Fall racing report- McKirdy Fall Series & Trials for Miles
The Trials for Miles XC series was a bracket elimination style race, as regions raced among themselves, then against each other until the final round with the top 25 competing in virtual National XC Meet. The race distance changed from 5K regionals to 8K at the dual meet, 6k in the East v West and finally a 10k at the National race. As a runner from the Rocky Mtn region I advanced in the open competition all of the way to the 6K Western Regional Final where I missed the cutoff by four places. I did have the honor of contemporaneously competing in the Master's division, where I did make the final cut and advance as one of the final 10 in the National meet. The entire tournement was fun, well organized and the social media aspect- from the website graphics to the numerous posts- gave the race a a sense of gravity that virtual racing sometimes lacks. You felt like you were really part of something.
At the same time, I have also participated in the McKirdy Fall Race series with alternating 5k and 10k efforts. Sometimes these races lined up well with the Trials for Miles race distances, other times the coordination of the two was difficult at best. Often, the two races felt like they dominated my week leaving no time for the workouts I needed to improve my fitness and actually make progress in these shorter distances.
The most challenging piece was our family camping trip over the middle two weeks of October. As the temps began to drop, we found ourselves sleeping in the camper 11 of 14 nights, many in the 20-30* range! Fall weather brought wind and the mountains offered few flat places to race. In my second McKirdy race, a 10K, I ran at City of Rocks, covering the 6 miles with a strong headwind with 600ft elevation gain and loss, all at altitude. Needless to say I was going more for the participation ribbon than the win. I wrote it off as the anomoly I thought it was.
In the final week of our trip, the TfM National race window opened. I needed to race the 10K early in the week to allow some recovery before the McKirdy 5K that weekend. I found a fairly flat road and waited for the temps to get to 40*, then headed out for the run. It started well, but as soon as I rounded the corner to the main stretch of the out and back course, the headwind hit me full force. I struggled through 2.5 miles, but the pace kept slowing and I knew there was no way to average out those 7min miles, so I had to call it. I still had time and maybe I could find another place, another time.
Of course, that time never presented itself. It's just too easy to push competitive running aside when you are camping, freezing, helping kids with school and hoping to just squeeze in a few miles. I felt like I'd used my hall pass and the conditions weren't right anyway. This is what I kept telling myself, right up to last Saturday.
We got home Friday night, slept in our warm beds. I wasn't bothered by the rain that began falling in the early morning hours, wasn't concerned that the next day would be cold. It didn't really occur to me that the wind was going to get me again; I was just so grateful to be home before racing.
I started the run mid-morning and all was fine. It was cold, but not too cold and there was a light breeze, but it wasn't the headwind I'd experienced on the Salmon River. I was "tapered", as in I hadn't been running as much recently. I had some high altitude training under my belt. So what happened?? I think the wind picked up, I think I was unaccustomed to working hard (how quickly we forget) and I think the 10K has always kicked my butt. I ran on pace the first half, but as I got more tired I began making excuses and my mind began to drift. I just wasn't that into it. No matter how hard it got I told myself I could slow down but I couldn't stop.
That choice, that decision to stay in the game even though it felt slow and imperfect, that courage to submit my time earned me 6th place in the Master's National race! It's not that I outran my competitors- I actually just eeked by only one woman- but three women decided not to compete at all. The weather stunk and the season was feeling long and it was hard to prioritize the race, but showing up counts for a lot more than you would think. Never underestimate the power that comes with the courage to compete.
The next day I attempted to come back to the McKirdy 5K, but my body quickly shut down any hopes of a double. The weather had turned and the 25* morning didn't jive with my unusally sore muscles. I took the first 5K split of the TfM 10K and called it good. No, it wasn't my best 5K and again I felt like I was earning a participation ribbon rather than a race result, but I kept myself in the game. Something is better than nothing.
The McKirdy series still has one more opportunity to compete in a few weeks, and I am looking forward to a singular focus on that goal as I run and train from home. Both competitions were a ton of fun and kept me pushing myself, even when it's just as easy to stick with happy pace running on the same old route. These are the days to try something new, rediscover the joy in racing and allow yourself to take off the pressure. Get out there and have some fun!
