10 kilometers should be 10 kilometers, whether on road, gravel, or whatever surface. For reasons I have yet to figure out, a 10k on a rough trail is a significantly different endeavor than a 10k on a flat road or gravel path. The second leg of the three-leg Blue Crab Bolt is my fifth competitive trail run and second at this track, so I know what to expect at this point, but man, it’s always a struggle. I haven’t quite figured out how I can complete a marathon at under an 8:00/mile clip, yet throw a few roots in there and hills and stream-crossings and I’m a wreck at more than a minute/mile slower.
The second race at this three-race series takes place at Schaeffer Farm, a mountain bike Mecca adjacent to (in?) the Seneca Creek (Maryland) State Park recreation area. Part of the course is literally a farm, which is where this course begins.
The course starts off in a grassy field (also the parking lot) as we wrap around the cars to the dirt road we arrived on. This leg passes a ‘model farm’ with geese and a small veg garden. It’s unusual and interesting, but not really a “trail” yet. About a quarter mile in, the course darts to the left and onto the trail. There’s still some jostling to be had here as we’ll be single-tracking for the next 2 miles, and I felt bad cutting someone off slightly.
Still, even after the frenetic start, I ended up in the trails behind some slightly slower runners with no passing lanes. I was fine slotting in behind them, as I wasn’t feeling great that morning, though running behind people on trail runs continues to scare me to death–there’s just not a lot of forward visibility, which leaves me more susceptible to unseen roots, rocks and steps.
I was able to pass this group near the end of the split off between 5k and 10k runners (nearly 2 miles in) and had pretty clear daylight the rest of the way. At the 2.5 mile mark, we leave the trail and bolt into a cornfield. Last year, there was no corn, but this year, it was a tunnel. Very cool part of the course, though it’s a pretty steep hill, the ground is grassy and uneven and I was recalling that this was the exact spot where I turned my ankle last year.
Back into the single-tracking at mile 3, but I was pretty much on my own. Nobody in front of me, nobody behind me. It was strange to be in a race with 100s of people and feel so alone. I found some company around mile 4 and turned my ankle at about that point. Darn. Not sure what it is about this course, but two years, two ankle sprains. It didn’t feel THAT bad, so I kept going. It was sore though.
The last two miles were fairly uneventful, but slow. There’s some steep climbs, a lot of roots, and a fallen tree that required a climb to get over (at mile 5). The course also meets up with the 5k finish, which is a real soul-crusher. They turn back to the field and finish, we have another mile or so to go through the trees. Ugh. So close to the end.
I finished a couple of minutes faster than last year, in 6th place for my group. A bit of a frustrating finish as the top-5 get on the podium in this series. I was minutes behind the 5th place runner, so it wasn’t like a big kick at the end would have solved it. Still, these races leave me feeling pretty demoralized.
Post-race buffet is top-notch for a race of this size. Breakfast burritos and all kinds of fruit and snacks. There’s an entertaining kids fun run and a slow-moving, thorough awards ceremony too (lots of age groups across the two races to get through).
The race organizers tally ‘points’ based on your finish in each of the races, with a top 5 series of awards for the top finishers across the series. I took 3rd last year in my group, and I’m headed toward that type of finish in the last race. 35 points from the first two races and I’m in 6th or 7th place with one race to go. It’s a war of attrition as much as a test of speed, so a top 6 finish should see me into the top 5 for the series. One week after my first triathlon…will I be able to go? We’ll see.