Coach Dion: FIGHTING THE FRENCH, BASTILLE DAY TRAIL RACE

Long before the chill of the early morning I found myself looking at the “entry form”, 15km, 25km, 35km or what about the 50k… Last year I was doing the run the 35k, but been very unfit I found myself downgrading to the 25km! (Then I ran the 2013 route and was out of the race, but that’s last year’s story!) I had friends running the 50 and the 35, so I settled on the 25… OK I had raced a 50 in May and have a 40k race in a couple of weeks so, together with the start time 08h00 it seemed like the best choice! I was still up in the cold and dark at 05h00.

The cloud in the sky and the mist on the mountain as we drove in only promised rain later in the day, but some of the 50km runners would get caught… They had started at 06h30 in the dark and we could see the headlamps bobbing along the side of the mountain! It was still dark when the 35km runners left and those headlamps disappeared down the trail.

We only started at 08h00 so no head light for us… Runner conditions were perfect as we set of down the gravel road, but unlike other years I didn’t have the legs to set the yearly pace! The top kids were out to play and they didn’t want to play with this old man!

Away we go

4:03 ok I wasn’t running slowly, but on that first hill I felt a little sluggish, so I didn’t push or drop the guys I was with. While we were still on the gravel road it was no longer wide enough or smooth enough for a car (of any kind!) There were about 8 guys ahead, but 2 of them were catchable… I made my move in the 5^th km as we turned off the gravel road up the mountain!

Focus Dion

By up I mean up though a forest, the kind of hill that you use the trees to pull yourself up on, Strava calls it 100m with 96m climb! With only the top 6 ahead I took to the single track along the contour to the saddle and hoped to open a gap on the chasing crowds. I was going along nicely till I kicked a rock (stupid thing to do) no I didn’t hurt myself, but I tumbled into the bushes and lay there in the dust trying to get up. In my head I could hear the clock ticking as everything had turned to slow-motion! I was running again, but now paying a little more attention to the path, as one should in trail running. Maybe I wasn’t sluggish, but tired!

Someone was chasing and once I was over the saddle I picked up the pace again and while I wanted to fly down the ‘road’ it had to watch my footing… The clay was too hard for my shoe to ‘bite’ into and as slippery as ice. I was running in the New Vivo WP’s (weather proof)… they were great for the hard trail and for splashing through puddles.

Our 25km race kept right as the 50 and 35km races turned left and up, maybe next year! We soon turned off the ‘road’ and I caught a glimpse of 2 guys chasing me… While I attacked the firebreak with new found speed this was Dom’s forte and shortly after I turned onto the next single track I let him pass… Colin, another 40+ athlete, wasn’t far back, so I used Dom to set the pace and the 2 of us eat up the miles! The 50 and 35km races had re-joined us and then at the next junction our route turned down again while the others went straight… Dom went straight…

Dom, Dom, Turn Turn!!! I now had the lead (ok we were only 7^th and 8^th) 3:51 the fastest km of my race, but I wasn’t dropping Dom who had closed the little gap because of his detour. We had dropped Colin!

Now it was time for the river… My laces should have been tighter, my socks should have been thinner… My WP’s had been great and this would be a new test for them!

SPLASH

You can’t run quickly though rivers but with Dom on my tail I pushed on sliding over the rocks and splashing on, out, onto the sandy bank and down river. My shoes were heavy… a tighter shoe less water, lighter socks less water, less water less weight! Back across the river, and again, I let Dom pass and with the river crossings finished for now I pulled my laces tighter. As we passed the aid station Dom pulled ahead on the climb! I had worked hard and was feeling it now. He was passing people from the longer races and if I didn’t want to totally lose touch I had to get running properly again.

Dom Setting the pace

Look at the lean!

Oh dear Colin was back on my tail, so I upped my game again and started to chase Dom putting in a couple of faster km on the gentle climb next to the dam. Dawn had done her own run and was on the, now gravel road supporting. While I caught right up to Dom it was too late as we turn down and he dropped me again. Colin was now about 60+sec back but I wasn’t letting up, he’s a good runner and 20 years ago use too kick my butt! Now the route takes us around the dam and over the river, but one of the signs had blown down and with the dam so low, we (Dom, Craig, who Dom was chasing, and me (others also did)) we ran on the edge of the dam up to the river crossing! With the laces tighter for this crossing the shoes did better, but I wasn’t catching anyone… I could see Craig and Dom fighting it out as we headed home!