Running race 27:00 [5] 3.5 mi (7:43 / mi)
Fallen Oak Off Road Du in Elk River, MN
3.5 mi trail run + 9 mile singletrack + 3 mi trail run
I decided last-minute to jump into the race. We pre-road the trail on Sat and I survived, it only cost $20 and with Tom and Biz racing at the Urban Assault, I had the racin' bug.
When I got to HQ at 8am, I counted about 25 cars in the field and the transition area was almost empty. By the time we started, there were a few more cars in the lot and a few more bikes in the TA but this was definitely an insiders event.
There were a handful of women walking around but since you could do the entire race solo or team up and have one person run and one person bike, I didn't know how many women were doing the entire du like I was. I later found out that there were - 6!
We kicked off the event with a .5 mile prolog. And to make it a true pro-LOG we all had to carry a dirty log. After the .5 prolog on gravel we ran thru the TA and into the woods to run sections 2 and 1 backwards. We were kicked out on the the gravel and pushed it to the TA to get our bikes. I ran most of the way with 2 other women. I was trying to keep a solid, steady pace but didn't want to max out because I knew I needed to save my legs for the bike.
I had the quickest TA and was in the wood first. The course had us do 2 laps on the harder singletrack sections (sections 3 and 4). I went out hard trying to gap the other women but at the beginning of 3 there are some sick obstacles - like a curvy staircase and steep rock gardens so I was off my bike a few times early. When I had a chance to glance over my shoulder, I didn't see any women but I keep pushing the pace and willing myself to ease off the breaks and go for a lot of the challenges that I had chickened out on during the pre-ride on Saturday. About half way thru the first lap, I bombed down a steep hill ready to hit the upslope on the other side when I hit a sand pit and flew over my handle bars. I landed on my right side with my right arm out in front taking the brunt of the impact. I slid on my ride forearm and hit my right hip and knee on my bike and the ground. Luckily I was able to get up, brush it off and a volunteer helped me straighten my handlebars because they got completely jacked sideways with the impact. After the crash, I was buzzing from the adrenaline. I knew it could have been so much worse but I also knew that I was in for a stiff and sore week ahead. I was sure that I was going to get passed on the second lap. I could see one woman behind me but I knew she was on a relay team so I tried to stay ahead of her but wasn't panicking. Despite my crash, I kept a decent pace. On the second lap I was too tired to ride all the climbs so I ended up pushing my bike more and tried to recover my breath and HR when I had some easier sections.
After the 9+ mile bike, I dropped my bike and changed my shoes. Unfortunately, the all female 2-person relay team was able to tag off quickly and their runner hit the woods before I had my running shoes on. I thought about trying to catch her but it was HOT and I was cashed and so dirty. I made my way through the 3 mile loop but it was slow and ugly. I walked some hills and shuffled over the obstacles. I focused on "keep moving" and "don't fall." The pain from my fall was also surfacing in my knees and my shoulder. I was thankful to hit the gravel road and let myself coast to the finish line.
Like he said, 80% of success is just showing up. I'm glad I showed up for this one. It was a great solo event that included challenging but do-able singletrack and a fun trail run. Suzanne from Gnome Hunters ended up in 2nd which was great. Exciting to have AR ladies represent!