Expedition Paris Mountain: The First Time I’ve Dropped Down At A Race
By admin
Like I mentioned yesterday, this past weekend Dan, Ashton, Jared (A’s boyfriend) and myself, packed up our rental car and headed up to Traveler’s Rest, SC to run Expedition Paris Mountain with GoRunTrails.
This was our first trail race of the year and we were all filled with mixed emotions.
Ashton, Dan and I were all originally registered for the 15-mile option, but because Dan was coming off an injury, he decided to drop down to the 5 miler.
I was still not feeling 100% from being sick last week and Ashton was a bit nervous about a recently pulled hamstring but we decided to do our best and go for the 15 miles we had signed up for.
Expedition Paris Mountain
The race started promptly at 8am with a chill of around 27-degrees. All the race distances started off together (there was a 5/10/15 mile option) down the main road before cutting into the woods for the trails.
Because we were all together, the first mile was pretty tight and you were forced to just go with the flow. Some of the trails were thin so it was close to impossible to go around people unless you were one of those “LEFT!” type of runners… which at that point I wasn’t.
I decided to go out slow and steady. I’m working on a few training techniques right now, so my focus was on keeping my heart rate down and seeing how my lungs felt.
They felt fine, until the climbs started.
At around mile 2, I said good bye to Dan and the 5-milers split off as we continued our climb to the summit of Paris Mountain.
This picture cracks me up, my husband is such a goofball.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but Paris Mountain definitely surpassed my visions. For some reason, I was expecting a pretty flat and boring course.
This was anything but. There was a waterfall, steep climbs, a gorgeous mountain creek and beautiful surroundings for most of the race.
The views helped keep me occupied but finally around mile 4 I decided my body just wasn’t feeling it. My lungs were wheezy and physically I could tell I wasn’t recovered from being sick. I decided to stop and wait for Ashton to consult her. As soon as she got to me, she looked up and said, “let’s do the 10 miler.”
Deal.
It was the best option for us both and neither of us regretted it. In fact, it made it more fun. We were together, we took our earphones out and talked for the rest of the race. It was right around this time we met another fellow runner and the 3 of us stayed together, motivating one another for the entire 6 miles that laid ahead.
The race was a bit different than anything I had done before because once we made it to the summit, raced down about 2.5 miles and then climbed AGAIN to the summit but on a different trail. It was fun, challenging and actually went by relatively quickly (as quickly as it can when you’re going 2 miles up up up).
After our second summit, the 15 milers continued to repeat it one more time… but we were able to enjoy the final 2.5 miles all downhill.
I love downhill so I picked up the pace and before we knew it, we crossed the finish line!
Once we were done, I had that split second of thinking, “oh I should have just finished the last 5 miles!” but I also knew I made the right decision. With many more events coming up, listening to my body and doing what’s best for it for the long run is key. I did that, and I don’t regret it. Even if it was my first race where I scaled back.
I was actually quite thrilled with my race, the first half was definitely not at race speed, yet I managed to finish 10th female overall, not too shabby! I was extremely proud of us all, Dan killed the 5 miles and Ashton was a beast on those inclines, making me work overtime to keep up.
The Last Covered Bridge In South Carolina
After the race, we headed back to our cabin where everyone (but me) had a celebratory beer. I never have a desire to drink right after a race. We then grabbed Zoe and headed back out to explore. We had seen a sign for a covered bridge and thought it was worth checking out.
Turns out, Campbell’s Covered Bridge is the last of its kind in South Carolina and was beautiful.
A photographer was there do mini-sessions and let Dan snap this photo of Zoe. I LOVE this!
We walked around, took some pictures and explored the area a bit before realizing we were starving. Good ole’ local BBQ was calling our names!
Overall, GoRunTrails did an awesome job as always. The volunteers were amazing, the trail was laid out perfectly and the runners were all encouraging as always, which is why I personally love trail running more than road running.
We’re all out there together and the support and motivation that runners provide for one another can’t be put into words.
Here are a few other pictures from our trip. Enjoy!
