Got here just in time to watch the Navigator Girls and Boys win their meets. Course is looking wet and muddy. Someone tells me that I should put on my extra long spikes. Too bad I have never tried spikes. I'll be fine in my Brooks Adrenaline GTS, the shoe that I do almost all of my training and racing in. My fairly new pair is going to get awful muddy though. There have been six different races on this course today, with hundreds of runners, finally I get to run in the open race. Thanks to Club Oly for sponsoring and organizing this event and for keeping the cost so low. Very light rain, cool but nice for running.
Start - Twenty four of us line up at the edge of a big field. More than half are High Schoolers who could not compete in the meet today for one reason or another. Most of the rest are Club Oly types, some of them I know to be much faster than me. Bill gives us the countdown and we are off. I am at full on sprint after a good warm up, but most of the runners are quickly pulling ahead of me. A large pack is already out of reach and we are just at the end of the field. Now we have to narrow down some and watch for turns and mud.
Mile 1- I have passed one kid and I am gaining on Rachel. I was amazed at how fast she went out and I slowly reel her in. Steep muddy uphill, little out and back section. Pass Rachel and there is no one directly ahead. Out to a loop that is new to the course this year. I had assumed that it just goes around a little area, but it is longer than I expected and has a steep and muddy uphill.
Mile 2- Completed one loop, now we repeat most of the course again, minus that big hill thankfully. No one close in front or directly behind me. Running as hard as I can, while still being careful to not slip in the mud or hit a bad bump.
Mile 3 - I feel pretty good and could keep going on for a while like this, but the end is near. Crank it up for the sprint to the finish. Cross the line. My tag is pulled and I am offered a bunch of Halloween candy. Nice little race. Got my speed work in for the week and I look forward to the next race in the series.
23:45
18th of 24
***
No comments:
Post a Comment