Powder Keg Trail Race

I did this race on Saturday, August 25. It was my second time at this event. I ran it two years ago but had to miss it last year because of a dog show. You can read my report from last time here.

This particular race is a benefit for something called the Mason-Deerfield Arts Alliance, an organization which provides and supports arts programs in the community. See the pretty painting on the barn we run around during the race:

The race started at 9 am. I got there a little after 8 and parked in the lot by the elementary school. Packet pickup was a little less chaotic than I remembered from two years ago. They had goody bags that included a bunch of coupons and a small bottle of Gatorade. I didn't get the shirt this time.

Went back to the car and attached my chip and my race number, then headed out for a warmup. Still sore from my fall on Thursday morning, but felt okay once I got warmed up. Ran a little on the trails close to the Kings Mansion, which we cover in the early part of the race.

Here's some pictures of the mansion:

It's not in as bad shape as I remember from two years ago. At least it does not seem to have deteriorated any further. Would make a nice event space/conference center/bed & breakfast. Hope the community can find a way to get the property restored---while still hosting this fun race each year, of course!

Finished the warmup and got ready to go. We all gathered at the start line, and then the race director decided that we should wait until everybody was off the portapotty line. That was nice of him but I was getting impatient! People need to time themselves better so we do not need to wait for them!

Goal was around 34 or so. Ran 37:56 two years ago. Cyndi K. ran 34:05 last year. So 34-ish seemed possible. Two years ago I won the age group but did not stay to get my award. This year I planned to hang around a bit longer if I thought there was a shot. Of course, if Cyndi was there and she beat me, I would know I didn't need to stay.

But did not see too many other old ladies there. Did not see Cyndi K.

And so we were off, a few minutes late.

I wore a black run skirt and black top, and a blue hat from the Hyde Park Blast. I was not wearing the stupid GPS watch. I have decided that it is too much information for me to deal with during a race, and plus I am prone to interpreting the information in the wrong ways. When I race, I need to just race, not try to do data analysis.

We started the race by running a little lap of the field near the mansion, then we headed off into the woods. I was in a good spot, moving at a comfortable racing pace and not feeling like I needed to squeeze by anybody or like anybody was running up my heels. I got passed by a few younger women in the first mile or so after we headed into the woods but that didn't bother me.

The trail is fairly narrow, but for the most part there are not the sharp drop offs that appear in some of the other races, so it's not too scary. It's also not as hilly, overall, so you can move at a more consistent pace. There is one spot in the first mile where you run along a rock wall with the Little Miami down below on your right side. That part is a little scary. The young people around me were jumping and running over that part, and a guy right next to me almost fell down. Me, I stopped and climbed down gingerly.

Also, in approximately the first mile or so, there's a steep set of wooden stairs that you have to climb up. People around me were whining about this part, but really, it is nothing compared to some of the other races. I actually had to push my way around some of those young women who had passed me earlier! And, as was especially gratifying, nobody I passed on the stairs was able to overtake me later in the race.

There was an aid station somewhere in the second half of the race, when we briefly came up into a clearing before heading back into the woods. I grabbed a cup of water there but mostly just swished it around my mouth. Poured some on my arms---it was getting warm out---before remembering the giant bandage on my right arm where I have the big road rash from my fall. But fortunately the bandage stayed on.

Late in the race we came back out onto the grass by the elementary school, and we had to climb up a short but very steep hill to get back on the grounds of the mansion. I was just glad that we were going up it and not down. You can always crawl up. I managed to pass an old man right at the top of the hill, and he did not catch me after that. Here's a picture of the hill. It is steeper than it looks in the picture, trust me:

 

I was hoping that we were close to the end, and that maybe we just had to run across the field to get to the finish line. But no, we had to make another loop around the property and come around the back. Bummer. The only good thing about this was that it gave me a chance to catch up to and overtake one more woman ahead of me, and every position counts in the Dirtiest Dozen.

Got some water and walked around for a few minutes to catch my breath. Debated whether or not it was worth hanging around. Went to the car and got my phone and snapped these pics. Then it turned out that they were doing this neat new thing: you could go up to a table and give them your race number, and they would print out for you a little piece of paper with your results. So then I would know if I needed to hang around or not!

So, it turned out I had a reason to stay. Generally pleased with my results---ran my goal time, got the age group win---although I would have liked to finish farther up in the overall gender place. They adjusted the results later but I still only finished 21st of 86 women. Just too many younger women there who were faster than I am. Final results were 1 of 3 in the age group, 21 of 86 women, and 84 of 209 runners overall. There were also a bunch of walkers, 20-30 or so, and I beat all of them too, of course. Classifying yourself as a "walker" in one of these trail races is a bit odd, to me, since so much walking has to go on anyway unless you are some kind of mountain goat, or young and fearless and stupid.

I don't know why I can't get this picture to rotate but there it is.

I stayed around a little longer because I got to chatting with an old acquaintance from the running clubs I used to belong to, and then discovered that they were giving out door prizes. Not just the usual pair of Asics trail shoes that I can't wear. So I waited around to see and was rewarded with a $20 gift card to Claddagh Irish Pub, which is a chain restaurant, the closest one to me which is, of course, in Deerfield, near where the race takes place. Maybe Tommy and I can go to a movie up there sometime and pop into the pub to use the card. Or maybe I will use it when I am at a dog show in Columbus, or Indy. Anyway, it was a good day at the races. The entry fee was just $10, so I made that back plus gas money and more!