I was increasingly congested yesterday and ran a slight fever. I was not sure if I was going to make it this morning. The > 6 in of snow the day before and the > 6 in coming down today didn't help that choice. However, I like running in the snow. Especially in the woods! It has to be one of the most relaxing experiences I have ever done. So the deal was I took some Nyquil and had a decent night's sleep. I felt much better and was at least not coughing just a little congested. Then I took some Dayquil after sleeping in and headed to the race start. It was already snowing again and picked up the entire morning until I got home. As Allie had mentioned it was a small race but the 20+ of us showed up and were ready to run. She did a GREAT job organizing and getting everything together. James did a great job marking the course and even though by the time he finished marking the course was already snowed over so we couldn't see his feet it was marked well enough that no wrong turns were made. I met a few new guys, some very new to the area and did a short warm up with one of them, Ken. The race started right on time and one guy took the lead and I tucked in behind him. At about a quarter mile I took the lead and kept it until about this same point in the second loop of the farm. It was so much fun running in near white out conditions (especially since the snow was caking my glasses) and the footing the slippery in a couple spots was not as bad as I expected. The second loop was just me watching Andrew pull away to take the win but considering the night before I didn't think I was going to be at the start I'm happy with how I held it together. It was so much fun and totally worth it. Then spoke with a guy three weeks new to the area Ben. A second cheer to Allie and James. I especially liked the hot cocoa, mug, and hat for my age group win! Yum... 6:15, 6:16, 6:32 (should have toughed it out more there...), and 0:39 to finish it off. 19:43 total, no HR as it slipped down to my stomach after the first mile. It was averaging 188 for that mile though... I think just the cold and not the effort.
| 