definitely the most fun. It was too bad Galoob had to drop, as it made the team race much less dramatic (WTAC beat the defectors handily thanks to great showings by Woolly, Muddy, and Seth). I should also mention that Brightman race a heck of a race for fourth place, and Jonny gutted one out after losing his shoe. I still think he should have left it behind and retrieved it on the second loop, but he wisely chose the safer option.
As always, a fun and challenging race put on by Bob Jackman.
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| It's the one day he's not a rival, so we can pretend to be friendly. |
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| Victorious Team WTAC. What happened to my chest? In retrospect, we should all be grateful that Woolley kept his shirt on. |
