I decided late last week that I would ride out to Smithville with Chris to run the Hells Hills 25K on Saturday. Since I have the Bull Run 50 miler coming up this weekend, my goal was to try not to push too hard (sometimes difficult in a “race”) and to enjoy a new course (I’ve never run there before). We had a track meet on Friday, so I got to bed late, not fun since my alarm was set for 3:30 AM. After a 2 hour drive, I registered and talked to several friends who were there to help and/or run. The race had 4 distances to choose from, with the 50 miler starting at 5 AM, the 50K at 6, and the 25K and 10K at 7. Chris, Jason, and I toed the line for the 25K and were soon running up a slight hill and into the woods.
One thing that became very apparent early on was the fact that it was VERY humid. I was soaked with sweat after 10 minutes. I was really glad I had no intentions of pushing myself too hard today. After passing a few slower runners, I settled into a nice groove that I hoped to maintain for the rest of my run. Soon Chris passed me a few miles in, saying legs were feeling good. I spent the remainder of the run slowly passing other runners, only being passed by a couple guys running the 50 miler (boy was I glad I didn’t have to run that far in that humidity). The most exciting thing happened was being passed (briefly) by an 8 year old kid. He ended up finishing in 3 hours, quite an amazing feat for someone so young. I have a feeling we’ll hear more about him in the coming years. I jogged through the finish line in 2:49, happy with my effort.
I accomplished both of my goals for the day. When I felt like I was starting to push a little too hard, I purposely eased back on the throttle and slowed down. I thoroughly enjoyed the course but was very glad to be done after one loop. Luckily Asa was there to hose me down (in full firefighter gear) and cool me off. Another great Joe P race that I will attend again in the future.
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