Safari Trail Fun Run 5K

In the battle against workout boredom, the best weapon is variety. Today I ran a 5K race out in Katy, which wouldn't be unusual for a Saturday morning, except the "Safari Trail" wasn't the usual three-mile romp through urban or suburban streets.

This course takes runners on the trails along Mason Creek behind the John Paul XXIII High School campus. Since it rained last night, the trails were dotted with mudpits. I already knew there were good times ahead.

The school mascot is a lion, so I'm pretty sure that's where the "safari" in the race name originates. I didn't see any lions in Katy today, however. Perhaps the cow mascot from race sponsor Chik-Fil-A scared them away? I've noticed that those C-F-A cows are a pretty aggresive breed of livestock....

After the starter's pistol sent us on our way, I quickly discovered that the key to trail running is to always stay alert; there are no chances to "zone out" whatsover. In most road races, runners with their heads hanging down may be interpreted as exhibiting "defeated" body language. (I know I've been a good example of that more than once!) But in a trail run, looking down at the ground is just plain smart. There were sections where I had to make quick decisions on my approaches, picking lines that stayed on grassy areas. In some spots, there was little choice but to go right over the mud. Having off-roaded in Katy a few years back in the CR-V, I knew this mud was hard-packed, yet very slippery. Using a rapid-fire staccato step to maintain balance, it was a challenge to maintain some semblance of my usual 5K pace while avoiding any embarrassing stumbles into the creek.

A headwind during mile 3 on the return leg to the school helped to ensure that no PR was going to be possible today. Coming through the finishers chute, PJ23's cross-country coach Arland Nichols asked me what I thought of the course. "That certainly was diferent," I responded. "Factoring in the degree of difficulty, I'm giving myself credit for four miles today."

But overall, this was literally a fun run. Unsurprisingly, turnout was small, less than 100 runners. The competition was so limited that I actually managed to pick up my first age-group medal ever. Having my name actually called during the awards ceremony for something other than a door prize will probably be the source of a lot of self-amusement this week.

The organizers hope to make it an annual event. I think they should start promoting it as "The Houston Area's Muddiest 5K." (Are there any other contenders?) In fact, if it's dry next year, they should go ahead and deliberately water down the trails.

The splits.....
Mile 1: 9:40
Mile 2: 9:57
Mile 3: 10:51
Last .11: 1:08 (9:58 pace)

Event: Safari Trail Fun Run 5K (14 April 2007)
Location: Pope John XXIII High School, Katy TX
Result: 31:38 (Garmin Forerunner 101), 3rd place male age 30-34
Benefits: Pope John XXIII High School athletics