Busa Bushwhack 9.3 miles race report

I did not sleep all that well last night. Was I worries about the race, or just still getting used to the new mattress. Regardless, I did appreciate the extra hour of sleep and not having Pepe around (sorry little man) so that I could actually sleep in. After going back and forth between wearing tights and shorts, I settled on my gear, packed my jellybeans and water and bananas and electrolytes, and started driving Chris crazy with questions about what should my pace be, and should I go for it from the beginning, etc, etc. Maybe this is why he put "Drive by Trucker's" on and told me that the instructions on the CD said that you have to turn the music v loud, to level 10, in order to get the full experience.

Ok, so Sue picked me up around 8am, and I was a bit nervous about getting there on time, since the two of us have a history of having no clue about directions (though Sue is actually way, way better than I am), but we made it there on time. Lots of runners, over 300 I think, this year, were awaiting the Busa Bushwhack trail race .The weather was glorious. People were very nice. We picked our numbers, met some runners, and tried to get a sense of the course. I heard that there are 2 large hills on the 15K course, so I figured, OK, I can do that. After the race director's speech, and Busa Rich's speech (oh, yeah, we got to meet him), we walked 300 yards to the start line. I wanted to be closer to the start, as I have learned from previous trail races that it is hard to pass anyone on the single file trails. Off we went. I turned my GPS on. The first .5 mile was on the road. I had planned to stay at 8min miles for the first 3 miles, and then assess the terrain and see if I felt good to push it. Well, I looked at my gps and saw 6:40 for the first .5 mile. Too fast. Way too fast. I tried to slow down, looked around for Sue but could not see her, and went on my way. The first 2.5 miles were fairly flat. I stayed at 7:50. Then those of us attempting the 15K took a R, while those attempting the 5 miler turned a left. I was alone all of a sudden, with noone behind me, and few people ahead. Knowing how I can get lost in my backyard, I felt I had to speed up and catch up with them. And I did. GPS? 7:30At mile 4 I noticed the first hill. OMG. Long and steep. But I felt strong and kept repeating my mantra: "Perky, Perky" and "Strong legs". Hew, one down, one to go. Or so I thought. There were at least 5 such hills on the course, and toward the end I realized that walking part of a hill is actually faster than running it. And I did. No shame in walking. At mile 6 I was still alone. At mile 7 I passed a bunch of people on the uphill. At mile 8 I got passed by a group of runners, one male and one female. Bummer! They were coming so strong and, even though I was feeling really strong, I held back. I guess I did not trust that I had it in me, 1.3 more miles. At mile 9 we went on the road again. One of the volunteers looked at me and said: "Common, you can do better", and started racing me. Good, because I increased my pace. I finished without feeling dizzy or spent and a little bummed out that I just did not push farther. I saw Sue at the finish line, and she felt bad bc she decided to do the 5 miler, and turned around. The funny thing is that when they posted the results, Sue was listed at the winner of the race, with a 6:12 pace. I guess the numbers were different for the 5.3 vs the 9.3. She clarified this with the race director, but I thought this was so funny!

Race stats: 9.3 miles
Time: 1:12:00
Pace: 7:44
Place: 6th woman overall
Age category: ?
Overall:

Lessons:
1.Don't be afraid to push. You can do better.
2. Mantras work.
3. Banana with salt and electrolyte drops do not upset my stomach.
4. Trail races rocked.

I was impressed with this race. Perfect organizations. Lots of EMTs (needed bc several people fell). Lots of post race food. Quick results posting. Chance to meet Rich Busa himself.
Will I do it again next year? Absolutely!!!