Dirty Love was the second race in the Dirty series, it was also my second 10k trail race. The First one was in the fall on a a raining day. Yesterday, 24 and snow. Showing up around 15 minutes before the race would usually throw me into a race crazy worry. I was a little more out of it and not really in the racing mode, well until I met up with my FB/CIG/overall good peeps running friends. I think the words ‘we going to play up front today’ might of came out of my mouth. Seeing that today I really wanted to get in 20 miles on the trails and starting with 6 in the love race I told myself self just to run it for fun. So in true Dumbassain style I line up at the front of the race and was ready to throw down. The race started with a few hundred yard run threw a snowy field then into the trails and right into a small water crossing with a climb out. I think I was the third or fourth guy around the corner and jumping into the water. I remember seeing Marcus in front of me kicking some major tail. I stayed with the main group until the first major up hill. I ran up the whole hill and continued on until about the first mile when I realized that in no way should I be running this hard right now. I slowed down to a 9:30ish pace and tried to regroup my thought on the goal of the day ’20 miles’. A few miles when by when a huge group paced me by lead by Doug and a few other friends. I totally wanted to jump in that group and have them pace me in to the finish. It just wasn’t going to happen, I was having the thoughts of you gave up wimp just run it in. By mile 4-5 I was running around 10:30 thou the trails just going mind numb from the asshole father be hide me telling his kid to stop crying and it will stop hurting. Poor girl, someone should have a talk with that guy about POSITIVE reinforcement. So needless to say the next guy that passed me I jump on his tail and told my self to hang here until the end. Not to brag but I got some crazy mad down hill no fear skills, every time I hit them I end up passing a few runners. Towards the end of the race the guy I was running on was behind me. I told him this was the last hill and after that its all down hill! When I started running down the hill I heard him try to get up on me so i pushed it more so he didn’t pass. When we came out of the woods he started to sprint on me and I thought I would join in, running my ass off hard towards the finish I lost my traction and totally bit it sliding across the ice. SideNote: I fall a lot trail running. Picking myself up and running the last 20 feet to the end.
After the race the only thing I really wanted to do was change and head out to get the 14 in. After running to the car, changing, running back I just wanted to get going. I didn’t hang around for the post race fun, said my small laters and might of tried to get some company and headed out. Running across the field back to the trails. When I got to the start I stopped and really thought hard for a minute of bailing on this run and heading back to the car. It was a really hard week and I was just not feeling it again. I told myself to start running and just see what i felt like a mile into the run. The first mile went by and a few more, that when I realized I was enjoying myself again. Running along at my pace, running fast when I wanted to, slowing down when ever and walking the hills. By the time I hit the Buckeye Trial I was worry free once again. Even thou i didn’t get my 20 in yesterday, it was a huge lesson in where I should be.
