On Sunday, I did the Southern Tour Ultra. STU is billed as a local Woodstock for runners. There is camping and live music and this year there was a LOT of mud - much like the original Woodstock. The event is set on game land just north of Wilmington. It includes a 50K ultra, a 50-mile relay and a last-man-standing event. [If you think Ironman is crazy, check out a last-man-standing event.]
On the day after Ironman Arizona, I got a call from my friend Charlie Hines with an invite to run on his relay team. There was a part of me that never wanted to run again - but, there was no way I was going to pass this up. Charlie and his wife Trish are the kind of people you want to be when you grow up. Plus, his team was always full of fun folks.
This may have been the third or fourth time I’ve been a part of a 10-mile relay team (I’ve lost count). Most teams have 10 runners and each runner does a five-mile loop through the woods. The course sandy road track and soft-surface single-track. There is mud, and a log to cross, homemade bridges and swampy washed-out passes. It is AWESOME! In the past, I think I must’ve been part of the first loop at the start gun. The energy is high and the trail is crowded. This year, I ran midday and the course was quiet. I always say that I love triathlon because I feel like a kid again and I might double down on that with trail running. It reminded me of exploring the woods around my house growing up. The carpet of pine straw, the slide of sand under my shoes, the brush of twigs and branches on my legs and arms, the drip of the rain on my face as I ran through bushes on either side of me - it all made me think of how my sister, Anna, and our neighborhood friends Leanne and Stacie would run through the woods and build forts and make trails on our bikes every day after school.
I kept reminding my self to look around not just down. I wanted to take it all in - including a run out to a peninsula with a view of the Intracoastal Waterway. But, alas, I am a fall risk so I had to pay attention to all the roots and mud. And there was lots of mud. My goal was to get muddy not injured. I slowed each time I’d hit a low spot or cross a makeshift footbridge. And I stayed upright through the end.
Overall, I was pretty happy with my time. I finished in 52:55 (10:35 pace) which is three minutes faster than I thought I’d run - and there was rain and mud and mixed terrain- so not bad! The rain started about 30 minutes before I started so I had to warm up in a down pour. It seemed to calm to a drizzle while I was out on course - but it might have been the tree cover. Shortly after I finished it picked up again so I headed back to our team HQ and changed into dry clothes.
Of course, Charlie is a master at tail-gating - so our team [RUN-Newable-Energy] had an RV with a “front porch” and an extra pop-up tent. I will say those ECU Pirates know how to set up a spread. We had chili, chips, pickles, snacks, water, toilet and heat!! Plus, I got to meet some incredible new runners: Casey, Brittany and Jeff and of course, got to hang with Trish and Charlie, Lisa and Sami.
TaTaForNow
