Race Report: Defiance 30K

Since I couldn't make the New York Marathon this year, I wanted to do something else big.  I had been thinking a 50K ... but I just don't think I'm ready for that yet.  SO, I decided to do a very hilly 30K (which was really a 20miler instead and was part of the Defiance 50K).  The race was awesome - I came in first female with a time of 2:57 (a pace of 8:38) and now have the course record (woohoo!).  I also enjoyed running with a co-worker who did her first 15K trail race. 

The day started around 6am when Asia came to pick me up and we hit the road for Tacoma.  The streets were amazingly empty, and it was still dark and super cold out.  When we made it into Tacoma we wound through some roads that felt more like country than city until we found the one coffee shop that was open.  The coffee shop was definitely a local joint but it was a little odd with coffee, food, books, and souvenirs. 

The course consisted of two loops each with an elevation gain / loss of 1,300 feet.  Each loop ended with a rope climb down a hill ... rad!

I managed to run a "bonus" half mile because the trail got a little confusing towards the top of the hill, but all in all it felt great.  The volunteers were some of the nicest I've come across, and the other runners were all outgoing.  During my first loop one runner was a little too outgoing - he kept hooting and hollering with every downhill and then he'd run up and want to talk.  I managed to kick it into high gear at these points.

The views along the course were amazing.  At one point in the race there was a view of a bridge that looked like a gray version of the Golden Gate bridge which made me quite nostalgic. 

The downhills well outweighed the up.  Achilles Hill was pretty brutal, though, and I wound up needing to walk the crest of it. 

My new favorite running tools:

• Two advil before a race
• Coconut water before and after running
• Lemon Luna bars an hour before race time
• Weak coffee before the race
• A handheld water bottle
• My boys (all three) at the finish line!

Looking forward to my next trail race already!