So now that I’ve run the entire gambit of races, I thought I’d share some of the differences between road and trail races of distances from 5k to Ultramarathons. This weekend was my first foray into the trail scene, so I’ll dedicate much of this post to painting a picture of our crazy yet amazing weekend in the beautiful Hill Country of Central Texas. First, let’s discuss some quick differences between the road and the trail.
Road racing will always have a place in my heart as it was what got me hooked on running, from my very first race, the San Diego Half Marathon. Road racing has such a rich history with World famous events like the Boston, NYC, and London Marathons. The scene at a road race is so motivating, with thousands of runners ranging from 40 year old out of shape Dads to Elite athletes from around the world looking to run 4-5 minute miles! In no other sport can you compete right alongside the best in the world like you can running, it would be like stepping onto the court at the beginning of a Mavs game and shaking hands with Dirk saying good luck, man! The colors, sights, and sounds of a road race might be my favorite part, from the eclectic range of runners, to the overcrowded expos, and the live music amping up all the runners ready to toe the line. It’s such a vast community, so there’s always support with road running, and you can do it anywhere. Most courses are relatively flat, so it’s easy to keep a steady pace, and for the most part there are no surprises in a road race. You know exactly where the aid stations are, and you can usually even drive the course which is very beneficial if you’re travelling somewhere you’re unfamiliar with. All in all, road racing, any distance, is pretty easy to get started in, as there’s usually a race in your area every weekend. You can work in races as training runs for longer distances, something I like to do because it’s fun and keeps you in racing shape. I ran a marathon a month before my 50k this year just to check where I was fitness wise, so even a marathon can be just a regular old training day if you’re gonna be going further in the future. Long distances are extremely rewarding, and nothing is better than the finish line at a marathon…except an Ultra! But short distances are lots of fun because you get to run much faster than normal. I’d love to run more 5k’s and 10k’s if I had the time; its quick, rewarding, and fun, plus it doesn’t take your whole day like a marathon will (half day to run, half day to recover). So, now let’s go off the beaten path into trail running as I explain the happenings of this past weekend, which was so much fun!
We decided to leave on Friday evening instead of Saturday morning so our daughter could sleep in the car on the way down to Austin. Get on the road and, boom, traffic jam amidst severe thunderstorms. Don’t ever take 35 south from Ft Worth to Austin, just don’t. We stayed in a hotel in Austin Friday night and got up the next day to pick up my race packet at Rogue Running. Pretty uneventful, much different than getting your race packet, say, at the Marine Corps Marathon in D.C. There was no expo, no runners, and no festivities of any kind, just kind of, “Hey I’m here for my race packet”, and “Here ya go”. We hung out at Zilker Park with a beautiful view of downtown, and the river, and just let Ella run around for a while. We had an awesome time, then went to eat at Shady Grove, which was AMAZING! Great beer, food, and patio…we’ll definitely go back next time we’re in Austin. We left Austin and drove to Johnson City, about an hour away, and it’s gorgeous out there…and remote. We get to the Best Western, and our room reservation was non-existent. No rooms available. Mind you, the race is in the middle of nowhere with the smallest towns imaginable and NO VACANCY on every hotel/motel/Inn all the way back to Austin. We have our 21 month old daughter with us, and have to be at a race at 7am, so the thought of going back to Austin to stay the night only to get up at 4 am in order to pack everything back up and get to the starting line sounded awful, we were devastated. The clerk luckily found a place down the road in Blanco that just had a cancellation, so we booked it immediately! It worked out perfectly because it was an upstairs ‘apartment’ with a kitchen, living room, and separate bedroom, so it made it much easier to put Ella to bed. So as we’re getting ready for the next day’s race, packing backpacks, snacks, etc., we check the forecast and there’s no chance of rain until late afternoon, so of course we don’t pack any rain gear…to be continued.
We get to the race on time, and the scene is vastly different from any race I’ve ever been to. Everyone’s just kind of hanging around, very laid back, and unorganized in a relaxing kind of way. No pressure to get into a starting corral, and it’s not crowded at all, maybe 300 people including the 10k runners. We unfortunately had a flat tire on our jogging stroller for Ella, and someone who parked next to us let Misti borrow her stroller in exchange for a hair tie, lol! (And later there was an incident where we were out of diapers so Misti made friends with some locals that gave her a biodegradable diaper so she could change Ella as I crossed the finish line, lol!) There was a line for the few port-o-johns set out, so I go off into the trees…first perk of trail running! As I’m looking around I notice everyone has a timing strap on their ankle but me, so with 1 minute left before the start, I run over to a table (unmarked) and ask if I’m supposed to have one, and they cooly hand one over to me. Still, very relaxed and unhurried even though I can hear them counting down the race start in 10 seconds…again, way different than a road race!
With my timing anklet on, I get to the starting line just in time to hear everyone shout go, and the 30k officially begins. The biggest difference I will tell you from road to trail is this, YOUR NORMAL PACE WILL GO OUT THE WINDOW! I’m a 9:30 min/mi kinda guy in a road marathon, on this trail I was more of an 11:40 min/mi kinda guy! It took me 3 hours and 13 mins to run 16.53 miles, which on a road would’ve taken about an hour less! And every step of the way was off canter, either stepping on a rock, a branch, side of a boulder or tree root, or along a river bed. The level of difficulty was ten-fold that of a road race of any distance I’ve ever ran. Within a mile I was wondering how my legs were gonna make it to the end, almost 17 miles! Not to mention, the humidity was 100%, no really, 100% and the temp was around 80. The conditions for a road runner like me were brutal, and I even heard people on course saying it was the hardest trail event Rogue has ever put on, and you know what, I loved it! Instantly hooked as we wound our way through the trees and river beds, through caves and alongside a cliff embanked river with water so clear you could see the bottom. I couldn’t believe I was in Texas, it was absolutely beautiful. I elected not to wear headphones for this race either, so that I could completely engulf myself in the surroundings. I wanted to hear the leaves moves on the trees, the water rushing down the river, and the ground crunching beneath my feet. The absolute best part (for me, not the spectators) was the fact that a thunderstorm rolled through and let me tell you, running trails in the wild, with thunder, lighting and rain, might be the most exhilarating way to run I can think of!
I was smiling ear to ear for the entire 16.53 miles! I was hooked!
And when it was all done, and I slogged my heavy, tired legs up and down 3000 feet of elevation change in the rain…there was no fancy finish line, no medals or cheering crowds…just a couple trail runners with canned beer at the finish waiting for everyone to come through the trees and share some local craft brew and stories about falling over rocks and alongside the river bed. It was truly a different experience, and I can’t wait to go back next year!
So some lessons learned and wisdom to pass to those of you interested in trail running (and you should be because it’s so much fun)…shoes are of the utmost importance, if I didn’t have trail shoes with rockguards in them I wouldn’t have been able to run that race. Seriously, know what terrain you’ll be running on because it could make all the difference in the type of shoe you choose to run in. I ran in Altra Superior 2.0’s, and I’m gonna make a separate post to explain how much I loved these shoes. Also, try running without headphones when out on the trails, and like all the hippie trail runners before us, become one with nature! I experienced a true runner’s high during this race and I really think that’s why. Check and recheck your lodging reservations, because most trail runs are out of the way and you need to stay as close as possible to the race without any surprises. Expect to take anywhere from 2-3 minutes off your normal road racing pace due to hills and other terrain that you don’t experience on a flat road. Buy a handheld water bottle you’re comfortable with, because in the remote areas of a trail race you will need to carry water/Gatorade with you. Also, a SPI Belt is a must to carry gels, and keep your trash on you until you reach an aid station so that you don’t litter the course. Overall, just expect a completely different experience and crowd at a trail race, and go with the flow! You’ll love it!
So that’s about it, if you’ve got any questions, post them and I’d be happy to try and answer. See you on the trails!
B
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