Hells Hills is a local race, just an hour east of Austin in Smithville. The race started at Rocky Hill Ranch. I knew nothing about the place.
Hells Hills is an appropriate name for the winding, rocky, rooty and eternal small and sometimes large ups and downs at the Rocky Hill Ranch. I definitely didn't give the course the respect it deserved beforehand. But don't know how I could have prepared differently for it other than having more trail experience. How does one prepare for Hell, anyway?
The race started at 7:00 am. I got there at 6:00 am with the plan of doing a few warm-up miles like I do before road races. But the race start was at a ranch in the middle of nowhere and it was DARK. Like, really dark. This is where a head lamp would have come in handy – most everyone had them. I decided there would be no warm-up miles and used my Iphone as a flashlight so I could use the port-a-potty. Sat in my car and took a nap until about 10 minutes before the race was about to start, then walked over to the start line. The race director said “Are you all ready to get this shit started?” and off we went. Super laid back.
I started off running in a group of 3 guys. I promised Dan I wouldn’t “race” this race – he didn’t want me to get hurt for my upcoming marathon. But out of the gate, I was the first female. My competitive juices kicked in. I decided to try and stick with the 3 guys. But, the course was extremely technical, and my breathing started to get labored a little over 1 mile into it. So, I let the guys go.
I pulled back, settled in, enjoyed the morning (with all its 90% humidity, but cloudy, so at least no sun) and the scenery.
I should also note that I became a little worried when I lined up at the start and noticed everyone else was running with a hand held water bottle. I did not carry water with me, and only one Gu. I assumed the aid stations would be like the aid stations in road races – volunteers holding out cups of water, Gatorade, etc for us to grab on the run. Nope. The first water station was at Mile 2.5 and it was unmanned. I should have stopped for water there, but I didn’t want to stop running (again the competitive juices kicking in) so I passed it up. The next water station didn’t come until around mile 7.5. Until then, I was hurting. My quads were extremely sore from all the roots and rocks and hills. I was feeling dehydrated. And it seemed like the miles were going by very slowly. I was running completely by myself and concentrating hard on not falling or getting lost.
Took a Gu at Mile 7 and came upon another aid station at Mile 7.5 Two of the three guys I was running with earlier were stopped at the aid station. This station was manned, so I quickly grabbed 2 cups of Gatorade and decided to try to keep up with the two guys as they took off. This ended up being the turning point of the race for me. After 10 minutes, I felt great again.
Maybe the coolest part of trail runs is the people you meet. I ran with the two guys – one from Houston and one from Austin – both super nice and provided some great trail running tips which helped me navigate the trail more efficiently. At this point we began catching runners from the 50K (they started at 6 am, running two loops of the course). Everyone was so nice!! As we would approach them from behind on the single track trail, they would automatically move to the right so we could pass to the left and cheered us on like they had known us forever. I loved the camaraderie that this event provided.
We approached the last aid station at Mile 10.5. I grabbed two more cups of water, and still feeling good, decided to try and really pick it up the last 5 miles. By this point I was starting to feel a lot more comfortable on the trails and wanted to give it all I could. Leaving the aid station we wound through pine forest with the trail alternating between firm and sandy sections. The sand wasn't deep, but it was soft enough to slow you down. I did my best to avoid the soft portions by running alongside the established trail.
At Mile 11 I bid adieu to my two running friends and continued the last four miles on my own. They finished the race not too far behind me.
The last 2.5 miles were pretty challenging. I learned what the “Wall” and the “Grind” that everyone talked about were pretty quickly. A series of very steep up and down hills, and the terrain was covered in big rocks that just plain hurt your feet.
After getting through the Wall and Grind, I started to see the finish line in the distance. At this point I knew I was the first female and really couldn’t believe it. I gave it one final kick and crossed the finish line in 2:17:59. I later learned that I was 13th overall and the next closest woman ran 2:30:11. For my win, I got a very unique butterfly wind chime and a medal. Super cool.
What did I learn? Technical trail running and plain old running are two different animals (but I have learned that before). I ran 15 miles, but felt like I ran a marathon. My trail racing pace is about 2 min per mile slower than my road racing pace, but it feels ten times harder. Next time bring my own water and more nutrition. Trail running requires a lot of concentration, but it also provides an inner peace that you don’t get from the road. I loved it. And, I’ll be back for more.
No comments:
Post a Comment