On a whim, some friends and I registered for the Downhill Dash a couple days before the event and then drove down to run it. Such a fun race! I knew how the race made me sore before TOU a couple years ago, so this year I didn't bring along racing shoes or even a singlet; just ran it in trainers and a t-shirt, hoping that would slow me down some, and that the shoes would lessen the impact. Well, I should know better; I'm too competitive to hold back much. Once the gun went off and we started running, I could look around to see the competition. Sasha (faster than me), Demetrio Jr (faster than me), and Albert Wint (sometimes faster than me). But that was it, no Joe, no Corbin, no one else. I knew that if I could beat one of those guys, that would mean $50 cash, plus a free stay with food at the Peruvian Lodge that winter. As a skiier, that was enought to get the competitive juices going. But I laid low the first few miles to see how the race was stacking up in the front, and how strong everyone was. The race up front was extremely tactical with Sasha and Demetrio battling the wind. Albert was up there with them too. I didn't want to be running that fast, so I was about 100m back by two miles. At about 3 miles Albert dropped off a little from Sasha and Demetrio, and I saw my window, and started my surge. A runner by himself is always easier to catch than a pack. I threw it into high gear for the last 2 miles, and passed Albert with about a mile or so left. I also closed on Sasha and Demetrio over the final mile, and I finished with a good amount of juice left in the tank. Demetrio won, Sasha second. Hopefully doing this race makes me stronger for TOU, not weaker. Mile Splits 4:53 - this sounds fast, but is slow on this course 4:38 4:58 - coasting, is mile off? 4:03 - short mile 4:58 - long mile (9:01 for last two miles) | 