Kicking off the race season, Southern-Style
Sunday kicked off the 2010 Rock/Creek Trail Series, with the 2nd annual Southern 6 hosted on the beautiful Biology Trails of Southern Adventist University. The school is located in Collegedale, east of Chattanooga. Not near Lookout, Raccoon or Signal Mtns and not as far as Cherokee, but fear not: those ridges in the hills over there are something to respect!
Our random weather patterns actually worked in our favor today, with gorgeous sunny skies and warm temps. Spring fever fueled many, with over 180 runners toeing the start line - lots of fast folks itching to start their season and lots of first-timers acting on their new years resolutions. With my big race looming next weekend, I wasn't expecting much, but it's hard to stay away from a great local race :)
The race started with a short road prologue before hitting the trails. I tried to get a decent position going in, with a few strong ladies in front of me. Then the trail turned… straight up. And then up some more. Wow! I was immediately happy I shed my jacket moments before the start as I was overheating already. I was testing out a new pair of shoes today that I was super excited about - the Mindbender, a new addition to Vasque's spring line. When I first put on this shoe, it felt like it was made for my foot. The low profile kept me nimble on the trail, with solid footing the whole time. (totally toying with the idea of using these next weekend, although I know they may be too new to commit to a big race. hmmm..... ) I tried to keep a consistent, easy pace, keeping speedy Belinda and young 13-year old running whiz Sarah within sight. It was hard to hold on at times, but finally I got my chance to slip by Sarah on a downhill, hoping my longer legs & experience could hold on. Once we hit the pavement, I pushed harder - even though I knew I couldn't catch Belinda, I could hear footsteps closing in and didn't want any last minute surprises. (and I held off that surprise by 2 seconds - phew!)
I finished 4th in the women's open division - very happy to be so close to such speedy talent!
The gear:
Vasque Mindbenders - on the feet
Patagonia Capilene 1 - shirt
Pearl Izumi - knickers
Smartwool - socks
Ultimate Directions - handheld
Nuun - in the bottle
Headsweats - visor
Our random weather patterns actually worked in our favor today, with gorgeous sunny skies and warm temps. Spring fever fueled many, with over 180 runners toeing the start line - lots of fast folks itching to start their season and lots of first-timers acting on their new years resolutions. With my big race looming next weekend, I wasn't expecting much, but it's hard to stay away from a great local race :)
©LGmacfan
The race started with a short road prologue before hitting the trails. I tried to get a decent position going in, with a few strong ladies in front of me. Then the trail turned… straight up. And then up some more. Wow! I was immediately happy I shed my jacket moments before the start as I was overheating already. I was testing out a new pair of shoes today that I was super excited about - the Mindbender, a new addition to Vasque's spring line. When I first put on this shoe, it felt like it was made for my foot. The low profile kept me nimble on the trail, with solid footing the whole time. (totally toying with the idea of using these next weekend, although I know they may be too new to commit to a big race. hmmm..... ) I tried to keep a consistent, easy pace, keeping speedy Belinda and young 13-year old running whiz Sarah within sight. It was hard to hold on at times, but finally I got my chance to slip by Sarah on a downhill, hoping my longer legs & experience could hold on. Once we hit the pavement, I pushed harder - even though I knew I couldn't catch Belinda, I could hear footsteps closing in and didn't want any last minute surprises. (and I held off that surprise by 2 seconds - phew!)
©LGmacfan
I finished 4th in the women's open division - very happy to be so close to such speedy talent!
The gear:
Vasque Mindbenders - on the feet
Patagonia Capilene 1 - shirt
Pearl Izumi - knickers
Smartwool - socks
Ultimate Directions - handheld
Nuun - in the bottle
Headsweats - visor
Labels: race report, tn
posted by cathi at 11:05 PM
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