I started way in the back and was trying to keep a fairly consistant pace this race. I was not really treating this as a race, just a training run.

There were 200+ runners that showed up for this race, most did the 5K some few did the 10K. There was a HUGE pack to fight through at the start. This is a trail run, meaning walking/hiking trails. Running 2 abreast is about all you can do, with a few spots you can sneak by for a three wide group.

I was passing a LOT of people at the very start, so I likely should have started out front more. But I didn't want to go out too fast.

I felt pretty great the first lap, I was keeping a pretty fair pace. Some where around the 1/2 mile mark I passed Trigirl10 and gave her grief about blocking the path. She moved out of my way and I didn't see her again until I was finished.

I had tried to set my Garmin to only record laps when I hit the lap button, but I couldn't change it prior to the race start. The tree cover is pretty heavy so it did not pick up the distance correctly any way.

I didn't think I had gone out that fast, and I couldn't tell that I hit the mile at 9:00, I had not intended on being that fast. I really had wanted more like a 10:00. Miles 1 and 4 have a big down hill, that goes on a LONG time. There is some rollers, but mostly downhill. Miles 2 and 5 have some climbs, nothing horrible, but you can feel them. Miles 3 and 6 are fairly flat, and more open.

I was holding back during the first lap since I knew there were 2 laps. So mile 2-3 I let several people pass me. Then at the start of the 2nd lap there were 3-4 others that passed me. I lost contact with them until mile 6, and by then they were too far ahead to catch. I let someone else pass me about 1/4 mile from the finish. I thought about pushing and not letting them pass, but this was a run for training and I didn't want to push too hard at that point. I was wanting to complete the distance and not walk. I did that and I also lowered my time for the distance.

Not really very much, I would have liked to have broken 60 mintues, but I still have not been running enough to manage that for this kind of trail run. Run more hills.

Grabbed a drink, talked with some people that is about it.

Jogged to my wife's van and drove it to her so she didn't have to walk so far.


Not running hills, not running enough.


Good mid week race. Well done and a great series. I need to find some time to help at one or two of these races.