Paleozoic Trail Runs – Ordovician Spring II – 25K Race Report

Paleozoic Trail Runs – Ordovician Spring II 25K Race Report

When:   March 23, 2024

Where:   Willow Springs, Illinois

Finish Time:   2:48:53

Finish Place:   31st overall out of 74, 2nd in Age Group M60-69

Results Link:  RunRace Ordovician Spring II 2024 Results

If there’s one thing I consistently do as a runner it’s having bad ideas and then acting on them.  On Thursday I had already decided to skip this race having dealt with high hamstring tendonitis for over a month, a lack of running for three weeks, and the weather showing rain and snow the day before.  Since this trail race has many stretches of dirt sections, I didn’t want to deal with it being muddy.  But on Friday I opted for an easy 3 miles on the treadmill and found that my butt pain from the tendonitis wasn’t any worse for it, planting the bad seed in my head.  What if I show up and just take it easy?  Walk the hills, run slow, and have a plan to bail if things turn bad.  And that’s how bad ideas get acted upon.

Saturday morning was the complete opposite of Friday weather-wise.  It was bright and sunny and not horribly cold.  I picked up my race packet and then milled around the start line waiting for the start.  I joked with the race director that at least it wasn’t last year with its stupid 11 degrees F. at the start.  Or the year before last, a mudbath of a run.

The countdown began and I thought about how I bolted from the start last year and led the race briefly.  Maybe I could lead this race for a bit this year too!  I took my spot on the line, but I wasn’t alone there this year.  I was out-bolted by a woman who looked to be taking the race very seriously, and she would end up finishing third overall.  Well, that was one bad idea averted.

The previous day’s weather left a small amount of an icy snow-like covering which was melting quickly.  I’d rather my feet get wet as I progressed through the race and not at the start, but here I was dealing with wet toes not even a 1/4 mile into it.  Thankfully, I had applied plenty of lube to my feet for just that reason.

As we got to the first hill, I decided to implement my hill-walking strategy.  The hills aren’t overly difficult, but rather just a bunch of rollers one after another.  By the time three miles had been run, I felt like I had warmed up somewhat, both overall and with my butt tendonitis, making running seemingly okay.  I must be doing things right.  About four miles into the run I decided that the windbreaker of a jacket needed to go, so I stopped at a little table that was unmanned and had a jug or two of water sitting on it.  I took off my jacket and a couple of upcoming runners gave me a hearty “THANK YOU!” mistaking me for a volunteer.  “Guys, I’m running too – but you’re welcome!”  It lifted my spirits.

Soon afterward, I got to an open area and the cold headwind made my sweaty body rethink taking the jacket off, but I knew I’d be back in the woods soon.  Passing a very vocal volunteer aid station, I was high-fived by a toddler who was enjoying his moment and headed into the technical part of the run.

An hour into the run, I ate one of the two gels I had brought along to keep me fueled for the run and tried to concentrate on my footstrike as I ate it.  As I went to put the wrapper back into the pocket of my handheld water bottle, I realized that the second gel was not there.  I thought I might be in bad shape without it, and I could have dropped it within the last quarter mile, but I decided to keep pressing on instead of doubling back to look for it.  They will have something at the aid station to eat in less than two miles.

I pressed on and soon saw my bad influence of a friend Jodi, returning back toward the start finish.  She was in the 50K and had an hour head start on me.  She was walking and acting like she was in some pain, and I thought that maybe I might catch her before I finished if she truly was suffering.  Fat chance, as I later saw her again with a mile to go running just fine.  She’s not a quitter.

I was running through the area where I had tripped and fallen the year before, but I never saw the root that had tripped me up.  The course was in better shape than the past two years, and there weren’t really any hidden dangers.  I kept stepping on little sticks that would then be elevated and I would catch my trailing foot on them, almost tripping myself three times, but I was never really concerned with actually falling this year.

I had been running by myself for quite a while, nobody directly ahead of me or behind me and wasn’t really sure where I was in the field.  At the 7.75-mile turnaround, I refilled my water bottle, grabbed a mini Snickers bar as a replacement for my lost gel, and then headed back toward the start.  I was very surprised by the many runners still heading to the turnaround.  I thought I had been bringing up the rear of this race.

I was feeling pretty good but decided I needed to hold back any uptick in pace until I was closer to three miles to go.  As I neared the spot where I lost my gel I kept my eyes on the ground looking for it and when it appeared in the mud I literally shouted “YES!” and stopped to pick it up.  The runner behind me was a little surprised at my enthusiasm at this spot in the race, but I explained how I had just found the gel I had lost and that it may be vital to me finishing the race.

At that point, I had a little surge of adrenaline and realized that this guy could be a good pacer for me.  I matched his pace for a while, but as we hit the technical hills, he was more adventurous than I was and bounded up and down them with ease, whereas I exerted caution to not fall and break something.

I was starting to feel the effect of the hills and getting a little low on energy.  At two hours into the run, I decided to eat my recovered gel.  As I was eating it, another runner overtook me and I could tell he was probably in my age group.  We chatted a bit and he became my second pacer, trying to keep up with him with four miles of the race to go.  A little earlier than my planned push, but I tried.  But even with eating the gel, I was hitting the wall.  Not running in the past three weeks, having not done any long runs longer than eight miles in the past month, was starting to remind me that this bad idea may lead to a crash and burn.  I walked more, and before long the guy was out of sight.

I was hoping for more hills just so I could have more walk time.  I remembered that I had a Snickers bar in my possession and decided to start eating it.  I’m so glad that I had it, or I might have been in really bad shape.  I chewed it until it was basically liquid, washed it down with water, and hoped that the sugar would be quickly uploaded to my muscles.

Two miles left and I found my final pacer, a woman who was also walking hills but had a stronger running pace than I had at the moment.  I kept trying to keep up but she was heading strong into the final stretch.  At a mile to go, I heard another runner or two coming up behind me quickly.  I said to the first guy “Can I borrow some of your extra adrenaline?” and he said he was using it all.  And just like that we were both passed by the leader of the 50K.  I knew that might be coming, but I was still surprised that it happened.  “Oh shit!  I just got passed by the 50K leader!”  He offered some encouragement and I looked back to see who else might be coming.

I made the turn back onto the grass and looked back up the road and kept looking back – nobody there.  I was spent and decided to walk the hill up toward the finish, maybe a quarter-mile to go and looked again – two people!  Where did they come from?  I picked up the pace.  I saw my wife Kari and asked if they were gaining on me.  I think she thought I was crazy, as they were pretty far back.  But I was running on fumes.  I kept looking over my shoulder and as I made the final turn I could see that I had no challengers.  I began walking and about five feet from the finish, three guys standing around started yelling encouragement – “YOU GOT THIS!”  I got this?  I’m literally five feet from the finish.  It struck me as odd and hilarious at the same time.  I crossed the finish, hit stop, and was thankful I survived this really bad idea.

I met Kari, drank some Coke and Gatorade, ate a piece of banana, warmed myself in the truck, and then waited for the award ceremony.  Second in the age group, finishing behind the guy who passed me at the 11-mile mark.  He finished four minutes ahead of me, which was the time I finished this race last year.

Time to rest, recover, and start training for the next bad idea.  Thanks for reading.