Recently, I have been running more with a group in an effort to not only meet people but also to learn some local trails and technique for the hills. One of the guys also puts on a race that was this past weekend (9/7) that was a 10K trail race, so I decided to enter it, figuring it would be a good last-weekend event for me. The race is setup to support an orphanage in the Philippines, and this year, a portion would go to support victims of typhoon Haiyan.
Leading up to the race, I really beat up my legs a lot throughout the week (lifting weights, ~25-30 miles in 4 days, and hill repeats) and was ready to give them one last beating before they could rest.
Pre-Race
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| Packet pick-up and one of the volunteers |
The morning was ideal racing conditions with perfectly clear skies and the temperature being a tad below 60 *F (I was a bit chilly). With this being a fairly small race, packet-pickup was by no means difficult. Got my number and, bam, I was off to do a quick warm-up.
I've figured out that my heart rate and breathing seem to spike at first before I really get into, so I tried to get that out of the way while I warmed up (and no I'm not talking about the spike that is erroneous on a heart rate monitor). Got in about a 10 minute warm-up along part of the course, paying attention to the roots and making a note that I would have to pace properly since the second half of the race has more hills.
Race Time
Decided not to bring the phone for race pictures, so you'll have to do without them :/
The course started off with the lead runners shooting off like drag racers. About 1/10th of a mile in was where the course went from road to trail, and meant the first turn... which meant, the lead runners missed the first turn and were yelled at to get back on course.
Meanwhile, back on course, we were jockeying for position as we got into the single track section. There wasn't too much too worry about since I couldn't see the guy in front of me nor the girl or guy behind me, but in theory, that's what we were doing (or at least the others were).
The first half of the race seemed pretty flat without too much technical stuff. The miles ticked off pretty easy, and I figured I was doing a good job pacing, since the one time I took a wrong turn and got back on course, I saw the person behind me. Apparently I need to work on following the course, it will be a bit more important in the next race (read: it will be extremely important next race).
The second half of the course had more ups and downs and winding trails through it. I was handling it just fine, except at one point, I turned my focus to my watch and caught a root with my foot... nothing like feeling the race course with your face.
Towards the end, I started seeing a red shirt every now and then on the turns. I figured I had less than a mile to catch him, so I tried to pick up the pace. I wound up catching him on the last tenth of a mile, which featured a teasing of seeing finish line, but then a small loop around before actually making it there.
Post-Race
After the race, was the usual bananas and water available for us, along with some Filipino food available to support the FAAP (Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh). Shortly after everyone finished, they began handing out awards and the medals... or the metals.
The awards are handcrafted wooden bamboo pieces that have a design woodburned into the front of them. A unique and authentic prize indeed. Something else they had at this race, which I hadn't seen before, was a sheet that listed the course records. While the women's record remained intact, the male course record was broken by a few minutes.
I've figured out that my heart rate and breathing seem to spike at first before I really get into, so I tried to get that out of the way while I warmed up (and no I'm not talking about the spike that is erroneous on a heart rate monitor). Got in about a 10 minute warm-up along part of the course, paying attention to the roots and making a note that I would have to pace properly since the second half of the race has more hills.
Race Time
Decided not to bring the phone for race pictures, so you'll have to do without them :/
The course started off with the lead runners shooting off like drag racers. About 1/10th of a mile in was where the course went from road to trail, and meant the first turn... which meant, the lead runners missed the first turn and were yelled at to get back on course.
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| Good start... |
The first half of the race seemed pretty flat without too much technical stuff. The miles ticked off pretty easy, and I figured I was doing a good job pacing, since the one time I took a wrong turn and got back on course, I saw the person behind me. Apparently I need to work on following the course, it will be a bit more important in the next race (read: it will be extremely important next race).
The second half of the course had more ups and downs and winding trails through it. I was handling it just fine, except at one point, I turned my focus to my watch and caught a root with my foot... nothing like feeling the race course with your face.
Towards the end, I started seeing a red shirt every now and then on the turns. I figured I had less than a mile to catch him, so I tried to pick up the pace. I wound up catching him on the last tenth of a mile, which featured a teasing of seeing finish line, but then a small loop around before actually making it there.
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| The finish |
I ended up finishing 7th overall and 1st in my age group, which I was happy with (~46 mins)! I talked with the guy I passed at the end, and not only was he old enough to be my father, he also said he was a bit tired from his 19 mile run the day before... what a stud. I also want to point out that the first place finisher finished in 37 minutes or so, which means averaging under 6'/mile for 6.2 miles on trails! Very impressive.
Post-Race
After the race, was the usual bananas and water available for us, along with some Filipino food available to support the FAAP (Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh). Shortly after everyone finished, they began handing out awards and the medals... or the metals.
 |
| They aren't even metal |
The awards are handcrafted wooden bamboo pieces that have a design woodburned into the front of them. A unique and authentic prize indeed. Something else they had at this race, which I hadn't seen before, was a sheet that listed the course records. While the women's record remained intact, the male course record was broken by a few minutes.
After the awards were over, there were a bit of festivities, which included some Filipino dances.
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| Performing a dance |
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| Performing Tinikling dance |
They even got some of the racers to volunteer and give the tinikling dance a shot. I decided to forego the dance this time, but some of the runners seemed like they had some good moves and didn't get clipped by the bamboo.
With that, I am signing off and thanks for reading!
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