Change of Pace

Burnt out and ready for a break from the routine I'd crafted for myself over the past seven year, I found myself craving a change this fall. My triathlon season was, as I've said before, somewhat of a disappointment. It was far from a complete failure, but it was also far from satisfactory. So, when the bike and (skimpy and revealing) drag suits were put away in early September, I sought out something new. I began with a bit of road racing, which wasn't at all new to me, but provided a much needed shift in focus. And then - brace yourselves - I did something revolutionary and uncharacteristic. I decided to run on something other than pavement! Yes, you read that right. For me, a big change in routine meant racing the same distances just over dirt, grass, and mud.

With soccer as my background, I'd never actually competed in a cross country race until a week ago. But it's just running, right? I mean, how hard could it be?

HARD...

The race I entered was, by far, the smallest and most relaxed I've ever witnessed. That was fine because my training had been equally laid back and I was just looking to have a new and challenging experience, not toe the line with world class athletes. The race, the Pine Tree Academy Trail Race, was a first year event put on by the private school's PTA. Located about a mile from my brother's apartment in Freeport, made it an easy first XC event. Low key and cheap - my two favorite things. 

I showed up about an hour and fifteen minutes before the race and found myself standing alone in a field. Like I said, this was low key, but I was literally there with the timer and like 3 volunteers! So I got myself checked in and set off to figure out the 2.5 loop, 5K course. Unlike running on the road, I figured there might be a few key spots to examine before the race start. While the course was exceptionally well marked (relieving my major source of anxiety), there were many tricky spots that required some careful foot placement. Just one week out from an ankle sprain in training I used extra caution in picking lines and took the time to look for troublesome areas on the trails. When I returned twenty minutes later, there were about 10 people mingling around the start line and registration table. With 30 minutes to the start, I was beginning to get a little concerned that I'd gone too low key. 

Back at the car, I made about 50 outfit changes. Gloves with arm warmers, no gloves with a singlet and arm warmers, just a singlet and shorts, gloves, a signet and shorts without the arm warmers, I literally tried out every combination of attire I had with me. In the end, I determined that it was only going to be 20 minutes and I could survive in just a singlet and shorts. I was the only person there in a true racing outfit, and one of only a few that wasn't waring long sleeves. For once, I looked like a real runner at a running event!

We were herded into a starting area that consisted of two cones and a spray painted line outside the school's gymnasium with about 5 minutes to go to the race start. As I looked around, there appeared to be exactly 2 other people that were legitimate runners. They were very obviously high school athletes and either ran track or XC (or both). When the gun went off - well, misfired - we took off on a long grassy straightaway at about 4:20/mile pace. No joke. This lasted all of 45 seconds before I was tailing off the back of the lead.

One minute into the race and I was ready to collapse

The two high schoolers quickly gained a gap of about 50 yards, but by the time we exited the woods for the first time and started running along open fields I was able to see that the gap was not opening. It held steady and I knew I was in a decent position. There was nobody in sight behind me so I knew I could be patient and make a move late in the race to move up the podium.

At the one mile mark, my lungs were on fire. In a road race you don't even feel like you've started by the first mile, but this was different. I was already exhausted and I had two more miles to run. Fortunately, I was motivated by the fact that I was gaining ground on the two leaders. As we darted in and out of the woods, I got glimpses of a closing gap. By two miles, I was within 10 yards of second and about 25 of first. Still being patient, mostly because my legs and lungs were maxed out, I waited. I was strong and knew I could run this pace (whatever it was, good luck getting GPS to work in the woods) all day, but dropping it even 10 seconds per mile was not an option. 

As we made our way up the last significant hill (picture a grassy Everest), I made a decisive move into second place. We spent the next half mile traversing the fields around the school and I made up even more ground. It was clear that I was a faster runner than the leader over somewhat even terrain. However, I found that I was not nearly as skilled (or daring) over difficult terrain. As we entered the uneven wooded trail for a third and final time, I lost contact with the eventual winner. He gained about 10 seconds over me and there was nothing I could do to make up the difference this late in the race. But I continued to plug away, just trying to get to the finish unscathed. And, twenty minutes and forty something seconds after the race had begun, I did just that. The time was slow, the pace was pathetic, but I was thrilled. It was incredibly hard race even though the course was far from the most challenging around. Not being able to dictate your own effort at all times made things tough but rewarding. Not only was I overcoming the distance, but the terrain as well. It really was a great expereince. 

Coming out of the race, I was thrilled with my new direction I'd taken this fall. The change of pace was perfectly positioned in my year and has allowed me to reinvigorate my passion for running and endurance sports. I'm certainly not finished with XC racing as it's something I plan to do much more of in the years to come. And, given how much this has done for my attitude toward training, racing, and my future it's safe to say that I'll be trying some new stuff in all three sports. Stay tuned throughout the winter as I branch out and rediscover why it is that I do what I do...