Eric's Running Adventures: Lake Perry Rocks HM RR

What: Lake Perry Rocks Trail HM
When: October 22, 2011
Where: Lake Perry, Meriden, Kansas
Temp: 45F start 58F finish
Finish Time: 2:19:04

I wasn't sure if I was going to run this race or not. However, after running the Fall Fell 7 mile trail run on October 16, I decided to register for the Lake Perry Rocks HM. I was planning on doing a 10 mile trail run this weekend anyway, what difference would an extra 5K make.

Race Week:
Since I knew this race would take more out of me than the KC HM did last weekend, I figured to cut back on my mileage a little. I ran a total of 15 miles during the week leading up to the race this morning. My legs were rested, but I had been having some periodic pain along the top of my left foot. It never lasted long and seemed more like nerve "pain." The foot pain seemed to fade on Thursday and Friday.

Race Morning:
The race started at 8:00 and was about an hour and fifteen minutes drive away. I always like getting to races about an hour early which meant I would have to leave between 5:30-5:45. In order to do so, I woke up before 3:00 so I could get my coffee and let nature take its course.

At about 5:00 I eat my usual pre-race breakfast, a bowl of honey-nut cheerios. Got dressed quickly and rushed out the door. I made good time and got to the race location at about 6:45. Since it was still around 38F, I decided to stay in My Jeep for a while.

I finally decided to brave the cool weather so I could get use to it before the race started. I walked around, talked with some friends, and got my bib and goodies which consisted of a coffee mug with logo and a long-sleeve tech tee. I then snapped a quick picture of the sunrise.

At 7:55 everyone goes over to line up. Since this was going to be my longest trail race (and run in about a year) I lined up near the back.

We started on a dirt/gravel road and of course as we were lined up, we had to clear the road to make way for a truck that was barreling on down. After the truck passed, the race was on!

We ran down the dirt/gravel road for maybe a 0.15 mile before cutting into the trails. The remainder of the race, except for the last 0.15 mile or so, would take place on some gorgeous trails. The trails were covered in leaves which did a great job of hiding the rocks. It kept the race interesting.

During the first 2 miles I took it fairly easy to warm up. I fell in line with a group of people running the 50K. It kept me from going out too fast. After about 2.5 miles, I decided to pick up the pace and see what I could do.

I ran progressively faster from Mile 3 to Mile 7. Mile 8 was a bit slower, but still managed a sub-10 mile. After Mile 8, the hills started getting a bit steeper and my legs were getting more tired. I would walk the uphills and run the rest. Mile 11 was my slowest mile (13:15), but I picked it back up for the last 2 miles with my last mile being a sub-10 pace.

My goal going into the race was a sub-2:30 time so when I crossed the finish line with a 2:19 I was very pleased! What was even better, I made it the whole way with no injuries. The last time I tried a HM on these trails, I had to cut back to the 10K due to ITB issues. This race felt like redemption.

Throughout the race I took a bunch of pictures. So if you made it this far, I might as well provide some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Mile 1: