First post here we go! Got to give credit for T Bake for getting me on here he is a good man and a good friend.
I have been running 3 times a week hitting between 5-7 miles a day this summer mostly baby jogger miles. Saw there was a trail run nearby and figured I had to jump in to honor the XC season and relive some old memories. The race day was gorgeous heavy fog on the drive out to the course and the autumn colors in their prime. The course itself was grass path cut into rolling prairie hills heavy with dew. The sun had just started to cut through the fog when the gun went off. During an easy 2 mile warm up realized the course was very soggy and muddy in places. Saw one guy in compression shorts that was trim and fit figured it would be between the two of us.
I eased into a steady pace up the first hill not trying to push it probing my competition. As with any road race you just don't know who is going to show up and I was not in great shape with my longest runs being ~7 miles @ 6:30 pace. I was hoping to hold something like that and see if it was enough. I started to get separation without straining and got a shot of racing adrenaline and started to push a little. Soon it was just the sound of my breathing and soft foot fall on the wet grass. This course didn't have 100m of flat anywhere all up or down with lots of 90 to 180 turns. Just got into a good rhythm and let my mind go numb. Never really saw anyone I caught a few 5k walkers. Felt good to feel the sweat drip in my eyes. It was fun to get the win found out the runner-up coaches the HS team in Maryville and had run in college a little and was just getting back into it. This race was everything I love about running (except for the team/partner aspect) great weather, course and felt the blissful rush of a runner's high. Made for a great rest of the day! The race rekindled my desire to take a shot at the Maryville Marathon next June hoping to build up to 60 miles a week and will need this log/blog to keep me motivated. Thanks to Sasha for creating this site.
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