trail run race report

So the question is: Was it a big mistake to do a trail run with my knee periodically "acting up"?

Answer: NO

In fact, it seems to be just what I needed. My knee did not hurt one bit during the run, not after, and not even the next day! I am not sure why, perhaps the ultra-soft ground on which I ran? Seems somewhat logical, but at any rate, it was a great decision.

The weather had forecasted rain and thunderstorms for most of the day, but when I woke up it had not rained yet and it was a cool, crisp 55 degrees. I got ready and picked up Brooke and we headed up to Mounds State Park in Anderson, IN. We arrived in plenty of time to get registered and still have time to relax, do some light stretching and get ready for the 5k race.

When we lined up for the race, we started in an open field that was an out and back configuration which then went right into the woods and onto a well maintained path. The first mile was not bad, some minor hills, but nothing compared to my first trail run last year. Our pace was a little faster than what I thought it would be, but it seemed okay at the time. It seemed mile 2 took a little longer to get to and our pace settled to a more comfortable pace for the terrain.

We had been warned that at mile 3 there would be a set of stairs to climb to get to the finish and to make sure we had some energy left... at each stair we came across on the course I wondered if they would be worse than these (because they did not seem all that bad).

Well, they didn't disappoint. These stairs took every ounce of strength I had left to get up to the top and be able to run to the finish. I was spent. I was very glad I did not choose to do the 15k run - especially since it began raining just as we started our climb at mile 3. I finished in 26:54 - 55th out of 117 - not bad. Roughly 8:41/mile pace...

This was a great end to my step-back week and I am looking forward to this week where I will start building my mileage again. With a cold spell coming in on Wednesday, I will be sure to get out tonight and/or Tuesday for a run. Hope everyone's weekend was a good one.

Happy running to all!