Mayhem on the Mountain (Race Recap)

 

Sawnee Mountain, GA
Saturday, January 8, 2022
Race/Event #99  
Trail Series Race #1 - 3.0 miles
Weather - Cold, clear, about 28 degrees

28 degrees (F), why am I doing this? That was the main thought in my head when I woke up at 4:00 AM on the day of the race. About two months ago while looking at the Dirty Spokes website I noticed a Jan-Jul series of trail races. Looked interesting. Figured if I signed up for these, I'd be set for six months. I wouldn't constantly be looking for what races to do. My informal goal was to do one race a month. Having a race on the calendar keeps me motivated. So, I signed up for the series.

It's a series of eight trail races with varying distances. After almost 100 races I've discovered that I prefer trail races over road races. Fewer people and they cost less than road races. Plus, I really like being in the woods. It was a no brainer.

It was still dark at 7:00 AM when I arrived for packet pickup. I was surprised to see the main parking area almost full. Found one of the last parking spots and made my way over to the check-in table. They had a few portable heaters, so I hung out by those for a bit.

Being so cold I was happy when the race started. Thy had us in corrals according to expected minutes/mile pace. I was in the last one, no surprise there. The trail was rugged, lots of rocks and roots, and the ground was frozen. Not ideal conditions. It was a good race though and a good workout. Glad I signed up for it. Given the conditions, finished with a 14:10 per mile pace. I was happy with that. Ended up placing 2nd in my age category - that was actually a surprise.

Helen Holiday 10K Trail Race (Race Recap)

 

Helen, GA
Saturday, December 11, 2021
Race/Event #98  
10K #10
Weather - Very foggy, about 50 degrees, significant chance of rain

Up early and on the road at 4:15 AM. It was a long ride to Unicoi State Park in the North Georgia Mountains. The fog was thick. It was the kind where people say you could cut it with a knife. With a stop for coffee, it was a two-hour trip. Parked in a wet, muddy field and made my way to the check-in table. It was still dark, regretted not bringing my headlamp. Note to self - always have a spare headlamp in the car.

Bears! Okay, we're in the woods in the North Georgia mountains. Of course, it's bear country. Somehow, I just tend to forget about that though. Good to be reminded.

It was a 10K and a half marathon. After the race director gave the pre-race instructions, I was thankful I didn't sign up for the half. The half included a thousand-foot elevation gain. And as hard as that would have been, probably would've been more dangerous on the way back down. The course was very wet from the previous day's rain. Glad I signed up for the 10K.

We were off. It was very crowded at first. At about a mile or so, people (fast vs. slow) had found their place in the race. Not crowded at all after that. I switched between walking and running, mainly running on flat areas.

This was the first race since getting a new Fitbit watch, a Charge 5. It worked great. It notifies me with vibrations as my heartrate increases/decreases. I am very heartrate focused when I do these races. When it gets too high, I immediately slow down. 

Finished with a time of 1:25:23. The best part though, it didn't rain!

Lovely Rita, Meter Maid

 

As a volunteer gig I get to be a gallery interpreter in an aquarium. We recently got a new octopus, Rita.

She's almost a year old. For the first few weeks she hid most of the time. When guests asked where the octopus was, had to point to where she was hiding. The trainers told me her hiding places. This week was different though. Rita must be getting more comfortable with her new home - she was out and about for my entire shift.

She's even socializing a bit with some of the sea stars. Not really sure who was checking out who though. What's interesting, and this happens pretty consistently, when I tell guests that her name is Rita, if one of them is from the generation I'm from, inevitably they say, "Lovely Rita, Meter Maid."