I was excited to return to this race after running it last year, and with Derrick being in Peru for a few weeks it was a good target to have while he was gone. It had rained a lot the night before, so I knew the trails would likely be a bit slick in places, but even with that I hoped to run it faster than last year as I know I'm fitter than I was then. To handle the mud I decided to wear my Anakondas, and they proved to be amazing in the mud. People were sliding around like crazy in the slick sections but I didn't have any problem at all thanks to the ridiculous traction I had.
A taper can be dangerous though, which I found as I started off and my legs felt ready to fly. Proving that execution trumps fitness, by the end of the first 7.5 km loop I had already started paying the price. By dialing down the effort I recovered a bit and then went into 'ultra mode' and reeled off the remaining distance to the finish. It was a bit disappointing, but there was a lot more to be happy about as it is a really fun race on awesome trails, and I was proud of myself for hanging in there as best I could. I still finished 2nd, though well off Leslie Reade's winning time. In ultras I get ticked at myself for going out too hard, but in a race of this length I'm more forgiving of myself as the pace isn't something I'm currently very familiar with so it is tricky.
Next up is a bit of a pause in training before switching it up for snowshoe racing. I'm feeling a bit burnt out, so a few weeks of just running when I feel compelled to will do a world of good.
