Trail race recap

Yesterday morning we took a short drive into the catoctin mountains to a place called Thorpewood, a retreat/camp the runs programs for at-risk youth. After not being able to race a triathlon on Sunday, I still wanted to do some kind of race as a tune up for Chicago next weekend and I wanted to get in a good workout before spending the rest of the day "partying." I looked on the race calendar and was shocked to see a 10k in thurmont and decided that we couldn't not do a race happening right down the road...even if it was an xterra style trail run!!

We got up to the race site and quickly realized that the race was going to be a tough one. Since it was a 2 loop course, we decided to do the first loop as a jog to get a sense of the conditions and then start racing on the second loop. Karl and I ran together for the first loop, coming thru the 5k in 22 min. Yes, it wAs that technical!! Very high chance of ankle twisting plus a long switchback steep climb. But, there were also a few sections that were more of a typical cross country course, so I used these to pass as many people as I could. With about 3/4 of a mile left, I found myself in the lead overall I ran in and crossed the finish line to no fanfare--the people at the finish line thought I was finishing the 5k (one loop) fun run. It wasn't til the guy in second cross the line that they announced the winner. I had to say excuse me but I think I just won. We all got a good laugh out of it. Karl finished a minute back in 4th overall. With all this running we've been doing, a 43 min 10k doesn't seem right. But, I have a new appreciation for xterra triathletes and a brand new pair of running shoes to show for it.