2014 Salt Fork Challenge Race Report - 10.4 miles and 1900 feet of rocks, roots, mud and beauty!

Years back the Ohio Outside Salt Fork Trail Challenge was my first trail race. Steve and I actually ran it together for fun and ended up walking a good deal of it. This year we both wanted to race it and see what we could do.

For a 10 mile trail race it is a very challenging race! Salt Fork is full of hills and single track and mud and beauty! I loved this race and will most certainly do it again!

Shot of the park on drive in

Steve and I had planned a little get away for the race so we headed down Friday afternoon through some yucky Cleveland weather to the snow-free trails of Southern, Ohio. Salt Fork is located close to Cambridge, Ohio, which was about a 2.5-3 hour drive for us from Mentor. We stopped for a smoothie at Robeks on the way down and checked into our room about 4:00. On the way into the park I couldn't help but snap some pictures so I could share this beauty with my friends and family back home.

After unpacking and relaxing for a little while we went to pick up our packets and then headed to dinner at the restaurant in the lodge. The beer selection was not too great, which was no big deal as we had come prepared!

Salt fork hoodies!

It was a relaxing and fun night and we were able to enjoy some of our own hoppy beers after dinner as well as some tasty snacks. Our Salt Fork hoodies came in very handy as they were nice and cozy to wear around that evening and post race! We were also able to sleep in since we were onsite already, which was an awesome bonus!

Race Morning:

The wake-up call came at 7 am and I felt well rested. Steve brewed us some coffee and we ate some breakfast, got dressed and headed out for a warm up mile before the race. It was really cold early in the morning by by the race start at 9:30, it had warmed up some. In fact I ran back to our room to change my shirt so I didn't overheat.

Steve and I lined up together and chatted for a minute before the race. The race starts in front of the lodge with a fast, downhill trek through the parking lot and then quickly heads off road into the grass and through some bushes heading into the trails of Salt Fork. I tried not to go out too fast as is often my modus operandi because I knew the later miles were going to hurt. The footing was tricky due to heavy leaf coverage and I managed to trip and fall early on within the first mile. I was right back up before I could even be passed but this instilled in me very early into the race to use light feet.

With it being a technical trail with a variety of terrain and conditions as well as elevation, it's not a real fast course so you can't really plan to just go out and run an 8-minute mile. Some sections are fast like that but most are slower going as you have to really watch your footing and what lies ahead. I really love this aspect of trail running because it is NEVER boring as it can be running on the road at times. You can't just zone out. This makes for a very zen and interesting run.

There were some muddy sections and I even passed a woman who had lost her shoe in the mud around mile 3.5 or 4.

Muddy feet after the race!

I used that as an opportunity to try to distance myself from some other women. I wasn't sure what place I was in until just after the road leading to the aid station where a man yelled to me "third place female". This gave me a boost and I was prepared in advance of the aid station as I had taken in my gel and just quickly stopped to throw away the packet and sip some water. I took off on the road because this is a strong spot for me and I wanted to gain some advantage over the woman right behind me. This worked well as I glanced down at my Garmin and saw that I was running in the lower 7's for that section.

Of course once we headed back into the hilly grass section things were not moving as fast. A young woman came out of nowhere around mile 7 and took off ahead of me. She was soon out of my sight and I was in 4th and just trying to stay steady within myself. The fatigue was starting to set in for me and the end of the race is not easy. I really started to feel myself weaken and fade in the last mile of the race and another woman had passed me but I would not allow myself to get into a walking pattern and throw it all away. My thoughts of food, beer and Steve kept me moving.

My Award!

The last section is challenging straight uphill through the grass and a woman tried to pass me but I was able to fight her off and push through to the end of the race. It was a painful finish but it was a nice feeling to cross the finish line and be handed an award for 2nd in the 30-39 age group and 6th female.

The 10-year age groups made it difficult as Steve didn't place in his age group of 40-49 but was the first over 45. In looking at the results it was a competitive race. I would have liked to have held onto my top 3 status but better luck next time. It was still an awesome race and a hell of a good workout!

Our other award! Yakima!

We had to get back quickly for my cousin's funeral so we were not able to enjoy a beer right away but we did stop for a quick bite to eat at Einstein Bagels on the way back. After the funeral we headed to Ray's Place in Kent for a hoppy beer and dinner. Then we stopped at World of Wine in Mentor to fill the awesome growler we bought with some Columbus Brewing Yakima Fresh Hop Ale! Yep, that was worth 10.4 miles and 1900+ feet of running and climbing!

Ohio Outside does a great job with their races and I definitely recommend this one if you like a challenge on the trails!

That's a Wrap, Last Race of 2013...Good Thing We Brought the Yaktrax!

It's official - no more races until February of 2014! Last Saturday I wrapped up the last race of the season, which was a 5 mile trail race in Munroe Falls, Ohio. It was very cold morning on the Indian Springs Trail complete with snow and ice, which made for a tough race!

Shot of the field where the race started, brrr!

Steve and I had both planned on ending the season with a trail race so Ohio Outside's last race of the year seemed like a good one. We got up early & drove the hour or so to Munroe Falls, picked up our packets and did our usual prerace warmup. Good thing we brought the yaktraks! On our warmup mile it was icy, snowy and slippery and the yaktrax really were needed for safety and speed.

Feeling good on the 1st trail loop

The race start was at 8:30am and we were anxious to get going and get warmed up! The course is actually a little less than 5 miles and consists of little jaunt through a field and then a 2-loop (2.2 course on the trails). My first mile was 7:48 - just about where I wanted to be. Miles 2, 3 & 4 all came in around 8:20-8:30 pace so my pace had slowed (probably due to the cold, slippery conditions and running in cleats) and my final .7 mile wrapped up faster around a 7:30 pace for a final time of around 39 minutes - good for 3rd overall female. I had been in 1st for the whole first loop but was passed when I stopped to tie my shoe. Later I was passed again and then a third woman had passed me but I was able to regain my ground there.

It was a tough day physically and mentally for me. My body just didn't want to race in the cold and I felt like I started to come apart a little around mile 3-4 but I hung in there and ended the season in a good place. Steve had a tough day as well and twisted his ankle at the beginning of the 2nd loop. Despite the pain he was able to stick it out for 2nd in the 45-49AG.

Enjoying a post race beer with lunch in the race glasses!

After the race hot coffee and apple cider were provided along with cookies and hot soup as the athletes hung around for the awards. Ohio Outside gave us the option to choose an award or choose to donate to the Akron/Canton Foodbank so both Steve and I chose the latter. We got cool beer glasses as our race souvenir! Now what can be better than that...besides the beer we had after the race!

Thanks to Ohio Outside for a great race! If you haven't done one of their races I highly recommend giving it a go next season!

Cheers!

Believe & Achieve 5K/10K Trail Race Report

I was excited to race again this year at the Believe & Achieve 5/10K trail run. The race is put on by Zach Johnson of Outrun (a super nice guy) to benefit Girls With Sole (one of my favorite local charities). Seeing Liz and the girls run is always a heart warmer because what she does for the girls is so wonderful! My husband Steve designed the logo for the shirts and facebook page, which were super cute!

enjoying a little grassy downhill action on the course

This race is located at Penitentiary Glen in Kirtland, which is conveniently located about 5-10 minutes from home. With the start time being a little later at 8:30 Steve and I were able to sleep in til 7! After a quick breakfast and getting dressed we headed out around 7:30, arriving around 7:45. We had plenty of time to do a one mile easy warm up and relax before the start. Since I had run 13 the day before with my friend Amy in preparation for the upcoming Northern Ohio Marathon 1/2, my legs were a little tired and I opted to run the 5K again this year. Steve signed up for the 10K this time around.

I lined up in the front of the pack and at 8:30 we were off. The 5 & 10 K runners go out together since the course is basically a double loop. The lead guys including Steve were booking and I was a little behind them for maybe the first 1/2 mile or so and then started to slow the pace a bit. I knew I was just doing the 5K but even the 5K on this course is a challenge to run fast with some of the elevation, stream crossings and technical footing.

My goal was to hit around an 8-minute pace and try to place in the top 3 females with this being a smaller race (last year I had placed 2nd). I hoped my time would be a little better this year as I hit the straightaway of grass toward the finish. I was surprised to see a young girl that I had passed in front of me again at the finish as I had not seen her get by me. I guess I must have been in the zone or she missed a turn somewhere and went off course. Either way I was happy to place 3rd on these tired legs with a 26:02 (average of 8:23) and 6th overall in the 5K. Not quite as speedy as I had planned but there were some good hills on the course that slowed me down a little bit.

Post race with hubby and our awards!

Steve also had a great race in the 10k, tying for 3rd place with a speedy time of 46:57 (7:34 pace). After the race it was nice catching up with some fellow runners and triathletes that had came out that day.

Thanks to Zack and Liz and everyone that came out to make it a great race!

Dirty Love 10K Race Report

Over the last year or so I have really fallen in love with trail running. There are a number of beautiful places in Lake County to take advantage of running. Not only do we have Lake Erie in our backyard but we also have many trails such as Chapin Forest, Girdled Rd, Penitentiary Glenn, The Holden Arboretum and North Chagrin Reservation to name a handful.

When I learned that there was a trail 10k at North Chagrin this month I thought it would be a fun way to start off the 2013 racing season. My hubby agreed so we decided to sign up and see how it went. It was a great decision because we had an absolute blast at this race!

The race was on Sunday, February 10 at 9am, which was nice because we did not have to get up ridiculously early. We woke up around 7, had a nice breakfast, got dressed and left around 8:00 for the race. We arrived at the start around 8:20. There was a nice crowd of runners including some folks we knew from Cleveland Tri Club and other friends. We picked up our bibs and race schwag and headed to the car to get ready. After a brief warmup and a trip or two to the restroom, we lined up.

The race was to be mostly on single track trail with some miles on the bridle trail as well. With the recent snowfall and temperatures in the low 20s the hubby and I both decided to wear or yaktrax to help with traction. That was a good decision as they really helped on some of the icy up and downhills.

The start of the race went through a field of snow coming to a creek crossing. I was a little bit of a sissy with the cold and snow and manuevered my way around the creek versus going right through it like my hubby. This cost me a minute or two early on in the race. After the creek we had to hop a fence and bench to get onto the single track trail. There was a big hill early on that a lot of folks walked. It was difficult to get around the pack of runners so I think this slowed me down a bit as well. Once we approached the top I took off and found my groove.

Finishing the race

It was a fun and challenging course with a lot of winding and some good climbs here and there. It was a pretty technical trail with tree roots and the yaktrax helped with the stability on the icy trail. I finished the 10K in 57 and change, which made me 8th overall female and 1st in the 30-39 age group. Considering the conditions and my newness to trail racing I was happy with the result. It was nice to hear hubby cheering for me at the end as I finished in a sprint the last hundred or so. Steve had a good race as well finishing in around 48 and around 20th overall.

Hubby and me after finishing the race

After the race we said hello to some friends, met some new friends and headed home for a hard-earned lunch and beer. It was a very fun and well-organized race and we will definitely do this one again as well as some other races that the Dirty Trail Series puts on this year.