Ahh, the 5k.Ooh, a trail! I had actually never run a trail race before this one. Never. And it's all I ever train on. I had no idea what to expect. I knew my road PR and felt that I may be a minute or two behind there. My friend Alex agreed to join - he's usually up for anything. We met at 5am and headed over to Charlotte.
The National Whitewater Center is a pretty awesome place. Definitely worth checking out if you've never been there and you are into climbing, mountain biking, trail running or paddling. Anyways. We were there by 7:15. Being the inaugural of a new series, there were two race times posted so we of course went with the later, 8:30. Could have slept in a bit longer. Ah well, I love mornings anyways. The race started at the top of a hill and quickly went into single-track trail. Windy and tight single-track trail. I got stuck behind two runners who would not step slightly to a side. I felt I wasted a lot of energy being frustrated with their race etiquette. Finally the guy right behind me jumped up onto the bank to pass. I waited until the next switchback to make my move.
The race was hard. I was exhausted. It felt good though. I know how to run quickly with small steps on this terrain. I passed people. At one point I was all alone and didn't see anyone so I debated turning back. The time I was expecting was about to pass so I figured I had made a wrong turn. I meandered back for a second, to see if I saw anyone. That's when I saw the 3 people come around the bend 50 feet back. I quickly commenced my run. We had about 3/4 mile to go at this point. Once I saw the clearing in the trees, I knew the end was near. I picked it up - or felt I did anyways. There was a bit more left than anticipated so I had to back off some. I normally have a decent kick at the end, but as I recall, someone passed me right at the end.
All in all though, the race was awesome. I couldn't believe my time. 26:36. Garmin race link: Riverbound 5k I had worked so hard and finished over 4 minutes slower than my road PR. Geez, trails are their own beast. I ended up 2nd female overall (of 89) and 2nd in my age group. And therefore, met a great new friend. Christina had gotten first female overall with an amazing time of 24:00. Alex also did well - 2nd in his age group, and I think, really enjoyed the race. He does ultras so only doing three miles was a new challenge for him.I felt I had found my kind of race. One I was good at. Time not affecting the outcome. (Ahh, foreshadowing... see RBRS 10k - eeek.)
