Got down to Santa Cruz on Saturday to participate in PCTR's Santa Cruz Mtns trail run--21 km with only a hint of ashphalt when crossing Hwy 9. A lot of people (most of my coworkers) think it's sorta crazy to run 13 miles all in one go, but my run was started 10 minutes after the 29 km and 50 km runners left, putting my piddly 21 km in perspective.
Great day for running, in that it never rained and never got hot. On the way home I was wondering why all these people were going to the beach--too cold!
Anyway, thankfully I had gone through the course description the night before, so I was aware of two special features for the day. First, the water crossing halfway through the out-and-back course (i.e. two crossings required); second, the big-ass hill just past it on the way out and on the way back. Other than that, the trails were wonderful soft loamy redwood forest humus (not hummus) with trees and shade and space.
I confess to being dainty for the water crossing: I even brought a little towel to wipe my feet off on the other side. More seasoned folks just plowed through the thigh-deep waters and kept going in waterlogged shoes, but they probably have soles on their feet like elephant hide. I figured I didn't want to learn about running in wet feet by running 10 miles in wet feet.
The big-ass hill? Well, 'nuff said, but it wasn't actually so bad. Between my long legs and my overdeveloped-by-cycling glutes, I can climb. At least while running. At least better than people with waterlogged shoes. Who have been running for 1 1/2 hrs already. OK, maybe not a good reference point.
After crossing back over the creek and reaching the home stretch, my left knee started hurting, making me think "ohno, I'm undertrained, it's going to explode, will somebody carry me or do I have to drag myself with my lips"...Happily nothing so dramatic happened. The knee stopped hurting. I finished. Only a few seconds before the first 29 km runner came through en route to finishing the 50 km--a 2 min/mile faster pace than mine, ouch...but I was too busy munching away at the race-food smorgasbord the organizers bring out every time to really notice. Yum. I may have to get me some of their favorite drink mix too ("Conquest").
Two days later, my ankles have yet to forgive me, but I'm still biking to work tomorrow.
Photos ruthlessly ripped from the PCTR website.
6 comments:
you crazy
running through water? that's crazy talk.
i see you are getting redy for cross---a bit early, isn't it?
oV: I believe the term is "hairy legged meat puppet"
L: it's true. I should be riding a bike through water, like normal people.
P: those 'cross courses had better have loooong runups if trail runs are gonna help me...
congratulations, russellp!
that cross-country cross-sectional suggests a course designer with a lingering grudge against the human race.
maybe when you're up 'round these parts you can try the '5 Peaks' race at Mt. Seymour:
step 1) run to top of mountain;
step 2) run back to base of mountain.
not everyone's idea of a good time, but hey....
Can you stop to swim in the creek? And if you stop, do you have to start back up again?
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