Grizzly Trail Run 5k Race Recap

Having a blog means it is nearly impossible to run a race "secretly". Usually I'm far too excited about an upcoming race not to share it on here, and -hello- gearing up for a race is fantastic blog fodder, is it not?

For this one, though, I kept mum. I wasn't registered for the Grizzly Trail Run, but I had my eye set on it. I've run the Raisin Woods Trails (where the race takes place) a few times, so I knew what to expect as far as the course was concerned. Plus, I've been feeling stronger and stronger and really wanted to put it to the test.

But, um....I was scared. I have had to say SO MANY times on this blog that I missed my goals, that I came in way over my anticipated times or that I felt like a failure. I just didn't want to go through it again, especially not for a 5k. So I kept it between me and Tim, and we were ready to race this morning at 8!

Scared and Sleepy

The course started with a 1/4 mile on slightly downhill gravel before the trails started, so I knew we had to get ahead there or deal with unending passing on the trail. Tim and I had plans to run apart, so he shot ahead on this portion. I was running below 7 minute miles here, so I can't even imagine how fast he was booking it. Once we turned onto the trail, I fell into a groove and began passing people - throughout the race, I passed about 20 people and only got passed by 2 guys - and never a woman. I can't lie - that felt amazing!

There were a couple of places where I had to walk, believe it or not. I can't believe that I walked TWICE during a 5k, but I don't know how I could have avoided it. No one in my vision was running the two steepest sections, so I did the same. I felt strong and graceful on the downhills, which I know made up for the uphills. Although the course was a trail and certainly challenging, I truly felt like there were more downhills than uphills. When does that happen, ever?!

The only problem during this race? I was freaking out about snakes. On Wednesday night I ran these exacts trails with Tim and leaped over what I thought was a giant root in the trail. I yelled back to him, "I totally thought that was a snake at first!" to which he replied, "That is a snake!" And then he was far less reckless than me and ran around it like a human who likes to live. No snakes today, but here's a picture of the same kind - taken an hour or two after the race in our yard.

Final time for the race is....I'm not sure. My Garmin says 28:46, but I think it was a little before that since I forgot to stop it. I'll say something like 28:15 for now, and come back and edit it when the results are posted. It wasn't fast enough to place in my age group (which is usually not too competitive) but I think I was one of the top 10-15 women, so I'm pretty excited about that. 9:06 pace on a trail is A-OK in my book any day of the week. It was a great morning.

*Edited to add: official time is 28:06. Wahoo!

Plus, I walked away with an incredibly large cotton shirt in a color I would never wear. And I won a door prize - a collapsible cooler. Tim and I first thought it was a hat box at first. I guess we don't bring our beer to picnics enough.

All in all - a huge success. I've been bouncing around on cloud nine all day today. I can't wait for the next run, the next race.

Before taking part in a race, its essential to always warm up correctly. A local sports injury clinic can provide you with advice on the correct warm up requirements depending on the type of exercise you are completing. For more information contact one of the private hospitals in Kent to arrange an appointment with a specialist.

What is your favorite race distance?
I think a half marathon is a great distance to race, but I haven't had a good one in a while so maybe that's changed! I will say that a trail race is my pick any day.

Have you ever won any great door prizes at a race?
I feel like I often end up with a door prize, but nothing amazing - small gift certificates, mugs, shirts, that kind of thing.