2025-03-29
I went into the race feeling fit to finish, but a little worried about low running volume in training (having been focused on going to the gym more to avoid injury, and trying to train a bit for speed), and quite exhausted from work.
The first section of the race was quite pleasant. I stayed with Tim, which was probably a mistake, looking at our splits, as I think that was the correct pace for him but a little fast for me. The Albis Crest was largely uneventful, as it's familiar terrain to me, and in any case just follows a very obvious string of ridgeline trails.
The rough section started at Sihlbrugg. As things flattened out along the river, Tim dropped me. Someone told me I was limping. "Not intentionally", I said.
I was cheered by the site of Carsten, one of the race directors, popping out of nowhere in his signature white sweatshirt, yelling and waving a giant flag, just before the aid station.
The whole "twin peaks" section, after climbing out of the Sihltal, was painful. Wet, cold. I had intense shin splints at one point, trying to run a short flag section on the first big climb up to the Wildspitz. I regretted my choice of long shorts. This was the only part of the course I hadn't run on before, and it was by far the most demanding part, even with good weather. Very happily there was bullion and a fire at Etzel (and you could go inside, which I didn't realize). I was really suffering on the way down, very slowly picking my way down the steep, muddy trail. Someone passing told me my lips were blue.
Things brightened as we finally got close to Pfäffikon. I had a nice chat with a fellow runner crossing the (mostly) land bridge to Rapperswil. The chili and food at Rapperswil were top notch, and I felt great to change into my dry spare clothes and dry, lighter shoes.
The second half of the course, from Pfäffikon on, is very, very runnable, and I made my way forward fairly uneventfully to the Pfannenstiel, the last aid station.
The last 3 hours or so were a real slog. It was fun to descend the Wehrenbach through our old neighborhood. The finish line was deep inside the tennis club, and in such a crowd I wasn't sure I'd even actually crossed it! It felt good to be done, and I limped back to the bus and home.
Almost a week later I still have significant pain deep in my right shin, so I'm worried I have a stress fracture.