Notes
The goal tonight was to race for the win. Still run smart, yes, but not to lose sight of the leader. While I didn't have the 5 race buildup that I wanted, I felt reasonably fresh and the new racing flats felt superb. The race was, annoyingly, 10min late so my GU sat in my stomach for a bit (took it 5min before planned race time).
I started off in my usual spot behind Jackson with 4x champ Oliver behind me. 1 guy immediately off the front, Joel. I'm not sure if it was impatience or confidence, but I rolled past Jackson just 0.5 miles in. Surprisingly, Oliver passed me soon thereafter, an early move for him it seemed. But I was happy to gauge off him. We came through the flat, prairie mile in 6:03, my fastest mile since the surgery.
Downhill 1: I kept pace a few seconds behind Oliver and only really gained momentum near the bottom when I caught up just as we both caught Joel. A confused stream-crossing got us past Joel.
Uphill 1: This wasn't a steep or technical hill, but it took some time. Joel rolled by me and Oliver got away as I contained myself. But halfway up they stopped moving away from me.
Downhill 2: This was a steep start then a long gravelly descent. I gathered some momentum and started bolting recklessly downhill. I passed Joel like he was standing still as he jokingly told me to "take it easy". I couldn't and wouldn't slow down though and the fading light didn't help as I twisted my right ankle. I kept my balance (thankfully, seeing as I couldn't slow down) and still caught up with Oliver at the bottom. The pain subsided and I gradually got back to a normal running form.
Uphill 2: This gradual uphill was more fitting for my current fitness. I stayed a few seconds back from Oliver as I flipped between uncertainly (some side-aches) and clear confidence. Mostly I was waiting for the final downhill.
Downhill 3. After prairie running for the past mile, we went back into the woods and it went suddenly from twilight to darkness. And unfortunately, my headlamp was found wanting. Maybe it was low on battery, or maybe it wasn't as good as I remember (to be fair, the last time I consistently wore my headlamp was 10 years ago, plus it was always on well-known trails and likely never very fast).
Despite the limited visibility, I caught up to Oliver before the end of the downhill and prepared for battle. Sadly, the battle was lost before it begun. On the first creek crossing, I twisted the same ankle again. This time, I didn't have a downhill to use while I recovered. Suddenly, half of my strides had no power. I tried to stem the bleeding (not literal) and had some hope as I regained composure, but it was either false hope or Oliver actually picked up the pace. In any case, with a mile or so to go, I lost sight and wouldn't see him again.
Uphill 3. I still fought up the final hill with some hope that he was blowing up, but I also had it in my mind that I had several trail runs coming up and I wasn't looking to be even more tired on top of the uncertainly of a sprained ankle.
Conclusion: I don't know how much I lost by or if I ever had a chance. But it was great to go for it, to feel that fire again. It sure seems like I gained some fitness this fall, or at least I'll choose that narrative over it just being the shoes.