Grand Island 10K Results

Yeah! I did it! I accomplished my more humble, revised goal: I ran the trail race without stopping to walk. Despite sporadic training, I even ran up that insane hill! My memory twisted that hill in an odd way: imagining it as a very long, gradual hill. In fact, it was about a mile and a half and very steep. I passed some who walked the hill--esp a father and his daughter, a team that sped before me and then behind me and then next to me and finally behind me at the last part of that wicked hill.

The trail was more beautiful than I remembered--very thick forest on either side and branches that arched over the packed dirt and an occasional glimpse of the lake and the stone formations of Pictured Rocks, the surprise of the narrowing of the trail into a field of flowers and tall weeds and full sun and then back again into the pleasant coolness of the darker forest.



I spent the first mile reminding myself: hold back, hold back, hold back! As cliche as this is, I created a playlist on my Ipod that begins with Chariots of Fire--to both inspire me and to keep me running slower in the beginning of a race. So I ran to this the first few minutes of the race and let the faster runners rush by me in waves and did not allow the pull of their speed to lure me into a mistake that would take the energy I needed for that "gradual, 3 mile hill". After the first mile, I expected the trail to start elevating slightly but it stayed level, even dipped a few times--I was delighted. At mile 2, I realized I had exaggerated the length of the hill in my memory. I knew that by mile 4 the trail was a steady descent.

Around mile 2.5, though, I discovered that my memory had greatly softened the steepness of the hill.

Around this part of the race, the trail forks-- part of it continues straight and rather level and another part veers sharply to the left and up an incline as steep as stairs, full of rocks and branches. You would never believe or want to believe that this was the way to go . . . surely that straight away, that level packed ground is where to go. It must be for this reason that Grand Island race posts volunteers at this point to direct you to the left and, yes, up that impossibly steep incline.

At least I knew it would not last as long as I thought. Here is also where I gained on some that sped so fast at the beginning. The father and his daughter were two such. When I slowly but steadily ran past them, at about a 13 minute pace, the father smiled at me and called out "this hill doesn't end!" Must be his first time in this race, I thought, cause it ends not to far from here. Maybe that knowledge, that around mile 3.8 the hill would become an exhilarating and easy flight down, helped me keep up hope and my legs from slowing to a walk.

I loved the last two miles the most-- all down hill and at times, very steeply downhill, as steep as the uphill. I let gravity pull me without breaks and greatly picked up my pace, sprinting down along the hill's spiral towards the finish line.

I ended up with nearly the same results as last year: 1 hour and 14 minutes and a 12 minute pace. Not close to my original goal of a 10 minute pace--entirely my fault for getting so lazy this summer--but I was happy with this because it was the same result with much less training and I did what I set out to: finish the race without once stopping to walk.

Debbie, a friend from down state, did much better. She finished in about an hour and placed 5th in our age group; I placed 8th. We were giddy when we picked up the ticket w/these results and placement. I learned later that day that there were only 10 total in our age group. So, we came up with a plan for next year: train earlier, faster, and longer so that we could place in the top 3. There were only 10 last year, so we estimate that there will not be many again next year. The top 3 get a beautiful, green, handcrafted glass finishers medal. We plan to be in that top 3--with only 7 to beat, should not be that hard. The number one in our age group this year ran at a 7.4 pace, finishing at 47 and the third was a 9.5 pace finishing at 58. If we aim for 8.5, we should be firmly in one of the top 3 next year. A herculean goal for a marathon, but, with dedication, doable in a 10K--esp one with 2 miles of downhill to the end.


Debbie and I contemplated jumping in Lake Superior but sat on this sand hill just outside the finish line instead.
















We went to a few beaches and drank wine and Debbie helped me collect rocks to bring back and use to make more necklaces.





























































The view from our balcony was amazing.








Debbie shows me her signature "in front of an amazing view" pose on our balcony:
























I try to get the in-front-of-Grand-Island-view-pose right.














Heading out to the Dog Patch to gorge after the race.
















Carefully read the cartoon that hangs just inside the door to this family restaurant:















Only a yupper could combine innuendo and cows . . . only a yupper.