Trail Running Weekend

Fall trail running is in full swing. I did two races this weekend. The Ridge Runner Classic, a 3.75 mile run at Fox Ridge State Park near Charleston on Saturday and the Allerton Trail Run near Monticello on Sunday.

This was my first time running the Ridge Runner Classic. Actually, this is the first year I had heard of it...and this was the 21st running...and I grew up in Charleston...hmmmm. Anyway, although this was my first time running this event I knew what to expect. I spent alot of time in the park in my youth. The park features alot of deep ravines - it's very scenic.

The first mile and a half was on a paved park road with a couple of long downhill sections. I ran the first mile pretty fast...6:46 - too fast. After the on-road section, we headed onto the trail. There had been some rain in the days leading up to the race, but the trails were in good condition. They were covered with a layer of crushed gravel, so there really wasn't any mud to deal with. Just a couple of rutted spots had some standing water in them, and it was easy to see and avoid.

The trail meandered by the Embarass River, through the woods and came to a long stairway with a hill at the top. Due to the shear length of this section and the fact that I had run the first section too fast, I walked up the stairs. I figured I'd either walk the stairs and run at the top, or run the stairs and have to walk at the top. I think I lost less time by walking the stairs.

The rest of the run was up and down park trails, a short section of campground road, then up another long staircase back to the park road and the finish line. I finished the 3.75 mile run in 28:25.

I enjoyed this event. It was small and casual, and the trail was fun. I'll probably run it again in the future.

On Sunday I headed out to Allerton Park near Monticello for my second event of the weekend. The rain that hadn't shown much of an effect at Fox Ridge showed a massive effect on the Allerton Park trails. The run began at the Foo Dog garden - a flat grassy area - then headed into the woods.

Every section of the trail was covered in mud. This was not a deep, shoe-sucking mud, but a thin, slick layer of mud on top of a hard trail. It was very challenging to keep my footing the whole time. Additionally, there were a few sections of the run requiring a run through ankle to knee deep water. The first of these came up in the second mile, so we all ran with heavy, wet shoes for most of the race.

I felt ok for most of the run. I could tell I had run the day before. I had sore muscles in a few different places, but nothing too bad. I finished the 5.5 mile run in 47:24.

Overall it was a nice weekend for running. Both mornings were cool, but the days ended up being sunny and pleasant - a very nice fall weekend.

Charleston Challenge Duathlon/Wild Wild Wilderness Weekend

I wanted to do both the Charleston Challenge Duathlon and the Wild, Wild Wilderness 7.55 mi trail run. They both happened on the same weekend, so I doubled up.

On Saturday, I returned to Charleston,IL, where I grew up, to compete in the 2008 Charleston Challenge Duathlon. I ran this race in 2007 (1:34/2nd in AG) and hoped to improve significantly at the tail end of a successful season.

I enjoy this race. The course is hilly, and as the name denotes, challenging. There are several hills that are short but steep, requiring significant effort to climb. Having recently ridden in Oregon, I felt very prepared to attack these hills.

The drive from Champaign to Charleston is quick. I was at the race site less than an hour after leaving home. I unloaded my gear, got checked in and headed to the transition area to set up.

Duathlons are nice because the transition setup is so easy. I was done in just a few minutes.

Run 1:

I headed out a little faster than normal due to the relatively short 2 mi distance of this race. I'm used to running longer, so my pace is usually slower. The two miles were over pretty quickly and although the last section of the run is up a long gradual hill, I managed to hold my pace pretty well. I finished the first run and looked at my watch - 13:43...that's really fast for me!

T1:
I was not smooth or fast in T1 and lost some time because of it. For some reason I struggled a little getting my aero helmet on. One of the straps was tangled and I had to take it off and put it back on. (1:04)

Bike:
I told myself heading to the race that I just wanted to kill it on the bike. The previous year I was not prepared for the hills and lost time at the top of each trying to catch my breath and get going again. I knew the course this year and felt very ready for the course. The bike went according to plan. I attacked each hill and felt strong after climbing each one. I was able to quickly get back up to speed and ride an effective race. I ate a couple of Hammer Gels on the course and stayed pretty well hydrated. Coming into transition I still felt strong. I checked my watch and I was right where I wanted to be (56:37)

T2:
This transition was much faster than the first. I was pretty quick and got out of the bike gear and into the run gear in good shape. Coming out I saw a buddy of mine who I was chasing for the AG lead. He was about 30 seconds ahead of me on the road. He had won the AG in 2007, so I was hoping to catch him for the win.

Run 2:
I was running at a pretty uncomfortable pace. I could see my buddy ahead of me, but I wasn't really making up much ground. I could tell I was pretty well at my max, and at this point I had less than 2 miles to work with. I continued on at my redline, but just could close on him. I made up a little time, but in the end finished 29 seconds behind him. I had put in another good run leg - 14:55, and still ended up 2nd in my AG.

I was happy with my performance in this race. The running and biking were good, I just was too slow in T1. This ended up being the difference in the race. I did do much better overall than the prior year, cutting 8 minutes off my time, a significant improvement.

The Wild, Wild, Wilderness trail run is a challenging 7.55 mile trail run put on by the Kennekuk Road Runners club at Kickapoo Park. I have run this before, and meekly attended last year, badly hungover from excessive tailgating. I wanted to return to good form this year, so I was restrained in my evening libations on Saturday night. Illinois lost the football game @ Penn State, so there was no need to celebrate post-game.

Sunday morning my buddy Adam showed up around 9:30 and we headed over to Kickapoo for the 11:00 race start. I wasn't sore from Saturday's duathlon, but I could tell I had exerted myself. I had run four quick miles and killed it on the bike, but still felt pretty good when the gun went off.

I started pretty quickly and completed the first mile in 7:55. This run is entirely off-road except for a very short section on the pavement that connects the grassy start to the trailhead. I love the scenery of Kickapoo and always enjoy racing there (you hear me, Blagojevich?). Miles 1 and 2 are relatively flat, but travel through some grass and meadow-y areas. There is no canopy of trees and the sun was shining brightly. I was getting hot. Mile 2 was slower - 8:24. My legs were starting to feel a bit heavy from Saturday's exertion and I still had 5.55 more miles of hills and trail to run. I think Adam passed me around 2.5 miles into the run. He ran ahead a little and I didn't see him again until just before the finish.

I maintained 8:25 pace through Mile 3 and then the hills started coming around. Mile 4 was 9:03, Mile 5 - 9:15, Mile 6 - 9:17, Mile 7 - 9:17 and the final .55 - 4:48. I finished in 1:06:29. I was pretty happy with my run overall, Adam finished 17 seconds ahead of me.

I grabbed a couple of beers, a little food, and my grand slam award for completing all 4 Kennekuk grand slam events and we headed home.

I really love this park, this event, and this course and hope that the state budget situation can be resolved so that we don't lose out on this valuable resource in Central Illinois.