Hill Country Serenbe 15k Trail Race (11/10/2012)

OK so I haven’t been very diligent in my race reports or posting in general.  I’m finding out it is hard work being a blogger! Who knew?  I think mostly I don’t feel self important enough to think you’ll be interested in anything I have to say.  But then I think of the blogs and bloggers that I love and think they probably feel the same way and I love reading their stuff.

I’m sure this is what my family and friends are always thinking.

So again, I was feeling in a slump come Friday.  I was tired.  I had stupidly done a crapload of squats, lunges, deadlifts, clean and jerks….etc on Friday morning.  I know it’s dumb the day before a race, but 1) No one ever said I was smart and 2) I hate messing with my routine, and I do it every Friday – so why not.

Jamaican Sensation was supposed to run this one with me, and that’s really why I signed up.  But unfortunately he hurt his leg and back a couple weeks ago, and is on the DL for now.  He was still gonna try to run the 5k, but gladly he came to his senses and rested up.  I am glad.  For we have much more work to put in, so rest up now!

It’s all here waiting for you JS!

Friday night is always pizza night in our house.  This has been a ridiculously long standing tradition.  We went to Camelli’s, our usual spot.  Our waiter/intern, Counsel (yes, he’s studying to be a lawyer and that’s really his name) talked me into getting regular pizza instead of gluten free.  Of course I got home and felt all icky from it.  But luckily Pooky had locked the cabinets (more on that in another post), so there was no snacking to be done…so I didn’t feel as bad as some Friday nights.  Also, I ate a salad, too, so that counts for something, right?

Yes, this is really a bike lock on my kitchen cabinet. A whole other post, for a whole other day.

So I wasn’t going to run the race. I was tired and not feeling it.  I posted something to this effect on Facebook, and one lone “fan” (ok so it’s very self important of me to say “fan”, but whatever, give me something here people) posted that I was an inspiration!!!!  Who?  Me?  What?  Thank you Richard!!!  So I laid out my outfit, downloaded a bunch of new songs (thank you FB and DailyMile friends for the suggestions!!!) and was in bed by 10:15.  (By the way, the technologically challenged Goat needs someone to tell her how to make a playlist on iTunes and put it on my iPod.  Can’t figure that out.  Sad, but true).

Got up this morning and had usual outfit debated.  Decided on tank top and capris.  Realized I hadn’t shaved my armpits and although I’m notorious for my tie dye and Birkenstocks… I really didn’t want to get to the hairy armpit level.  So I made a half-assed attempt to shave them in the sink.  Good enough.

Goats require more hair removal maintenance than the average runner girl. Or guy for that matter.

When I left my house, I swear it was high 40s. Almost 50.  I got to Serenbe for the race, and somehow it was about 32.  The stupid little snowflake light in my car came on to tell me so – as if I couldn’t figure it out from my frozen toes and fingers.  I trotted the .30 miles to t-shirt pick up to get mine and Jamaican Sensations.  And of course a bathroom stop.  I had on my Minimus Trail shoes – the version that are paper thin – with no socks.  Which is usual for me.  However, by the time I got to packet pick up and back, my feet were SO frozen.

See!!! Deborah got proof!!

I looked around for Trail Meetup peeps, saw Deborah and wished her good luck (as if she needed it) in the 5k.  Then I trotted back to the car. I got in and pumped the heat up to max on my frozen feets.  Then my car began to smell like crap.  Literally, like feces of some sort.  I evaluated my shoes and saw that I must’ve trotted right through the voluminous amounts of horse crap which was everywhere.  Serenbe is beautiful and awesome – it’s like this green sustainable little oasis in the middle of rural Georgia – so random – but with the beauty apparently comes lots of animal crap.

An oasis. Albeit, an oasis full of various forms of animal feces.

Speaking of crap, it was off to the port-a-potties one more time.  Then it was time to race.

I lined up right at the front. I thought to myself, I am not going to half ass this like last week. It’s all or nothing.  I know it’s just a stupid race, and it’s not like a win means anything, but there is nothing more satisfying that finishing and knowing you gave it your all.

I went out fast and quickly fell in as the third girl.  The two girls in front were clearly much faster than me…so I just tried to run my own race.  Another girl came up, the girl in blue, after the first mile giving me a run for my money.  We went back and forth for four miles.  She surged ahead again, but I had the dirt under my feet, the sun above my head and music in my ears.  Life was good.  However, the next thing I know, I’m face down in the dirt.  But life is funny that way sometimes.

Pooky and I are huge superhero fans. I couldn’t help myself. Plus, it’s a great quote.

I felt good and was jamming along to Snow Patrol. It was a nice trail, but covered in pine needles and leaves…This is how the trail was at the FATS 50k last year, and I fell about 6 times. I should’ve known it was coming. Plus I didn’t fall at all last week, so the universe owed me one.

Then bam!  I bit it.  Down I went.  Wasn’t a horrible fall, just got muddy and ripped yet another pair of CWX tights…Sigh.  I shook it off and quickly started going again.  I caught up to the girl in blue. I kept cruising, figuring she’d surge again.  But she didn’t, and I didn’t see the girl in blue again the rest of the race.

…another pair of tights bites the dust. You guys can start a collection right now to buy me those $195 CWX tights for Xmas right now. Just sayin’

I kept at it, but noticed that my left big toe was hurting pretty bad.  I tried to bend it.  Eh, not so much.  Uh, oh.  At this point I’m 80% sure it might have been broken.  Crap.  Well, I’m 4.5 miles into the woods.  I have two choices, I can stop and have a long slow walk back … OR I can keep running.

Of course I keep running.  And I figure, if I’m going to keep running, I’m going to run hard.  And hard I run.  I just keep at it, waiting for the girl to pass me again. She never does.  Shewwww.

However, about mile 7, another girl comes up on me from no where.  The girl in magenta.  She nudges ahead of me for some time.  I get very close to her.  We get to a turn and I notice that she and a couple others are probably going the wrong way. I yell out to her and some guys to go the other way.  This puts me ahead of her.  Maybe like 10 feet ahead of her.

The girl in magenta wasn’t the only thing I passed!! Around this time I passed a gaggle of goats!!!

I get to mile 8 and she’s on my tail. I figure she’s going to pass me so I go into an all out sprint at this point.  I feel like I’m going to puke but I keep pushing.  Again, I know this race essentially matters for nothing, but you always feel better when you’ve left everything out on the trail.  It’s a horrible feeling knowing you could’ve done better, no matter how small the race or task or whatever.  Plus, this is what I like to do, and whether it’s petty or inconsequential or not, it matters to me.  So sue me.

I kept pushing. I turned around with a half mile to go and she was no where near me, but I kept pushing.  Finally crossed the line as 3rd overall Female at 1:09:18.

OK I couldn’t resist putting another one in here.

After the race, I saw a few of the girls from the meetup including Deborah and Melissa.  I talked to them as I filled out my results card.  The girl in magenta walked up next to me. I said, great race, you really made me push it harder than I would’ve otherwise.

Me and Magenta.

She looks at me and you know what she says????  She says, “Oh, well, I think if I hadn’t have gotten lost, I would’ve beat you.”  OH NO SHE DIDN’T!!!  I don’t really get mad when it comes to running.  But come on honey!!!  First, when she got lost and I went ahead, I was like 10 feet ahead.  Um, if you can’t come back from that, then no, you weren’t gonna beat me either way.  Second, after that, she was right on my tail, but I sprinted my little heart out to keep her behind me.  Third, um, I just ran nearly 5 miles with an almost broken toe.  Do you really think I was going to let someone beat me in the last mile???  I really wish I had said something to her, but I didn’t respond.  I think it was best not to.  I didn’t want to sound bitter or bitchy.  But I guess I sound both now, huh?  Well, all’s fair in love and trail running.

Ok enough of that, I feel like I’m creating bad karma with all that.  Who knows, maybe she would’ve beat me.  Time to let it go Beanie.

Deborah was a sweetheart and offered to stay round to take pictures of me getting my award…but she and Melissa had done the 5k which started 30 min earlier than my race, so I told them to go on.  And the Goat roamed alone again.

Melissa and Deborah from ATL Trail Meetup Group with yours truly.

I galloped back to the car to get my money and phone.  In between parking and the race finish was a lovely little place, the Blue Daisy Bakeshop.  I went inside for some hot tea because I love me some hot tea.  To my delight I got myself a gluten free cupcake and Pooky a regular.

Went back over to the awards area and enjoyed some awesome music by this little band the Deadfields.  Very nice touch.  There were also free burritos and beer for people who are into that sort of thing.  Another nice touch.

By now the weather was awesome.  It was finally time and I got my award.  The medal was so cool.  Handmade!!! I asked a random to take a picture of me. He agreed, but wasn’t too keen on standing up apparently, so they are all from a far.

Not to be ungrateful, but would it have killed ya to stand up and take the picture?! I guess I should thank him. I look more lovely from afar 😉

The handcrafted hardware!

After all was said and done, I went back to the Daisy Bakeshop and got me another tea.  They had this gingerbread chai and it was just too good.  I also got me a gluten free macroon and Pooky a regular chocolate chip.  Just in case we didn’t like our cupcakes.  Snacks is one area I don’t like to mess around with.  I would include photo here, but they have already been eaten at time of print.

Back to the car I went.  Got there and the two ladies parked next to me had their car all Obama’ed up.  They asked me if my car was mine and I said yes.  Then they said they loved it and loved all my stickers/magnets/window clings.  They commended me for braving rural Georgia with them.  To quote them, “This isn’t exactly Obama country.”  This made my day.  Loved it. (Sorry, I can’t help myself!)

Back to the city I went.  I assessed the damage.  Very bad looking toe.  Slightly scratched up left knee.  And brand new injury never previously acquired – a nice wound apparently from my iPod. I guess it didn’t like being shoved down into my way too tight CWX compression tights.

I get injuries other people wouldn’t even think of.

Pooky forced me to go to Urgent Care for the stupid toe.  So off we went.  But of course not until we ate lunch…gotta eat!  Had an x-ray and they confirmed no fracture.  Just a contusion.  Why do doctors use their fancy words.  Just say its bruised.  We all know that.  She prescribed some Naprosyn and told me to ice it.  I told her thanks, but no thanks on the Naprosyn and opted instead for ice/elevation and no kidney damaging drugs.  She also said I was all clear to run next Saturday if I felt ok.  YAY!  And so I live to run another day, another trail.

Next up, Georgia Xterra Race No. 4, Little Mulberry 10k 11/17/2012.

Happy running y’all!