Rosswog Running Blog

Xterra Trail Running Nationals 21k

Recent EntriesHomeJoin Fast Running Blog Community!PredictorHealthy RecipesRossy's RacesFind BlogsMileage BoardTop Ten Excuses for Missing a RunTop Ten Training MistakesDiscussion ForumRace Reports Send A Private MessageWeek ViewMonth ViewYear View
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
20092010201120122013
15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

Location:

Salt Lake City,UT,USA

Member Since:

Jan 01, 2009

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

Hood to Coast 2011 (31:32:39)

Wasatch Back 2011 (31:08:54)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RZeUjUmr-o

Wasatch Back 2010 (30:21:29)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaoleQmhjoA

Wasatch Back 2009 (31:01:17)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DBm5Bz2sp8

Wasatch Back 2008 (29:14:47)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yErvZKrPxGQ

Boston Marthon 2008 (3:07:55)

Deseret News Marathon 2011 (2:39:50)

Deseret News Marathon 2010 (2:40:14)

Salt Lake City Marathon 2010 (2:49:28)

Philadelphia Marathon 2009 (2:50:58)

Fight for Air Climb 2011: 31 climbs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC7VrGf8oUU

Short-Term Running Goals:

To run as a member of Shoulda Bought Puts: Team of Sams for the 2011 Wasatch Back!

 

To have fun running three marathons (Salt Lake, D-News, and NYC Marathon) and a trail race (probably the XTERRA Trail Running National Championship) in 2011

 

To improve my agility/balance

 

To take constructive steps to eat healthier

 

To get more quality sleep

Long-Term Running Goals:

To increase my overall strength and conditioning

To return to Hopkinton for the Boston Marathon

To freshen up on my French to run the Paris Marathon

Personal:

Hobbies are studying for the CFA exam and recycling

Favorite Blogs:

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Race: Xterra Trail Running Nationals 21k (12.8 Miles) 01:26:09
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.6012.800.000.0019.40

Wow, today I ran my first trail race and it was more challenging than I ever imagined it would be.  To begin with, since it was a late start to the race (i.e., 9:00 am), I slept in; that is, I woke up just after 7:00 am.  After putting on my racing gear, I jogged one-mile from my Great Uncle’s house on Cumberland over to the Old Mill Shopping District (i.e., the site of the starting line, which was directly in front of REI) with my Aunt and Dad who were on their bikes.  At the starting line I met up with my Uncle; therefore, the three members of my support crew were all on hand and their support is extremely appreciated (i.e., not only before, during, and after the race, but also in getting me Bend in the first place in order to give me the opportunity to run something that I have never tried before).  Following some last minute stretching, the showdown at the Old Mill/Deschutes-River Trail to determine the National Champions was on (Actually, it was not much of a showdown on the men’s side with Max King repeating as National Champion and making the challenging course look easy by running a 1:06:46--winning by a margin of 6:12.  On the women’s side, Lauren Fleshman won by over two-minutes with an impressive time of 1:19:10).

Before the start, the race director informed us that due to some work by the Forest Service, they had to cut a small section of the course out; therefore, the 21k course would only be 12.8 miles long.  After the introductions of last year’s winners, the race started.  For the first mile, I kept a pretty good pace by running a 5:48; however, approximately three-fourths of this first mile was on a paved running trail around the Old Mill Park.  After we hit the dirt trail, my minutes per mile seemed to get slower and slower as the technicality of the trail continued to increase (my slowest mile was 7:59 for mile 9) . 

In the beginning the trails were pretty soft and dusty, then there was a steep and difficult climb before we reached the 5k marker which signaled the commencement of a loop that approximately 10k in distance to Meadow Camp and back (as a result, with the exception of a few minor differences, we would essentially run back on the first 5k over the course’s final 5k).  The 10k loop included many technical aspects, which ended up hammering my body and psyche.  First there were a couple of deep trenches (i.e., straight down and straight up) that were wide enough not to risk trying to jump over.  Second, a sun baked meadow of sagebrush with a steady incline and numerous switchbacks up a hill.  Third, a steep descent with sharp and rocky switchbacks.  Fourth, a straight descent with extremely soft sand; that is, basically red quicksand (for example, my left leg sunk down into the sand up to my ankle; therefore, filling my shoe up with sand).  Fourth, a burnt out section of the sage-brush forest which involved leaping over a fallen tree and following marked wooden steaks planted in the ground because there was no trail.  Finally, an up-and-down trail along the Deschutes River featuring large boulders (I’m use to hiking up these types of rocks and not running over them).  

After I got out of this treacherous 10k trail-loop, I was back on a familiar trail and able to make up some time especially with the final section of the course being paved.  With my legs plastered with mud and shoes filled with sand, I finished!  My time was 1:26:09 (i.e., 6:44 minutes per mile) and even though the course took a lot out of me, it was a humbling and valuable learning experience in that it thought me that I still have a ways to go to become a better runner both physically and mentally.  When I was giving him his post-race congratulations, Max informed me the “course is only as tough as you make it,” which is very true.

In addition, I was able to get in a post-race, easy-pace run in over to Cumberland then over to my Aunt and Uncle’s house on Hawthorne and back to Cumberland for a total distance of 5.6 miles.  Lastly, my non-running workout consisted of 200 sit-ups and 25 push-ups.

Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.67Total Sleep Time: 9.17
Comments
From Jon on Sat, Sep 19, 2009 at 14:38:37 from 75.169.140.248

Trail races rock! Nice job on your first one- they are definitely a different beast than road races. Congrats.

From Rossy on Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 15:26:59 from 67.150.126.193

Thanks Jon! Trail running is absolutely a different beast and now that I have fully recovered from this past trail race, I definitely want to do another one. Also, some major props on the TOU marathon; breaking the 6:00 mins per mile pace is a great accomplishment. If you are completely over 26.2-mile road races (I enjoyed the write up), what a great race to go out on. Best of luck in the ultra-marathon trail races ahead!

Lastly, it's great to know another runner that is a Broncos fan; that is, I live and die by Denver Broncos football. They are absolutely exceeding everyone's low expectations so far; however, we have had great starts the last few years before completely falling apart. With that said, if Orton can keep the mistakes down, our defense will keep us in a lot of games even with the extremely tough schedule ahead. Go Broncos!

From jtshad on Tue, Sep 22, 2009 at 11:42:15 from 204.134.132.225

Congrats on running a strong race. Sounds like a lot of fun and good learning experience.

From Rossy on Tue, Sep 22, 2009 at 17:58:01 from 151.151.21.103

Thanks and a belated congrats on the Pocatello Marathon (what a fast time)! I'm hoping to run a sub-2:40 marathon one of these days.

Add Your Comment.
  • Keep it family-safe. No vulgar or profane language. To discourage anonymous comments of cowardly nature, your IP address will be logged and posted next to your comment.
  • Do not respond to another person's comment out of context. If he made the original comment on another page/blog entry, go to that entry and respond there.
  • If all you want to do is contact the blogger and your comment is not connected with this entry and has no relevance to others, send a private message instead.
Only registered users with public blogs are allowed to post comments. Log in with your username and password or create an account and set up a blog.
Debt Reduction Calculator
Featured Announcements
Lone Faithfuls
(need a comment):
Recent Comments: