Bees and bruises – Moreau Lake 15K Trail run

This time of year is incredibly busy. There are school meetings and events, soccer games and doctor’s appointments all to be worked into a calendar already full of other mundane tasks. This means there’s a lot of picking and choosing when it comes to selecting races in the early fall.  Last week Lunar B*tch Karen and I went with a race that was new to us, but sounded like fun with its 80s theme and challenging trails – the Moreau Lake 15K.

The drive started super early in the morning, but took less time than expected. Check in was quick and there were no crowds, making for a pleasant introduction to this new place. When the horn blew, we began, warming up quickly on the somewhat cool morning. Less than a mile in we encountered our first obstacle – bees. We were tipped off to their presence by a woman running slightly ahead of us (Our goal time is “uninjured.” Many people were ahead of us.). Her piercing screams and flailing arms were a clear sign that there was a hazard ahead and we cut off the trail to take a detour. We met her later on the trail and she said she counted at least nine stings. Yikes – good thing she wasn’t allergic.

Back on track, we reveled in the absolutely beautiful terrain. The trails up there are fantastic, soft for the most part and incredibly scenic. It’s a gorgeous course. While we avoided bees, my bad ankle challenged me by continually rolling – 3 times actually in the first four miles. Of course, I picked myself up and, operating on the theory that it’s better to keep it loose with use rather than letting it tighten up, kept going. I think it was the right choice.

We had a few climbs that were intense, but nothing like Seven Sisters. The course was pretty damn technical, though, and I took another tumble, and a good one at that, but carried on with a colorful scrape on my arm which eventually bruised up in a vivid rainbow of blue, green and yellow. Just a flesh wound, I scoffed, as I swallowed a couple of post-run Aleves.

The last couple of miles were fairly flat and skirted around water. We reached the beach basically intact and that water felt amazing. I’d like to give this race another attempt next year – maybe with an ankle wrap. It was a winner – like Karen and I! We each finished third in out respective age groups. I’m not sure if there were more than three in our age group, but that still sounds like a bronze to me!