Trail Race Report!

By today, THursday, I finally feel recovered from the 15k trail race I did last Sunday.  I took this picture from Ann run-dmz.blogspot.com who is celebrating her 7th year of blogging!  How horrible am I?  Stealing a photograph from the bloggy birthday girl!?  Thanks, Ann.  I just couldn't find a photograph that captured the arrival of SPRING out on the trails.  Yours was perfect!  Speaking of her bloggy birthday,  I must admit that Ann's blog was one of the first I'd read and when I found out we lived near each other,  it was even more fun to read about her adventures on the trails and with our track club.  Ann is one sweet, stable and focused writer, runner, woman and blogger.  Thanks for your dedication, Ann!




Anyway,  my quads, calves and booty were put to the test on Sunday.  When I had done this race three years ago, I had been at the end of my Boston training and my legs were ready for Heartbreak Hill.  On Sunday,  my legs were completely SHOCKED and FURIOUS with me. My marathon was a little over a month ago and I thought that my two weekends of hill running would be enough to both recover and get ready for the Black Mountain hills.  I was a little disillusioned, confused and dazed to face these hills once again.  They were steep, they were ever present and they were LONG.  Blech.


My goal for this race was to beat my time from three years ago AND stay mentally tough on the hills.  Unfortunately,  these goals weren't met.  I was three minutes slower and my tough brain melted into a squishy marshmallow PEEP brain after the first hill.  Some how,  I managed to place 5th female and 1st in age.  Being the TOUGH chick that I am,  tough on myself anyway,  I admit that the placings didn't make me smile as much as the run itself.  The flat sections were flanked with artichoke bushes,  long green grasses and bright yellow mustard plants.  In SO CAL, this means SPRING.  So,  I continue to move forward towards my next goal this spring, the sub 20 5k in May.  


O'side 70. 3 TRI is this weekend!  Let's not forget the Carlsbad 5000 on Sunday!  There will plenty of PRO ATHLETE STALKING for BS and I this Sat. and Sun.  FUN FUN FUN!  Good luck J.U.  No pressure :).
xoxo
meg