I was on the receiving end of a little trail magic this weekend at McLennan's Grit 12-HR Run in Summerland. The kind event organizers graciously allowed me to register at the 11th hour (i.e. the day before) and I showed up race morning with no plan and low expectations. Based on my lack of training -- or even recent long runs -- I didn't expect to be able to do more than 50km, and then hoped to feel well enough to at least walk a few more laps before calling it a day.
No one was more surprised than I was when 50km rolled around and I was feeling great so I revised my plan to aim for 60km of running, which became 70km and then 80km. At that point, I was walking some, but still running at least half of each 5km lap. I hit 90km with over an hour left on the clock and was very tempted to stop yet I pushed on knowing that I could walk the entire lap and still finish within the 12 hour cut-off. That final lap was a slog, but it got me the women's course record (!!) so was worth it.
 |
| Photo credit: Louise Blais |
It's no secret that I have had stomach issues at many...most...of my ultras and it's one of the main reasons that I stopped doing them. This weekend, I had no GI upset and I think a big part of that was due to the fact that the weather was unseasonably cool for June. The skies were overcast for much of the day and we even had some light showers in the morning, which was perfect for me and my temperamental gut! I know I won't always be so fortunate weather-wise, but it was a nice change to only be concerned about calories in and not all the ones lost alongside the trail!
I had a number of people come up to me after that race and comment on how happy I looked out there and I absolutely was. I love trails and running -- the longer the better. However, for the past few years, I've been struggling with injuries, illness and a general sense of blah that has kept me from doing what I most enjoy and I wasn't sure if I'd ever get back to it. Being out there this weekend literally filled me with joy and I probably was grinning like an idiot and that's okay. It's better than being a grump on the couch.
After the race, Dave said to me, "It's like you got away with something." And that's kind of how it feels. On paper (or Strava) there's no way I should have been able to run 95km, yet I did without so much as a blister. Hence, trail magic!
Will I race again? I don't know. I had fun this weekend, but there's a lot about racing that I don't miss so we'll see. Perhaps the temptation to get 20 laps/100km at next year's Grit may prove too strong to resist. 😉
