Afton Trail Run 25K - Run


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Afton, Minnesota
United States
80F / 27C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 3h 27m 55s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Woke up at 5:45, and drove to Afton State Park while eating a pb&j. arrived right before the start of the 50k at about 6:30am. Picked up my bib and changed at my car. Walked to start about 5 min before the announcements began. It was totally laid back and relaxed.
Event warmup:

none.
Run
  • 3h 27m 55s
  • 25 kms
  • 08m 18s  min/km
Comments:

Well, for my first long-ish trail race ever, I think this went pretty good. I ran down all of the hills, walked up all the hills, stopped for a few minutes at every aid station for oranges, gu and to refill my handheld water bottle. It was HOT out. the woods felt nice because we were out of the sun, but there was not breeze, then open areas felt good because of the breeze, but the sun was HOT. I was sooo glad I brought my handheld with and I almost finished 26 oz between eachaid station. I ran with a new friend, Ron for about 6 miles and they went by really fast, but then my HR was just soo high and I had to slow down. He went on ahead and ended up finishing about 20 min infront of me. Mile 11-13 were mentally tough and freaking hilly! Then right after the last aid station, about 3 miles from the finish, we got into a really fun single track through the woods and i had to concentrate so my mood improved. I finished hard, but from about mile 10 on i was pretty nauseous and felt crappy for about 10 min after i finished. This was a super spur of the moment race for me and a great training day. A good mental and physical effort for Louisville!!
What would you do differently?:

Train for a trail race, train for HILLS!! I definitely will be back next year for the 25K with a goal of improving my time. I think if I trained for this race specifically I could finish in under 3 hours. but overall it was a great IMKY training day. As I write this on monday though, my quads are still super sore from all the steep downhills!!
Post race
Warm down:

Had some water and watermellon then headed home. Ron greated me at the finish, but i felt so crappy that I just kinda walked off. I looked for him once I felt better, but he had already gone. I felt bad for blowing him off, but I didn't want to puke in the middle of all those people if it was going to happen! (it didn't...)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not training on such hilly terrain. the HEAT!! it was 88 degrees and humid when i finished!! That's pretty much my first hot run of the year because of our crappy spring!

Event comments:

Awesome race by rocksteady. I will DEFINITELY be back and will invite all my friends!! What a great entry into trail racing for me!! yay!!!




Last updated: 2013-07-08 12:00 AM
Running
03:27:55 | 25 kms | 08m 18s  min/km
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Average
Ave HR: 168 Max HR 185
Course: The Afton Trail Run 25KM Trail Race, is one of the most challenging and beautiful trail races anywhere. The race was established in 1994 and is now one of the oldest, largest and most competitive trail races in the country – garnering national attention and attracting runners from all over the United States and beyond. Runners World says that Afton State Park has some of the most beautiful running trails in the country and once you’ve run we think you will agree. Afton State Park is located within the beautiful St. Croix River valley. The start of the race is near the Visitors Center, in Afton State Park. It is a hilly, 25K loop winding through the park’s trail system. For the most part, the trail is on well-established footing through the woodlands and prairie. There are long climbs, rising from the river bottom, up rocky ravines, and down again
Keeping cool Below average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5