Doonst dawdles Haliburton 2011
Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 8:49 pm
Well I guess I better get to my race report. Saturday I ran the Haliburton Forest 26 K trail race. Last year in the middle of a pretty solid season I did the 50 K; this year I'm going a little slower. My training recently was looking up so I had hopes that I could come in around 3 hours. There was the matter of a bad bruise in my lower outer leg 6 days before but as usual it cleared up right on time. The big news this year was that my better half was also doing the same race, a new distance for her.
I guess I went out a little optimistically, but then I was a little optimistic. Early on was roads and I was going sub 5. After 2 K and a bit we hit the trails. More uphill than I remember, but we'll get it back, right? I'm running second in a pack of 5, trying to keep up. Eventually I start to fade, I'm just not feeling too spunky today. So often this year I have struggled in training, then had relatively good race days. Today was the opposite, but not too terribly bad, just felt like you do when you go out too quick. Tearing down a long hill, my water bottle pops out and 3 people fly by when I stop for it. Then at the 6 K aid station another guy. After that I eased up a bit, but strangely nobody passed from there to the 13 K turnaround.
At this point it had been 1:35, new time goal was 3:15 I guess. Coming back I was a little less focused on time and distance; less Garmin glancing. There sure are a lot more hills than I remember, a popular topic at the finish line, could it have gotten hillier? 5 more people get by me on the return trip, I kept soldiering on. The long pounding downhills take a toll on my old knees. I kept thinking, I did 50 K last year on this? It warms up a little in the sun. As my pace slips, time and distance pass and I'm done. 3:30; 7/16 age group, 28/59 overall. Midpack. Still, all those fine runners that passed me were only 3, 5, 8 minutes faster; 3 hours was unrealistic. For some reason, lots of people found it slow this year. Its easy to be hard on yourself and your results in a trail race. Heck I ran hard for 3 1/2 hours, some days I've called that a marathon. Also its hard to put your effort etc. into perspective when there were people out there in the sun all day, then all night and more.
Fine times at the finish line, so impressed with Annelizabeth's victory even if she isn't. AFR got his 50 K done. Eventually Heather comes in too, 5:41. I hope it didn't spoil her day that I had told her she could do it in 5.
Thanks AE for the picture. Next up Hilton Falls!
I guess I went out a little optimistically, but then I was a little optimistic. Early on was roads and I was going sub 5. After 2 K and a bit we hit the trails. More uphill than I remember, but we'll get it back, right? I'm running second in a pack of 5, trying to keep up. Eventually I start to fade, I'm just not feeling too spunky today. So often this year I have struggled in training, then had relatively good race days. Today was the opposite, but not too terribly bad, just felt like you do when you go out too quick. Tearing down a long hill, my water bottle pops out and 3 people fly by when I stop for it. Then at the 6 K aid station another guy. After that I eased up a bit, but strangely nobody passed from there to the 13 K turnaround.
At this point it had been 1:35, new time goal was 3:15 I guess. Coming back I was a little less focused on time and distance; less Garmin glancing. There sure are a lot more hills than I remember, a popular topic at the finish line, could it have gotten hillier? 5 more people get by me on the return trip, I kept soldiering on. The long pounding downhills take a toll on my old knees. I kept thinking, I did 50 K last year on this? It warms up a little in the sun. As my pace slips, time and distance pass and I'm done. 3:30; 7/16 age group, 28/59 overall. Midpack. Still, all those fine runners that passed me were only 3, 5, 8 minutes faster; 3 hours was unrealistic. For some reason, lots of people found it slow this year. Its easy to be hard on yourself and your results in a trail race. Heck I ran hard for 3 1/2 hours, some days I've called that a marathon. Also its hard to put your effort etc. into perspective when there were people out there in the sun all day, then all night and more.
Fine times at the finish line, so impressed with Annelizabeth's victory even if she isn't. AFR got his 50 K done. Eventually Heather comes in too, 5:41. I hope it didn't spoil her day that I had told her she could do it in 5.
Thanks AE for the picture. Next up Hilton Falls!
