I have always written race reports after mountain bike races...so I guess I will do it for a trail running race also. Like, I mean...it rained, it had hills, it had food. Things that make stories. This will be long as I am not a short winded person. If you can only handle the short version, go look at my Strava or Instagram or something.
I returned to running this year in February with the intent of the Peavine Falls road run July 4 then got sick two days prior which was a huge bummer. I really don’t LOVE running the way I do cycling but it IS fun to learn how to get better at something new so the process has been fun and I miss running when I don’t go. Even for folks that hate running...it is worth doing a little as it is a pretty basic human thing to do.
I had the Magic City Half Marathon in my sights for the Sunday before Thanksgiving this year but realized sometime in early fall I just didn’t care about it. Around the same time, my buddy Josh Waldrop signed up for the Blood Rock 25K trail run at Oak Mountain State Park. Hmmmm. I was interested and not just a little bit. I like adventures.... I registered the next day and started planning. Blood Rock is not your normal trail run. The 15 miles covers 4,000 feet of elevation gain and covers the Backcountry trails at Oak Mountain. I never knew these existed! They are unmarked, super steep, and not traveled much. I have always claimed to have explored all of Oak Mountain. WRONG!
I realize now I didn’t even run on a trail more than 6-7 times leading up to this but my years of mountain biking and hiking are pretty good trail running practice. Consistent strength training is nice also. I didn’t follow a training plan but the basics were:
Run 3-4 days weekly with lots of hilly terrain
Lay off training if I felt like shit
Strength training 2 days weekly
Build up long trail run to around 2 hours (half of estimated race duration)
Keep most of my running at an easy pace
I will list a few folks who have been my favorite resources. Running is like anything else: the Internet is full of advice and most of it is terrible. Check these folks out, buy their stuff (seriously), and high five them if you ever meet them:
Chris Johnson of Zeren PT
Rich Willy of Montana Running Lab
Jason Koop from CTS
Josh broke his pelvis before the race and had to tap out. Some friend, right?! Friendless and alone, I stuck to the plan. I watched the forecast leading up the race and it made promises of rain. Strong promises. Jeff Martinez and Sarah Portella at The Trak Shak sold me a very nice green hat so it wasn’t all bad in my world the week before Blood Rock.
Come race day, I fretted a good bit about what rain gear to use then left it all in my hydration pack as it was only 60 degrees. I chatted a bit with Mike Lackey and Maaike Everts as we lined up to race. I was glad I wasn’t the only mountain biker playing trail runner for the day. The first two miles of the course is on The Chimneys MTB trail then cuts over to a really easy hiking trail that connects to the North Trailhead. I had to learn how close to follow behind other runners so I could see where I need to step instead of simply copying them. Trust nobody! The pouring rain and all the runners near me were a bit mesmerizing so I just went at the pace of the conga line. My plan for the race was to keep at a conversation pace most of the time and push into around 5-6/10 effort on climbs. I ignored heart rate and pace mostly since the wrist based HRMs are usually pointless. Pace also goes out the window on a course like this!
About 3 miles in, we made a right turn into the Backcountry section. I love these trails! They are hard and probably kind of dangerous in the rain. The rain and mist really added to the mystique. I heard occasional yell or scream behind me. Some runners were really fast going up non tech but fell apart once it got rocky. My biggest limitation on the day was running downhill when it was super steep with no rocks as good footholds. My shoes got a bit loose from rain so I stopped a good bit to mess with them. I just took my time on the steep downhills and did okay. I didn’t fall a single time, which I am sure my coach (Pete Foret) will give me hell about. Something about if you aren’t falling, you aren’t going hard enough... Can’t please everyone. There are two hills during the Backcountry section that are so steep they run ropes to help runners get up them. Barkley Hill and Topless Hill are just nuts. Not super long but insanely steep...think average 30% gradient with pitches that are almost 70%!!! I was doing well with my nutrition plan also. Nuun water in the pack and food in the pockets...200-250 calories an hour.
We popped out around the Boy Scout Bridge aid station on Red Road. I said hi to Travis Self who I ended up running with a good bit after this. The aid station had some Coke and pickles which were just what I needed. As a reminder - listen to what your body wants but know how much you are eating and don’t do anything your wouldn’t do on a normal run nutrition wise. This point was around mile 9 I think and my legs were getting tired. I could run fine, but the exertion of the steep hiking and jumping over water was just using up all my muscle fibers! I would imagine the wet played a part here. We cut right at the Blue Red Connector and made the steep, rocky climb to Eagles Nest. I helped someone untangle their Camelbak hose from their pack at the start of the climb and chatted with anyone nearby. I started seeing some of the longer distance runners coming back towards us. Really impressive as most of them looked good.
The descent from Eagles Nest to the Blue Trail SUCKS. Straight down the side of the mountain and really slick. Travis figured out the leaves to the side had better traction so I just copied him. Travis is older than me and has been running a long time so I spent time watching and learning where I could. We got down to the North Trailhead Aid Station and I got pretty excited to learn my GPS was wrong. It had 10.5 miles and this spot was at 12 miles! Only 3 to go. My plan for the race was to get in under 4 hours and I was only at 2:50 here so that motivated me a good bit. The volunteers at all the stations were awesome. Thanks to all of you!
Before the race, I had visions of myself really hauling it the last 3 miles. You know Looking back at Stravas Grade Adjusted Pace feature I did okay through here on the Yellow Trail but I was just tired at this point. I had good energy and focus but my legs were exhausted. I know around there point in mountain bike races is when cramps can really hit hard but I never had them running. Lucky me. I ran as much as I could and slowed down if it was steep and I was getting into threshold effort level. The amount of rain on the trail was still ridiculous but I suppose I got used to it. Coming around the Lake towards the finish I crossed paths with Dr. Sophia Lal doing some race clean up and getting a run in. My brain didn’t work very well but I said hi and kept moving! I pushed hard the last half mile and popped out through the finish. Done!
I met Satya, who found me and steered me towards the vegan food and beer in the finish tent…. If anyone ever set out to abduct me, this would probably be the way to initiate it. So much good food and nice people around! David of Southeastern Trail Runs puts on a hell of a race. Everything is well organized and fun. NOT an easy task, I promise. Oh, I ended up finishing in 3:22 with a moving time of 3:12 because of messing with my shoes like a fidgety toddler anytime I wasn’t happy with them. This time was well under my goal and I’m stoked on it big time. One woman finished in front of me and I was 22nd overall in the 25K. I’m not sure on the total amount of runners but those two things make me think I did okay. This race lived up to what I was hoping for: a scary goal to give me some training focus for the fall. I feel like my preparation was pretty good for being a bit of a quick decision to run it. I will probably do something like this again. I usually have a list of things to do different after a race...I am having trouble coming up with stuff here. Probably more time trail running. I will do more hopping type exercises in the future during gym workouts. I need to get better at lacing shoes even though I did the lace lock deal. The Olympus was honestly a bit too cushy for this level of tech so I will get another pair of Superiors and can pick and choose on race distance. The lessons from long mountain bike races are a huge help for trail running. Anyway, Blood Rock was awesome, and if you run on trails any add it to your list!