Notes
Open race at Verona. The warm up felt good but I felt pretty miserable again when the race actually started. Plenty of people got out in front of me (though no other Luther Alumni).
Probably just a quarter of a mile in, I was still going slow but looked ahead and saw the front of the race wasn't moving away, and I quickly made the assumption that I could easily pass everyone in front of me... So I did.
I probably got a little carried away as some downhill got me rolling up to the front, then it was the main hill and I wanted to assert myself. So by the mile, I was already well in front of everyone, probably moving a little too quickly.
The next mile was just trying to contain myself in the lead while I noticed Pollux move up as well. 1 other older guy looked like he was running smart, but he ended up not being a factor. After giving Emma a high 5 after mile 2, I pushed up the hill before taking the downhill casually, effectively allowing Pollux to get the final 10m to catch me. If this wasn't Pollux, I likely would have acted differently, but since we were teammates, I enjoyed running together. Though mostly I figured he wouldn't pass me before the kick, and I wanted a rest before the kick.
We cruised together through the prairie before entering the forested area. This was the only part of the course neither of us had done yet (it was basically a 2 lap course with this 1 addition on the 2nd lap). It ended up being a very twisted hard dirt section with a few sharp but short uphills. I got a step or 2 on Pollux on one of the uphills so I decided to push a little. I double I got much on him but I did pick it up sharply as we exited the woods. I maybe got 5m on him before the final turn. I did have 1 more gear to go but of course, he had another as well. He got me right before the line (granted, the finish hadn't actually been set up yet).
I don't think I've done a 5k XC since high school, so I guess I'll call this a PR (not that I have an actual time though). Not exactly thrilled with the time but it was a slower course, maybe not that difficult of one but plenty of sections to slow down and break up any rhythm. Still, not sure how to compare to last week or previous years, so I'll just wait to self-assess.