Race Report: BYB Laurel Hill

Ok, this is going to be a fairly short race report, as I am about a week late in writing it.

To me, an interesting thing about this race was that it is new to the spring trail race series and I hadn't run it or had the opportunity to preview the course at all. I have biked there, but just a couple of times and wasn't sure which trails were going to be in the race. I was surprised about how nervous this made me- I am so used to feeling like I know these Backyard Burn courses that I was a little shaken up by the unfamiliar.

It was another beautiful morning for a race, I was just a bit chilly in 3/4 tights and a t-shirt. Some of my Ignite Endurance teammates were out and we had our team shirts on - they were all running the 10 miler so I was clearly the lazy one of the bunch.

I started out hard and tried desperately to keep it there. A few moments stand out on the day:
(1) stepping on a rock wrong about 2 miles in and tweaking my left ankle again, when I thought it was better, and possibly cursing, possibly loudly-might have to take a couple of weeks off running after Kinetic in mid-May to let this thing heal all the way-not looking forward to that;
(2) getting passed (again!) by the same women who has finished in front of me in the overall standings at all of the past three races-I think I beat her at Hemlock so maybe the hills at Fountainhead will be too my advantage too;
(3) a fairly long downhill stretch of pavement around the 3rd mile where I was trying to simultaneously push the speed and recover my breathing - I think if I could master that, it would be a terrific advantage.

Anyway, it was a good day. I got my fourth 2nd place age group for the series, but am in the lead for the series since the woman who has won three of the races missed the last one. I am trying not to think of it too much, but a second in age group at Fountainhead would maintain that lead regardless of what anyone else posts on the day. But, like all races, Fountainhead will present what it will present and I can't will myself into second, I can only run myself there. So, that's the goal.

One more week in the series.