The first mile had a couple of steep hills. We mostly ran up the hills. But we did have one to run down. Besides the hills, some of the footing wasn't the greatest. On cross country courses I always wear my ankle braces. I had to slow down in a couple of spots because I thought I was going to twist an ankle. There were so many holes and low spots all over. When running on grass, it makes it hard to anything.
I was able to chase down the second overall female during the second mile. After running the first mile by myself I thought that I wouldn't have a chance to catch her. I kept running at a solid pace and I started to catch up with her.
I was able to pull up beside her and pass her with about 400 meters to go. She stayed behind me for a couple of steps and then she pulled out from behind me and passed. I was hoping to hang on to her. Leading up to the last straighaway to the finish was a steep hill we had to run down. I wanted to be careful and slowed down. When I did that, I lost some distance on her. I tried my best to get her, but she got away. I did finish up the race with a nice final sprint.
I finished the tough XC race in 29:28. I was the third overall woman and placed first in my age group.
2 comments:
Great race, and congrats on a first place in your age group! I haven't done a real cross country race in ages, I almost forget what its like to worry about the terrain you're running on. Hidden holes, roots... the worst!
Thanks Alicia! XC races are just like trails races. So many different terrains. Besides the holes, I did have to watch out for roots.
Post a Comment