Psych Night 10K Trail Run Race Report

Be warned..its long!!
I DID IT! I finished my longest trail run to date and my very first night race and I absolutely LOVED every tough, rocky, muddy, dark minute of it :)

Thursday night around 8pm I kept telling myself that within 24hrs I’ll be at the starting line of my first Night trail race…the Psyc Night 10k Trail Run. I was a bundle of nerves as this would be the longest trail distance I’ve attempted and of course its at night!!

Friday came around…my usual pre-race nerves set in! I was working from home, so I was able to get in my hydration really well and get all my race bottles nice and cold! Kelly, my friend who was running the race with me picked me up and we headed out to Wyco Park to get our night race on! We got there with plenty of time to register. Yep, a whole $8 and I say it again…for just $8 these are incredible races!! The KC Trail Nerds led by Ben and Sophia do an awesome, awesome job at organizing these super fun events! I finally managed to catch up with Jesse, who did make it out on the right day ;) It was great to meet a fellow blogger. We chatted awhile before race start and that was last I saw of him…oh wait, I did see him when he was zooming by me on the out and back. He was headed back as I was still heading in. He did great and finished 4th I think!

Here is Kelly (the only guy in the picture), myself, Hayley (in pink) and the original Mudbabe herself, Sophia before the race started. Mudbabes Rock! Fellow Mudbabe Hayley kicked butt at the race :)After some hilarious, but useful pre-race instructions we were off! We ran through the grassy area and headed into the trails…and what a trail it was! Now I know why they say the Summer into course was easier, this was tough!! There was lots of rocky inclines, which of course meant rocky down hills, narrow sections, turns and of course all the while we are slowly losing light. Ben  said that this was the driest the course has been since 2006 or so, but hello…there were some pretty nice mud pits through the course. There was a lot of avoiding fallen free trunks, tree branches that seem to reach out to you, maneuvering through or around the muddy sections, and in my case, mostly hiking up and down the rocky sections. At one point we stopped to help out a fellow runner who lost her shoe in the mud. While she looked for her, she did find another lost one. We looked for a few minutes, yeah it was buried nicely in there and she just told the everyone to go ahead. A few steps later, she found it…just as I managed to get my foot stuck in the mud and lose my left shoe. I tried to fish it out, but it was pretty stuck. Kelly put some muscle in and got it out. I managed to get it back on. Yey for lock laces!! They kept my shoes in place for most of the race. The course was an out and back, with a ‘lollipop’ as the turn around. The entire course was crazy fun and tough, BUT my favorite part had to be this lollipop section. It was just going in crazy twists and turns for one entire mile! I had no idea which way I was headed, Kelly and I just kept following the pink course flag and kept going…it was a blast not knowing what was around the next corner! You see the aid station before you enter and then hit it right as you get out. These were some wonderful volunteers! I swear it could have been a little souvenir shop in the middle of the course..complete with leis! Awesome!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went in the to the race with the following goals -

1. Have fun and enjoy a new challenge - DONE
2. Finish under 2hrs – I’m pretty sure its Done
3. Finish without any injuries – DONE!!

SUCCESS on all three goals!!!

I totally forgot to start and stop my Garmin at the correct times, but I think I finished between 1:50:00 – 2:00:00. Yep, slowest 10k time ever and totally back of the pack, but it was a blast and as hard as they some as far as races…at least for me!

Lessons learned from this race -

• Make sure headlamp is tight and secure. Mine kept coming loose due to all the sweat..and there was a lot of sweat!
• Suck it up and do more hills! The rocky inclines totally kicked my butt.
• Ensure laces are night and secure..thanks goodness for lock laces :)
• Be alert mentally, even when you are super tired! I almost ran into a fallen tree trunk..mental alertness is KEY in these trail races or you are guaranteed to get injured.
  

A huge thanks to Ben, Sophia and KC Trail Nerds and Mudbabes volunteers who made this another great race to remember. You guys sure know how to throw a great race!
A huge thanks to Dick Ross at SeeKCrun for amazing photos once again! All the photos you see on this post are courtesy of him! A great KC running community supporter!
A huge thanks to Kelly, my running partner for this race! He was awesome and stuck with me the whole time and I’m sure I would have gotten lost without him :) I’m pretty sure he could have finished way quicker, but he was great and kept my slow as molasses butt moving!! Thanks Kelly!!

The Trail Nerds website states this is the oldest night race in the Midwest. This year there were a 114 runners participate, 50 more than last year, and I have no doubt this race will continue to grow! If you’ve never done a night race and live in the KC vicinity, it’s totally worth checking this one out! You will never find a better time for $8, where you can run, enjoy the amazing experience of running at night and getting to meet a unique and wonderful group of trail runners! Amazing organization, wonderful volunteers and an all around rockin’ good time!! It’ll be on my list for next year for sure!!