Fells Trail Race 8 mile loop

The timing of the Fells Trail Race could not have been better as Thanksgiving provided nice carbo, protein and fat loading (OK, and fruit loading in the apple pie). The weather also cooperated - we had 45 degrees and lots of sun today.

I was a bit nervous about the race because of my pubic bone pain. I took yesterday completely off, popped a couple of ibuprofen's with my oatmeal this morning, and off we went to get Sue and drive to the race. We was myself, Pepe and Chris (Chris backed out of the race yesterday - he kept complaining about having a sinus infection, but immediately felt better after I mentioned that he does not have to run the race...). We found the Fallon Rd parking lots easily, picked our numbers and met Mary. At 8:30 am sharp we started running - no chip, no gun, and not very fast. So I sprinted toward the front and caught up with the front runners. The 8 miler was a loop and we were allowed to go in either direction. Initially I wanted to go my usual way, which is clockwise, but I followed the front runner man, as he told me he knows his way around and I did not want to get lost. Shortly the man (Paul) and I lost the other woman and found ourselves alone in the woods. After a 7mim/mile pace for the flat .5 mile, we started to slow down and settled around 9:50 which we held up the the first large hill. We averaged about 11 min miles for the entire race, which is faster than I have ever ran Skyline. Paul and I chatted a bit, though I am not much of a talker on the uphills. I mostly led, and I only mentioned that bc I am oh so proud I did not get off trail once (later we heard that most people got lost) so my confidence as a trail runner goes up (I usually am the one getting lost). I would go fast on the downhills, Paul would catch up on the uphills. He told me I have "quick feet" which made my stride even longer:) I saw Sue and Mary around the 1/2 mark, as they were running in the opposite directions. I gave Carlene an encouraging hug and she looked fresh and ready to tackle 3 8 miles loops. Hopefully I will be up for that in the Spring. Paul and I finished together (OK, he was in front of me with like .5 second) in 1:26 I think, and we were FIRST! I have never won a race before, and even if this was such a small race (50 total, and 25 in the 8 mile loop) it did matter to me! Also, I had a blast, no pain, felt strong, enjoyed myself and did not feel sore or exhausted or even hungry thereafter. Boggie, who is Romanian, had a nice spread ready for us which he got ready after Paul and I arrive, as "I did not think you'd get here so quickly"")

Race stats: coming up!
Lessons learned:
1. always run a race AFTER Thanksgiving.
2. trail running is my niche.
3. trail runners are the friendliest, noncompetitive, helpful, laid back and fun runners.
4. need to find a way to continue doing my long runs on trails rather than road to stay healthy.

Ok, did I mentioned that I WON:)
On a side note, I am so happy Sue ran a good race and finished as the 3rd woman, with Mary as 4th. This should give her the confidence she needs to run strong after a tough year.