Skip to main content

Chickakoo 5 Peaks Trail Race - Enduro

 Just two weeks after the backyard ultra, I was toeing the line at my next 5 Peaks trail race, this time at Chickakoo. I'd purchased a season pass this year as I wanted to use the shorter trail races as good tempo or hard workouts for the bigger things, and so far, the plan had been working perfectly.

It was another hot and sunny day for Chickakoo although storms were in the forecast for later in the day. I wasn't sure how recovered I was from the BYU but it turns out that I was more recovered that I realised, and I ended up having a really good run/

The course at Chickakoo isn't easy. It starts on wide double tracks, but then as you turn into the trees and hit the single track, things become much hillier and more technical. I was surprised at how well I was running and how confident I was feeling, and I ran the hills feeling stronger than I had done for a while. I'm sure my marathon training earlier in the year had helped with this to some degree, and I was keeping a pretty good pace going.

I successfully navigated the single track without any falls, and I was moving steadily through the ladies field, feeling strong as I went and not afraid to take on the competition. I hadn't felt this competitive in a while, so it felt good to push myself and the other runners around me to see who was the strongest mentally and physically on the day.

As with many of my trail races though, the cockiness for want of a better word became my downfall, and the next breath, I was sprawled out on the floor having tripped on the tiniest of rock on the wide double trail. I brushed myself off only to do the same thing again around 10 minutes later, my poor knees taking yet another battering in my enthusiasm to run a hard trail race!

As with all 5 Peaks events, the course was very well marked, the volunteers amazing, and the entertainment was certainly entertaining. There is no doubt that the 5 Peaks is a huge family that sticks together, and everybody is encouraging everybody else out there, whether at the front, the middle or back of the pack. It's one of the reasons I keep going back to do these races - they really are for everybody!

I ran strong that day, the distance covered was close to 10 miles again, and the elevation came in at around 1500 feet or more - far more than I'm used to when training in my home city! But I felt amazing, and ended up finishing 3rd lady on the day, and I do believe 2nd in my age group :) Sadly I never expect to win anything these days so I left without collecting my medal - I think I've podiumed in my age group at all 5 peaks races this year, but it has been so unexpected that I've not been there for the presentation - doh!

With one race remaining in the series, I was looking forward to the final race in Devon in a few weeks time, and in the meantime, the plan was to just keep training hard, keep things varied, and to continue to enjoy my running. So far, so good :)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tackling the Iron Horse Ultra - 100-miles :)

Training leading into the Iron Horse Ultra had gone well, and even though I knew that getting close to my course record of 21 hours was quite ambitious, I honestly thought that I would be able to do if I had a good day But those of us that are runners will know that whilst running is a physical sport, there is also a mental element to running well, especially when it comes to racing those longer distances. It was the mental side that let me down this time, although it wasn't during the race that I struggled but rather the weeks leading up the race itself, and in hindsight the signs were there that I wasn't going to be able to perform quite as well as I was hoping.  Let me explain .... I like to think that for the most part, I am a good person, and I treat people with the respect that they deserve. Although some things do wind me up in life, I tend to be very laid back and easy going, taking things in my stride and trying not to make a big fuss about things. I'm also an intr...

Crown King Scramble 50km

The Crown King Scramble 50km was everything I expected it to be, and more. With great organisation, a tough course, outstanding scenery and lots of jolly good fun - and the fact that I finished soaking wet with sweat with salt stains across my face and all over my clothes, covered in dust and dirt from head to toe, absolutely starving and in desperate need of an ice cold beer, with tired, heavy legs but a big smile on my face - they were all sure signs of a damn good race. The race started at 6am alongside the shores of Lake Pleasant just as the sun was about to pop its head above the nearby mountains. The air was still quite cool although it was certain to warm up as the morning went along, with temperatures well in to the mid 80's expected later on in the day. The atmosphere at the start was a mixture of nervous excitement and anticipation as we all knew what lay ahead - 50km or 31 miles of uphill running, climbing from around 1500 ft at Lake Pleasant to nearly 6000 ft in...

Sinister Seven Ultra

 I knew going into the Sinister 7 Ultra that I wasn't as well trained for mountain running as I was this time last year. Twelve months ago, I ran the 50 miler with relative ease, finishing in a little over 12 hours and even making the podium with a third place finish, whereas this year, I hadn't been to the mountains once, and I knew I was in for a hard time. Regardless, I headed down to Crowsnest Pass with the goal of just finishing the race, even if I was DFL and only just made the 30 hour cut-off. After a rather soggy and cooler spring and early summer, July brought heat warnings and hit temperatures in Alberta, and the forecast for race day was calling for highs of 30+ degrees - it was going to be a hot one! I did the best I could to prepare for the heat, continuing with my lunch time walks at work, and then running after work when things seemed to feel even warmer than earlier in the day. I even did my longer weekend runs just after lunch during the hottest part of the day...