Vanessa Sutton - June Goal - Try out my first trail race!!

Hello friends!  First off, let me please apologize from my 2-month absence from "Projects Connect".  My April goal involved keeping a daily food diary.  Not so much to count calories, but more to help keep myself accountable with regards to what I was actually putting into my body.  It worked amazingly well!!  I used a small notebook and simply wrote down everything I ate.  It helped me "lighten the load" with regards to my May goal - which was to run the Ogden Marathon.

I had run the Ogden Marathon once previously 7 years ago.  It was my first marathon and I absolutely loved it.  Since then I had run 5 more, but there is a definite soft spot in my heart for Ogden.  The scenery of the course, the late spring time of year, the over 1500 feet of elevation loss....  Ladies, if you have ever considered running a marathon, this would be one to seriously consider!  This year, I felt as if all of the stars aligned for a pretty much perfect race.  I felt relatively strong, and finished in 3:55, which was 6 minutes short of my goal time. The only unfortunate part was that my husband and two of my kids were not able to make it.  Also, my good friend, who watched my 3 girls and brought them to see me finish, missed me crossing the finish line.  When all was said and done, there was not a single picture taken from this event!!  Due to the lack of photographic evidence, I have hesitated posting.  The pictures are always such a highlight.  Soooooo,

This brings me to my June goal, which was to participate in the Scout Mountain Ultra Trail Run.  It is a race held in the mountains right outside my home town of Pocatello, Idaho.  It is an event that seems to bring out an entirely different breed of runner.  The race is in it's fifth year, but I've held off participating out of sheer intimidation.  For example - this is the elevation of the 37K (21 miles) course.  It is the shortest distance offered.









One late evening in January, I finally got up the courage and registered for the 37k.  I figured my training for the Ogden Marathon three weeks prior to this race would give me a pretty good base level of fitness.  Once the Ogden Marathon passed and my body recovered somewhat, I hit the trails of Pocatello as frequently as possible.

Two of my running friends, Bret and Kiersten also registered.  We drove to the pre-race meeting the night before.  I was thankful for their support, because seriously, there were some LEAN, hungry-looking runners present and it was hard not to feel intimidated.  The average percentage of body fat among all in attendance couldn't have been more than 9% - honest.  Most were doing the 100k or 62 miles.  There was also a 60k (37miles) option.  I'm not sure of the use of metric distances for this race.  It was not held in Europe.

The morning of the race, I again rode to the starting line with my two friends. We snapped this picture:

not sure why it's showing up so small....


They started the 37k group last at 11:00am.  This is a lot later than I usually run, and it was a pretty warm day.  The first few miles were pretty hot and dusty.  Gradually though, the pack thinned out.  There were only 2 aid stations on the course, so we were required to bring our own hydration AND our own containers to hold the drinks.  The course was deemed a "cupless" course.  Again sooooo different from the aid stations found every mile along a marathon course with literally hundreds of paper cups being used.   The first aid station came after six miles of pretty constant uphill.  The volunteers were amazing.  They would pull out all of my bottles and refill them in the blink of an eye.  Also, some of the food offered was COMPLETELY different from what you find in most marathons.  They had salted watermelon, flat Coke, candy bars, and even hamburgers cooking on a grill.  I stuck with what has worked in the past and just ate a gel.  The next 5 miles continued to climb to the summit of one of the taller mountains in our area - Scout Mountain.  The views were unbelievable!!  The course wound down through a beautiful forest with lots of shade and unbeatable scenery.  By this time, I was running mostly by myself and I found the solitude relaxing. 

The next aid station came at mile 15.  Again all of my water bottles were refilled, and I drank some ice-cold Coke.  It was pretty much the most delicious drink I have ever had in my life.  The last 6 miles involved a few more uphill climbs and a nice descent back to the starting line.  As I approached the finish line, I noticed our family's mini-van parked along the road.  They came!!!!  I started to cry.  My husband and kids cheered as I crossed the finish.  My final time was 4:46.  I finished 22 of 119 and felt pretty good about it.

Overall it was a new and rejuvinating experience.  It was different than any other race I've ever done.  My running friends and I always joke about "trail snobs" - runners who say how little patience they have for lame road running now that they have discovered the trails.  I'm not quite sure I fall into that category quite yet, but it's easy to see how it could happen.   Until next month!!! Up next: The Burley Spudman Triathlon......