My race which included all the open runners as well as masters would be the first of a dozen spread out every 30 minutes throughout the day. The good thing with that was I had nearly perfect weather, mid 40's and the wind had not picked up. The only downside was my cheer squad would not be showing up until around Noon.
I did my usual warmup routine and then lined up ready to roll. I had guessed I could realistically expect to run about 22:30 on this course if things went well but my training since August had been centered around the half marathon so I would just have to wait and see if I still had a bot more speed in me.
We got off to a clean start and as I expected with most of the masters in the 40ish group and a lot of serious runners in the open event, I found myself near the back of the pack. Experience has taught me to be patient and I have a very good sense of pace so I stuck to my plan. The course is marked every 2/10th of a kilometer and by .4k I could already feel that I was going to have a good race.
The course is a straight shot and flat as a pancake for the first half mile and I was hoping to hit the first K in 4:30. Boom ! Nailed it. And I was already beginning to pass some runners. I made it to the first mile in 7:14 feeling strong. I was just trying to maintain the effort and pick off spots one at a time.
Finally made it to the one hill and just put my head down and tried not to slow too much knowing it is only about 200 yards long and the halfway point of the race is just about at the top. Felt strong and then ran as hard as I could down the other side which is short and steep without falling on my face ! Just before exiting the woods there is another short hill and I just powered up using my momentum and passed a few more.
The 2 mile mark is on the backside of the pond and I hit it in about 7:21 only slowing a little from the first mile which was great considering the hill. Now I just had to bear down and hold on for the final mile. As is usual with these short races , things start to hurt that last mile but I stayed focused on trying to hold pace and and pick off a couple of more runners. With about 1/2 mile to go I pulled up by a man that looked like he could possibly be my age. It was a bit funny because he was making nearly the same death noises I do so I was hoping to pass him but I just couldn't wear him down and by the time we were back at the pond with 1/4 mile to go I was in a world of hurt myself. I hit mile 3 in about 7:09 but my garmin was a bit off from the actual marker and was probably closer to 7:15.
I tried to kick it in but I couldn't catch the guy. Later I would learn he was only 55 and he finished not quite 2 seconds a head of me. It took them awhile to sort out the results but when it was finally posted I was 47th out of 72. They don't do age group awards but I was 2nd of the only 3 seniors .
It was a fun event and very professional. I'm glad I finally got a chance to race on this course that I had trained on for so many years. Whether I ever return i can't say. Too many things on the racing calendar this time of year and too few years to do them.
I enjoyed watching the HS runners competing and the championship races were both very exciting. I was able to figure out the best vantage points for spectating so I was ready when the Frey girls finally showed up for there 1:30 race. Laura and I watched the start and then she went to claim a spot near the finish line and I moved onto the course where I would be able to see them in 3 different spots.
It was a lot of fun to watch them racing hard and Iwas so proud of them and especially Sophia's toughness near the end when a girl passed her with about 1 tenth to go. She could have given up but instead she gave it all she had and reclaimed the spot and her pace for the race was probably over a minute per mile faster than during the regular xc season at her school
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