that's a wrap, folks – 2009 wtrs 21k

The last of four races from Baz's Winter Trail Series on Feb. 21 was also the longest at about 13 miles with approximately 3,470 feet of elevation gain. It started out at Blue Jay Campground, climbed up the dirt road to the Main Divide where runners descend down a steep single track down approximately two miles of the Trabuco Trail before heading up the dreaded W. Horsethief Trail to connect back with the Main Divide again. It then looped back to the campground for the finish.

Unlike the last three races where we've had less than ideal conditions–either wind, rain, or mud– this day we had a near perfect combination of sunshine and cool weather. I was anxious to do well this day since I didn't have a spectacular day at the 18K.

At the start I set an easy comfortable pace. I had to move aside to use the bathroom and was soon behind most of the pack, not where I wanted to be. While going up Main Divide to the top of Trabuco, I could tell that my hill running still needed plenty of work. While I had hoped that I could jog slowly up to ridge, I had to slow myself to a walk. I finally made it up to the top of Trabuco Trail where fellow Headz, Kirk F. was manning the aid station. I said a quick "hi"and sped down the trail to try to make up some time. As I had mentioned before, Trabuco is a steep descent and its loose rocks could prove it to be treacherous. I passed a few runners, but no less than a half-mile from the aid station, my foot hit a rock which refused to budge and down I went. Mike B. and Kristen T. witnessed my spectacular fall from grace and helped me up. I had to gather my wits about me and walked down the trail for a few minutes before I felt comfortable enough to start running down again.







I eventually made it to the bottom of the trail, then up W. Horsethief, then connecting back with the Main Divide, and finishing at the campground where most of the runners have already gathered.

My official time was 2:41:42 , finishing 99th out of 127 runners. It definitely could've been better but considering that I'd only been back from my injury for two months I gave myself a bit of slack.

Runners who complete all four races earn the "coveted" race sweatshirt. After crossing the line, I promptly made my way to the "official" race trailer and collected my swag.

Since I'd been spending every other weekend at a Baz race for the last 6 weeks, I felt a bit melancholic that the race was over. I gave Baz a hug before I left, thanked him and told him I'll see him in a month for the San Juan Trail 50K.

Read Baz's official recap of the race here.

Photos snagged from the official website.

splish splash at the wtrs 15k

Baz's professionally-made sign directs high speed drivers along Ortega Highway to the Winter Trail Run Series.

Saturday morning was a wet and fun adventure at the Blue Jay Campground for the Winter Trail Run Series 15K (the 2nd of four runs). The course was the same as the previous "12K" which had to be rerouted because of trail damage. I didn't do particularly well at that run (2:09:51) so I was anxious to do better on this one. But with the rain coming down, the already treacherous and technical singletrack required more agility and care to run it.

Runners gather around for the pre-race briefing. Everyone was anxious to get the race started and start to warm up.

When we were given the go signal, the speedsters led by Dean Dobberteen, leaped out and wasted no time in taking the pack to the skinny singletrack. I didn't want to go too fast. I think that was my problem last time which led to those miserable shin splints. I stayed with Molly for the first part of the course. She wanted to run with someone since she was worried about the trail conditions. At about 3.5 miles, as the trail was going uphill, I pulled back and Molly soon left me behind. I knew she's a strong uphill runner and I really couldn't keep up with her.

The rain seemed to relent at first but soon came down and kept the runners and the trail soaked. Although I was feeling a lot better than I did two weeks ago, I was being very careful out there. One wrong and careless move could cost me some blood and DNA. I was wearing my low profile New Balance 790s and surprisingly, they held up well considering the wet and slippery conditions.

Mile 6 marked the attack of the shin splints that hobbled me two weeks ago. This time though was a 180 degree turn from that day. My breathing was better, my legs felt fresh and whereas I seemed to be tripping on every root and rock on the trail last time, this time around I felt like I was floating on the trail especially the downhill sections.

I saw the cars with about three quarters of a mile to go, and I knew that the finish is near. As we came out of the trails, our friendly forest service rangers pointed the way to the finish line. I sprinted the last 100 yards finishing at 1:45:49. I was very happy with the 24 minute improvement especially with the wicked and slippery trail. Surprisingly I didn't see any signs of anyone falling on the trail (i.e. blood) unless of course the rain just washed them away.

By the time the most of the runners were finishing, the rain had been coming down nonstop.

All in all, a great morning and definitely worthy of a 5:30am wake up. And by the way, it's hard to beat a great morning run especially with cold beer and hot pancakes (thanks to Jon R.) at the post-race festivities.

Jon (in red) volunteered his pancake cooking services for the cold and hungry runners. From L-R , Rich, Leon, Mike and Ted wait their turn.

Baz was warm, cozy and dry inside his RV as he was doing the awards ceremonies.

Click here for the recap from Baz, our friendly race director.

Photos courtesy of Doug Malewicki.

return of the forest gimp

Saturday morning, up in the hills of the Cleveland National Forest, roughly 150 runners gathered 'round Baz Hawley, our foul-mouthed and lovable English RD for the pre-race briefing of the first of this year's Winter Trail Run Series, a dubious 12K. Well as fate would have it, the previous weeks' winter storms and the Sta. Ana winds that had been blowing for the last couple of days wreaked havoc on the trails downing branches and trees. The forest service gave the go-ahead for the race only two days prior. However, Baz and his crew had to reroute the course to avoid some of the damaged trails.


The runners quickly bunched up, and I got mixed in with some of the stronger runners. I slowed down to catch my breath and fell behind in the process. About mile 3 or so, I was starting to get into a groove, except for what felt like shin splints. On both legs. OK, I thought, if I stretch some and back off a bit, maybe I'll be fine.

Well, that “maybe” soon turned into a “no.”

Around mile 6, the dull soreness on my legs has gotten worse. The right leg was painful at times. I had to hobble and limp when the pain was too much. Grrreat! – I thought. I'm out here gimping in the middle of the forest. Well, at least I wasn't out here alone. Slowly but surely, the back of the packers were coming in behind me... and passing me. That, somehow, was no consolation.

This was beginning to be too reminiscent of my second WTRS run. It was almost two years ago when I published my first post about how I kissed the ground during the 18K. I twisted my ankle badly that I had to limp my way through the woods to the finish line.

This day, I thought, I would have to do the same thing again.

I wondered just how far back I was and how much was left in the race. My Garmin registered over 7.5 miles which is already more than 12K. Baz's runs are notoriously inaccurate as far as distances go, so it was still a guessing game where the finish was.

With the Garmin reading nearing 9 miles, I saw some cars not too far off in the distance which means the end is near. I made my way out of the trees onto paved ground where a couple of Forest service dudes directed me to the left and to the finish. Wow, I thought, it seems like everyone and their brother had already crossed the line.

Final result for those keeping track was a forgettable 2:09:51. The “dubious 12K” was actually 9.18 miles, almost 15K, with about 1804 feet of climbing.

Part 2 of the WTRS, the official 15K is in two Saturdays. If you're a trail runner or wanting to try it, you really owe it to yourself to sign up and run it. Beautiful trails, great people and a nice warm up to the ultra season to come.