Tim and I have just returned from a mountain 'run' on our backyard mound called Jangsan. We managed to cover just over 8km in just over 1 hour. A little depressing considering 8km on any other day would take either of us between 35 and 40 minutes. However, due to our race next weekend, it's time to switch our minds over to mountain running mentality.
On Sunday, June 12th, I (we) will be embarking on the Gimhae Mountain Race, which takes place just outside of Busan on.... you guessed it: a mountain. Of all the races I have under my belt so far, this will be of the greatest magnitude. Of the possible 5, 10 and 21.1km distances, Tim and I have committed to the silver tuna - the Half Marathon.
For some reason, when registering us for the race, Tim's statement that ' If we are going to do a mountain race, we're going to do the half' made perfect sense. In retrospect, it makes very little sense.
Having done mostly 10km road races in my time, I have also dabbled a bit in track (one season with the Ottawa Gee Gees), cross country (with UNB and also the Gee Gees) and have found my way through a total of 3 half marathons. In a realm I consider separate from these running/racing experiences, I have also done a few 'trail races'. Two among these stand out - for different reasons.
#1 - Conquer the Canuck Trail Race, 2007, Fredericton (Crabbe Mountain)
I signed up for this race because it sounded different and a little bit crazy. I chose the fairly conservative distance option of 12.5 km and at the time it was the longest race I'd ever signed up for. I figured that making my way through the trails surrounding Crabbe Mountain would be fun, no matter how long it took.
Thinking I wouldn't be running much longer than 70 or 90 minutes, I set off at full speed, whipping through tree branches and sprinting up and down hills, nearly losing a shoe in a patch of mud along the way. "This is so much FUN!" Was all I could think. Until I reached an aid station where the friendly race volunteers told me ' uhhh.... 12.5km? I think you made a wrong turn. This is the 25km course."
Faced with the decision of waiting indefinitely for a rescue vehicle, or making my way back via the 25km course, I decided on the latter and an arduous 2 hours later, clomped back down the bunny hill and to the finish line of the race. By that point my mental ticker had changed to " That was the hardest thing I have ever done in my LIFE".
#2 - Ultimate XC Trail Race, 2010, Mt Tremblant, Quebec.
After a 3 year hiatus from ski hill running, Tim and I signed up for the 13km trail race on Mt Tremblant in Quebec, not far from Ottawa. This race was/is part of a series of trail/mountain races in Canada put on by Ultimate XC with all sorts of fun sport combinations and distances (http://www.ultimatexc.com/races.html)
With more experience and some more fire in my race furnace, I was a little better prepared for this one. Starting out at the village below the ski hill, the race course slowly climbed up the mountain and eventually gave way to switchback trails filled with rocks, routes and many portions that were just impossible to run. The climb was tough, but something about the loamy, piney smell, and the small group of fellow racers that were never far away made the journey that much more tolerable. After reaching the peak and flying back down the mountain, I found myself in a nearly neck to neck battle with another female in the race. I eventually outkicked her on the last kilometre of the race which took us through the ski village along a cobble stone path lined with enthusiastically cheering spectators. I came through the finish as the second female and as a cherry on top, got to run directly into the lake that was about 10m from the finish line.
Tremblant was, without a doubt, my favorite race ever. The funny thing is, I have no idea what my finishing time was. Which brings me to my fundamental point, and the real reason that I love trail races ( and therefore the real reason why I crazy/stupidly signed up for a mountain half marathon). Running through woods, up and down hills brings a kind of primal joy that I have never found anywhere else. Unlike road races which require almost mundane pacing, and constant pounding on asphalt, concrete and - if you're lucky- running paths, the real key to trail racing is using your instincts. You have to know when to run, and when it makes much more sense to walk. You need to be constantly aware of what's under your feet - and what isn't. You also need to gauge when you can pass someone, based on the width of the trail and how long you can keep up your pacing without letting that same person pass you again. These things are all virtually absent in road racing, along with a number of other things, nature often being high on the list.
So, to sum up, yes, I think it's borderline stupid to try to run 10km up a mountain, and another 10 back down, and it's also probably crazy. Yet, somehow, clipping along a wooded trail through trees and rocks and who-knows-what, the superlative feelings about the race : 'most fun' and 'most hard' kind of turn into the same indescribable thing.
I may be walking pretty funny (if at all) on Monday, June 13th, but I'm pretty sure I'll also be smiling. Famous last words? We'll see.
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For some reason, when registering us for the race, Tim's statement that ' If we are going to do a mountain race, we're going to do the half' made perfect sense. In retrospect, it makes very little sense.
Having done mostly 10km road races in my time, I have also dabbled a bit in track (one season with the Ottawa Gee Gees), cross country (with UNB and also the Gee Gees) and have found my way through a total of 3 half marathons. In a realm I consider separate from these running/racing experiences, I have also done a few 'trail races'. Two among these stand out - for different reasons.
#1 - Conquer the Canuck Trail Race, 2007, Fredericton (Crabbe Mountain)
I signed up for this race because it sounded different and a little bit crazy. I chose the fairly conservative distance option of 12.5 km and at the time it was the longest race I'd ever signed up for. I figured that making my way through the trails surrounding Crabbe Mountain would be fun, no matter how long it took.
Thinking I wouldn't be running much longer than 70 or 90 minutes, I set off at full speed, whipping through tree branches and sprinting up and down hills, nearly losing a shoe in a patch of mud along the way. "This is so much FUN!" Was all I could think. Until I reached an aid station where the friendly race volunteers told me ' uhhh.... 12.5km? I think you made a wrong turn. This is the 25km course."
Faced with the decision of waiting indefinitely for a rescue vehicle, or making my way back via the 25km course, I decided on the latter and an arduous 2 hours later, clomped back down the bunny hill and to the finish line of the race. By that point my mental ticker had changed to " That was the hardest thing I have ever done in my LIFE".
#2 - Ultimate XC Trail Race, 2010, Mt Tremblant, Quebec.
After a 3 year hiatus from ski hill running, Tim and I signed up for the 13km trail race on Mt Tremblant in Quebec, not far from Ottawa. This race was/is part of a series of trail/mountain races in Canada put on by Ultimate XC with all sorts of fun sport combinations and distances (http://www.ultimatexc.com/races.html)
With more experience and some more fire in my race furnace, I was a little better prepared for this one. Starting out at the village below the ski hill, the race course slowly climbed up the mountain and eventually gave way to switchback trails filled with rocks, routes and many portions that were just impossible to run. The climb was tough, but something about the loamy, piney smell, and the small group of fellow racers that were never far away made the journey that much more tolerable. After reaching the peak and flying back down the mountain, I found myself in a nearly neck to neck battle with another female in the race. I eventually outkicked her on the last kilometre of the race which took us through the ski village along a cobble stone path lined with enthusiastically cheering spectators. I came through the finish as the second female and as a cherry on top, got to run directly into the lake that was about 10m from the finish line.
Tremblant was, without a doubt, my favorite race ever. The funny thing is, I have no idea what my finishing time was. Which brings me to my fundamental point, and the real reason that I love trail races ( and therefore the real reason why I crazy/stupidly signed up for a mountain half marathon). Running through woods, up and down hills brings a kind of primal joy that I have never found anywhere else. Unlike road races which require almost mundane pacing, and constant pounding on asphalt, concrete and - if you're lucky- running paths, the real key to trail racing is using your instincts. You have to know when to run, and when it makes much more sense to walk. You need to be constantly aware of what's under your feet - and what isn't. You also need to gauge when you can pass someone, based on the width of the trail and how long you can keep up your pacing without letting that same person pass you again. These things are all virtually absent in road racing, along with a number of other things, nature often being high on the list.
So, to sum up, yes, I think it's borderline stupid to try to run 10km up a mountain, and another 10 back down, and it's also probably crazy. Yet, somehow, clipping along a wooded trail through trees and rocks and who-knows-what, the superlative feelings about the race : 'most fun' and 'most hard' kind of turn into the same indescribable thing.
I may be walking pretty funny (if at all) on Monday, June 13th, but I'm pretty sure I'll also be smiling. Famous last words? We'll see.
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| full speed to the finish. Last kms don't get much better than this. (Tremblant, 2010) |
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