Notes
Though I knew I was in worse shape than last year, I thought I could make some tactical improvements and still manage a top 10. The new strategy was to start faster, but I now maybe regret it (though most likely it didn't matter how fast I started).
The first 2 miles I felt good, not smooth and I was probably in 20th place. By the 3rd mile I started thinking about my effort and backed off the pace thinking I'll bide my time until the forest. But instead of recharging, my form just got worse as my back and glutes tightened. With guys gradually passing me, it wasn't until mile 5 or so that I finally passed someone who went out too hard. I maintained contact with the group ahead of me for the last mile and passed a few before the finish.
I was a bit more on my own this race, last year I ran pretty much the entire race with Pollux but we were also in the thick of things for the top 10. So this year I wasn't crowded when crossing streams (which were mostly frozen), or climbing hills (which went a lot better this year with using ropes). The only issue came on the 2nd to last stream crossing that was half-frozen, and there were 2 guys hesitating in front of me, so I leaped onto the ice near the water-part... and the ice broke. My foot only went a foot in, but my shin scraped and hit the unbroken ice leaving a solid wound. This left me limping for a minute or so but it wasn't too bad.
Overall I was 30th, not too shabby. Though I have to be one of the few people that ran slower than last year. Clearly I am in worse shape than last year, which is the most disappointing. It's also hard to tell, but the field might have been deeper this year as well.
Fall Recap: The past month of racing has gone much worse than I was hoping, especially after starting the fall with some promising results (Park-to-Park, All-American, and Wartburg). I wonder what would have happened if I didn't do the 50k, as my fitness went steadily downhill after that race, but at least I can say I did a 30+mile race. Nevertheless, the injury problems started before All-American. In hindsight, I probably should have tried to take care of it then instead of my usual hope-it-goes-away strategy. Now I need to find some motivation to run this winter, as lately running has just been a grind (even on low mileage). Once again, the tentative plan is to do an indoor season and try for some speedy track times.
**Final Note: Thanks to my team on Saturday, whether I run well or not, it's always great to finish and have a team around you (especially one coming in 1st).