After my difficult DNF at the Val D'Aran 55k, I pretty much decided to give up on trail racing. If I couldn't complete that race, there was no way that my ultimate goal of finishing the UTMB CCC 100k was going to be possible, even assuming I could qualify for the race in the first place.
But if there is one thing I've learned over the past 12 years of running, it's that I shouldn't ever say "never." So in a move that surprised no one, I signed up for another trail race -- the South Mountains Half. In my defense, it's "only" a half marathon -- albeit one with over 2,700 feet of climbing and some tricky trails. Add in a cold drizzle on race morning and all of a sudden it's not exactly an easy race. Here's the elevation profile.
As you can see, the race is basically two big climbs and two big descents. Other than a big staircase in Mile 7, it's all quite runnable. I didn't have a specific plan for the race other than "don't die," but after starting off the race and heading up the first big hill, it seemed like a pace of 5 miles per hour, 12 minutes per mile, might be sustainable, so that's what I tried to do.
Using a run / walk strategy, I made my way up the hill that spanned miles 1-4 in 48 minutes, pretty much right on target. I passed quite a few runners on the way up the hill, but then the route turned onto a long, downhill singletrack trail. Downhill is definitely my weakness on trails, so I focused on looking a few steps ahead and trying to maintain a steady clip even over obstacles. But the trail was wet and covered with slippery leaves, and I didn't want to injure myself for what still would be my primary focus this season, long road races. Inevitably I started to hear footsteps behind me, and I let two runners pass. A few minutes later, I was letting some more runners pass. Another runner was behind me, but I didn't think he was gaining much ground. But after a couple minutes of him right on my tail, I let him pass as well. "You'll probably pass me back on the next climb," he said. As he tore off ahead of me, I wasn't so sure of that. I managed to make my way down the 2-mile descent at around an 11:30 pace, so I was still on target for a sub-12 pace for the race. Here there was an aid station, and I refilled my water bottle and grabbed a fun-sized Snickers for the road.
Next was the climb up High Shoals Falls, 600 steep steps. I knew there was no way I would be doing this at a 12-minute pace, so I just tried to climb quickly and steadily. I finally arrived at the top on a runnable trail, and resumed a similar pace. Mile 7 had 520 feet of climbing and I finished it in 17:30. The next couple miles were also mostly uphill, but still very runnable. I tried to give myself reasonable mini targets, like "just run for 3 minutes," then let myself walk a bit to recover. I picked off several runners, including the guy who had passed me on the big descent, who gave me an "I told you." I said I was sure he would pass me on the upcoming downhill. I got through Mile 8 in 13:57 and Mile 9 in 11:38.
Then I turned onto the Shinny Trail, a steep, singletrack descent for the next 2.5 miles. The first bit of it wasn't too bad and I managed a 12:48 pace. But then the trail got steeper and more technical. Once again several runners passed me, including the guy I'd been trading spots with for the entire race. "I told you so," I said.
"You'll get me on the next climb," he replied. Unfortunately there were no climbs left in the race, so I didn't see him again until the finish. My pace for Mile 11 was a slothlike 14:48 while descending 380 feet.
At the bottom of the Shinny trail, you cross Shinny Creek several times. Because I was going so slow, I was starting to get cold, and now my feet were getting wet. I knew the trail would soon be getting easier, but I wondered if I could take advantage of the easy trail with cold feet and legs. Fortunately, my legs did respond, and I was able to run a respectable 11:27 for Mile 12. Now I was on the easy tourist path with just a quarter mile to run, and I picked it up even more, finishing at an 8:44 clip. I crossed the line, high-fived Brandon the race director, and headed to the hut in the parking lot, where they were serving delicious hot chili. My friends had already finished, much faster than me, but I was happy with my efforts and the fact that I didn't die!
Overall my time was 2:39:08, which works out to a 13:03 pace by my watch. But watches are notoriously inaccurate on trails. While my watch logged 12.19 miles, the official course length is 13.3 miles. Assuming that's accurate, my actual pace works out to 11:58, which means I beat my goal pace. I'll take it!
