SheCan
While I was looking up some trail races, I found some particularly inexpensive ones. I started wondering why they were so cheap, and found this article from one of the organizers in the same area. I thought it was a very interesting article, and wanted to share:
http://www.runnersworld.com/trail-running-training/devil-details?page=single
Cherie
"We do not become the people who this world needs simply by turning our backs on anyone we don’t like, trust, or deem healthy enough to be in our presence. " ---- Shasta Nelson
Nice article. I love trail running when I can (being in nature and even wilderness, yes!), but I can pretty much only do it on the weekends because it requires driving at least 45-60 minutes to an actual trail. The tips about starting your own trail race are pretty interesting. Hm: maybe someday.
Will run for scenery.
(Hi Cherie!)
One of my all-time-favorite-days-ever was a run I went on last summer. I had done some googling about the Four Pass Loop near Aspen, Co and stumbled upon somebody's post on a listserv saying they were looking for people to do it as an informal group run. The date worked for me, even if I had to DNS a HM I was signed up for the following week. So I sent an email, and before you know it I'm the grownup in charge of staking out camping spots. The rest of the event was even less organized : we wake up, we go to the trailhead, we run.
As luck would have it I "selected" a pace somewhat slower than everyone else. So I basically ran the whole day by myself. But I stumbled back to camp in time to join everyone for craptastic overpriced Mexican food in Aspen. Even though I basically did the run alone, I would never have just up and done it alone, without some kind of push.
I still really like the excitement of signing up and training for an organized goal race, even if in my case it's never really a race. But for a change there's something really refreshing about just going out and running with (behind!) people without the fees, waivers, shirts, bling, etc. One is more about striving for a goal and feeling accomplishment, the other more about enjoying where your training has carried you and just being there.
Stupid feet!
Stupid elbow!
Most races I've done have been trail races that had no entry fee but did have volunteers and food. No official registration, you just sign a notebook at the end, but they still put the results online and some got into Athlinks. They had some great races in Arkansas. I appreciate those who gave their time to make it happen.
I'm glad y'all enjoyed it. I'm always so in awe and thankful of the people that put in the hard work and sweat to organize a race. Around here, we do have a running club which hosts some smaller road races, but trail races are almost non-existent-- even though there's lots of trails around. Reading this, makes me think that perhaps I could change that...