2011 Triple Lakes Trail Race

Robin was at the race today.

Between Injuries
"Are you between injuries?", Smart-ass Ultra Brad asked me at the race today.

The answer is: Yes!... well, for a few hours anyway.

I finally started to get over my knee problems that have plagued me since Uwharrie last February.
The solution was not biking, cortisone shots, or acupuncture.
Barefoot running was starting to work, but then, of course, I got impatient and hurt my foot. TMTS=TOFP

The solution was, once again, small steps.
I am not a very smart person, it seems, as I quickly forget even the hardest learned lessons.

I made my rediscovery a few weeks ago. Instead of trying to go fast, I tried to run with zero pain. This required taking tiny, ridiculously small steps. It was a 12 minute mile, but it worked. For the first time in a while, I actually felt better after a run instead of worse.

A day later I tried it again. A little faster, and felt better still. Eureka!

Sick
In a desperate attempt to train for the New York Marathon, I put in a 40 mile week.
Going from 10 miles a week to 40 is slightly more than the recommended 10%. My hamstrings were shredded, and on Monday I woke up with a sore throat. I rested all week, but by this morning it had progressed to a  full fledged snot infested cold.

Still, I didn't want to miss the race today. So a handful of Tylenol, caffeine, and decongestant, and we are off!

Start

Batman was also there.
Instead of a cape, he wore a Godiva shirt.

Triple Lakes Trail Race has 3 events: a 40 mile ultra, a marathon and "fun" run for the kids. Shannon and I ran the fun run, which is a half marathon. This was our third time running it. Here is the race report from 2009.

The race started with an air horn. Ben Godfrey took off, and in about 12 seconds he was a mile down the greenway and out of sight.

This made it seem like the rest of us was plodding along, but then Shannon looked at her watch and said "I don't need to be doing a 6 min mile". I certainly didn't either, so I slowed down and followed 3 other guys onto the trail.

I Finish!
I felt pretty good with all the drugs, but 13 miles is a long way for me these days, so I tried to take it easy. Ended up passing one guy, and another stopped in a porta-potty. So I was then in 3rd place.

But by mile 6, the "easy" pace felt really hard. My nose was running like a faucet. It was step, step, sniffle, step, step, sniffle.

I had one bad coughing spell, and hacked up something disturbing.
I would like to blame my cold for my struggles, but really my body is just not used to running that far or fast. My hips and back were aching, and I was having trouble lifting my feet.

Simulation of what I coughed up at mile 7

Around mile 8, I kicked the end of a stick. The other end of the stick stuck into the ground, causing my foot to "pole vault" about 3 feet into the air, bending leg at an unnatural angle. Lucky nothing snapped.

I continued to slow, until I was just plodding along trying to get to the finish line. Going around the pond at the end I looked back and didn't see anyone, but then about 30 feet from the finish a kid comes up right behind me. I managed to out kick the little bastard to stay in 3rd. But 1:44 was the slowest of my 3 times at this race.

How could I stay home and miss this?

Shannon Wins! Ken Wins!
A few minutes later Shannon comes around the pond as the first woman. She is a trail running machine!

She took pictures all the while, of course. Click here for the photo album.

We waited around to see our friend Ken come in, but we didn't have to wait long. He won the marathon.
And he had just signed up on a whim at the last minute. Amazing.

Godiva wins Men's marathon and women's half marathon.
Suck it Bull City! 

That Didn't Last Long 
As I finish writing this, my legs are aching and I have an ice bag on my throbbing knee.
My time between injuries didn't last too long, I guess. I think I forgot to take the small steps today. Sigh.
Someday, I'll learn...