Grasslands Course Preview

 

Let me provide some background to this weekend's scouting trip:

I was supposed to scope out the trail Saturday, but it was not in the cards.  I woke up late and fell up the stairs while getting ready to leave and had a bug bump on my knee.  When I got to the grasslands, Google Maps brought me to a dead end gate.  I had no cell service to try and find the trailhead, so I just kept trying to find it.  On third and final attempt, I made a sharp turnaround and my drink flew out of my cupholder completely soaking my socks, shoes and the rest of the driver's side (Some dripped on my head from above me 😬)  This was my final straw.  The drive back to get fresh socks and shoes was over an hour and I was just mentally done.  

Fast forward to today.  I had fifteen miles on the schedule and the blue trail was mapped for 13.5, so I figured I would check out the trail with that loop and tack on a little bit extra.  It's been two years since I've been out there and I needed my memory refreshed.  

My notes from this experience are below:

• Within a mile of the beginning of the trail, I came across a small water crossing.  This made yesterday's frustration a moot point as my socks and shoes were soaked and was proof positive of how sheltered I've become during my trail hiatus.  
  
  
  
• PAY ATTENTION TO THE TRAIL MARKERS.  Between my Shiny Object Syndrome and watching where I should place my feet, I missed a fork in the trail.  All I saw for a long stretch were orange markers and the orange trail is the 24.5 mile one.  Slight panic built up in my chest before the trails merged again and I saw a blue flag.  I don't think I've ever been that excited to see the color blue, except for maybe at a friend's gender reveal where they really wanted to have a boy.  If you want to see all the pretty things and preview the trail, I recommend going out there ahead of time, so you aren't distracted like me on race day.
  
  
• If you are allergic to grass, you need to take allergy medicine before the start.  Avoid the Benadryl unless you want to pack a pillow and blanket and take a nap at the first aid station.  Go figure I didn't this morning even though the trails are called the GRASSLANDS and the race bears the same name, so my legs broke out in hives.   On top of the grass brushing your legs, there are also some scratchy branches.  Nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to trails, but be aware your shins may get a little scratched up.
• There is a good amount of sand on the course, so I would train in your kid's sandbox or maybe a friend's kid's sandbox.  Just kidding.  Sort of.  Sand can create the illusion that you are wading through molasses.
• The trail has a lot of divots from horse and cattle hoof prints, so make sure your ankles are up to par.  In preparation, I'm going to revisit the ankle exercises my PT guy taught me years ago that I never followed through with because who actually does those at home...??
• Make sure you don't over-hydrate like I tend to do because there are zero bathroom opportunities on the trail.  I had to find a place behind the bush to pee today because I had to go super bad and I was still eight miles out from the trailhead.  Zero people were on the trail, so I took advantage of the emptiness.  Of course a tenth of a mile up the trail afterwards, I came across the ONLY person I encountered the entire time out there 😟  Moral of the story is there will be a ton of foot traffic race day and you need to drink water in moderation to prevent a situation like this.
• Watch out for the wildlife on the trails.  The saying every stick is a snake is a good rule to go by, but with my overactive imagination, there were potential snakes everywhere.  In January.  I did come across a really cute armadillo that wouldn't pose for me or let me pet him.  The jackrabbit was equally uncooperative. 
• As mentioned above, you may run into cattle or horses.  If you do, be careful not to startle them because that would be a bad idea.  Continuing on about the cows and horses, watch out for their poop - you really don't want to smell that on your shoes the rest of the race.  If you do have the unfortunate misstep, it is not a good idea to hang your shoes over your car's rearview mirror like a new air freshener - especially if your heater is on.  Today, I came across what I can only describe as an artist of a cow.  That pile of poop looked like a chocolate fro-yo that swirls in a cone and now you will probably never eat fro-yo again.
• Music wise, I ran with one earbud in to test out that option, but I felt like I was missing something.  I would recommend zero ear buds so you can hear other runners, potential animal life you may encounter and most of all, to enjoy the entire trail experience.  If you are someone that ABSOLUTELY has to have music, this would be a good race to try out sans-music just in case you want to run a race where it isn't allowed.  If you don't want to follow my recommendation and you have wired headphones, do not make the mistake of thinking your headphones are the straw in your hydration pack and put them in your mouth.  Noise is the only thing that should come out of earbuds - not water.  Now if you've found headphones that also dispense water, please let me know because that would be super cool.
  
  
  
  A summation of today's experience:
  
  
  The Grasslands Trail Run would definitely be a good choice for first-timers when it comes to trail races.  It's on the easy side with a few rolling humps (I wouldn't even call them hills), some gradual inclines and declines, brush and moderately uneven terrain.  For the seasoned trail runners, it's a faster course with all the nuts and bolts of a good trail run.  
  
  
  Last but not least, Geaux Bills just for Anne.