Notes
This was my first attempt at Living History Farms and I was excited to see how I could do on another off road race. However, the big snowstorm would make this a different type of off road race than I had been planning on. I chose not to wear spikes due to the first mile or two being on the roads and even after seeing they were snow/ice covered I still thought spikes would probably be hard on my feet for 7 miles. Especially considering I haven't worn spikes all fall. I failed to rethink this decision after they said the race would be shortened and I think switching to spikes would have been extremely beneficial. Overall this race report will just reiterate a lot of Nutmeg's comments.
The race started out fast and I felt like I got out well with Nutmeg. The slick ground made me use a little more energy but overall I thought I handled it well in trainers. I was surprised to see how far back we were early in the race though and just kind of thought I would catch a lot of them over time. I forced a pickup after a mile or so to try to start catching some people but was surprised how difficult it was to bring anyone back. We got to the first snow section and basically raced on two tire tracks the rest of the race. I passed a decent group on the first section of snow during an uphill, and was excited to see that aside from the top couple of runners everyone else was fairly close. I was still feeling decent and decided to give a little more to start running them down. From that point on the race kind of fell apart. I didn't gain on anyone with the extra effort and all of the sudden felt my legs hit me after a few slippery steps. The first water crossing made my shoes feel like bricks and I regretted having on trainers, instead of spikes, even more. A few guys started to pass me back and then I think I kind of mentally checked out. I was hoping to be in the top 5 or even contending for the win here (I know that is a lofty goal but I considered it at least possible). Instead I was back in the upper teens and making up no ground on anyone. I went back and forth with a few guys and made a push when we got back to what I thought was the finish. After I realized we didn't finish at the same place we start I basically threw in the towel since I didn't know how much further we had to go. I shortly realized the finish was still just ahead but had already let the guy closest to me run away before I figured it out.
So I finished in 17th in a solid field but nothing that should have had me outside the top 10. Overall it was a fun but disappointing race. The most frustrating part is that I feel like being big and strong should help me and instead I felt like it did the opposite today. I also think I was just upset with myself for not wearing spikes. I don't want to make excuses but I think the day would have gone much better had I worn spikes. And even as I write this I wish I had another try at that same course and same conditions because I think it should play to my favor and I want to be able to prove that. I guess no matter how many races I do I still have a few things to learn.
Aside from those frustrations based on my performance, the event and the WTC team made the rest of the morning a blast. It was great to start the day racing with a bunch of good friends and eat and socialize after the race. The men's team did alright. I'm sure it wasn't what we had hoped for but it was decent. Thankfully Emma represented WTC well with a win for the women!
Now that all my fall races are over I'm thinking it seems like time for a break. I hadn't been planning on it yet but I have been struggling with motivation lately and I think a week or two off couldn't hurt. I've not been training great but I also haven't had a week off in 5-6 months so I'm hoping a little rest will help me bounce back for track.