Roaring Falls Trail Race- Short Course

Saturday morning, it was like déjà vu. John and I went back over to Castle in the Clouds for the Roaring Falls Trail Race. I had only signed up for the short course with the intention to run/walk it like I did the week before. It was almost the same course as last week, but in the opposite direction and with a different start and finish. I really wanted to make it to this race since it was going to be the last Roaring Falls Trail Race ever, and I wanted to be a part of it even though I couldn't really run. When we got there, though, I actually wasn't that excited anymore. I wanted to be running the long course. Kind of hurt more than I expected, but I was there, and I was going to try to enjoy myself.

I didn't volunteer this time, mainly because I didn't want to drag John over so early again. We were able to take our time leaving the house and then not wait around too long before the start. John settled in with some other kids on the couch, and I walked down to the start.

Kids who get dragged to races. Yes. I'm a HORRIBLE mom. :)

Once at the start, I chatted with a few people, lined up at the back and then Chris Dunn started the race. I had to walk right away since the first part was flat. I was dead last. Haha. I didn't care. We hit a short hill that I was able to shuffle run. I passed a few people, but then had to walk again for a ways. There was a long stretch of flat before we hit the next decent hill. I was able to shuffle run up this and passed about 20 people until the next downhill when most of them passed me back. This pretty much continued the whole race. There was one really steep climb just before the long and short courses split. I moved as fast as could up this and once again passed about 20 or so people. It felt good to "run" fast, but I could really feel how out of shape I have gotten. At the top of the hill, I kind of started to feel some gloom about this because I had worked SO HARD to get in the shape I was in, and now, it's GONE. I know I will get it back. I definitely will, but starting all over again at the bottom is definitely a downer.

From the top of this hill was the LONGEST downhill ever. Well over a mile, and I walked every bit of it. People passed me in droves. Haha. I kept looking back, though, to see there were still people behind me. I didn't believe this was possible, and sure enough most of them caught me and passed me. As we approached the bottom of the hill, Jo Barrett caught up to me and asked me about my AT thru-hikes. It was  nice to chat with someone at this point since I felt kind of out of place. Once the hill got steeper, I told Jo that I was going to run up it since it was the only time I could run. It wasn't a long hill, but it brought us out to the same viewpoint where Scott Mason captured our photos during the NH & NE Snowshoe Championship Race in March. It was kind of sad knowing where I was then compared to where I was now, but I was happy to be running at this moment, even if it was short-lived. Gianina Lindsay was there with her camera snapping away. I laughed and told her she was getting pictures of my shuffle run. Her photo came out well and it actually looks like I'm really running! Haha.

I look like a runner!!

My run ended just after this when the course went back down for a long time. I walked down a steep trail for awhile with Karlene Normandin, whom I know from the White Mountain Milers. By the time we hit the pond, though, she ran on ahead, as did all of the other people who were around me. I had to walk quite a ways before the road back up to the Castle got steep enough to "run". I had expected the course to be much like last year and go up the steep stairs, but I was surprised to find that it continued up the road instead. It was still steep enough to shuffle run up to the top, but the actual finish was flat, and I had to walk through it. It was fun, though. Sarah Schlaack was at the finish so I talked to her for awhile. She introduced me to some other women there who had run my race in May. One of them told me that the Dirty Girl Trail Race was still the hardest trail race she had ever done. I thanked her!! haha.

I went back down to the carriage house to grab a beer and some soup. John was content for awhile longer, so I chit-chatted with people I knew and people I had just met. It was nice, but I definitely didn't have that usual post-race high, and I decided to leave. John was ready to go, too. We headed home.

Once home, I got the dogs and all of our blaze orange things so we could take a walk in the Albany Town Forest. We only walked about 2 miles, but it was good enough.

He's getting WAY too good at avoiding my photos lately. I need to come up with a new strategy. Bribery, maybe?