McKay Hollow Madness Trail HM

Though I've done 5 other HMs I'd thought this one would be cool to try out Trail Running. I'd tried trail running a handful of times w/ about half of them involving truipping over a rock or root and face planting at some point. But hey, I love trail hiking and running so I'll try again to combine my 2 passions. However when I signed up (mid-Jan) I miscalculated how much time I had left till the race and had 8 weeks total training to ramp up some mileage (i originally thought the race was in April). But hey I thought, I did 15 mile hiking days on the AT back in October (when I was deep in training for my last HM), I can handle 13 miles of trail. Well the training wasn't nearly long or tough enough, and my own lack of motivation was a great help either. My longest run was a 7-miler 2 weeks prior to, I'd had the flu the weekend before the race.

Saturday morning came and there was a forecast of rain all weekend. Saturday's predicted possblie severe thunderstorms and possible hail. I thought , cool, I'll just show up, they'll cancel the race and I'll collect my shirt and go home. So i get dressed to run, drive up there in dense fog and rain. And go up to the picnic pavillion at Monte Sano State Park where the race is going to be. Well no responsible adults are there to cancel the race, just a crowd of us crazies. So I go use the potty and prepare to run, despite my better judgement. So I line up in the back, can't hear any of the prerace announcements, and then w/ a 12 ga. shotgun blast we're off. There's a bit of wind and misting rain to start and the trail is MUDDY. And is quickly getting chewed up by all 200 runners. There's alot of walking the first 2 miles as a crowded field and slippery steep hills keep folks from catching full stride for awhile. There's even a point where we have to scramble w/ all 4 fours up some rocky outcroppings, fun. After about a mile and a half the course levels off and though there is alot of water its decent traction and folks start to spread out. I'm having fun. I'm slipping abit in the road runners I'm wearing, but even folks in TRs are too. My feet are totally soaked and cold, but I'm not rubbing anywhere, good. I'm being very slow, even walking alot, but for the first 8 miles feel great. At the second water station, theres snacks. Me being a smart-aleck was going to ask if they had brought lunch before I got there. Well they did! I had a half PB&J and 2 oreo cookies, then off again! The trails got more beautiful and wild as we went deeper into the woods. All the small streams were gushing from the last 2 day's rain and we slosh thru them. Lots of small seasonal waterfalls around. This would've been an awesome hike, esp if I hadn't been so consumed on maintaining my footing.

After the 7th mile we go down a steep downhills series of muddy switchbacks, and my IT band starts barking at me. I'm still able to run, wherever the trail conditions allow it, but downhills are a pain. As I get more fatigued my footings and balance suffer greatly, I fall 3 times in the last 4 miles. Once scarily, as I crossing a knee deep rushing creek and my foot slips, slamming me onto a rock. hard. The last half mile is a very steep rocky scramble up a steep hill out of a hollow. I thought it was abit much for fatigued souls who just wanna be done already. But the payoff was a large gushing waterfall 50 feet from the finishline. AWESOME! Definatley the most fun I've ever had in a race. I'm exhausted, sore, soaked and muddy from head to toe, but my soul's been well fed. Swag is a simple tech t-shirt with an exhausted, battered snail, I definatley get it.