Race Recap: 2011 Highland "Rugged Man" Trail Run

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I will be honest and say that it was the name of this race that grabbed my attention. Who doesn't want to be called "Rugged Man". I know I sure do. I was all signed up and ready to run when I drove to Highland, MI this morning.

The first thing I noticed while waiting for the start of the race was the caliber of runners lining up with me. Many of them were wearing shirts from previous races and I saw more than a dozen from some of the bigger local races. This was definitely not going to be a kids run. At this point I became "Intimidated Man".

The RD made a point to send an email out last night warning us that this was a tough trail littered with rocks, roots, and leaves. At the beginning of the race he warned us again to be careful. Regardless of these warnings about 1/4 mile into the race I rolled my ankle so bad I heard crunching. Granted, the noise was probably the leaves and rocks I slid on, but my ankle hurt so bad I thought for sure it was bone.

My initial thought was to turn around and hobble back to the starting line, but the stubbornness gene that is implanted in all Y chromosomes kept me from quitting. After limp-running for several paces the pain was reduced enough that I could run again. It was a slower pace, but at least I was running. This is when I became "Stupidly Tenacious Man".

Continuing on as STM, I ran up and down the many hills on this course. I would be surprised if there was a 100 yards of level ground throughout the whole race. Uphill and downhill I ran, eventually settling into a nice pace. I couldn't see any of the faster runners in front of me but there were several runners behind me. I found myself in my familiar place between the fast and the "not as fast".

Things began to change around 2.5 miles as I found myself turning into "Started Out Too Fast Man". Quickly running out of steam and starting to over heat I was also becoming "Wore Too Many Clothes Man." This combination was not only draining my energy but sapping my focus. Just past mile 3 I rolled my ankle again running down hill and became "Swearing Loudly in the Woods Man". I was forced to limp up the rest of hill. At the top, I ran a few painful steps but I could run. There was no way I was going to quit now.

The second twist made my ankle extremely tender so I once again reduced my speed. The "not as fast" runners quickly passed me and I found myself running alone. I could see one extremely bearded man in the distance in front of me and a couple of runners a ways behind me. My legs were sore, my energy waned and my ankle hurt it was time to become "Just Finish Man".

 I reached down deep and found what I needed to continue on.  Sharpening my focus and blocking out the pain and fatigue I ran on. Up the hills I ran. Down the hills I ran. It wasn't easy and it wasn't fast but I closed in on the the finish line until I crossed it. My time was not great but I didn't care, it was an awesome race and I was glad I did it. I have already decided to do the "Mountain Man" in April.

After I got home, my ankle started hurting pretty bad. With major prodding from my PT friend I went to Urgent Care to have some x-rays done. Luckily the X-rays were fine and it was just a sprain. When the doctor asked me how it happened I told him that I was trying to be a "Rugged Man". He looked at me inquisitively then shook his head and left the room.