Riddle Run 13 Race Report

I took the bull by the horns, and wrestled it to the ground!  I showed that damn course who's in charge! Riddle Run is now my beeyatch!

On Saturday, January 28, I did the informal "Riddle Run" 28-mile fat ass trail run.  It was the 13th running of the event...and I've run them all. Tom, a fellow buffalo runner, and I even received a special prize for being the only two individuals in the entire world to have run all previous 12 events. The race director gave us tube socks.  Apparently they are old school compression wear, arm warmers, gloves, snot rags, etc. Cool. I enjoy being recognized for persistence. Twelve runs, twelve finishes. Today would be #13. Sixty-one people toed the starting line.

We had fairly good weather this year, especially considering this is the end of January in central Illinois. This time of year often has temperatures in the single digits with snow and ice, but we started with cloudy skies and 27 degrees...with strong winds from the west. Just a dusting of snow on the 4-mile loop made the trail quite runnable. Soon, the sun came out and the temperatures warmed to the mid-30s...but that darn wind kept blowing strong all day.

In addition to the wind continuing strong all day, this little runner managed to stay strong too.  I ran each 4-mile loop consistently and felt good all day.  At mile 17, my left knee started to hurt quite a bit, but it got better (or numb) by mile 20. I kept going. While most loops were completed at about the same pace, I actually ran a negative split for the race...with my very last (uphill) mile being my fastest of the day!  I finished in 4:38.  My best time ever on this course. I was stoked. Sat in a chair by the fire, chatted with friends, and drank a couple of beers to celebrate. Recovery had begun. The winners, Brandon and Elliot, finished in 4:01. Since ties are not allowed, they had to flip a coin to proclaim a winner. Brandon won. Of the 61 starters, only 9 finished the full 28 miles.

Considering I hadn't run longer than 12 miles since last October, I am very pleased with this performance.  Maybe it's the run streak?  Maybe it's the Maffetone (low heart rate) training? Whatever, I'm happy.  I think this bodes well for the rest of the year. I just need to stay the course and keep putting in the miles at easy paces.

I ended the day with a personal record for the race. Over thirty minutes faster than last year (which was my previous best). Plus, I added to my total "Riddle Run" miles--I now have 305 total miles in this event! Can't wait until next January and Riddle Run 14.

Details of the run can be found on my DailyMile entry here:

http://www.dailymile.com/people/Chris71/entries/12490470