5k Cross Country Race Report!!

Windy!

Muddy!

Rainbows!

Win!

All the makings of a great race.

The more I run on trails and in the hills,  the more I realize my place in this running world.  I just feel at HOME.

The long grasses,  the crunchy gravel under my feet,  the mud puddles and wallowing messes.  I love them all- best.

The race was on base at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corp. Base in Oceanside, CA.  We headed up early and it gave me time to get chilled to the bone despite my four layers of clothing plus gloves.  You would have thought that WE were in Boston or something this weekend.  

I warmed up for 20 minutes exactly, following my new 5k warm up guide which really DID help.  I usually do a sporadic warm up without much thought and wind up sucking wind BIG TIME and since there was actually SO MUCH REAL WIND today,  that would have been a double wind disaster.  The time I took to just jog for 20 mins. and then keep moving,  helped me start the race warm and ready.

Basically,  I was going to try for my ILLUSIVE sub-20 5k today even though I was going to toss the Garmin and go by feel.  That said,  I also knew that there was a long, long hill smack dab in the middle of the race AND once we turned around,  we were hit with a slamming headwind.  It wasn't a disappointment to have those elements affect my race *dream* goal,  I had  a focused run and just staying in my own head and race today was more than enough.  

During the last half mile of the race,  I saw three tri-girls pushing to finish their first part of the dualthon.  The third girl was right in front of me during the whole race.  Since I'm not one to leave too much gas in the tank at the end of ANY race,  I wasn't "planning" on passing her.  See how non-competitive I can be?  I think she did slow down at the end of the race or at least was planning on how she was going to head on into the transition area for her bike.  At that point,  I did give it a push to pass her and I did!  The joke is probably on me(as it often is)because she did head to the transition area and I finished the 5k....first female!  

I laugh as I write this...because who would have thought I would be doing this at my age?  Who would have thought that I would find something just for me and also for my BS that would bring us so much joy, amusement, challenge,  fun and good times?  

Who would have thought that I would be posing with two darling Marines(at my request)just 1 month shy of my 47 birthday?

Thanks HONEY BS for the fun today...it's too bad you didn't take up the race director's offer to take these nice guys home with us.  They could have helped us a lot around the house!!  Now that we're basically running every weekend, we don't get much housework done anymore...

Love you!

**ATTA GIRLS** to all of the BOSTON runners who will be trying to stay cool and run fast races on Monday!  We are following you all and hope you are having FUN this weekend!

Have a LEMONCELLO for me :) !

meg