Sorely lacking in the Knob department, but my goal for the immediate future is to at least post short snippets of running excre…excitement. So in that spirit lets get right to it.
I’ve been slacking on my running over the last few weeks, with mileage output after that Chuy’s 5K down about 40%. I’ve even taken a few unscheduled days off here and there. Gasp! I sort of planned this semi-break after a hard spring of doubles and racing, and before a sweaty summer, but I also just got caught up in other things like, you know, life. But I feel lazy and fat. I still eat the same amount which a couple times has made me feel sick since I’m used to burning it up as soon as it goes in.
Anyway, most of my running has consisted of short, hot slogs around the neighborhood. I’ve been to a few Gazelles classes, haven’t really done any long runs (11 miles max maybe), generally just been coasting on my Spring work.
I have raced the first two races of the Rogue Trail Series … wait, I guess the first one was before Chuy’s so that’s old news. The second race, The Loop, was this past Sunday out at Emma Long Park on some motorcycle/bmx tracks. Not sure how any two-wheeled vehicles manage out there as it’s very rocky, ledgy, pebbly and bouldery, with lots of twists and turns and ups and downs and single-track trails. I think everyone will tell you it’s quite a bit tougher than the first course. And yes, this is the race where I got lost last year.
I wasn’t overly motivated going into the race, and even planned on “taking it easy”, or at least not killing myself. Frankly, I’m still a little pain-shy after Chuy’s (hmmm, I keep bringing that race up) and in want of a mental break from beating myself up. I saw lots of the same faces at the start, including Gate who won the first race going away, so I knew I wouldn’t win and wasn’t too concerned about where I placed. I just wanted to run hard but not in too much pain.
Without too much of a blow-by-boring account, I’ll summarize the race thusly: Gate was gone in 60 seconds, the first half I ran with David Grice whom I sort of know as a fast guy, switching second and third spots with him a couple times, until I gave up at the midpoint aid station, and kind of cruised it on in for third in 43 minutes+, about 40 seconds behind David. I’m a little disappointed in my mental toughness and not sticking with him. I was hurting, but not too bad, and after my shoelace came untied a minute into the race I used it as an excuse to stop at the aid station. It was pretty hot, fourth place was nowhere to be seen, so I really didn’t feel the need to battle it out for second place. I mean, I could have, if I wanted to … you know how that goes. You run what you run.
Ancillary to the race, it was nice to hang out and have some burgers and beer at 10am on a Sunday morning. Jessica ran too, we brought our boys (yes, at 6am) and it turned out rather lovely, what with P-to-the-Legate even showing up and picking up some Masters hardware. I’d recommend these trail races for anyone looking for something different and more laid back than the normal Evilsed road race.
To that point, the third and final race is June 29, right in the middle of our house move weekend, so I don’t know about that. Gate said he might not make it either, so if I can manage to show up and not crater, I could have a good shot at placing in the series. Regardless, I feel like it’s about time to ramp up the miles again for a good, strong Summer of Knob.
