In 2016 I had a perfect points advantage strategy planned out that would give me a big lead early on, but as my story often goes I got lost. That cost me over 2 hours and my strategy. That became disheartening and I stayed in my car to rest during the night hours.
In 2017 I accomplished my goal of finishing all 5 trails without getting lost.
This year I wanted redemption from my 2016 strategy failure. I began on redbox expecting everyone to go to the cabin to get an egg for bonus points. Redbox is 15 miles and the highest amount of points. It is also the trail where I got lost in 2016. The difference this year is a lot of runners started on Redbox. Previously I didn't have any company on that trail except three guys on a team behind me. This run was also serving as a benchmark training run for a race I registered for that takes place March 2019. It has strict expectations as to mileage finish times so I kept a chart of target pace and hours. On my way down I saw Jaime who I met last year with her teammates and her teammate Maria's dad. I got to catch up with Jaime tell her about my favorite shoe I was wearing and Maria's dad was really enjoying himself and telling proud dad stories of his daughter. I missed a benchmark I was trying to keep, but it was okay because the company was worth it.
I got back to camp and knew I just needed to get to the waterfall before 2 pm and I had 53 minutes to get there so I took off running downhill at 8 mile pace. I tell myself I never train that pace don't try to race it I still have 16 hours to go. I slow a little and arrive at the waterfall with enough time to finish the challenge and they tell me I'm the last one to get to do it. This year it's longer it's a minute under the cold waterfall. I take off my long layer and my shoes and in the waterfall I go. The photographer Billy took a photo where he says it looks like I questioned all life decisions up to that point. What it really was is redemption.
I was going to do the cabin trail next but Travis who I met years ago was going on the new blue trail and I decided to join him. We got lost looking for the trail, but luckily we ran into runners and a nice neighbor outside who directed us how to locate its trailhead.
We arrived back to camp and I decided I wanted to go to the cabin but be back in time for midnight yoga because it was bonus points.
The cabin had a trivia challenge for bonus points. If you read a sign and could answer questions upon returning you could earn bonus points. There is a tree that is split in two with the trail in the middle and I love it. I kept hiking and arrived to a crossing the same one I also missed in 2016. I looked at my landmarks and surroundings and told myself to remember the arrow to cross back and not run strait to a shortcut on the return. I arrived to the cabin and made sure the eggs and carton had all been collected. I read a sign even memorized it using numbers and could give a history lesson on it. Upon returning I was answered questions, but didn't know the answers because I read the wrong sign. The right answer was lemon meringue pie my dad's very favorite and he's been in scouting for years and I'm at a boy scout camp and I'm laughing at the irony.
I climbed in my car to rest a few minutes then grabbed my t-shirt blanket to use as a yoga mat and headed to the fort. Yoga was fun and we did a massage circle for neck and shoulders to end. That was just what I wanted as I'd been keeping my head down a lot looking at the ground with my headlamp at night.
I decided I wanted to do the ten mile trail silver fish. I met Scott who was on a team last year but was solo this year due to an untimely passing of his teammates family member. He said he was going too and another guy going to Redbox joined us also. I got to converse with Scott and said I wanted to run on the trail back down, but I soon found that was much easier said than done at night on tired feet.
I chose not to do the sixth trail because I achieved 10,000 feet of climbing which was another goal. I finished content with 43.3 miles. That was good enough to earn 3rd place miles wise, but I hadn't achieved enough bonus challenge points. Two friends tied for third and I was happy for them.
My running this year has truly been about turning previous failures into success. How are you turning previous disappointments around each day?
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