Large moss-covered slippery fieldstone. Mud. Steep rocky terrain. Two river crossings. Bouldering over a sheer vertical rock wall. Perfect weather. 32K of this for some pretty cool bragging rights in the beautiful town of Kilbride, Ontario. I started counting how many times I rolled my ankle, stubbed my toes, and stumbled and slipped over large stones down muddy embankments, but I lost track. I was proud to not have fallen on my face, unlike one of my old running buddies. Another one of my running partners got lost 4K into the race and ran approximately 26K, but not on the race route. To top it off, she sustained some nasty injuries as a result of the unstable terrain. She found her way back to the starting point in surprisingly good spirits; I admired her positivity and perseverance. Participants followed the white and blue blazes of the Bruce Trail, and a few people ended up running more than 5K in the wrong direction. Of the 97 participants, only 90 people finished the race.I loved the challenge of the technical elements, and the rocks beautifully broke up the routine of running flats or rolling hills through the trail. I was happy with my time up to 21K, but the
second part of the race--the most technical aspect--was met with severe cramping of my left calf and some nagging IT issues in my left leg. I chose not to risk injury on an already risky running surface, so I was considerably more conservative with my pace in the final leg of the race. It was not worth it to get injured at this point in the racing season.
Should I enter the ITT in the future, I will pick up my pace in the first leg to conserve energy for the final technical sections, and finish injury-free.
I'm considering doing this race in Aug... how many times will I ask myself "You IDIOT, why did you chose to run this?!"
ReplyDeleteI have a few half marathons, a few marathons, more 10ks than i can count, and 4 or 5 trail races under my belt - the longest being a 25k.
Is it for the serious runners only who have all their leg muscles fully visible, or can the slightly better than average runner have a good time of it?
Cheers!
ashley.sametz@td.com
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI must say that this was such a fun run because there was never any pressure to run at a particular speed...just the thrill of finishing this course and distance was the motivator for everyone. It’s not chip timed. The prize was a painted rock. It was a bare bones race. However, it felt like a group of friends that decided to meet up in the middle of nowhere to go run 32K for the fun of it. That’s one of the things I loved about it...no pomp and no attitude. There are parts in the race where all you can do is walk because of the terrain...slippery rocks and sheer ledges to scurry up to keep going. Those were my favourite parts because you stayed alert and it broke up the monotony of running on flat road or flat trail.
I would consider myself an average runner who’s more built for endurance than speed, thanks to my asthma and a heart rate that runs too high (180 beats per minute) while I am running. Those two things slow me down, so I can’t be as competitive as I want. Although I am a muscular build, I didn’t look muscular, and most of the runners who do trail tend to be of regular build with an average age of 40+ years. If you can do 25K on a trail, you can do 32K. Was your 25 at Run for the Toad or Seaton?
Sounds like you’re a serious runner given your commitment to keep running. It’s addictive, isn’t it? I just signed up to do the Scotiabank Half Marathon again this year, after telling myself that I would not race this year; I can’t stay away.
I hope this information helps you decide. I am confident you will really enjoy the race. I’d love to hear what you thought of the experience, so please feel welcome to email me again. :)
Cheers,
Cassandra