Saturday, DH and I ran the first race in a 6 race series of local trail runs around Cincinnati.  They are simple, no frills races (no medal, no shirt, no chip, $15 each) but the courses are challenging and there are a lot of really nice runners who show up.  They have a 5-mile and 10-mile course at each race, and DH and I chose the 5-mile simply because we felt like racing 10-mile trail runs in the middle of training for our first marathon might be a bad idea!  There is a points championship that takes your top 4 finishes and the top 3 of each gender win a prize.  My goal is to place top 3 for the series.

This race took place at East Fork Park, and the course was a 5-mile loop around the lake.  It had been raining non-stop for over 24 hours when we started the race, so I was a little worried about conditions, but it honestly wasn't too bad.  Temps for race day where around 45-50 and it finally stopped raining just before the start...perfect running weather!  The course started at a pavilion and in order to spread the runners out, they had us run down a paved path by the lake, around a corner, and then up a pretty steep 0.3 mile hill to get to the actual trail.  Although it does a nice job of spreading people out, that first hill wears you out right away and I had forgotten how steep it was from last year!

Mile 1:   8:45/mile.  I decided before the race started, I would try to take off fast and get a lead on the other females.  I knew the trail was pretty narrow so I hoped if I could get a lead, it might be hard for them to catch me!  There were about 75 runners total and good lord did they take off fast.  I was running a 7:05 pace according to my Garmin for the first 0.25 mile until we got to the steep hill, and although I was in the lead for females, there must have been at least 20 guys in front of me that were just flying!  When we reached the trail, I honestly couldn't remember how rugged the course was (had only run it once before and that was my first trail race ever so I am sure it seemed very hard to me), so I just decided to push as hard as I could, knowing each mile would probably slow a bit.  The first part of the trail was fairly easy and I felt pretty good.

Mile 2:  10:08/mile.  This is where it became an actual trail race!  I hadn't run one in a while so had forgotten how much the hills, logs, water crossings, and slippery bridges slow you down!  I still felt pretty good here but at exactly 1.5 miles, I looked back and saw 2 females right behind me.  I could immediately tell they were in better shape than me so I just moved over and let them pass!  Didn't see them again until the finish...lol!

Mile 3:  10:35/mile.  Started to get a little tired here but nothing terrible.  I was alone for almost this entire mile, and that is always hard for me in a trail or obstacle race because I don't really know how fast to push myself.  Is someone going to catch me soon?  Am I anywhere near the leaders?  It's just a guessing game!  This mile also included a water stop so that took about 20 seconds or so.

Mile 4:  11:08/mile.  This mile was VERY hard for me.  I was starting to get tired and it was mostly uphill, or at least it felt that way to me.  I was also passed by 2 male runners on this mile, which was a bit of a bummer.  I stayed with them for about 0.75 mile and then I slipped on a wooden bridge and once I righted myself, they were gone!

Mile 5:  11:30/mile.  This mile just sucked!  I was super tired and it was very hilly.  I knew there were no females close enough to catch me and I could hold on to my 3rd place finish, so I am a little ashamed to say I purposefully slowed down a bit and took it easy.  It was a moment of mental weakness and I am not happy about it, especially since this slow down allowed 3 men to catch me, one of them being DH!  The four of us basically all came out of the trail at exactly the same time and took off down the steep hill to the finish.

Last 0.3:  1:42.  So the 4 of us are sprinting it out down the hill to the finish, and I realize that is just stupid.  I had on my Inov-8 X-Talon 212s, which are great on trails but not fantastic on pavement and its wet and slippery!  I just kept picturing myself rolling down this enormous hill and breaking an ankle.  So, I slowed a bit, but apparently everyone else did too...we all four finished with 3 seconds of one another and even though DH crossed the line before me, we have the same finish time.

So, I finished in 53:48, which was a couple minutes after the 2 females who passed me at mile 1.5.  I am happy with my 3rd place finish, especially since last year, when this was my first ever trail race, I literally walked a good portion of it and finished very near the back!  I am not happy with how much my pace slowed or with how much I "gave up" the last couple of miles.  I will try to improve my performance at the next race in the series. 

Good job staying in the top three.  You've met your goal for the first race.   How long until the next race?

Congratulations on placing 3rd in what sounds like a pretty tough trail race!  What a great placing overall!  Nice job!

Thank you RMTB!  I have to tell you that you are on of the positive, motivational people on this forum...not to mention a pretty inspiring runner!

Congrats!  I cannot wait to see how well you do on the next one.

Thanks guys!  Wheezer, definitely check it out!  I am bummed we have to miss the next one since it's at Big Bone and I really like the trails down there.  I tried to get mother-in-law to switch Christmas to Sunday, but um....she wasn't a fan of that idea!