If this year winter has been mild, we are paying now for mother nature's cold month kindness. It is raining quite a lot, which mean no MTB so the only way to enjoy the trails in woods is to run.
This year, I'm not planning any big events, always using the numerous travels to Europe as an excuse...which in fact just reflect my idea of having an easy racing year.
Anyway, the training is going on and this week was perfect to get back into race.
Two trail run races were schedule for both Saturday and Sunday, which is perfectly timed with the end of a 5 days recovery/easy training week. Also, Marc is out of town as our youngest teammates Marina is making great performances in Synchro Swim competition (A futur Star!!!!!), David is working during the weekend and the weather is anyway uncertain for riding.
The week has been easy with just one swim, one group ride with Biowheel and an easy jog on trail with the team mascot Choco (A first form him)
Early wake up as the race start at 8am, because of the temperature...well not this year, it's raining and it's 10 degrees Celsius out there.
Direction, Mitchel Memorial forest for the first "Summer" trail series race organized by Topo Adventure and my friend Brian. After a chaotic drive to the parc (ramp to highway closed and crazy rain), I'm rewarded by a break in the rain over the parc...nice, but a quick check of the race loop during the warm-up confirmed my thought...It's gonna be muddy.
The choice of shoes is made, Salomon Fellcross despite the pavement parts of the loop, those shoes have an amazing grip in wet condition.
The race is short, 2 loops of 3 miles, with 2.2miles on gravel/grass and dirt (mudd!!) and the rest on pavement.
I know the loop as we ran the same during winter, a quick start to hit the trail first. The gap is made during the first loop and I'm managing during the second loop and won the race in 39min53sec.
The race was quick and short so decision is made to participate to the Dirt days trail series at Mount Airy on Sunday.
Race at 9am, today the sun is out and no rain but a good wind and it's even colder than yesterday. I also know this race, two 5 miles loops with a steep 1km climbs at the end of the loop. It's usually really muddy on the 90% single trails loop. This cost me the win 2 years ago, twisting my ankle in the last 2km...and the warm-up confirmed that. Same choice as yesterday, Fellcross which would be perfect.
This race is quite popular as Mount Airy is a famous place in Cincy for trail runners and as the principal sponsor "Fleet Feet" is a well established shop in Cincy which organized group training .
I spot several fast runners and I understand that it's not gonna be a resting day but a good fight....but I also notice that they made a wrong choice of shoes. Most of them are road runners and they didn't check the trails, wearing road shoes....there is a good result to play.
The start of the race is going downhill on grass and gravel and as expected the pace is quite fast and I put myself in second position to see what's gonna happen when we hit the technical and muddy part of the trail around 1.5km. As predicted, the three other runners around me are slowing down on the first muddy downhill...I decide to take my chance even if it's early in the race and because the next 2km are also really muddy so I'm thinking there is a way to make a gap and manage the rest of the race.
The idea payed right away, quickly the other 3 guys in leading group disappear from my sight, I'm running strong in the mud and save some energy in the climbs. Reaching the top of the last climb of the first loop I cannot see anyone behind me. The second guys behind me seems really fast on the dry parts of the race and I can here him coming back when hitting the gravel of the second loop. I let him pass me in a short climb and rest a bit when the pace is going down in the mud waiting for an opportunity to brake away putting a bit of pressure on him. That would happen after a fall in a downhill curve. Making sure that he is okay and not injured, I'm taking the lead again and push directly to make a gap. The strategy worked, quickly I cannot see him but keep pushing in order to go easy in the last climb which I know will be crazy slippery after all the runners went through it on the first loop.
Reaching the top of the climbs, I'm giving a last look behind, no 10milers closed, a last push on grass catching up some 5miler finishers and it's done in 1hr17min29s.That is 8min faster than my time two years ago, I guess the tough training of last year following Marc is paying. Clearly, the right choice of shoes made the difference today.
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