Third time's the charm.
Yay! I finally got to race the Rattler Trail Race!
First - the back story. This was my third time registering for the Rattler. And my first time starting... in 2016, I was registered for the 50k, planning on making that my first ultra race. Whelp, Mother Nature had other plans and a blizzard blew in the morning of the race. Mad Moose had no choice but to cancel the race for the safety of the volunteers and the runners. In 2017, I was ready for the 25k, but my cranky eye prevented me from running all of March and most of April. So I DNSed, only to see perfect running conditions come race day. Given my history with the race, I was hesitant to sign up for the 25k again this year. And last night at packet pickup, I felt like I was jinxing the race ala 2016. Another blizzard threatening, with snow whipping into a frenzy. Yikes. But the difference was the weather was supposed to improve overnight, not get worse. So I packed up a variety of clothes and hoped for the best.
Race morning dawned clear, chilly and windy. Very windy. The ground was dry at my house, but as I drove up to the park, the climate zones of Colorado Springs were on full display. Palmer Park was about 5* colder then home and there was about a half inch of snow on the ground, with slick ice in places. And the wind was howling. I opted for my ShakeDry jacket instead of a vest - I knew it would warm up as the sun got higher, but that wind!!! There were plenty of puffy coats present at the start of the 50k. And it didn't warm up much between the start of the 50k and the 25k... As always, a few people brave enough to wear shorts. I wasn't one of them - knickers and SwiftWick Pursuit wool socks for me!
The start was very mellow thanks to the ice on the road. Nobody wanted to wipe out in first 10' of the race! Then we were on grass heading to the trails and the pace picked up. I found myself in fourth, running comfortably. As we hit the singletrack, I slid into third. Making a mental note of what the first and second place women were wearing, it was time to focus on the terrain. I'd made a few trips to Palmer over the last month to run various sections of the course, so I was pretty comfortable but it's still technical running. The first few miles are on Kinnikinnik, with plenty of rocks and punchy climbs. The rocks were made even trickier with the dusting of snow and hidden spots of ice. There was no racing yet, just running smart and having fun. I was in a small group of guys and we were moving pretty quick. They seemed happy to let me lead on the techy descents, but I knew they'd want to pass eventually. I wasn't ready to really push the pace yet. I wasn't event looking at my watch! Given that both my sleeve and jacket were covering my watch, I didn't really feel like struggling just to see the time or pace. Eventually, I'd look.
This year, the race almost sold out - with just a few openings left in the 50k and 25k and then 10k filled up. That meant lots of other racers and we started catching the 50k runners pretty early on course. I made it my goal to say good morning and have fun to all to the 50k races we caught. The only issue with the increased traffic was knowing where the other women ahead of me were! Palmer isn't a place you can really look ahead on the course because of the rocks and the twisty trails. But as I dropped down to the first aid station, I caught a glimpse of second a few minutes ahead of me. Humm... there was a stretch of easier, runnable trail coming up where everyone could make some time. But after that, Templeton. The hardest trail in the last half of the race, when you are starting to get tired. I made a mental note of how she looked and just kept up my pace and my encouragement of the other runners. At the second aid station, I had definitely made up some time. She was now within reach. I just needed to keep my focus on the trail though so I didn't do something stupid.
The course climbed out of Lazy Land towards Yucca Flats on the easier trails. Despite the wind chill, the sun was warming the trail and the snow was melting into a thin layer of mud. It was turning into a race against the peanut butter coating my shoes! We turned into Templeton and I got another good view of second. She was moving well still, but slowing on the technical running. If I could make the catch before the hardest part of Templeton I could get a gap. That was the plan anyway - but I had to make it work. And that meant pushing the pace out of the Lazy Land aid station up the hill back to Templeton. I used my familiarity with the trail to make the pass - taking the steeper but smoother line. Then it was time to run. I didn't look back, I just pushed the pace, taking some chances on the still icy rocks. I might not be as nimble as I was in my 20s, but I can still float over the rocks easily. By the time we started the drop back down to the stables, I had a decent gap and couldn't see her anymore.
And now there was a new figure ahead of me. I wasn't sure if I still remembered what the leading woman was wearing, but she looked familiar. I skipped the aid station, turning my attention to the climb up Edna Mae, back to the top of Yucca Mesa. As I climbed the rocky stairs of Edna Mae, I was slow gaining on the woman ahead of me. That alone told me she was in the 25k. All of the 50k racers I'd caught so far were running much slower. I caught her just as we turned back onto Templeton. Orange bib number - yup. Leading woman in the 25k. I shadowed her for the first few sections of Templeton and then decided to use the technical running to my advantage. I knew once I made the move, I would have to make it stick though.
As we transitioned back to the easier running, I focused on moving forward and not looking behind. I didn't know where anyone was and was in a section of the course where it was impossible to see the trail around me. One foot in front of the other and stay upright. The 50k runners ahead of me made good rabbits to pick off, one at a time. It kept me focused on forward momentum and pushing the pace on the last climbs. Once we topped out and started the drop back down to the finish line, I knew I had it. Finally. I'd not only gotten to race the Rattler, but I actually won it! I finished in 2:20:44, a little shy of my goal of sub 2:20, but given the cold, wind and ice I was pretty pleased with the time.
Now to get ready for the CMTR 25k in two weeks! That one will be faster for sure, with some speedy people already registered.
First - the back story. This was my third time registering for the Rattler. And my first time starting... in 2016, I was registered for the 50k, planning on making that my first ultra race. Whelp, Mother Nature had other plans and a blizzard blew in the morning of the race. Mad Moose had no choice but to cancel the race for the safety of the volunteers and the runners. In 2017, I was ready for the 25k, but my cranky eye prevented me from running all of March and most of April. So I DNSed, only to see perfect running conditions come race day. Given my history with the race, I was hesitant to sign up for the 25k again this year. And last night at packet pickup, I felt like I was jinxing the race ala 2016. Another blizzard threatening, with snow whipping into a frenzy. Yikes. But the difference was the weather was supposed to improve overnight, not get worse. So I packed up a variety of clothes and hoped for the best.
Race morning dawned clear, chilly and windy. Very windy. The ground was dry at my house, but as I drove up to the park, the climate zones of Colorado Springs were on full display. Palmer Park was about 5* colder then home and there was about a half inch of snow on the ground, with slick ice in places. And the wind was howling. I opted for my ShakeDry jacket instead of a vest - I knew it would warm up as the sun got higher, but that wind!!! There were plenty of puffy coats present at the start of the 50k. And it didn't warm up much between the start of the 50k and the 25k... As always, a few people brave enough to wear shorts. I wasn't one of them - knickers and SwiftWick Pursuit wool socks for me!
The start was very mellow thanks to the ice on the road. Nobody wanted to wipe out in first 10' of the race! Then we were on grass heading to the trails and the pace picked up. I found myself in fourth, running comfortably. As we hit the singletrack, I slid into third. Making a mental note of what the first and second place women were wearing, it was time to focus on the terrain. I'd made a few trips to Palmer over the last month to run various sections of the course, so I was pretty comfortable but it's still technical running. The first few miles are on Kinnikinnik, with plenty of rocks and punchy climbs. The rocks were made even trickier with the dusting of snow and hidden spots of ice. There was no racing yet, just running smart and having fun. I was in a small group of guys and we were moving pretty quick. They seemed happy to let me lead on the techy descents, but I knew they'd want to pass eventually. I wasn't ready to really push the pace yet. I wasn't event looking at my watch! Given that both my sleeve and jacket were covering my watch, I didn't really feel like struggling just to see the time or pace. Eventually, I'd look.
This year, the race almost sold out - with just a few openings left in the 50k and 25k and then 10k filled up. That meant lots of other racers and we started catching the 50k runners pretty early on course. I made it my goal to say good morning and have fun to all to the 50k races we caught. The only issue with the increased traffic was knowing where the other women ahead of me were! Palmer isn't a place you can really look ahead on the course because of the rocks and the twisty trails. But as I dropped down to the first aid station, I caught a glimpse of second a few minutes ahead of me. Humm... there was a stretch of easier, runnable trail coming up where everyone could make some time. But after that, Templeton. The hardest trail in the last half of the race, when you are starting to get tired. I made a mental note of how she looked and just kept up my pace and my encouragement of the other runners. At the second aid station, I had definitely made up some time. She was now within reach. I just needed to keep my focus on the trail though so I didn't do something stupid.
The course climbed out of Lazy Land towards Yucca Flats on the easier trails. Despite the wind chill, the sun was warming the trail and the snow was melting into a thin layer of mud. It was turning into a race against the peanut butter coating my shoes! We turned into Templeton and I got another good view of second. She was moving well still, but slowing on the technical running. If I could make the catch before the hardest part of Templeton I could get a gap. That was the plan anyway - but I had to make it work. And that meant pushing the pace out of the Lazy Land aid station up the hill back to Templeton. I used my familiarity with the trail to make the pass - taking the steeper but smoother line. Then it was time to run. I didn't look back, I just pushed the pace, taking some chances on the still icy rocks. I might not be as nimble as I was in my 20s, but I can still float over the rocks easily. By the time we started the drop back down to the stables, I had a decent gap and couldn't see her anymore.
And now there was a new figure ahead of me. I wasn't sure if I still remembered what the leading woman was wearing, but she looked familiar. I skipped the aid station, turning my attention to the climb up Edna Mae, back to the top of Yucca Mesa. As I climbed the rocky stairs of Edna Mae, I was slow gaining on the woman ahead of me. That alone told me she was in the 25k. All of the 50k racers I'd caught so far were running much slower. I caught her just as we turned back onto Templeton. Orange bib number - yup. Leading woman in the 25k. I shadowed her for the first few sections of Templeton and then decided to use the technical running to my advantage. I knew once I made the move, I would have to make it stick though.
As we transitioned back to the easier running, I focused on moving forward and not looking behind. I didn't know where anyone was and was in a section of the course where it was impossible to see the trail around me. One foot in front of the other and stay upright. The 50k runners ahead of me made good rabbits to pick off, one at a time. It kept me focused on forward momentum and pushing the pace on the last climbs. Once we topped out and started the drop back down to the finish line, I knew I had it. Finally. I'd not only gotten to race the Rattler, but I actually won it! I finished in 2:20:44, a little shy of my goal of sub 2:20, but given the cold, wind and ice I was pretty pleased with the time.
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| One of the coolest finishers medals I've gotten and a really neat award. |
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| Impromptu podium shot! Brook Handler, 2nd (2:23:24) and Laura Cortez 3rd (2:25:15) |
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