Winter Trail Run Series 21K

I'm finally back to running trail races! Two weeks ago I ran the WTRS 15K which was the first trail race I had done since June. It felt good to pin on a bib number again. And yesterday I ran the WTRS 21K. The WTRS races are on some of the rockiest trails in the area. This is the perfect place to roll an ankle or lose your footing and fall on your knees, face, butt, hands, elbows, etc.
Since recovering from an ankle sprain last summer, I found it was a long, slow road to run confidently again. I was so paranoid of running downhill and falling. When I started running trails again, I would sometimes roll my ankle and feel a sharp pain at the injury site. One day I got this idea to try yoga and see if that helped my ankle. In yoga, I did a lot of ankle strengthening and balancing poses, and it seriously has helped so much! I actually noticed a difference within two weeks of starting! Now, I still sometimes roll my ankle, but it doesn't hurt. I want to get to the point where I don't roll it at all.
The 21K race course starts at Bluejay Campground off Ortega Highway and climbs 2.5 miles up the Main Divide. Then there is a long descent down Trabuco Trail and then a challenging ascent up Horsetheif (one of my favorite trails. . . not). And from there it is rolling hills back to the top of Trabuco and then down the Main Divide to the start/finish line. Trabuco and Horsetheif are just littered with lots of loose rocks. I was anxious to see how I did on some trails that were perfect for falling down. Also, this week, I developed a little outter knee pain. This could be an IT band issue developing. So I was curious to see how my knee would fare.

I'm short on time today and I don't want to bore the 5 people who read my blog (hi, mom!) with the many thoughts that ran through my mind during the race or telling you about all the aches and pains I had. So I will try and sum up the experience in some sort of bulletpoint fashion. This may become a new format for me. Who knows? Well see. . .

WTRS 21K Recap
Weather: Overcast, 50s-60's--Perfect running weather!
My Pace: Slow :)
Knee pain? 3/10. . . Not a sharp pain, but just an annoying, nagging, dull pain.
Ankle rolls = ZERO!
Falls? None! And I flew down Trabuco. I think I'm finally starting to get over my fear of falling and running downhill. It's really all in my head!
Snow report: Along Trabuco and parts of the Main Divide were patches of snow from a storm we had last weekend.
Trail Fashions: I wore my cherry gaiters and giraffe moeben sleeves. Got lots of comments on the sleeves. Giraffe is the hot new animal print, ya know!
Cool People? YES!!!!
Aid stations: Okay, I'm going to spend a little time on this one. These aid stations are set up at various points throughout the race for runners to refill their water bottles, get some sort of electrolyte-enhanced drink, and some food for needed nourishment to continue on. Without people who take time out of their busy schedules to volunteer at these aid stations, none of these races would ever happen. So I want to thank Kirk and Kiera for being at the top of Trabuco, and I also want to thank Beiyi and Rachel for their aid station at the top of Horsetheif! It was so great to see them. I always appreciate the support, and more than anything, stopping to chit chat with the aid station volunteers is always a great boost for the spirits! It's even better when it's people I know! And thank you Annie and Steve for being at the Trabuco/Horsethief intersection so no one would get lost!
RD: Baz. What a character! If you are a guy and he calls you an A-hole or a piece of s***, don't take it personally. That is pretty much how he refers to all members of the male gender.
Trailheadz? In the house! We had Molly, Jeff S., Leon, iDoug, Michelle B., Jon, E-Rod, Jean, Mike B., Lori, Charlie (out of hiding), Jeff W., and LT and I know I missed a few others. But there were lots of red shirts there!

So in summary, it was a great race! Great weather! Great people! I rode with Molly and Jeff S., and driving back home, we were all talking about what a fun time we had! Now I've got another one next week in San Francisco!