Psycho Night Race 2009

Friday, Aug 7 was the Psycho Night race out at Wyandotte County Park. This is a little bit of a sentimental race for me since it was my very first trail race last year. A lot has changed.

Before the race started, I wandered around chatting with the folks I knew and some I didn't. I taunted Barefoot Josh (knowing full well that I would never catch him unless something bad happened and I would never wish that on another runner). I also talked with some folks from Topeka and some people that were at the Rock Creek night race where John and I ran an aid station. John and Danny were manning the only aid station on the course, cooler of beer in tow. He didn't want to risk falling and making his wrist worse since it's not quite 100%. I think he just preferred to drink beer and watch other people run. :)

Here's Brett and I, pre-race and sans-spouses.

I know this course well and I was hoping to run it in under an hour. My time last year was 1:08, but last year's course was much dryer and more runnable. Rocky downhills are my forte and I was hoping to use that to my advantage. The mud would make things more difficult, so I tied my laces tight and double knotted my shoes.

I saw no less than 5 people lose at least one shoe. I thought it was funny, but I'm sure they weren't as amused. Coming into the Triangle, Danny said I was 2nd female and John told me I better pick up the pace (funny guy). I was passed by one girl, but she was having a hard time in the mud. On the road, she would have cleaned my clock, but between the mud and the rocks, I passed her again not far outside the Triangle and didn't see her until the finish line. I talked to her afterwards and she was visiting from Utah. Her quote of the night: "I thought I had run trails before, but I hadn't run anything like THIS!"

I picked up the pace a little and caught up to a group of guys that came down from Leavenworth. I passed them on a hill, but they hung close. I started calling out warnings for rocky sections and where there were good lines through the mud. Afterwards, they came over to say thanks and we chatted over beer. They said the may come down for a Thursday night run sometime.

I finished in 1:05, which is a good indicator of how muddy it was. I was running much faster than last year, but there were more sections that I had to walk due to mud. I never did catch Barefoot Josh, but I think I came close. ;) I had a lot of fun and met a ton of new people. Hopefully I'll get to see some of them again.

Thanks to all the volunteers and especially Dick Ross at www.seekcrun.com. All photos are courtesy of Dick.

Clinton in the Springtime

My long run this weekend was a 20 miler at Clinton Lake with the Western Division of the KC Trail Nerds. Besides being overdressed and undertrained, I had a ball. There were about 5,000 runners there at the start. Ok, maybe it was closer to 15, but it was a huge group for a training run. Most of the group was doing 15-16 miles and there were 4 of us who did 20.

That was the first time I had ever been to Clinton. The course we ran is the same course I'll be running in a few weeks for the Freestate 40 mile race. It's much more runnable than WyCo; I would say it's a better version of the trails at Shawnee Mission Park. With all the rain we had last week, it was super muddy.

The group stayed together for the first 8 miles or so, which I thought was pretty cool. A group this size usually splits up after a mile or two. We ran around the lake, through wooded areas starting to show signs of spring with a carpet green plants starting to spring up. I would have liked to look around more, but if I took my eyes off the trail, I'm sure I would have done a face plant.

After we split, it was Gary Henry, a couple up visiting from Texas, and me. Gary was great. He truly is a trail veteran, keeping pace, telling stories, and even breaking into verse. I slowly dropped back - the full sun sections were frying my HR and I had to take a few walk breaks. But I enjoyed the trails and the company. Besides making sure I made it back (I made one wrong turn), Gary also had cold water in a giant cooler in his car. I changed into dry clothes and refilled my water bottles a few times, before heading back to KC.

I wish Clinton was closer and I could make the Clinton run a regular thing. Maybe it will be a monthly occurrence. It is definitely worth it.

Running With the Pack

There's a certain rythm to trail running you can't find on the road or track. Every run has it's own pulse and flow, and no two runs produce the same experience. Usually I am a solitary runner but I have come to appreciate running with the KC Trail Nerds. It's more than having someone else to clear the spider webs and scare off the copperheads (saw my first one last night).

When all you hear is the pounding footsteps in front of you and behind you, the swishing grasses and trees in the wind, rythmic breathing, and the beating of your own heart, you realize the pack is greater than the individual. The pace is faster and smoother, the distances farther than one might run on his own. There is something animalistic and natural to running in a pack; around corners, up hills, over branches, and through streams. If you've ever been trail running, then you know that humans were meant to run wild.

There is a bond between all runners and endurance athletes. I think it's true that our society has come to confuse comfort with happiness. The greatest rewards come after suffering and sacrifice. All endurance athletes know this - this is why we train. Part of the allure to doing a marathon or triathlon is doing something you didn't know your body could do and doing something that the average human can't do. And once you have pushed past those limits, you want to see how far you can really go. To surround yourself with others of the same mindset is refreshing and motivating.

I will always be more of a solitary runner than someone who always trains with a group. But I really enjoy the new "pack" I've found and the sense of community they offer.

Find your pack.

Run wild.