There are two important people taking this challenge on tomorrow. I’m sure others running are important, but these are the ones important to me….. Hilary and Glenn. I just hope the weather lets them get to the start line!
Hilary-came to us through the Hendricks County Runners Club back in August, with ambitions to get more serious about her running after some years of on again off again running.
She loves yoga, reading, travel, local food and beer, wine and geocaching. She is a wife and mother and has worked crazy hard to juggle her schedule to get in some tough workouts and long runs in a short period of time to train for such a hard race.
Hilary came to us with a solid base of around 25 miles a week, but the serious training for this race only started 3 months ago and to give you a little insight on what she is about to tackle after just three months of training:
Here’s a little info on the course (from the website):
The Tecumseh Trail Marathon course provides a scenic and challenging route in Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood State Forests. A major portion of the 40-mile Tecumseh Trail is used for the race course. Participants will be shuttled by bus from the Yellowwood Lake area to the starting line, near the Morgan-Monroe State Forest office.
The trail surface varies from narrow forest trail to wide fire road, gravel, dirt, and paved roads. Several up and downhills of 200-300’ elevation are along the course, along with many smaller hills. The total ascent is approximately 3500’.
And to show you how dedicated she has been:
A glimpse from her log at what she took on just a few weeks ago:
Saturday: COLD! Ran this in the Indiana Dunes but kept to relatively flat trails. 27 degrees and temp falling throughout with up to 30 mph winds and snow flurries at times. Took a while to get feeling back in tips of fingers. I think I dressed appropriately but was slightly cool throughout–more so as I started sweating.
Distance: 20.16 mi, mostly trails with a bit of road
Carried my 2L hydration pack and found out that even with Nuun in it, it freezes at 27 degrees and below. 🙁 Struggled a lot with trying to get it melted enough to get liquid out (some of my slow miles were me trying to do this) and finally figured out that putting it between layers of clothing seemed to work. Probably didn’t take enough water or food in due to getting lost and struggling with the pack. Hair was a brick of ice when I got back. Very happy to see a warm building and my dry clothes at the end.
And if that doesn’t say dedication…. I’m not sure what does.
I really hope this race happens and hope that Hilary is able to make it down, although I know that safety is most important. We will figure out another way to make this goal happen if weather keeps the runners away!
Glenn and I are both so proud of Hilary for her dedication, hard work and descipline during this time. Training is hard for a lot of reasons and everyone has their own reasons, but she has been juggling a lot with work travel, kids and life stuff in general to make this happen- not to mention- throwing your shoes on and hitting the pavement is one thing, but making your way to a trail to train can often times be more time consuming. If you’re training for a hella hard trail race though, you’d better get your butt to the trails!
Best of Luck tomorrow Hilary- remember that everyone out there will be experiencing the same crazy conditions and trust your training- it’s there. Take your time and enjoy how beautiful this run will be. Also, rely on your fellow runners for support and encouragement, I’m certain they’ll be looking for the same from you!
