Training Time

Early morning run at South Hills Park in Pennsylvania.

Evening on the Rails to Trails from Colebrook to Mt. Gretna.

Ran on the treadmill at the hotel.

Since we were able to get all of our work done yesterday, I had the opportunity to check out a local race before heading back home to Wisconsin.  I had found this race online and really only choose it because it was a 10K which is a distance where I really want to post a good time.  I arrived at the race site and 7:30 to get registered and had close to two hours to wait to start the race.  This was a unique race in the sense that had a chase format with the oldest runners starting first and the younger runners going last.  The overall spread between the first runner and last runner was thirty minutes.  I started 29 minutes after the first person.

As for the race, it was an extremely difficult trail course.  There were a little over two hundred runners and most of them started before me.  There were six guys in my age group so it was nice to know who your age group competition was.  Anyways, we started off on the entrance road for the park.  This part was all downhill with probably 150 feet of drop over the first quarter mile.  After that, we headed onto the trails where there were lots of rocks and roots to deal with not to mention trying to pass slower runners who started ahead.  It was an up and down course with lots of elevation changes.  I fell behind four of my fellow age groupers at the start as I am not an aggressive downhill runner.  I managed to catch up with all of them on the first climb, but probably put too much effort into accomplishing that as I was huffing and puffing after the first two miles.  I settled down after the first water stop and got into a rhythm.  I settled into second in my age group at mile two and stayed there while the course continued to be mostly uphill.  Once it shifted to a downhill, I was passed by a fellow-age grouper.  We traded off an on the rest of the race.  He would take the lead on the downhills and I would catch him on the uphills.  Fortunately, the course ended with an uphill finish, so I was able to catch and pass him and finish second in my age group.  I felt really strong at the end, so I probably left a little time on the table but I was still happy with the result.