Seaton Trail Race

Event: Seaton Trail Test (29km)

Date: April 16th, 2011

Location: Pickering, Ontario

I did this race in 2009 and got a big rude awakening.  Who knew Pickering had so many hills?  The race kicked my butt good and I vowed I’d go back one day exact my revenge.  By the time I tried to sign up last year, the race was sold out, so I had to wait until this year to give it another go.

The weather was rather uncooperative this year with low temperatures, high winds, and heavy rain throughout most of the day. The 29km event at Seaton is a 14.5km out and back along the Seaton hiking trail featuring a river crossing, lots of climbing, and plenty of opportunities to play in the mud (more than usual this year!).

My singular goal for this race was to try and run as even a split as possible, as this was an issue I struggled with in the four ultras I completed last year.  I went out with a conservative goal time and pace in mind.  Being mentally prepared for what the course was going to offer was a big advantage that I didn’t have two years ago; I knew to expect the climbs and the mud.  Despite all the rain, the course was still very ‘run-able’ in lots of places, but definitely got worse as the day progressed.

I hit the end of the “out” portion of the course in 2:02, which was very close to my goal of around 4:00 given the course conditions.  Turning around was a big mental boost for me, and I instantly felt faster and stronger as I ran back towards the finish. I’d been careful about my hydration and nutrition and conservative with my pace on the “out” which really paid off for me on the “back.” I managed to pass four people in my distance and was not passed by anyone on the second half of the course.

As I climbed the last hill before the finish, I recalled how two years ago I was very morally defeated at this point but that now, despite the cold, wind, and rain, I felt really good.  My pacing strategy had paid off and I’d ran an even to negative split on the back half of the course.  My exact time is unknown at this point, because at some point I’d accidentally paused my watch, but I’m guessing my finish time was between 4:00-4:05.  I would have considered this slow under better conditions, but since the mud had given lots of extra resistance and challenge to the course, I was pretty happy.  I saw lots of other strong-looking Running Free athletes out there as well. Kudos to all who stuck it out yesterday under challenging conditions!