Pine Mountain Trail Run 19 Miler
One month out from my last race of 2015, I was feeling faster than I have ever felt. I was consistently dropping 6-5 min miles in my mid distance training runs. However, around 2 weeks out from the race my achilles tendon and a localized part of my tibia started hurting to the point that i could not run. So I started a very long and early tapper for the PMTR.
I was so unsure of how my tibia and achilles tendon would hold up in a fast paced race. And after much prayer and lots of resting, I decided that I was still going to try and end 2015 with a bang.
The day before the race consisted of lots of praying, and lots of driving trying to find where packet pickup was. I was fortunate enough to pig out a Cracker Barrel with my mother and little brother that came up for the race.
Race morning had finally come. I woke up and ate a whole half of home made banana bread (Thank you mommy) and headed to the start/finish. The weather was absolutely outstanding for a race in December! Mid 40′s and dry trails!
With so much doubt about my injury’s, I toed the start line at 7:00 am in the dark with a bunch of the same talented runners that I have been running with all year. 3...2...1...GO!
I bolted off of the line and shot out ahead of the others within the first few seconds of the race. I wanted to use the quarter mile road portion of the race to my advantage.
Once I hit the trails, I hit four 7:30 min miles just to get some sort of a gap formed between the lead pack and I. and this is where most of the climbing of the race was!
After I unloaded those 4 miles, I looked behind me and saw nothing but trees, however that means absolutely nothing, I knew that the others were close behind. So I continued my efforts in hopes to keep my gap open.
As the sun started to come up I got to see the most amazing sunrise running on top of one of the ridges, it was just the thing I needed to remind me that I am so blessed to be able to run these races, yet see the glory of God through his creation while competing.
Miles 4-10 were some super fun rolling yet technical trails. And I had not felt any pain in my tibia or achilles so i decided to keep pushing.
I came to mile the Fox Den aid station around 12 miles in and by this point I still had my gap open somehow. But through running so hard up and down the hills, i blew out my climbing legs and any hills i was going up my heart rate would rise significantly. This is the point to which I knew that this was really going to take some guts. Because I had already done 12 miles averaging 7:40 on trails; now the rest of my run was to keep my gap open.
I stole 3 PB&J sandwiches from the aid station and began the harder portion of the race that had gradual yet long climbs.
Hitting 13 just hurt, it was my slowest mile @10:30 min mile. I knew that I had to kick my pace back down to at least an 8:30 pace keep my lead. Doing this was made easier because the the super runnable rolling trails. @mile 15 I took a Honey Stinger energy gel pack to help get me through the next 4 miles.
Knowing that my turnover was gone, my efforts were pretty high nearing the end of the race. At mile 18 I kept telling myself that I only had one more mile to go and that it would be worth it to just keep moving fast. Before I knew it, I was running toward the finish line, once last kick through the finish and my journey was complete!
Crossing the finish line at 1st place over all and claiming the course record @2:44:17 averaging 8:39 per mile, Thomas Armbruster (Race Director) was waiting on the other side to shake my hand.
I want to say thank you to my family, friends, and sponsors. God uses every single one of you to encourage and build me up, it is truly a blessing.
