Out on the trail, I managed to abandon my worries
A few weeks ago, Susan was worrying about what would happen during her first-ever trail race but when absorbing the gorgeous scenery, the fear fell away.
On June 25, I ran the 5K race at Rattlesnake Point in Milton, Ont. through 5 Peaks Adventures. I outlined my fears in my last blog entry prior to the race. I’m glad to say that they never came true.
Our kids ran the 3K. They didn’t get lost in the forest. I didn’t keel over either. So far, I’m well on my way to completing my running goal for this year of running 12 races in 12 months. After I fretted over all the worst case scenarios, a friend of mine pointed out that I didn’t list rattlesnakes as one of my fears despite the aptly titled Rattlesnake Point as race location. I’m also happy to say that no rattlesnakes crossed my path.
RELATED: Why I’m running 12 races in 12 months
This was a great race for the kids, as they had never raced in a forest with its rocky and uneven terrain. They finished in good time. Although my son emphatically said at the end that running is a form of self-torture, we noticed that he didn’t complain as much as he normally does in the hour leading up to the start. I think it’s growing on him. Slowly.
The beauty of the trail zapped my fears
When I set out on the trail at the start of this race, I was impressed by the absolute beauty of the cliff-top views from the course. It took my mind off of any worries I had and I wished I had brought my camera to snap even one picture of the scenery I was enjoying. I ended up paying great attention to my footing, and going slow, as we were running close to the edge of drop-offs, hopping over cave crevices and had large rocky inclines to climb. I even had to use my hands at times to somewhat rappel the hills– hence the “Adventure Race” part of this event.
This was a well-organized race and the energy drinks and energy bites available at the checkpoints were a welcome treat. Out there, I came to the conclusion that races held in the forest are definitely a must on sweltering summer days. The forest was cool and the tree canopy protected us runners from the blazing sun. As soon as we came out of the forest to approach the finish line, it was noticeably more sweltering.
I’m trading my worries for trail racing
I faced my fears head-on. By doing this, I realized that they were irrational. Worrying took up precious energy and I feel stronger now for overcoming that. I can hardly wait until 5 Peaks Adventures’ next 5K race in Caledon at Albion Hills in two weeks’ time.
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