Xterra National Trail Running Championships
September has been a banner month for me. Those of you who have been following my blog entries know that last June I had successful back surgery to regain full functionality of both my quads and glutes. My primary rehab activity to regain strength and endurance and to continue to prepare for our Italian trekking adventure over the rest of the summer were our 3-4 days/week of hiking in the mountains around Park City, Utah. I limited my running to a couple times a week: one day with my running group and another on a trail run on my own of rarely more than an hour. However, during the summer I also lost nearly 10lbs and could feel my strength and endurance returning each week. To get an idea of how my rehab/training had progressed, I had also entered the Xterra National Trail Running Championships (half marathon distance) held the weekend after we returned from 10 days in Italy.
To refocus on trail running before coming home, I stowed my hiking poles for the last couple days and focused on running when the rugged trails permitted. The week before the race, I got in a couple trail runs and two bike rides, each of which were about an hour in duration, where I focused on maintaining a turnover rate/cadence of 90/180 strides-strokes/steps-pedals per minute to re-program my running timing. I wasn’t sure what to expect on race day.
We toed the starting line at the Snow Basin Ski Resort in northern Utah (site of the 2002 Olympic Downhill Race) in a light, misty rain. I knew what was coming and was excited about the challenge. Last year, two weeks after completing my best season ever at the Half Ironman Triathlon distance and ranked in the top 10 in the world by Ironman, I had placed 3rd in the 70-74 age group. What would happen this year after my very limited running training over the previous months?
My goal was to focus exclusively on my own running and race each mile as skillfully as I could. On the very first long, steep climb I alternated between power hiking and running as I danced with the trail – letting the terrain dictate my technique while I maintained a constant effort. I soon found myself “in the zone” as I floated over the ground on the flats and danced lightly through the more technical downhills. It wasn’t until the last set of steep downhill switchbacks that I noticed my endurance ebbing a little. I took an extra shot of gel and a long swig of water and refocused on staying light and quick on my feet. After the mile-long climb back up to the resort and the finish line, I broke out of the tree line and headed toward the finish line. Susan and friends were cheering me on as I finished with a smile on my face. My time was within seconds of last year’s but I had moved up a place to second this year. What a comeback, or as I see it – a fresh start for the coming year of racing. I am excited about experimenting on some new training ideas in the coming months. Now I just need to decide what progress/performance goals to set for the rest of this year and next. Stay tuned. Gotta run, Tom.
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