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I still can’t quite get my head around the fact that I completed a 12 hour race. \u00a0I would find it hard to believe even if it was done on a nice even surface with rolling hills and gentle sunshine. \u00a0The fact is, it was done on the most technical, muddy, swampy, rocky, rooty, single track I have ever done. And there was over 6000ft of elevation gain based on my Garmin “enabled” feature, way more than that if the feature is turned off.<\/p>\n
Really, this is a case of letting the pictures do the talking, though I don’t think even they do the mud justice.<\/p>\n
When I originally registered for the race, my main hope was to get past my longest distance of 52k. \u00a0My other goal was to go for 10 hours and if need be stop then. \u00a0The truth is, had the event\u00a0offered an 8 or 10 hour race that would probably have been what I would have signed up for.<\/p>\n When the route was posted I went out a couple of weeks before race day to check out the trails. \u00a0That was easier said than done since the trails were still covered in snow, and I just couldn’t find some of the trails. \u00a0I did, however, do enough of the 5k loop to know that I was in for one heck of a challenge. \u00a0Enough of a challenge that I also adjusted my goal to “just” trying to complete a marathon. \u00a0My experience on highly technical trail is limited at best and I knew I had to come out of this injury free to fulfil my pace bunny duties at the end of May.<\/p>\n By the time race day came along I was thinking I would have to adjust my goals even further. \u00a0Ottawa had just received a month’s worth of rain in a week. \u00a0This was following a very rainy April and a large snow melt. \u00a0To say things were going to be wet would be an understatement. And race day was not going to be better – rain was shown for every single hour.<\/p>\n First challenge of the race was going to be the start time. \u00a0I am not a morning person. \u00a0Races kind of conflict with that aspect of my personality. \u00a0This race was an hour away and I needed to be there by 5:30 a.m. \u00a0Whaaaat??? Ends up I was wide awake by 2:30 anyway. \u00a0Anxiety can have some advantages.<\/p>\n I had spent a good part of the week prior to the race trying to figure out what to take in my drop bag. \u00a0While a looped course may not offer much in varied scenery (trust me, in this case it didn’t matter because I never took my eyes off the trail), it does mean easy access to a bag. \u00a0But the question was, if you were going to be soaked all day, was there any purpose in having changes of clothes? \u00a0In the end I packed a little of everything, almost none of which was actually used. \u00a0Of all the things I packed, the most useful ended up being a Dollar Store red poncho. \u00a0It looked ridiculous and I had every intention of taking it off after one lap, but that thing stayed on me the whole race. \u00a0It kept in just enough warmth for the top of the ski hills where it was windy, but let in enough air that I didn’t over heat on the up hills. \u00a0Part of that may simply have been because of how slow I was going, but I digress.<\/p>\n So with bag packed and layers on I headed out to Gatineau, Quebec in the early, rainy hours of the morning. \u00a0To say I was nervous would be yet another understatement. \u00a0Yet somehow the nerves got worse when I entered the ski lodge. \u00a0I always find it amazing how quickly you can lose all confidence in yourself, in your choices, in your plan. \u00a0I immediately felt like a 9th grader who was in with the completely wrong group of kids. \u00a0I will stress, this is not because of anything anyone else said or did. \u00a0This was just my looming self-doubt taking over. \u00a0Somehow, everyone else just LOOKED the part of serious trail runners. \u00a0I don’t even know what that means, but these people looked the part. \u00a0I do know some of them appeared to have quads that I will never have in this lifetime!<\/p>\n A little before the race one of the 3 Beavers, ultra runner Ray Zahab, did a briefing. \u00a0The main quotes I remember:<\/p>\n “Brian’s Descent Trail is gnarly with a capital GN.”<\/p>\n “There is a high risk of injury.”<\/p>\n “You guys are all experienced trail runners or you wouldn’t be signed up for 12 hours.”<\/p>\n “Oh shit.”<\/p>\n Ok, that last quote was from me. \u00a0What the hell had I got myself into???<\/p>\n I have been running enough now to now that the talk inside my head has a direct effect on what my body does. \u00a0So I placed myself right at the back and reminded myself that this was for me and me only. \u00a0I went in knowing I could finish with the least number of laps, so I tried to take any pressure off myself to pick up any speed. \u00a0The fact is though, with my limited experience on really technical trails, speed wasn’t going to be an option. \u00a0As I pulled over and watched other runners go flying down the hills of the first loop, I felt more than a little out of my league.<\/p>\n I could give you a loop by loop account of the race, but since that would be boring and, quite frankly, the loops are mostly a wet, muddy blur to me, there really is no point. \u00a0In no particular order, here are some of the things I remember:<\/p>\n When I was done I stood in a cold creek in the attempt to wash off some of the mud from my shoes, then headed indoors, which Camp Fortune had very kindly opened up for us given the weather conditions. While there I had a chance to talk to Ray Zahab for a bit. \u00a0In the weeks prior to the race I had told him of my original goals (beat 52k) and my updated goal (get in a marathon). \u00a0While I knew others had done so much more, I was proud to say I had reached my first goal with my Garmin showing just short of 58km. \u00a0At that point Ray, who has only met me a couple of times, admitted he wasn’t so sure about me doing this race and had wondered if I was up to it. \u00a0But he was thrilled to hear my results and very encouraging about the possibility of me trying another 3Beaver race in the fall – this one 110km!<\/p>\n In some ways, 58km doesn’t seem like much in 12 hours, given the fact I have done 50-52km in anywhere between 6 and 7.5 hours. \u00a0But between the footing, the weather, the technical aspects and the vertical work, it was a challenge for me to complete that mileage. \u00a0And the entire time I was reminding myself to go easy since I have those bunny responsibilities coming up. \u00a0I really had no idea what others had done given the looped nature of the course, other than knowing that there were many guys and one woman who just kept lapping me. \u00a0Race results weren’t being posted after the race because of the change of course. \u00a0The race timers were going to have some work to do to sort out the laps.<\/p>\n When the results were published the next day, I was in for quite a shock. \u00a0While I was in the bottom half of the results, I was actually the third overall female! \u00a0If that isn’t proof of what perseverance can get you, I don’t know what is! \u00a0That third place had nothing to do with speed, just the simple fact that I kept going, quite literally plodding along through the mud with no plans to stop until the time was up. \u00a0Of any race that I have done, this is probably the one I am most astonished to have completed and the most proud of the results.<\/p>\n My bib was literally disintegrating by the end of the race. I carried it for the last 2 laps!<\/p><\/div>\n Would I do another 12 hour race? \u00a0Absolutely! \u00a0Would I do another super technical trail run…hmmmm, I’ll have to think about that one. \u00a0I watched those fast, experienced trail runners in awe. \u00a0The truth is I don’t even want to try to run that fast straight downhill over rocks and roots. \u00a0That said I am quite happy hiking technical trails. \u00a0Ideal for me is probably a run that has a nice mixture of both, which I think the Midnight Moose 110k just might have. \u00a0Looks like I know what I will be training for this summer!<\/p>\n Check out a very cool video of the race from Get Out There Magazine at\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=b8k9ckZ-8EI<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/raz-family.ca\/RunKristi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_7505.jpg\")
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