Mountain Lakes Trail Run - Run


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Princeton, New Jersey
United States
Princeton Athletic Club
35F / 2C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 33m 21s
Overall Rank = 6/29
Age Group = women
Age Group Rank = 2/18
Pre-race routine:

Had a smoothie and walked Chloe (including some running, since she was psyched about the cold weather).
Event warmup:

We jogged around the little pond twice, plus over to the car and back to put away our stuff and use the bathrooms. In the future, I would probably run that much, but keep it way slower so as not to break a sweat and get chilly before the race start. We only stood at the start for 3-4 minutes, but we both got pretty cold.
Run
  • 33m 21s
  • 3.5 miles
  • 09m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

This was a lot of fun. We're not used to running up and down hills, so the elevation was the greatest challenge. Despite that, I think we both ran really well. We did a great job of following the course markers and keeping our footing on the rocks, logs and roots. I have very little experience trail running, but I'm a fan already.
What would you do differently?:

If I could have convinced myself not to walk toward the end when I reached the final hilly area, that would have been ideal, but I didn't know it was the last bit. If I had that kind of familiarity with the course it might have been different, but we've only hiked Mountain Lakes Preserve once before with the dog, so I knew the end was getting close, but I wasn't aware just how close it was.
Post race
Warm down:

Walked/stood around and enjoyed the lovely (if cold) morning. Jogged back to the car after the awards. (I got an award, too, for the first time ever!)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Hills. I had to walk even very late in the race when I was well warmed up when hills appeared. Our normal runs are pretty flat, so that was a challenge.

Event comments:

This was a very nice small race. Well-organized and low key.




Last updated: 2015-10-16 12:00 AM
Running
00:33:21 | 03.5 miles | 09m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 2/18
Overall: 6/29
Performance: Good
Course: The course was described as a "moderately technical" trail run, on some paved paths and access roads, but mostly on wooded trails strewn with rocks, branches and roots. There were chalked markers to follow for the course, as well as flags pinned to trees. We got confused a few times, but were able to straighten ourselves out pretty quickly, though it was clear that a number of other people had more difficulty following the course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4