Turned out to be a great day for a trail race. Sunshine and upper 30s at the noon start. The course was a mixture of slushy snow, mud, ice and dirt. Most finishers had a good amount of mud caked on their legs and shoes.
Thank you and kudos to Race Director Larry Swanson and all of the volunteers that continue to make this a top quality event which is also part of Trail Runner magazine's Trophy Series. The Trophy Series is a national event that includes many trail races. Runners gain points by running in these races. All four of the Rock Cut Survivor Series races are part of this series.
I wiped out. Within a mile of the start I slipped in mud, my right foot slipping out from under me when I planted it. I was down on my right side before I knew it. No injuries, just a cut on the knee which gave me nice bragging rights at the finish. "Oh, when did you get that...cool", trail runners understand. I bounced up and continued, trying to stay towards the front of the pack. I knew the muddy trails would only get muddier as more and more runners used them so I wanted to stay in front as long as I could.
I felt good, although winded, until mile six. I started sucking wind at that point as the hills began to take a toll on my legs. That steep uphill rope climb didn't help. Most of the next mile and a half was a combination of downhill trails, zigzagging left and right. I made up some time at this point and was also able to rest a little as the downhill helped my momentum without the pounding of running uphill.
At mile eight I was feeling pretty bad again, know that several more long hilly stretches lay ahead. After stopping for the second time to tighten my Salomon's (grrr) I gutted it out to the finish. In typical Larry style, the last one hundred yards to the finish were uphill too. lol.
I had a little faster time this year over last year. I'm surprised because I haven't been able to run quite as many miles over the last few months. Guess I'm in better shape than I thought even though I've gained a little weight.
Check out
http://www.rockcuttrailruns.org for the final results.
*2/27/12
I ended up with an official time of 1:25:20, good for 111th place out of 350 total runners. In my Age Group I finished 6th out of 15.
Some pictures from the 15k. Thank you to the photographers, Candi, Christina and Ron.
Almost starting time!
The race begins.
Me. After the spill.
Steve Jaycox finishing strong!
Larry Swanson, Race Director. Plus, he finished the Leadman 100 Miler in 2011!
The rope climb somewhere around mile 6-7. You thought I was kidding.
The Start! I'd estimate around 250 starters.
Pre-race warm up. I don't know her name but she is always one of the top female runners.
Bernie and I pre-race in the tent. He is a good poser. Think he whooped me again, too.
Typical muddy trail. Lots of these climbs and downhills on this course.
Jeanne (she works with Ruth) ran great. Passed me about mile 7. Didn't even say 'hi'. ;)
Another of Larry's looong, slooow inclines. The quads were burning.
Me. This is my favorite trail. Dry.
Many parts of the course still had snow, with ice underneath. My decision to use screws in my shoes was a good one.
Proof it was a great race! Mud, cuts and blood!
