Notes
Looking around the startline, the competition was much less fierce than last year. Who knows why, some people moved, others didn't want to try this year, or maybe it seemed pointless with no snow on the ground. Yep, this was a snowshoe-less trail/adventure race.
Right away it was just Scott, Ermin, and I going at a leisurely pace. Part of the easy separation was we were running on ice, I guess we were used to it while others weren't. All the bike paths and trails were covered in ice, so most of the race was just bushwhacking and making our own path through the forest, very reminiscent of Governor's but with more random crap to go through (I had pants on, otherwise I would have been quite bloody). Basically an awesome course (other than the ice), I'm sure Luther-alums would have liked it.
I had just ordered new shoes and they ended up being perfect for this type of race. The Asics Runnagade (look it up) had about the deepest treads I've seen on a shoe. They are made for 'Fell Running', a european hill/mountain/mud type racing. And though they didn't help on the ice and were almost annoying on concrete, I liked them.
Back to the race: 2 loops, one decent climb each loop before climbing to the finish. The 1st climb was very icy and I didn't like it at all, but we weren't going too hard yet. Scott stopped at one point to make sure others found their way, though I suspect he was tired from his high mileage week. So Ermin and I alternated leading and started picking up the pace, more towards tempo. There were times I was tired and wanted to back off, but usually felt good when I was in the lead. Halfway through the 2nd lap we officially just agreed to finish together with a goal of completing 2 laps in under 40min. I soon started leading again and started feeling really good. When I heard we were at 36min with a ways to go, I really pushed the pace and almost dropped Ermin. We did finish 2 laps in under 40, but then there was an added final climb. The stairs were icy and Ermin didn't handle those too well. I possibly could have finished still under 40, but I eased up for Ermin and crossed together.
Oddly enough, this might be my first Iowa Games gold medal (I've done many Iowa Games as a kid). I did not sign up for the Snowshoe Championships even though they are just in Wisconsin this year. I didn't really want to race snowshoes if I didn't have any snow to train on.