The Anticipation of the Next Trail Race!

Oh my, I didn't realize it had been a couple of weeks since I had written a post, wow time flies in the summer, even with crappy weather! I've been training and cross training in preparation for the big LOU52 trail race in August and so far so good (knocking on wood), things have gone pretty well all things considered. As I mentioned the weather in June really sucked. Wet and wild, it caused my husband and I to cancel a family camping trip last weekend so we're making up for it this weekend and combining it with a great trail race-what could be better?! Long runs have not gone beyond the 15km mark, which I'm not stressing over...just yet. I know this weekend's race, the Sunofa Gunofa Run, while it's short (12.5km), it will take at least 2 hours since it's more of a mountain trail race. My weekly mileage has been pretty much on target but I've been splitting up my long runs so I don't have to spend too much time out in the rain.

So, this weekend's race should be interesting! My husband and I ran it last year-he was so thankful to have survived it he waved at everyone on our drive back home..a true Runner's High lol. It is a very challenging course. Essentially you spend about half the race running up a mountain until you're screaming-"Really, MORE Up?" then you careen down the side of a hill until you hit the river-which you must run through (not beside) or you face a time penalty if you're caught. Last year I took an unintended dive into the river water-which felt pretty nice actually, but cut up my arm. Then up the other side of the hill to run more uphill, then a loooong downhill to an amazing look-off that showcases the gorgeous scenery of the Wentworth Valley and then down through a hobbit-like forest of ferns to the finish. And yes, my husband, in a drunken commitment, has agreed to go again :-)

A group of runners climbing out from the river below-there is more hill ahead!

This year we're adding on the camping aspect so there won't be a nice cushy bed to crash into once we're done. The campground's pool will have to suffice I guess. With temperatures expected to be around the 30C mark we will definitely need to cool off a bit. Wish us luck and look for my race/camping report early next week! I hope the sun is shining (finally) wherever you are and Happy Independence Day to our American neighbors!