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Shotgun Trail Blast - 10K race

April 3, 2021 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: 50, nice

Comments:
CA wanted to run a trail race, and the Shotgun Creek race is a longstanding local offering we'd never done (let alone been to), so we signed up Friday and did it.

CA signed up for the 25K so I figured I'd at least race the 10K.

Warmed up 1.5 miles. CA started :30 before me.

The course is a 5.4ish loop and we had to do nearly (over?) a mile out and back UP a gravel road to start.

Not a lot of racers and not much competition. One guy hung pretty close on that out and back (and...really, all day) back to the finish.

The trail loop was fantastic: it maybe had 600' of pure climb up a ridge, through pretty forest. But it was spread over maybe 2 miles, so it was pretty runnable. Trail was smooth and pretty dry, too!

The descents were fun. Didn't push too hard, but felt good - and fast enough to keep that dude at bay.

Watch and distance was weird. The RD mentioned the course was "six and a half miles", so I was prepared for long. I didn't look at splits but as we were meandering down and along the creek, the watch was just ovefr 5 miles when...the trail popped into the campgorund and we were almost done!

Oh!

So I ran somewhat hard and, well, won!

It was fun. Felt good. Not too strenuous. Just felt good to push with others.

Once I finished, I drank some fluid, then circled back on the course for CA. Unfortunately she was not in first; a fast post-collegian from OSU (in racing buns and all) showed for her first trail race and CRUSHED IT (including running her first 5.x loop faster than my loop!). Then two other women, then CA.

I ran backward on the course a bit to get her, then ran about a half-lap in addition for my grindy cool-down.

Annoyingly (and retrospectively), I picked up some ankle poison oak (which, of course, I didn't wash off all afternoon and it rubbed into my ankle and on my hip where my post-run clothes touched!).

Fun day!

Rest of the day:
* went to Home Depot and rented a deck sander
* sanded a SHITload the whole rest of the day: all three decks, prepping to stain.