Battle at Big Creek

Fortunately, it didn’t turn out to be as cold as predicted in the Decisions blog I posted last week. Battle at Big Creek race day morning brought a nippy temperature of 37 degrees. As I expected, my throat did not miraculously cure itself, but it didn’t bother me enough to call off the race. I geared up and headed out to run on a mountain bike trail. I must admit I felt more anticipation than anxiety.

The only problem came via the race day packet pick up system. The desk closed at 8:00. An 8:30 start time left a miserable thirty minutes to warm up in the less-than-desirable conditions. On the way to pick up the race packet of bib, timer, goodies and a very nice runner’s shirt, we saw Lee. He was smart enough to go for a warm up and to check on the course. I made the mistake of staying in the car too long and pulled up to the race right at the start. This put me in the back of the pack.

After the race, another friend, Brian, pointed out this was a mentally engaging race. He was dead on in his assessment. Every step had to be fairly well calculated. The narrow path was filled with roots, rocks, uneven surfaces and other surprises for your footing. Add to this watching the person in front of you, listening to the runner behind, anticipating gaps through which to pass and knowing when to surge or slow down based on the sudden change of the terrain, it made for a very different kind of run.

From time to time during the race I would look up. I found it odd to see a human chain winding through the woods (see pics). Other times in the midst of all the strategic mental work I managed to look around and admire the natural beauty of this fantastic bike trail.

It was well worth the time, effort and chill, although I’m still coughing and living with a sore throat as I write.

Run. Bike. Do something!

Tom