Written By: Amanda Kremer
It’s week 7 of my 17-week training program to Boston Marathon
2013. Normally, I don’t incorporate any trail races in my marathon training
programs for fear of getting injured, but I made an exception for the Mad Ass2013 in Madras.
The race started and finished at the Madras Aquatic Center. If
you haven’t been to the Aquatic Center, it is definitely worth checking out.
It was well organized for such a low key race. Strollers and dogs welcome! There was no
pre-registration; just show up, write down your name and distance you will be
running, and when you get back, jot down the time you ran it in. Route options
were 25k, 29k, and 50k, or run whatever mileage you felt like doing. I chose
the 29k out and back for no other reason than my friend was doing that
distance. There was no fuel or water provided for us along the route (just at
the start/finish), so you were on your own for that. All 76 or so racers
congregated in the Aquatic Center before heading out for an informational talk.
I loved the fact that I could keep warm right up until the race start! No
waiting outside in the cold, shivering, wasting precious energy.
The first 2 miles were downhill until we went through downtown
Madras and reached the trail head. This is where the chit-chat with my friends
started to fade. It was time to focus on the trail adventure ahead with patches
of ice and ankle-wrenching rocks. The sun was shining and the canyon views were
breath-taking. This is why I run, and this is why I love living in Central
Oregon. My neck is still sore from admiring the scenery and scoping the area
for cougars (yeah, yeah, I know I won’t see them). The turn-around point was at
the base of a huge hill going down. This is where my iPod came to the rescue
with Limp Bizkit pushing me up the grueling hill. On the way back, the sun was
starting to melt the ice, so I was literally running through mud. I quickly had
to come to terms with the fact that my bright yellow Brooks Connects, would
soon be brown. It’s OK, just another excuse to buy another pair, right? At
about mile 10, my ankles and calves were getting fatigued from all the varied
terrain. I was wishing I had supported my ankles with athletic tape at this
point. Since the first 2 miles were downhill, of course, the last 2 miles were
uphill. I needed Nine Inch Nails for this hill. It felt like it would never
end, but the pavement was a nice break for my ankles so I pushed through and
finished at 2:34, injury free. Hard
cider never tasted so good!
Post-race festivities included admission into the pool area, a
potluck and live music. I had a blast going down the cork-screw slide while
screaming like a 10-year-old girl, followed by relaxing in the hot tub
overlooking the mountains. I highly
recommend this race for anyone who loves trail running and wants to get
stronger on hills, all in a low-key setting. I had a great time and would
definitely do this race again.
I wanted to give a special shout-out to Duke the dog (he was
actually registered on the list) who successfully completed the 52k!!! Amazing!
After all that, I bet Duke could use a chiropractor. Hey! I can recommend a
GREAT Animal Chiropractor in Bend :).
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