Is it Fall yet? Sept. running...

[Tri Girl]

Did my half mary this weekend. This race was more challenging than last weekend, but really for only a 3 mile section. At mile 3 we got to the "Rusty Crown"- a 3 mile section of up and down around a giant hill/mesa. There was some ups that I was crawling on all fours getting up, and some downs that I was side-stepping and sliding using my hands to guide me. I was a little worn out after that, and still had 7.6 miles to go to finish. Thankfully the rest of the course was flatish.
It was by far the MOST fun I've had in a long time at a race. I'm really getting into trail races- the atmosphere at trail races and ultras is just SO much more friendly and relaxed. Much more my style. I just wish I didn't have to drive 2-4 hours every time I want to run a trail race.

I'm gearing up for a 24 hour race at the end of October. It is a one mile paved nature trail (at least it's winding and has a few little baby hills to make it interesting). I'm not thrilled about it being on pavement, but I did the 24 hour trail race there 3 years ago and that trail just beat me to hell (it's the trail I normally run on, but the weird loop they had us doing for 24 hours killed me).

Anyway, 13.6 miles in 3:38. Nothing to be excited about, but I wasn't last (beat 20 people, in fact). I know 16 min/miles is almost as fast as some people can walk, but I had a few 11 and 12 min/miles in there. It was just that the 3 miles of the Rusty Crown brought that average WAY down (those three miles were a 24, 22, and 26 min/miles).


The first pic is of me running
The second one is at the top of the steepest climb (I'm sure you mountain people just laugh at this, but this is the flat-lands and there is nothing even close to hill running around here)
The third is our finisher's award (no medals- they always do something local). This happens to be a from a local apiary and they made the medallions from tree limbs- very personal and special.