The run started out and they immediately sent us on a sidewalk that wasn't plowed and was VERY narrow. Basically single file in each other's tracks. If you wanted to pass, you had to run in about a foot of snow off to the side in order to get by people. I passed about 7-8 people in this section.

That ended, happy to be on pavement, albiet soupy from the dusting of snow. Immediate big focking hill comes up. It heads up and goes around a corner. I sort of assumed it was ending at the corner, but there was more beef to come after that. Finally hit the top and the main group has already passed me by. I'm sort of in a no-man's land between the fast people (most) and the recreational runners behind me. HR already well into the 170's by the top of the run, and I can't get 'er down. I figure oh well, this is gonna hurt. Keep on trucking and the hills just keep coming and coming. I'm fading, struggling, hurting, breathing hard, and all alone out there. I know I'm not keeping any kind of pace up, but it is truly impossible on these kinda hills.

Hit the turnaround and thankfully see quite a few people still behind me ( I was honestly beginning to believe I might be last...there was NOBODY around me). The course is a TAD, and I mean a small tad, easier on the way back. Still, counted 4-beefy hills I had to summit and go down the backside in order to finish. I got passed on one downhill by a guy that otherwise wasn't going any faster than me. He was CRUISING the downhills though...perhaps I gotta work on that.

Came in to a very disappointing time. Felt completely spent and immediately just took the 1/2 mile walk back to my car. Thankfully, wind at my back. Was starting to really get a chill by the time I got my shat together and headed home.

Temperature given my training schedule was a non-factor. The competition was fast, and that gave me the distinct impression I didn't do well. Was fairly pissed at myself for most of the afternoon after the race. I feel like most of my training is on some sort of hilly terrain, but this course put me in the ditch immediately. I don't know if starting slower would have helped or not. For jszat, the best description is doing Grange and left onto Sunny Slope over and over again, but without any break. The top of Sunny Slope leading into the bottom of Grange for another go around. Very unrelenting, with the exception of the very end section. Had I known the course, I probably could have sprinted that in a bit harder and saved 15 to 30 seconds.

Got home, and blogged my disgust for myself on BT ;) Sorry peeps, it might have been a bit harsh. The bottom line is, I'm competitive around other people. I feel that I work extremely hard, and it's tough to see others go faster than me. It was especially evident in this race given how the main pack just took off and I was toast. I now realize that's part of the game, and I gotta do my own thing. The Average HR shows that I worked d#mn hard, so what else can I do? We'll see what Joel has to say on that issue.


I suppose, more hill work and a dose of youth and talent. Of course, the weather was no picnic, but that's a given for everyone that was there. It really wasn't a big deal.


This was a good challenging course that would be excellent to train on. If you want hill work, Lake Geneva's the place. I thought the race was a bit spread out given the conditions, but overall they did a fine job in tough conditions.