Who Needs Results?
This past Wednesday was the 2nd race of 5 race series in Forest Park. The Portland Trail Series (https://gobeyondracing.com/races/portland-trail-series/). While I usually use these races as speed workouts since they're usually pretty short, (4-6 miles) but this week I decided to hang back and run with a friend who's coming back from a knee injury. It's not like it's a big sacrifice for me or anything. My races are really my ultras. Where I can just find my slow-ass pace and hold it for 5-12 hours. check out some amazing scenery, meet some interesting people, eat some food every 5 or 6 miles and if I'm lucky, have some visions and hallucinations. Yeah, those are my kind of races. The Wednesday night series are my "community" thing, they happen just down the street from my apartment and sometimes I can get my "newbie" friends in on the fun.
We started in the back and TRIED to stay in the back but still managed to make a few passes once the hill climb started. Then soon found our group of slow, steady climbers. people with the same uphill pace as downhill pace. Eventually we come to the last couple miles and it ALL DOWN HILL. We walked some of the downhill stretches because of my friend's knee. This is where we get to see the real action. The back of the race is always more inspiring. This is where new runners, the overweight folks workin' it out, old people, I mean REALLY old people, some handicapped runners, and some other's working back from injuries. These are the people really struggling, really hurting, some miserable, some ecstatic but all happy to NOT BE LAST. From what I could tell, two very "cougarish" walkers were last. just walking and talking and seemed to be having as good a time as anyone. They crossed the finish line and just kept walking all the way to their cars.
We started in the back and TRIED to stay in the back but still managed to make a few passes once the hill climb started. Then soon found our group of slow, steady climbers. people with the same uphill pace as downhill pace. Eventually we come to the last couple miles and it ALL DOWN HILL. We walked some of the downhill stretches because of my friend's knee. This is where we get to see the real action. The back of the race is always more inspiring. This is where new runners, the overweight folks workin' it out, old people, I mean REALLY old people, some handicapped runners, and some other's working back from injuries. These are the people really struggling, really hurting, some miserable, some ecstatic but all happy to NOT BE LAST. From what I could tell, two very "cougarish" walkers were last. just walking and talking and seemed to be having as good a time as anyone. They crossed the finish line and just kept walking all the way to their cars.
I always have the utmost respect for these back-of-the-packers. To begin with, it's gotta be at least a little uncomfortable to go out in tight, form fitting clothing and hang and mingle with not only the "beautiful" people but the FAST beautiful people. And so ya know, very few of them are what most of society would consider the "beautiful" people. Most are just your average people in various stages of building up and breaking down. Everyone's on different journeys.
I've been doing this stuff, running and cycling for awhile now (my first race, 2000) but a lot of my old friends, family, acquaintances may have forgotten I didn't start out this endurance junkie. At least in the athletic sense. I was a 215lb. alcoholic, junkie musician. None of this came easy and it still doesn't. I know this journey. I know how that big step from zero to one is a lot farther than one to 1,000. that ONE BIG STEP.
I had the privilege of watching others take some "big steps" Memorial Day while crewing at the "Trail Factor 50k" (https://gobeyondracing.com/races/trail-factor-50k/). This was my first time working a race. Wasn't sure what I would've been doing when I volunteered, figured I would be handing out water or something but turns out I would be giving directions. I would point the runners up a hill then two miles later they would loop back around to me and I would give them directions back out and which trail to take next. I thought it kind of obvious but I would see the runners at mile 17 & 19 and it was pretty wild how many runners would loop back around and in their runner's "fog" would attempt to go back up the hill before I turned them around. Funny, I thought it was just me that that mile 18-20 tunnel vision came on. No matter the distance, around mile 18-20 my brain just shuts off and my body takes over. Sometimes I only have a couple more miles to go, other times up to 30 MORE miles to go. Now I see how I must have looked to all those volunteers as I came stumbling into aid-stations drained and confused.
As far as "drained & confused," it was so awesome to see some of these people come through and probably more often than not, being driven by some internal GPS that has totally taken over all brain function. Like an invisible rubber band pulling them back to the finish line no matter the cost and pain. And man, I could recognize some of that pain. As I directed them up the hill, what many of us consider the hardest section of the course, several would comment on the way back how they had hit a wall. I let every one of them know they hadn't "hit" a wall. the had knocked one down and it wouldn't be there the next time the got to that "place."
Seeing and meeting so many people out there was probably the best part. Amazing how often people want to stop and chat during the middle of a race. One person was a woman in her 60's I actually ran with her last Wednesday at the "Portland Trail Series." She's really slow but when I was watching her Wednesday night, I said to my friend that I bet she was an ultra-runner just by her purposeful pace and attitude. Turns out today will give her over 70 miles in three days! She also crews for one of the 100 milers that I was considering volunteering at. Closing circles, opening new roads. It was also good to see the guys that I only see at other ultras or only know from facebook or strava out there tearing it up. Funny, I thought since I was going to be stuck out alone in the farthest points of the race that it would be a total bore. Not at all. I got to see some incredibly fast runners (I never see the fast guys), get inspired by the mid-pack to back-of-the-pack folks pushing through and breaking down walls, and got to meet and talk to several awesome people. Seeing how more and more, results are probably the least interesting thing about racing.
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| my post for three or four hours |
As far as "drained & confused," it was so awesome to see some of these people come through and probably more often than not, being driven by some internal GPS that has totally taken over all brain function. Like an invisible rubber band pulling them back to the finish line no matter the cost and pain. And man, I could recognize some of that pain. As I directed them up the hill, what many of us consider the hardest section of the course, several would comment on the way back how they had hit a wall. I let every one of them know they hadn't "hit" a wall. the had knocked one down and it wouldn't be there the next time the got to that "place."
Seeing and meeting so many people out there was probably the best part. Amazing how often people want to stop and chat during the middle of a race. One person was a woman in her 60's I actually ran with her last Wednesday at the "Portland Trail Series." She's really slow but when I was watching her Wednesday night, I said to my friend that I bet she was an ultra-runner just by her purposeful pace and attitude. Turns out today will give her over 70 miles in three days! She also crews for one of the 100 milers that I was considering volunteering at. Closing circles, opening new roads. It was also good to see the guys that I only see at other ultras or only know from facebook or strava out there tearing it up. Funny, I thought since I was going to be stuck out alone in the farthest points of the race that it would be a total bore. Not at all. I got to see some incredibly fast runners (I never see the fast guys), get inspired by the mid-pack to back-of-the-pack folks pushing through and breaking down walls, and got to meet and talk to several awesome people. Seeing how more and more, results are probably the least interesting thing about racing.
