J and I spent last weekend out volunteering at Hagg Lake Trail (MUD!) 50k and 25k races. We spent all of Saturday volunteering at the finish line (which was also an aid station before the second loop) and then on Sunday, J volunteered at an aid station and the finish line, and I ran and volunteered at the finish line. (It was packed when I finished, and I jumped right into the same duties I did yesterday.) Volunteering was fun, and there were a lot of great runners out there this weekend. How they finished as fast as they did on those rough trail conditions just leaves me in awe!
Onto the 25k recap!
Mud. Mud. Mud. If you ever do this race, don’t let the first 8 or so miles deceive you. The last half-ish of the race is a big dirty, slippery mess. I don’t think I saw anyone finish the 50k who didn’t fall! My goal going into this race was to stay on my feet. And, as long as hand contact on the ground doesn’t count…I succeeded!!!
The first several miles entailed what I consider “average” dirt trail, much like the Wildwood Trail. This section was tough with the hills and and all, but overall not too bad. There was a section of washed out trail where you have to get through some mud. I didn’t mind since I knew what was to come. But others tried their best to get around it. I didn’t feel like hurting myself trying to do that, so through the mud I went!
I saw J at the aid station about 6 miles in, and quickly moved on after refilling my water bottle. A few more miles later, the muddiness began, and didn’t end until we crossed the finish line.
First up was the slick mud. Easy goes it with shuffling and trying to stay on my feet. This is where I pulled, what I refer to as a Spiderman pose. One foot out to the side and both hands on the ground. But I was still on my feet! This continued on for miles, with slick up hills, slick down hills, and slick flats. There were a few breaks in dry dirt and on the road, but the slipping really takes a toll on your legs.
I was counting down the miles, hoping for some glimpse of the finish as my legs were begging me to stop! And then I saw the boat ramp at the parking lot, and knew it was only a small bit of trail afterward to the finish line! But first, holy boggy mud!!! Mud up to mid-calf. This section went on longer than I expected it seemed like it could, and when I finished I only had to slug my 5-lbs blocks of shoes a little ways farther to the finish line.
3:14:13 – later, and the finish line was packed, and I could tell all the volunteers were scrambling to get things done, so I jumped in and started helping out. Which probably explains the extreme soreness I’m grappling with today! Ouch!
On the marathon training front, we are about 10 weeks away from the Eugene Marathon and everything is going well so far. I’ve decided against doing any speed training at least this go around because I want to avoid any injuries as we up our mileage. So far so good! Next weekend is our first 20-miler!! And it doesn’t seem nearly as daunting as it once did! I’m actually kinda looking forward to it! :)
