Skippo 30K race report

RACE: 18.6 miles on trails, 3:13 7th/14 females and 2nd/5 in AG! Average pace 10:45. Race features were a set of 200 stairs and a big rocky hill on Grotpeter, as well as a creek crossing! And since I was doing 3 laps, I get to see those features 3 times!!!

I've reached sort of an odd spot in my training when I can walk into a 30K distance race with little to no specific prep. Or I've reached a base level at which I can peel off these distances at an easy pace with no problem. Or I've become blasse about training and.... well anyway....my point is that I unstressedly arrived at this race having only done a 13.2 mile long run and a few 6 mile trail runs. Not much!

But I had some simple goals. Stick to the nutrition plan with real foods in place of gels and powders. Maintain a steady pace through the 3 6.2-mile laps. Don't fall or break an ankle.

It was raining at the gun and cold enough that I was happy to tuck myself into the crowd. I wore capri tights, gloves, BRR hat, long sports bra, base layer, tech long sleeve, and windshell vest (damn that sounds like a lot of clothes!) and I was still wonderining how I'd be in the wet low 40s temps. So before the race me and AC, TG, EC, BG all wondered what to wear. At least we had our shoes picked out--TG, EC, BG and I all had the same Cascadias!!

Off we went, and in the first mile or so I was passed and passed and passed. I didn't think I'd seeded myself that far forward, it was only a field of 400 runners. But all these people passing me kept me wanting to speed up. Luckily one thing I learned this year was to stick to my own pace. I told myself that this was a 30K for me, a 10 or 20K for them. Let'em go.

FIRST LAP TIME: 1:03 The first loop felt a little fast at times but I think that's because I didn't warm up and just started out cold, leaving me to spend the first 20 mins or so getting acclimatized to running. I made it through most of a bottle of coconut water, half a lara bar, some regular water only. I walked the stairs and Grotpeter hill, and managed to stay mostly dry on the creek crossing!! Saw BN in this lap, but not for long. Which was too bad, he was fun to talk to.

SECOND LAP TIME: 1:05 Nice steady pace! The second loop I knew I needed to get eating so I dug out a banana only to find it bruised and cold. Oh well, same carbs. More coconut water, and another banana late in the lap. JP found me in this lap, she looked strong! I started looking for the halfway point in this lap, and came up with the strategy of breaking down the laps into segments for the final lap. Still feeling good! Walked the stairs and the big hill, still a mostly dry crossing. And I wasn't seeing many 30 runners. This got my little brain going--what if I was first? Last? Could I win this race? Will they be waiting for me at the end? This really ramped up one mile away from the end of the 2nd loop when I passed a female 30K runner. I wasn't last! But she stayed behind me! Suddenly I'm wondering if I'd have her pushing me for the next loop! YIKES! Calm down, I thought, this is for FUN. So I said to her, if you want to pass let me know. She didn't take the offer. Could I stand this for another hour? Or would I wig myself out with stress? On the way to the lap point, I heard the song of the day: It's My Life by Bon Jovi

THIRD LAP TIME and FINISH CHUTE: 1:05-ish. One more lap to to. I was feeling great but the bottoms of my feet were hurting from the rocks. But I knew the pain would come and go. The woman behind me dropped off at the first aid station (LC and kids were there!!!) and I never saw her again. In fact, I didn't see much of anyone on this loop. I passed two guys and that was it. My mental meanderings and wonderings were settled when I passed the 2nd aid station and a woman there told me I was the 6th woman! I was both happy and unhappy about learning this. Hard to explain.

By now I thought I'd know the trails, but all I knew there the landmarks. I passed points in which I wondered if I was on the right trail! It was well marked, but areas were unfamiliar. But I broke it down into segments: to the 2nd aid station; to the stairs (walked again), to the creek (mostly dry again), to the road crossing, to the next road crossing, to the finish. I ate the last of the lara bar (kinda choked on the crumbly of it) and ran for a while with MG who was doing a Stag Skippo. Yuck. I dont' know how he did it.

Eventually I passed him and was on my own again. I picked up energy and speed towards the finish, it was mostly down hill and the cheering really picked up from spectators. As I approached the finish, I realized just how strong I felt and wondered if I could have gone harder or faster? Probably not, the hills and stairs were 80% even though I walked them!

Finished strong and happy! Wasn't sore at all later in the day, and never really did get sore. So 18.6 miles with little training...no problem-o. :)

But don't bank on that base always being there!