Scoping out the Ultra

Remembering  the race director's words from the Buffalo Run at the start point of the race that the terrain will be tough ( I was glancing  down at a ravine beside me as he was telling us this), I decided to do a little research this time around to avoid the same panicking feeling that comes from the sudden realization you are completely unprepared.

The first thing that popped up on my Google search was an entry asking how many maniacs are showing up for Vulture Bait.

The next entry was a posting from West Grey Runner that I found helpful and am left wondering  if  perhaps I should wear a mouth guard  after reading his review( I paid good money for my teeth thanks to an unfortunate bike accident many years ago).  A few of his main points are:

1)You will fall.   Probably several times.  Every last runner fell at least once on this course.  You can decrease your number of tumbles by chatting less and paying more attention to the terrain.  Exposed roots covered in leaves  is  the  main reason for the high rate of falls.

2)You will be running with very accomplished runners.  Because of the low number or registrants and high number of real athletes ( when do I get to become one of those?), this means  people will probably be on their way home before I even cross the finish line.

3)In the later portion of the race you will find mountain bikers,hikers, and dog walkers sharing the path with you.   You may have to maneuvre around them as some will not  move out of the way for you which will be difficult considering your mental state at this point in the race.

So with that bit of knowledge I hope to set out with a few band-aids, Vegn, and Goo and have a great experience in my introduction to Ultra running.  I would like to finish upright with all my teeth intact, because I know my toenails won't be.