My 1st Trail Race (Read 633 times)

Started slow as planned....not a soul behind me except the mountain bikes pulling up the rear. I'm thinking, "that's okay, you're built for distance, not for speed". The 5K XC high school teams started with us older 10K runners so it was hard not to "try" to keep up.....for some, not I. The conditions were perfect. Overcast and misty with a slight breeze. The course was one I run frequently with the dog and the hubby, but now I'm all alone (the hubby WAY ahead and the dog at home). No need for music or company though, I was working on my strategy for when to pass the only person I could see. As planned I walked quickly up ALL the hills (I'd say at least 6 big ones with a killer "sand hill" at the end)....my HRM never got below 175 (my easy runs are around 155), hitting an all time high of 200 at one point. I walked a few times, always keeping my man in sight. Lots of rocks, roots and even a hill made of logs....didn't phase me. I felt like a kid again, running through the bush. At about the 5K mark I thought " I wonder what a 50 would be like". I felt great, every once in a while a corner would turn me in the direction of a refreshing breeze. I kept my pace pretty steady, despite hearing the officials say into their walkie talkies "runners are through" after every exit off a loop. I knew where I'd kick it into high gear. Checking my watch I saw 1:00:00.....I had been hoping to finish in 1:15:00, only the sand hill left and about 1.5K after that. Walking up the sand hill I came upon "my man", he was trying to run it, I knew then I would not be last . We got to the top at the same time and once I caught my breath I was gone. My legs were strong ( all the weight training) and the breathing was a bit of a struggle ( all the years of smoking ) but I finished with a smile on my face and the energy to go even further if I needed to. My final time 1:08:31......way ahead of my predicted time and not too bad for my first Trail Race.

I am very impressed!