Hudson Cross Country Booster 5K

I ran the Hudson Cross Country Booster 5K this past Saturday. I have been running this race since 2004. I always run it as a birthday present to myself. My birthday always falls somewhere right around this race. It fell three days before the race this year.

Everyone seems to pass me when the horn sounded for the start of the race. I wasn't trying to keep up with anyone. I just wanted to run at my own pace. Not even 1/4th mile into the course, I was already passing a bunch of people that started out too fast.

The course took us into the woods right in the beginning. In the woods are a couple of large hills. I was following a group up the first big hill and took it easy. Coming back out of the woods, I was happy to have passed a couple of more people.

The first mile went well. I ran an 8 something. The start of the second mile took us back into the woods with a couple of more hills. There is where I developed painful stomach cramps. The cramps forced me to slow down. Even when I wasn't running as fast as the first mile, I was still passing people. When I crossed the second mile marker, I had to look down at my watch. My watch read 18:59. The stomach cramps really slowed me down. When the stomach cramps started to go away with just under a mile to go, I knew I had to pick up the pace.

My goal for the last mile was to catch a woman ahead of me. I was starting to run her down. Heading back into the woods for the final stretch of the race, I kept getting closer to her. I knew if I kept my current pace that I might have a chance to catch the woman ahead of me. But with the large hills coming up, I wasn't sure. The course took us back down a large sandy hill. I wanted to make sure of my footing and not fall on my face. I took the hill a bit slower. When I got to the bottom of the hill, the lady in front of me was gone. I picked up my pace to try and catch her. Coming up to another hill, I powered my way up it. When I was at the top of the hill, I saw her just up ahead of me. The trail lead us out of the woods and towards the finish line. I looked up at the clock and read 27 minutes. I picked up my pace and sprinted towards the finish line.

I finished in 28:09 and placed second in my age group. Probably about 10-15 seconds behind the woman I was chasing. That time was just 14 seconds slower then my time in 2011. I was thinking that if I didn't get those stomach cramps and slow down, I could have challenged last year's time. I talked to the woman who finished just in front of me. She thanked me for pacing her during the race. I told her I was closing in on her just before the hills in the woods. I said that is where she gained ground on me. She told me that she loves to run down hills. She ran down that hill at full speed.

I always love running this race. I have photographed many cross country meets and regionals on this course. I only stop at a couple of places on the course when I'm working. When running it myself, I know how difficult and the challenges they face on the tough and hilly course.