Soapstone Mountain 24K Trail Race....a very painful experience
276
Member
298 days
Semper Tri posted 26 weeks ago.
Niiiiccceee... love the tatoo and the race report. Killer hill is so crazy to look at when its filled with racers. Living less than 5 minutes from that state forest i hit the hill up sometimes just for a gut check- nothing quite like going up the mountain on all fours followed by my training run.
The volunteers, wonderful as they all are/were, should give mileage unless they know the true distance. The first station said they were 3mi in, the second told me I was well over half way done, and the final said about a mile left. Knowing the trails helped to fight the discouragement of looking at my watch vs. the named mileage but its cool, their intentions were in the right spot.
Last summer when I gave up the booze and started running again I got a tattoo on my calf, it says 'Warrior' in Arabic. In the service we got into the "Warrior Mindset," when deployed or during training so I applied this to my battle with alcohol and my mindset getting back into endurance sports. My trips to the sandbox spawned the idea for getting it in arabic. Always a great reminder of past mental and physical feats, aloowing me to say..."yeah, i've felt worse- what's next?"
I'm working on switching the dog picture too.
i dont know what today will bring to me, but thats just fine.
1815
Member
1393 days
gfd posted 26 weeks ago.
Way to stay mentally strong and not quit. I like the tat. Where is it? Ankle? Shin?
"If we help someone else up a steep hill, we get nearer to the top ourselves." ~Unknown~
~Garen~
http://baldhungariantriproject.blogspot.com/
264
Member
713 days
dollfin04 posted 26 weeks ago.
Its on my wrist...my calves are much bigger then that! =)
276
Member
298 days
Semper Tri posted 26 weeks ago.
They put up a topo map of the race route...in case you want to re-live a little of that pain...
Soapstone Mtn. Trail Race
i dont know what today will bring to me, but thats just fine.
264
Member
713 days
dollfin04 posted 26 weeks ago.
thanks...lol I tried running for the first time since and I was not nearly as lucky as you and your 5 minute mile. I think I need to take another week off from running...=( Not sure if I can wait that long it's so pretty out this weekend!
998
Member
1192 days
cayman posted 26 weeks ago.
Great tatt!
Trail running is a lot like flying -- any landing you can walk, or hobble, away from is a good landing :) Looks like a tough course. Congratulations on the finish and sticking it out.
Got to the race around 8:30ish..picked up my bib, last minute bathroom stop...ect...I love the trail running crowd...we are a scruffy bunch...lol Loved all the wild hairdos, hats, bright outfits! Def a change from triathlons! First 7 or so miles was a blast! I felt great! Loved every minute of it. Had no clue about the "Killer Hill". As we are turning towards it one of the guys directing us joked "Its all down hill from here". I laughed along and then I saw "it"! A line of runners, crawling straight up into the sky! Wasn't sure if I'd be able to walk after that much less run. But on we went. Splashed in a few puddles! Passed a ton of people! After I went through the mid point aid station I thought to myself "I feel pretty darn good!" and then it kind of hit me..."hey my knees aren't feeling so hot!" And from there it was all downhill. I kept trying to run, but every downhill portion was agony. I kept thinking man this was supposed to be fun, but my body wouldn't cooperate. I wanted to keep running, to enjoy the puddles and the mud! My nutrition was on point, I had tons of energy! My heart rate was good, I could have gone faster. But at this point all I wanted was to make it to the 11 mile aid station by the 3 hour cut off. I was aiming for between 2:30 to 3 hours (finish time). I kept saying to myself...just keep running and once you get to the 11 mile aid station you can walk the rest. At least that way you can finish this thing. It seemed like it would never come and then there it was! Grabbed some Gatorade and a cookie and hobbled on! Almost the entire last 5k was down hill. If there hadn't been so many rocks I probably would have just slid down on my camel pack...lol A group of runners who I started with caught up to me and urged me to run with them. I tried to, but when we hit the long downhill portion I just didn't have it. I had a momentary high once I finished the race, but once I got home I sat on the floor in my shower for a good while...I didn't feel like crying, but I was def pretty damn miserable. I try to view every bad ride, run, race as good mental training for my half ironman this summer. I was feeling a little low after the race, so I got myself a new tatt to remember the fact that I didn't quit!