Trailing Behind...

So last Sunday was Smith's Challenge, one of the nastiest 10k trail races in Lancaster County. This race takes place on Father's Day and is open to men only (hold your complaints, ladies - Mrs. Smith's Challenge (women only) takes place Mother's Day weekend).

Anywho, trail races are funny things. On one hand, I love them because your time is worthless. Throw the clock out the window worthless. The winners come in just over seven minutes per mile and every one else is also around two minutes per mile (or slower) than a typical road race.

On the other hand, no casual runners roll out of bed and go, "Huh, I think I'll find the meanest hardest 10k race I can." Thus, there are no weekend warrior 5k runners. These dudes are hard-core, which means where I finish in my age group is adversely affected.

The course: Up, down, some burn hazel, two water crossings (up to my thighs at one point), 1 snake.

My time: 54:43
My place: 38th out of 148... That puts me in the 26th percentile.. By comparison, in my last road race, I came in 20th percentile for all men.

The best news? I'm getting stronger and recovering faster. I ran five miles the day after the race and ten miles today. All in all, an awesome way to spend Father's Day morning. The kiddos even came out to cheer me on.

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