Draper Trail Days Race and a local 5K

This weekend was so much fun.  It was busy but I loved every minute of it.  I feel like I recovered better from this marathon than any other.  Wednesday morning I woke up feeling really good.  All the soreness was pretty much gone so I took off on a 15 mile bike ride.  I had to do it fast now that kindergarten is out and my workout time is limited.  I did the same thing Thursday morning and finally lifted again Friday morning.  It seems like it's been a long time since I've gotten a really good weight session in.  Then Friday night I did a local 5K to benefit a lady who has leukemia.  I went in with the attitude of just taking it easy and having it be a shake out run, but halfway in I was feeling good and Heather and I picked up the pace a little and finished strong.  25:30.  Not a PR, but I felt like it was a good time and a good effort.

So glad to be running with my bud again!

All the friends from our neighborhood that showed up to support her.
Jodi, Mike, Rob, Heather, me, Tim, Cheryl, and Heather 

We'd never make it as Rockettes!

The next morning, bright and early I met my brother, Tom for a trail run.  He was doing the 10 mile and I decided to do the 7 mile.  I debated doing the 4 miler since it was one week after the marathon but thought if I took it slow, I'd be o.k.

One of the best parts was that I got to meet up with Josh, Susette and Julia, all blog buddies to run with them as well.

I love this girl.  She is wise beyond her years and is planning on running a 50 mile trail race this fall!

It was really congested at the beginning of the race.  Beautiful single track and with all the races starting at the same time, it didn't thin out for a while.  My brother, (mr. speedy) took off and we settled into a nice pace.  The trail went up and up and up but it was gradual and the trail was nice dirt with a lot less rocks than I'm used to.  We took a slight detour and saw Ghost Falls.  The weather was perfect with it being overcast and in the high 50's.

Before I knew it we were at the point where we had to part ways.  I was feeling so good that I thought about going on with the group on the 15 mile run, but my head told me that I needed to be smart and take it easy.  That decision was the hardest part of the whole race.  I knew that my climbing was done and the rest was downhill and I was sad.

This is where we parted ways

My best pouty face

So sad to leave my buddies

The after sweaty picture

 The rest of the race was short.  I made it back to the finish line one minute after my brother finished his 10 mile run.  He did awesome and it was so great to see him.  We ate our bread, drank our drinks and said goodbye.

It was such a great weekend.  I wasn't sore and knew that I could have done the 15 miler or this one faster, but am proud of myself for playing it smart.  I was happy with my pacing as well.  It was a great race, one that I'd love to do every year.  It was marked well, even though I almost took a wrong turn a few times because I was busy talking to Julia.  Good thing there are other runners out there that were paying attention to us and directed us to the right trail.

Julia talks in her post about her reason for loving the trails.  I can understand exactly what she's talking about.  I love being in the mountains, in God's creations and experiencing them in a way I never would take the time to do otherwise.  The best way that I can explain how I feel about the trails vs. the road is to compare it to music.  Road running to me is like rap music.  I like some rap music.  I get in the mood for rap music sometimes.  It has a steady beat, it's loud and aggressive.  Running on the road is great for when you want to just run and zone out.  It's great for setting a new PR.  Trail running seems more like a symphony to me.  The rocks and obstacles are like the strings.  Add in a stream to jump over and hills and the scenery and it's like the horns and percussion instruments are added.  The tempo constantly changes, the intensity has crescendos and the variety of it all is what makes it interesting and beautiful.  It lures you in and can carry you away.  The trails do that to me.  It feels more like a dance rather than just pounding out the miles.  And even though I can't explain it very well, I can't get enough of them.

How do you feel about the trails vs. the roads?  Which do you like better and why?