Rene and I started near the middle of the pack. On our way to the start of the trail portion we passed about as many people as passed me. Until the first mile marker everyone was running together. The single track started spreading people out. Once in the rocks runners thinned out even more. I lost contact with Rene at the creek crossing. I was working hard for the first two miles but at some point and lost focus. I don’t know how much I slowed because I left my heart monitor and there were not mile markers to mark splits. Once I realized I was breathing a little too easy I tried to pick it up. At one point I did get back to a border line side stitch but I had lost my edge and about 5 minutes on Rene.

What would I do differently? This is something I always ask myself after one of Kevin’s races. I don’t think I really want to train specifically for an XDog Event. I think I am content to use them as a fitness test and have fun with them.

There was little to no warm down after the race. I know for next day discomfort this is something I need to work on.


I believe that my strained Achilles tendon in my left foot and a pulled hamstring in my right leg limited my ability to go faster all other things being equal. There was some discomfort but not what I would call hampering. Specific 10k training vice 5K training would have helped me take a minute or two off my time. The race distance was almost double what I have spent the last 8 weeks training for.
Other than the first half to ¾ miles of the race I really wasn’t passed much in this race. Probably no more that 5 people passed me and they were at different points in the race. It wasn’t like 5 people passed on a hill or anything.



The course was challenging by distance and by steep short rise and fall nature of the lower course. Then factor in the rocks, brush and hornets to making it very challenging since basically I have been training for 5k’s the last two months. The post race activates were held in a Pizza Parlor. Considering this is November it makes sense. I am fonder of the outdoor post race celebration. Pizza and Beer are seldom bad so I would give it big thumbs up.