I LOVE running! I really do. Two races two weekends in a row, and this weekend will be yet another weekend spent on the trails in the mountains. Saturday was the inaugural Camp Croft Half Marathon Trail Run held in Camp Croft State Park in Spartanburg , SC. A friend recommended the race, and I’m so happy he did. I’ve never been to the area and the race blurb I received prior to the race stated that it was a “challenging” half and that you should pace yourself. Most people get worried, I get excited. I thrive on a challenge.
The morning of was a little more hectic than usual just b/c I didn’t give myself enough time to get everyone ready. Addison was dropped off, and I was leaving the neighborhood only 10 minutes behind schedule. I hate being off schedule, especially when I’m not familiar with where I’m going. Sarah (friend) was with me, and we had one stop to pick up Jeff (another partner in crime). As we got closer I started to relax realizing we would get there in time to get our packet and stretch. The morning was cold, but what else is new these days. I saw a few familiar triathlete faces, and that’s always nice especially since I spent most the year on the sidelines. I was a little nervous, but more excited. The hobble the race from last weekend left me with had subsided by Thursday so I couldn’t be more thankful for that.
I had no real time goals for this race, because no matter what I did it would be a PR (personal record) since I had never done a 13.1 mile trail run. I tried to position myself somewhere in the middle right as I heard the horn blow. Time to go! I really just wanted to pace myself for the first couple miles and try to take it fairly easy. I tucked in behind a few peeps as the trail narrowed and tried to focus on the trail ahead. I think it was less than a mile into it I did a nice face plant. Nothing too bad, and yet another quick recovery (I’m getting good at this!). About 2 or 3 miles into it I hear Jeff behind me, and I’m pretty confident he will be passing me at some point. The course was very technical, which I absolutely loved. No time to think about hills, no time to contemplate passing, just pure focus on the trail in front of you. About every 5 minutes I’d hear some crashing behind me followed by Jeff yelling, “I’m okay, keep going”. He’d catch back up and then crash again. Poor guy. I’m not quite sure where we lost eachother. Again, I was so focused on the each step that thinking or looking at anything other than that wouldn’t be smart. Around mile 7 I realize I’m pretty much by myself. Once in a while I can see someone ahead when it straightens out, but that’s it. I typically get lost very easily so I was pleasantly surprised at the markings for this course. It was nice to know that I was on the right track when left by myselfJ. I lost a little time at this creek crossing, I didn’t want to get my shoes wet if I didn’t have to so I think I tried crossing three different times before some guy passed me and just ran right across. Ugh, I was being such a girl!
Around mile 10 I was starting to feel the mileage, but mind over matter. I should have been saying one foot in front of the other instead b/c I had the best slide into home base possible. Minus the home plate. This fall I didn’t recover as quickly, but I knew that it was bound to happen. I have noticed when you get tired while trail running you really have to focus on picking your feet up. I was determined to not let this happen again. I started trying to pay better attention to what I was doing, and keep moving on. No walking. Ok, one hill I’d say it was a little bit of a crawl. The rest of them I did really well and tried to run them. I found it was easier to keep going if I didn’t stop to walk them. Finally I reach a road crossing, and not long after that some nice guy informs me to hustle b/c the finish is only 3 to 4 minutes away. What he failed to mention is that as you rounded the corner the 3-4 minutes was all UPHILL. I might not have thanked him while I was out there had I known he had me pick up my pace going into a hill section. I round one last corner and can see the finish line.
2:12 was my time, and I’ll take it. I see Seth, the race director, and tell him it was great fun. One of those races you love to hate. It wasn’t as hilly as I’d anticipated yet the technical aspects of it made up for the lack of long major climbs. The volunteers, the course markings, raffle, the band, the awards, the tshirts and the venue were wonderful. All in all, great fun!
I ended up with a 2nd place age group (30-39) and 11th female. Free lunch to Converse Deli thanks to the raffle. Not too shabby for the first time doing that distance on a trail. Special thanks to Sarah Parker and Jeff Walthew for humoring me on these new adventures I tend to drag you two on. It just wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t have someone out there suffering with me! Jeff gets the award for the dirtiest person to finish. His white shirt was nothing but dirt as he crossed the finish line. I didn’t see many people out there who weren’t a little banged up though.
Congrats to Traci, Kathrin, Chris, Jamie, and Tiffany! It was nice to see you guys out there.
