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| Pirate's Cove 30k |
The picture above was the start of my first 30k (18.6 mile) trail race at Pirate's Cove in Sausalito. I wasn't nervous but I was the only one on my team to do the 30k. I decided to focus on completing the race without getting hurt and to learn how to run a trail race. The start of the race immediately went up. There were too many of us on the trail so we had to walk and it was a pretty steep climb to begin with. I began the race almost all the way in the back of the pack. I wanted to watch the others in front of me to see when they would walk and when they would run. It helped me get through the race and preserve my energy. I did exactly what my coach, Mama Lisa, told the team to do. I kept myself well hydrated and ate every 20 minutes. I looked forward to eating and drinking every 20 minutes because I felt the electrolytes and Gu working almost immediately. It replenished my energy enough to keep going. After several miles of running I got into a groove. I was with the same runners for the rest of the race. If I wasn't ahead of them, they were ahead of me but not by much. I made sure I didn't fall back by being either in front of these people or just behind them. I spoke to one woman that had done that race before and she was in pretty good shape. It was my goal not to lose her. There was another couple that was running together and they motivated each other to keep going. The lady had an M-dot tattoo on her lower leg. I stared at that M-dot and new that she would get me through the race. Without speaking to the couple I stayed with them.
In the end I saw my other coach, Mark. Mark gave me that extra boost of energy to leave that couple behind and race to the finish line. I finished my race in 3hrs 40 min. It was nice to see most of my team cheer me in as well as my mom, grandma, aunt and boyfriend. That felt good. I was proud of myself. I was proud to have finished the most challenging race I've ever done. Soon after I went into the outside showers they had and rinsed myself off in the chilly water so that my body could get rid of the lactic acid that built up over the course of the race. I try to be as good as I can when it comes to finishing a run and suffering just a little bit more just so that I don't regret it later. Icing or chilly water on the muscles right after a run is important so that the recovery doesn't hurt so much later. On the ride home I also ate a Power bar, a tangerine and drank a soda. I've never had a soda after running but it tasted soooo gooood! It's amazing how picky I am after running and how much better food tastes. I will look at the selection of food and some of it I just can't imagine eating and normally what I do pick tastes so much better than if it was just a normal snack or meal. I want to thank everyone that came to cheer me on at this race. I always get so emotional when I think of who comes to support me. I love you all!
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