The short and long version. Short version: Sunny 75 degrees at the start and 82 at finish time. Goal: finish under 1:55 to secure a course PR (last year finish time was 1:58:17) Result: 10.28 miles in 1:47:30 (I got lost in the woods for .28 miles) an 11:13 minutes PR and 3rd place in age group Total ascent: 3,941 feet. Total descent 4,017 feet Fashion report: pink matching shorts and top, nimbus 9 shoes, my faithful water bottle, Charisma Pink toe nail polish and red door perfume. The long story The “Run the Sun” 5 and10 miler is a part of a trail race series in the Methow Valley, Washington. I ran it last year for the first time and was challenged with the level of difficulty of the trail. I was not planning to run it this year due to family commitments. However, plans changed so I signed up for the race on Thursday. This is one of the great advantages of staying fit; we can sign up for a race at the last minute and still be able to have fun. This morning I drove to the starting line with some friends at work that I have been trying to inspire to run, both of whom did the 5 miler today. The weather was nice and cool at the start, around 75 at the start. This is a very competitive venue as many of the runners live in this place during the summer just so they can train and others travel great distances to compete in the whole trail series. It is always humbling to run in these races because most of the runners are so fast and run to win. I tried to stay focused from the start. I did not want to commit the same sin as last year by starting off too fast. My plan was to start out slow until I ran over the first two major hills and then reassess from there. It was hard to slow down when the others passed me by, especially when I had to step off the trail so they can pass me. By the time the hilly miles came to view the sun was already beating on us making it very hard to stay in pace. Thank goodness at this point we were running above a lake, which seemed to keep the mind occupied. This is the place where last year the 5 miles runners, who start a bit later, passed me. This year I kept waiting for them to come by and to my amazement the lead horses did not come by until I finished the first ascent. This is when I new that my goal time was reachable. These paces were a total surprise considering the heat and the terrain. At the half point I took a GU; replenished my water bottle; and continued on in pursuit of my seemingly attainable goal of getting a course PR. This is when I decided to hurry up the pace a bit more and start reeling in the other runners one by one. At this point the trail became like a maze, up and down, zigzagging across the mountain. I felt like a gazelle running with a huge smile in my face and a poem in my heart. My legs started to complain when I started working on the last significant hill, but I told them to shut up and to stop complaining. Keeping up with the fishing theme really helped me not to slow down too much, such that I passed a runner at the crest of the hill (thanks SR for teaching us to practice running up and over the hills). At mile 8 I passed another runner, who just happened to be an old time friend whom I haven’t seen for at least a year. I felt bad to have to pass her, but after a warm hug and a see you at the finish line I pressed along and decided to up the pace regardless the topography because I did not want to be bitten by a friend. By this time I had SolarMix 8 blaring at me helping me to cover the rest of miles. My heart was soaring like an eagle when I crossed the finish line in 1:47:30. This effort gave me a 3rd place in my age group; a nice 11:13 course PR; a nice pottery mug together with a ribbon; and tons of stimulus to keep pressing towards my overall goal as a runner...to keep getting stronger and stronger as I grow older. Thank you all for being my inspiration and for reading this.

That was an excellent result, hardware, place and time. Oh and never feel bad about passing people, it's a race, trouble is I don't get that chance often Well Done Girl Roy

I felt like a gazelle running with a huge smile in my face and a poem in my heart.

I love this part – what a wonderful image!

to keep pressing towards my overall goal as a runner...to keep getting stronger and stronger as I grow older.

I love this, too - Excellent performance, beautiful report!

Mariposai, all of your posts and RR's are full of such joy! I am very happy for you in this success and the AG placement, but more importantly because you really are getting fitter, stronger and faster. You are a runner! Spareribs

Wonderful!! Thanks for sharing the spirit in your heart which I am sure has something to do with your awesome performance!

nancy - unlike me missing even getting to my own ten miler yesterday, you had the good sense not to get lost until you were off and running. However, nearly a quarter of a mile is a long deviation and would have jumped your PR even more. Incidentally, not that I’ve never done it either or anything like that but how do you get lost on a trail you’ve run before and with other runners all around? It’s not as if you were in the city and all the roads and bike paths look the same. ji ji.

Running like a gazelle with a smile Gazelle usually run for their lives but you were having fun and poems Heart soaring like an eagle PR and hardware Great race, great day!

Wow what a great race report and of course an even better race. Congratulations on a great race, an 11 plus minute PR and an AG award now that is really cool! Good job indeed.