Sisters, OR
September 21, 2024- 9:30AM
This race would be a quick turnaround from Headlands, both in terms of racing and travel. 6 days between a 27K and 21K is not something I'd recommend on the roads but trails don't beat me up as much as roads. However, these were longer races and I was still a little concerned about potentially having fatigue going into it. Especially because Headlands really beat me up and I was sore for several days. Travel-wise I didn't get back to Los Angeles until Monday night and had to head to Northern California early Thursday. I would have really dreaded it, if not for my Dad joining me mid-drive in Sacramento, which meant much easier driving/travel not having to go solo. I chose this race pretty much to get to race in Oregon, and make a road trip out of it going to Crater Lake and Lassen Volcanic National Parks. Trying to maximize my time out West.
Day 1 (Thursday) involved a long drive up I-5, meeting Dad at Sacramento Airport, and a 10 mile run in Chico in the heat. Day 2 was more enjoyable with cooler temps, crossing into Oregon and running in Klamath Falls which was much nicer. We stayed in Bend, a nice city in central Oregon, although not nearly as nice as I've heard it is.
With a 9:30 start, we didn't need to wake up super early. Had my usual oatmeal, cliff bar breakfast and drove over to Sisters about 30 minutes away. The race was point to point, dropping about 1,000' (4,000' start, 3,000' finish) with minimal uphill running. Got our stuff, on the shuttle and to the race start. Short warm-up, pooped in the woods because of the ridiculously long bathroom line. Didn't have as much time as expected. I was doing a few strides when suddenly they told us they were about to start. The race started 3 minutes early which I'm getting pretty sick of. Race directors, start your races on time! I need every minute I can get and utilize them careful for stretching, strides, bathroom breaks, etc. It absolutely throws my routine off if races are starting early and it's pretty annoying that this continues to happen several times per year.
It was 50F, and I felt pretty cold off the line. Most of the first mile was on the dirt road. I think I momentarily took the lead before a guy with a dog on the leash went past me and I kept in contact. This felt surprisingly pretty forced and I was already breathing somewhat hard. Another guy was right on my heels before the trail entrance so I slowed enough to enter the trail in 3rd. Pretty much the entire race was a slight downhill on non-technical singletrack. Some of the least technical trails I've ever raced, just smooth dirt through a pine forest with very few roots or rocks. There was the occasional small roller or climb, but only 300' of climbing total. These guys gapped me slightly at the beginning of the singletrack as the pace felt aggressive, but the leader gradually slowed which allowed me to reattach myself. He continued to slow enough that I felt pretty comfortable hanging back there. Of course I would want to win, and I felt hanging with these guys through at least halfway was the right move. We talked a little bit, and while I was thinking the effort was slightly slower than I'd want, the 2nd guy clearly was too as asked the first guy to pass. I assumed he was making a move to the front and would gradually pick it up, but no. He went for it and was making his run for the win with 11 miles to go. Before I realized what was happening, he had a 20 meter gap on us. I got around the runner with the dog and gave chase but he quickly made the gap much bigger.
The change in pace was substantial and I worked really hard, dropping 2 sub-6 miles to try and reel him in. I might as well have stayed with the other guy because I only proceeded to wear myself out while letting the gap open further. The rest of the race was a blur. I ran the next few miles at a decent effort but still quite a bit slower than 3 and 4. After that, everything felt the same as my fatigue seemed to exponentially increase. Felt quite exhausted running close to 7 minute pace. The leader was no longer in sight after 6 miles, even on the longest straightaways and I knew I wasn't going to win. I was in defense/survival mode trying to hold onto 2nd. Around 11 miles, some bikers told me I was only 30 seconds behind. I not only didn't believe them, but the slight twists and rollers felt difficult at this point and there wasn't much left in the tank. Popped out on the road around 0.4 miles to go and was really surprised to see the leader 300m ahead. I'd like to say that I would have pushed the last few miles more had I known he was that close, but there's no way I would have completely closed the gap. I guess we ran similar races, pushing miles 3-6 then tiring and holding on. I hammered the road section the best I could for 2nd in 1:20:47, 61 seconds behind the winner and 59 seconds slower than the old course record. Full results here.
I talked to the winner, Zach, and the 3rd placer, Matthew (originally from Massachusetts) for a bit and got some food which looked good (rice, beans, etc) but undercooked/cold. In retrospect, I could say I made a mistake trying to cover that hard move where perhaps it could have been close if I hung back and had more in the tank to push the second half. But in the moment it seemed like that was letting the race go, and I had no idea that he would fade as well, so I don't think I would have done things much differently. I think this was a decent performance, but my second half was certainly weak compared to my first, which was a little disappointing given the lack of challenging terrain. I thought I could cruise at low 6s for most of the race but wasn't close. I also thought I could win this one and didn't really challenge for the win much, so also a little disappointing. But always good to race different courses and athletes, and this performance was "good enough". As for the event, it was fine. It looked like the 50K had really nice views, but I expected the half course to be a little more scenic. Perhaps the least variation I've done in any trail race, with minimal hills, technicality or environmental changes. I thought it was okay but nothing I'd do again or recommend. I also thought the organization was just okay, with the mentioned issues of early start and not enough port-a-potties. Also the race cost like $150 and didn't give out shirts or any alternative gear.
Post race and the next day, we went to Crater Lake and Lassen Volcanic National Parks. Both were nice and offered interesting terrain and scenery, but both slightly disappointing for my high expectations.
No comments:
Post a Comment