Renegade Summer Trail Series #3
August 7 | Tustin, CA
The series has come to an end... I finally completed the last trail run in the Renegade Dirty Series, having completed all 4 trail races (one each in May, June, July and August)! I'm still not certain trail racing is quite my jam, but it was a good time trying something new.
Race #1 was 54:25, Race #2 was 54:36 and my goal for the final one was just to break that 54 minute window! I wasn't sure if I'd get to it, but I feel like I'm finally back on my A-game lately and thought if at all, this race was finally going to show it off. After all, I knew the course now, and I knew what it would take to carefully and smartly run this course! It was a gorgeous evening (after July's race being steamy and humid and hot and gross), so maybe there were some things in my favor...
Some things. My Garmin died in mid-satellite search! Well - I started the series without a watch, so may as well finish it that way too, right? Whatever will be, will be, and we'll just see how this goes!
The hard part about not having a watch is relying on others' time - did they start before me or after me? Even still, did they start their watch on time? Even the race volunteers could only tell me the time on their phones, but did that mean that we started AT 6:15 pm?
I decided I'd run this race smarter than I had the other two. I now knew the course, knew that the direction we were running today was more difficult and technical, as the first 2.5 miles are the uphill, switchback, downhill, uphill, types of running fun. I ran smart. I ran the hills up as much as I could and walked down. I didn't push it in the first half so that maybe - just maybe - I could push it in the second half.
At the mid-point, I asked the race team if they had the time so far - he said not really, but gave me a time that led me to math where I think I got to needing to do 2 miles in 20 minutes to hit my 54-minute market. Easy peasy, I got this. The next guy (at what point, I couldn't tell you) told me some time that gave me 7 minutes to do (what I now figure) is just under a mile. Maybe?
There was this sweet little boy - who turned out to be just 10 - who was rocking his second Renegade race ever. Every time I complimented him or told him he was doing amazing, it was this super sweet, grateful "Thank you!" He turns 11 at the end of August and - get this - is doing a sprint tri just 3 days before that. Um, rockstar?! He wants to run cross country and well... he's going places.
And me...? Mission accomplished.
Race #1 was 54:25, Race #2 was 54:36 and my goal for the final one was just to break that 54 minute window! I wasn't sure if I'd get to it, but I feel like I'm finally back on my A-game lately and thought if at all, this race was finally going to show it off. After all, I knew the course now, and I knew what it would take to carefully and smartly run this course! It was a gorgeous evening (after July's race being steamy and humid and hot and gross), so maybe there were some things in my favor...
Some things. My Garmin died in mid-satellite search! Well - I started the series without a watch, so may as well finish it that way too, right? Whatever will be, will be, and we'll just see how this goes!
The hard part about not having a watch is relying on others' time - did they start before me or after me? Even still, did they start their watch on time? Even the race volunteers could only tell me the time on their phones, but did that mean that we started AT 6:15 pm?
I decided I'd run this race smarter than I had the other two. I now knew the course, knew that the direction we were running today was more difficult and technical, as the first 2.5 miles are the uphill, switchback, downhill, uphill, types of running fun. I ran smart. I ran the hills up as much as I could and walked down. I didn't push it in the first half so that maybe - just maybe - I could push it in the second half.
 |
| Mile 3-ish? |
There was this sweet little boy - who turned out to be just 10 - who was rocking his second Renegade race ever. Every time I complimented him or told him he was doing amazing, it was this super sweet, grateful "Thank you!" He turns 11 at the end of August and - get this - is doing a sprint tri just 3 days before that. Um, rockstar?! He wants to run cross country and well... he's going places.
And me...? Mission accomplished.
Renegade Race Trail #3
51:48
3rd in AG (too bad they don't keep track of that)
Heck freaking yes! I didn't think I had pushed it that much but damn... apparently I ran REAL smart and booked the last 2-ish miles! So unbelievably happy. Maybe there's something to these trail races after alll...?
Trail races: for the birds or worth the effort?
Congrats on meeting your goal! I'm not a huge fan of trail races. I have pretty weak ankles so I get really paranoid about every rock, stick, etc.
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