Da Deer Run Run Trail 8k
Comlara Park//Hudson, IL
Comlara Park//Hudson, IL
Saturday, December 9, 2017//11:00am
-39:02 (7:51 pace per mile for 8k/4.97 miles)
-1st in F35-39 AG
-3rd overall female
-11th overall
(My 23rd race of the 2017 season)
*8k PR (Previous PR was at Run the Woods 8k Trail Run in 2015 and was 41:14)
Clint and I thought it might be fun to try to run this race together as a "date day" if we could find a babysitter - it's not stroller friendly, for sure :) (and it was supposed to be pretty cold!!). This race is run on trails/grass at Comlara Park and includes a number of steeplechase obstacles. We had each done the race once before - I ran it in 2015 at 20 weeks pregnant (see my previous report here!) and Clint ran it way back in 2007. It's a novel change from the typical road race - and it's a great opportunity to enjoy the trails that are not far from our home.
Our first attempt to find a somewhat last-minute babysitter was unsuccessful (we just decided about a week ago that we wanted to try to run this race for certain), but our friend Holly-Rae secured a babysitter for their two littles - so we made plans to schlep Gabe over to their place before the race to hang out with their kiddos and sitter. Hooray!
The race has a nice, late start of 11:00 am so we didn't even need to wake up early for this one - gotta love it! Clint had made plans with our friend Tanya to go out to Comlara before the race to get in some pre-race miles. So, she picked him up a little before 9 and I left a little after 9 to head out to the Van Hoof home with Gabe (after hurrying around to pack up the requisite items - always seems like I am rushing around at the last minute!).
Once out at the Van Hoof abode, we got the kiddos situated and then hit the road - HR's hubby Tim drove us, which was kind and awesome. Holly-Rae decided to take breakfast on the road:
We got out to Comlara at 10:20 and got registered - it was COLD!!! It was fun to discover that there were still shirts available for race-day registrants. Not like we "need" another race shirt, of course, but the shirts were super soft long-sleeves in a crazy bright orange color that were at least fun and unique.
After a visit to the bathroom (hooray for camp bathrooms that are a few steps up from porta potties!) and some peeling off of layers of clothing, we headed over to the race start. I currently don't own trail shoes, but had planned to wear an older pair of Saucony Freedoms. Darn it all - I had left them in our SUV which was at the Van Hoof house! I had been planning on driving and had neglected to transfer all of my necessary items (including some money I needed to deliver to our friend/area runner Merlin and Clint's post-race sweatshirt!). So, I wore the shoes I had on - older Saucony Rides. Honestly, it probably ended up being a good thing - they have more stability and support than the Freedoms. I don't like to "race" in them because they are kind of heavy - but I think the stability/support was probably good out on the trails.
We lined up in a big grassy area that had been designated as the starting area. I hadn't run a warmup (my "warmup" was standing around a big industrial heater inside the tent where the pre- and post- race festivities were held!) and Clint commented that I should probably run a few strides before the start. I rolled my eyes like a good wife/coachling and ran off - good thing I did because I quickly discovered that my frozen ankles didn't really work. I about fell over! I ran/danced/skipped around a little more trying to get things moving and working and then re-joined the crowd at the starting area. Our friends Todd, Amber (fellow team member), and Sophia were volunteering at the race and not running it - so they grinned and waved at us from the sidelines in their big, warm, fluffy coats. Lucky JERKS! Hahah!
The starting signal was given (after a rather lengthy introduction by the race director - nice and all but it was c-o-o-o-o-ld!!) and we were off! We headed out for the first barricade. I was surprised to see that I was the first girl up and over the barricade. I should insert here - I do NOT have the skills to "hurdle" these barricades, but I rather kind of awkardly "vaulted" up and over them in a sideways fashion.
I actually led the girls for the first half mile, after which Erin Furimsky took the lead. The lead pack (including Clint and eventual winner Mike Heffron) pulled away from our "secondary" pack of myself, Erin, and a young 16 year old girl (the eventual winner) and a guy (seemed to be one of the girl's teammates/friends). We all crossed the one mile mark together - my watch had us at 7:23. Interestingly, my watch dinged "one mile" at the EXACT moment that my foot touched the spray-painted "one mile" marker on the grass! When does that ever happen?!
My knee was definitely talking to me, but it never felt "worse" - just this ever-present annoyance that I tried to push out of my brain. As we ran up and down the trails, in and out of the trees, and over a few more barricades our group stuck basically together. Mile two by my watch was in 7:57 (though this dinged a bit after we crossed the Mile 2 marker on the course).
I was definitely feeling it - the cold, my knee, my lack of fitness - all of it! I was proud of myself for sticking with the lead pack, but around the 2.5 mile mark I fell off for good. I started singing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" in my head and got to like 69 bottles of beer when my watch dinged off the third mile - 8:07. Whatever!
The fourth mile was kinda lonely - I was pretty much by myself out on the cold (but beautiful!) trails. Though I was hurting a bit, I did really enjoy being out on the trails - I made a mental note that I want to try to get in MORE time on the trails over the coming year. Trail running on the actual trails (and not just our paved Constitution Trail in town ;)) isn't easy with a little guy - it takes some advanced planning. The trails aren't all stroller friendly so I have to leave him at home with would take coordinated scheduling. Mile 4 beeped in 8:17.
I noticed during some of the loopy portions of the course when I could see my former secondary pack groupies that the 16-year-old girl had pulled away significantly from Erin and the boy. Erin was pulling away from the boy as well - and none of the three were anywhere within striking distance. A man in a bright orange coat was behind me - I could see the flashes of orange every now and then and willed myself to push harder so he wouldn't catch me. With about three quarters of a mile to go, though, he did catch and pass me.
I did my best to push through the next sections in the open tree-less grassy areas - up and over the final barricades and through the wind. With about a quarter mile to go, I saw Clint back out on the course to cheer me in - thanks Clint! Soon, the finish line was in sight and I dug deep to cross. My watch had me at 7:57 for the final bit (just under a mile). Total time: 39:02 which is an average pace per mile of 7:51 using 8k/4.97 miles for the calculation.
The overall female winner, a sweet 16 year old girl, won in 37:10 and the overall second place female (Erin Furimsky) got 37:58...both had me by a considerable margin! However, I was satisfied with my 1st place AG and 3rd place overall female standings. In spite of the cold, it was a fun morning with great friends.
After the race, Tim, Holly-Rae, Clint and I headed to Green Gables to cash in on our "free drink with race bib" offer. I was a stick in the mud and just got water ;)...but it was fun to do something that we wouldn't have done if Gabe was with us!
Next up - I need to write my race reports for the FOLEPI River Trail 4-miler that I ran the Saturday after Thanksgiving as well as for last weekend's BRRC 5k. And then...I will wrap up my big 2017 Year In Review post! I will include my goals for 2018 (including plans for my long-awaited Boston Marathon!) and a tentative race schedule. I think, for now, I am done racing for a while and need to (a) focus on getting some quality long runs in to establish my base for Boston and (b) keep up my consistency with my new Coach Clint-established strength training plan (I have 9 strength workouts completed since I started them three weeks ago on November 17!). Right now I am at 1229.6 miles for 2017 - I am kind of hoping to hit 1300 for a nice round number but I am not sure if that is possible at this point...we shall see! Even if I don't hit that, though, this has been my biggest year running-wise, ever! It's been fun/encouraging to get faster and more fit in spite of getting older...and I am hoping and praying that continues. We will see!
THANK YOU, as always, to Mitch, my Often Running Racing Team teammates for the fun and friendship, to Saucony for the always awesome gear, and to my boys C and G!
Happy Running, all!
*8k PR (Previous PR was at Run the Woods 8k Trail Run in 2015 and was 41:14)
Clint and I thought it might be fun to try to run this race together as a "date day" if we could find a babysitter - it's not stroller friendly, for sure :) (and it was supposed to be pretty cold!!). This race is run on trails/grass at Comlara Park and includes a number of steeplechase obstacles. We had each done the race once before - I ran it in 2015 at 20 weeks pregnant (see my previous report here!) and Clint ran it way back in 2007. It's a novel change from the typical road race - and it's a great opportunity to enjoy the trails that are not far from our home.
Our first attempt to find a somewhat last-minute babysitter was unsuccessful (we just decided about a week ago that we wanted to try to run this race for certain), but our friend Holly-Rae secured a babysitter for their two littles - so we made plans to schlep Gabe over to their place before the race to hang out with their kiddos and sitter. Hooray!
The race has a nice, late start of 11:00 am so we didn't even need to wake up early for this one - gotta love it! Clint had made plans with our friend Tanya to go out to Comlara before the race to get in some pre-race miles. So, she picked him up a little before 9 and I left a little after 9 to head out to the Van Hoof home with Gabe (after hurrying around to pack up the requisite items - always seems like I am rushing around at the last minute!).
Once out at the Van Hoof abode, we got the kiddos situated and then hit the road - HR's hubby Tim drove us, which was kind and awesome. Holly-Rae decided to take breakfast on the road:
 |
| "Road sodie runner-style" |
 |
| Tim needed some too.. |
After a visit to the bathroom (hooray for camp bathrooms that are a few steps up from porta potties!) and some peeling off of layers of clothing, we headed over to the race start. I currently don't own trail shoes, but had planned to wear an older pair of Saucony Freedoms. Darn it all - I had left them in our SUV which was at the Van Hoof house! I had been planning on driving and had neglected to transfer all of my necessary items (including some money I needed to deliver to our friend/area runner Merlin and Clint's post-race sweatshirt!). So, I wore the shoes I had on - older Saucony Rides. Honestly, it probably ended up being a good thing - they have more stability and support than the Freedoms. I don't like to "race" in them because they are kind of heavy - but I think the stability/support was probably good out on the trails.
We lined up in a big grassy area that had been designated as the starting area. I hadn't run a warmup (my "warmup" was standing around a big industrial heater inside the tent where the pre- and post- race festivities were held!) and Clint commented that I should probably run a few strides before the start. I rolled my eyes like a good wife/coachling and ran off - good thing I did because I quickly discovered that my frozen ankles didn't really work. I about fell over! I ran/danced/skipped around a little more trying to get things moving and working and then re-joined the crowd at the starting area. Our friends Todd, Amber (fellow team member), and Sophia were volunteering at the race and not running it - so they grinned and waved at us from the sidelines in their big, warm, fluffy coats. Lucky JERKS! Hahah!
The starting signal was given (after a rather lengthy introduction by the race director - nice and all but it was c-o-o-o-o-ld!!) and we were off! We headed out for the first barricade. I was surprised to see that I was the first girl up and over the barricade. I should insert here - I do NOT have the skills to "hurdle" these barricades, but I rather kind of awkardly "vaulted" up and over them in a sideways fashion.
I actually led the girls for the first half mile, after which Erin Furimsky took the lead. The lead pack (including Clint and eventual winner Mike Heffron) pulled away from our "secondary" pack of myself, Erin, and a young 16 year old girl (the eventual winner) and a guy (seemed to be one of the girl's teammates/friends). We all crossed the one mile mark together - my watch had us at 7:23. Interestingly, my watch dinged "one mile" at the EXACT moment that my foot touched the spray-painted "one mile" marker on the grass! When does that ever happen?!
My knee was definitely talking to me, but it never felt "worse" - just this ever-present annoyance that I tried to push out of my brain. As we ran up and down the trails, in and out of the trees, and over a few more barricades our group stuck basically together. Mile two by my watch was in 7:57 (though this dinged a bit after we crossed the Mile 2 marker on the course).
I was definitely feeling it - the cold, my knee, my lack of fitness - all of it! I was proud of myself for sticking with the lead pack, but around the 2.5 mile mark I fell off for good. I started singing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" in my head and got to like 69 bottles of beer when my watch dinged off the third mile - 8:07. Whatever!
The fourth mile was kinda lonely - I was pretty much by myself out on the cold (but beautiful!) trails. Though I was hurting a bit, I did really enjoy being out on the trails - I made a mental note that I want to try to get in MORE time on the trails over the coming year. Trail running on the actual trails (and not just our paved Constitution Trail in town ;)) isn't easy with a little guy - it takes some advanced planning. The trails aren't all stroller friendly so I have to leave him at home with would take coordinated scheduling. Mile 4 beeped in 8:17.
I noticed during some of the loopy portions of the course when I could see my former secondary pack groupies that the 16-year-old girl had pulled away significantly from Erin and the boy. Erin was pulling away from the boy as well - and none of the three were anywhere within striking distance. A man in a bright orange coat was behind me - I could see the flashes of orange every now and then and willed myself to push harder so he wouldn't catch me. With about three quarters of a mile to go, though, he did catch and pass me.
I did my best to push through the next sections in the open tree-less grassy areas - up and over the final barricades and through the wind. With about a quarter mile to go, I saw Clint back out on the course to cheer me in - thanks Clint! Soon, the finish line was in sight and I dug deep to cross. My watch had me at 7:57 for the final bit (just under a mile). Total time: 39:02 which is an average pace per mile of 7:51 using 8k/4.97 miles for the calculation.
The overall female winner, a sweet 16 year old girl, won in 37:10 and the overall second place female (Erin Furimsky) got 37:58...both had me by a considerable margin! However, I was satisfied with my 1st place AG and 3rd place overall female standings. In spite of the cold, it was a fun morning with great friends.
 |
| 1st and 2nd F35-39 AG! |
 |
| Clint snagged 2nd overall and 1st in the M30-34 AG! |
After the race, Tim, Holly-Rae, Clint and I headed to Green Gables to cash in on our "free drink with race bib" offer. I was a stick in the mud and just got water ;)...but it was fun to do something that we wouldn't have done if Gabe was with us!
 |
| WOOOT! |
Next up - I need to write my race reports for the FOLEPI River Trail 4-miler that I ran the Saturday after Thanksgiving as well as for last weekend's BRRC 5k. And then...I will wrap up my big 2017 Year In Review post! I will include my goals for 2018 (including plans for my long-awaited Boston Marathon!) and a tentative race schedule. I think, for now, I am done racing for a while and need to (a) focus on getting some quality long runs in to establish my base for Boston and (b) keep up my consistency with my new Coach Clint-established strength training plan (I have 9 strength workouts completed since I started them three weeks ago on November 17!). Right now I am at 1229.6 miles for 2017 - I am kind of hoping to hit 1300 for a nice round number but I am not sure if that is possible at this point...we shall see! Even if I don't hit that, though, this has been my biggest year running-wise, ever! It's been fun/encouraging to get faster and more fit in spite of getting older...and I am hoping and praying that continues. We will see!
THANK YOU, as always, to Mitch, my Often Running Racing Team teammates for the fun and friendship, to Saucony for the always awesome gear, and to my boys C and G!
Happy Running, all!
 |
| Often Running Racing Team members - Amber volunteered (THANKS AF!) and those of us who ran each placed in our age groups - and Mike, of course, won overall! |
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| Fun shirt, fun medals :) |
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