I spent last week in Colorado Springs on vacation. Mostly I
like to hike and see the city but this time I also signed up for a race. I did
one half marathon before so I thought I could do one again. Now I run
throughout the week so I figured I was in shape for a 13.1 mile run.
The race was through trails and although I’d never done any serious trail stuff
I wanted to try. The “trail” part of the run scared me enough go to the park a
day early and walk the route. I downloaded a GPS app for my phone and followed
the map through the woods. I got there a bit early and bumped into the race
coordinator setting up cones and tying ribbons on tree branches. I let him
finish before I walked the remainder.
Walking the route make me realize pretty quick that I wasn’t
going to set any records on this one. Steep hills and drops, rough ground and a
very zig zaggy path made for brutal course. A few people got lost on the
first lap of the race. Partly due to where the cones were positioned and partly
because it was downhill, they zoomed right through the trail split. I nearly
followed them but remembered the route from walking earlier in the day and got
back on line. I managed the first lap by jogging most of the way and walking up the higher rises. The second lap did me
in. I think I’d mentally given up after the first one and just hoped to get in
one more. So I started a half marathon and completed a 10k.
Should I have finished the full distance? I’ve thought about
that since. I could have gone back and walked the whole course 2 more times. It
was a 3.3 mile loop that meant I had to run around it 4 times to complete a
half marathon. It just seemed silly to walk it, anyone can do that. I just need
more practice on trails next time. I wanted to blame the altitude or my lack of
sleep or not getting enough water but really, I just wasn’t ready this time.
At least I enjoyed myself the rest of the time. I saw the US
Olympic training center and finally went to Pikes Peak. The failed race was a
downer on an otherwise pleasant trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment