beautiful day in spokane...
tough race for me--i don't think i'm really in 10k shape right now, but i think my "cramming" actually helped. i started fast intentionally--last year i got buried so quickly i never knew where the other dudes in my age group were, so this time i wanted to get out hard and latch onto someone as they passed me. i cannot lie: it was fun being in the front about 200m in before i settled into a more realistic rhythm. i watched top 50s dude peter hammer fly by before i tried to settle in with carl combs. i must have run with carl for the first 2 3k loops, but somewhere along the way andy gardiner snuck by both of us. i gave chase for a bit but couldn't maintain the pace, and eventually had to resettle with carl. unfortunately the wheels came off a little the last 3k or so and a gap steadily grew between me and carl; then michael nahom went by with about 1k to go and i had very little fight in me.
so, no podium for me as i got 5th in my age group--same as last year--but i felt like i ran tough and got a fair amount out of my limited fitness. if someone would have asked me in september after very little summer running if i would be happy with a 10k x-c race at around 5:30 pace by december, i'm pretty sure i would have said i'd be ecstatic. the course measured long by everyone's garmins, closer to 6.4 miles. conditions were pretty good, but i think it did actually get colder as our race went, and the day definitely got colder for the later races. good to see CM crush it in the 60s race--hope everyone else was happy with their race. missed KP--i'm assuming the hamstring finally persuaded him not to run? had more fun than i should have at the awards/party--got to meet emma bates through a mutual friend (the dude who helps put on CIM) and tried to not get too geeky/fanboy with her, partied till 1AM and slept a couple of hours before leaving for a real early flight.
also met the gonzaga womens' x-c coach with my youngest who came with me and my wife to check out the school. she was really impressed by the school, and the coach, jake stewart, seems like a nice dude and a highly qualified coach, and very invested in revitalizing the womens' program.
and on another positive note, my wife's team, the janes, won the 40s and 50s in convincing fashion. my wife was their #4 runner in the 50s, still struggling to recover from knee surgery earlier this year, but happy to be part of another national championship squad.
next up, winter x-c nationals in tallahassee...
carpe crepusculum,
cush