Short version: I finished!

Less-short version: I knew going in my body wasn’t ready. I didn’t drink enough water. I need to go back to regular core strength work. I made the mistake of telling myself I’d be okay the first five miles, because The Tireds hit at mile 5.25.

I’ve run a 25K on a very similar course, so I knew about what to expect. The 25K I ran was in December, and December at Deception Pass is pretty predictable: cool, damp, maybe windy. April is a little more variable: could be warm & sunny, could be cool & rainy. As luck would have it, the weather took a turn toward cold for this past weekend. I packed both shorts and running tights, just in case.

I spent the night at my parents’ house, which is about 40 minutes south of Deception Pass State Park. I drove over Friday. I arrived around 8 pm, but instead of calling it a night early on I hung out & chatted until after nine. I don’t think I got to sleep until eleven or so. So much for getting a good night’s sleep the night before a race (as if I ever do that…).

I got to the staging area with plenty of time. I started off wearing the running tights, but it was raining. I decided to switch to the shorts, as I figured my legs would dry more quickly without cloth covering them, and the wet tights wouldn’t provide any protection from the wind. I was chilly, but I’m glad I switched.

And then we started. I waited for everyone else to get past me, as I knew I’d start off walking. (The first bit is paved, and I won’t run on pavement.)

The first five or so minutes was on a road in the park. Then the course takes a sharp turn onto a trail. There was quite a back-up here. I figured it out later, when I was later stuck behind a 20-person traffic jam: there was a large puddle that people were gingerly walking around. It’s a trail run, folks! You’re going to get muddy anyway, so you might as well start early.

One advantage – or disadvantage – is that this is an incredibly scenic course. For a committed slow poke like me, that meant lots of picture-taking. My iPhone’s camera just cannot do this scenery justice, but that doesn’t stop me from taking pictures.

Amid all this picture-taking and root beer float Jelly Belly eating, I did some running. As I mentioned above, early on I thought to myself, “the first five miles are going to feel like a long interval workout.” That was a mistake, because it gave my brain an excuse to feel tired after five miles. And tired it was!

Amid all this picture-taking and root beer float Jelly Belly eating, I did some running. As I mentioned above, early on I thought to myself, “the first five miles are going to feel like a long interval workout.” That was a mistake, because it gave my brain an excuse to feel tired after five miles. And tired it was!

And now I’m kicking myself, because it’s several weeks later, and I can no longer recall what I intended to write. On the plus side, that give us enough time to get my jumping photo, and for my friends to modify it.