Under Skies

The past month has been a whirlwind of adjustments. School started so trying to find the balance after an epic summer of highlights is tough to adjust too. 

I've had some awesome runs and the fire is still hot, although I've been reforging my mental and physical sword. I'm not at the point where I'm resharpening as much as total new blade making. 

My fitness is still very high but I haven't been able to lock down any rhythm to my usual madness. Since returning from Poland I've had alternating weeks of high miles and low miles with races at the end of each low mile week. There is a common theme to the three races... 

KSC Alumni Race: it's always a day I get excited for. There is a lot of pride on the line and performing and running well in front of the best coach in the country is a must. So, the Alumni race at Keene State College means a ton to me. I never want to let me coach down, (after all he's done, developing me into the runner I am today) and always enjoy mixing it up. I figured I'd be about 10 seconds (+/-) of where I always am, so for the 5k I would be looking at 15:50-16:00.

I had a decent day, 16:04, but was disappointed when I went to change gears, I didn't go anywhere. Ha. Eric MacKnight ran a great race to win, and bc I'm me, and awesome, I coasted in for second. Common theme, disappointed I had no gear change. 

Next up was the Race to the Top of VT, in Stowe VT. Being a race in VT, I wanted to roll. Eric Blake was also in attendance, which meant no easy task. I still believed I had a decent shot to not only win, but set a course record. A Freeman was there as well, along with a Canuck ( the one that crushed my taint in the snowshoe race this winter), so the competition up front was there. 

It's only a 4.3 miler but def tough. After the mile I struggled to feel anything close to good, and didn't have the sharp edge unusually do. I was able to pay back the Canadian and beat him, but missed second the Freeman by mere seconds, while never being in the race with Blake... Disappointing. Cuss me. 

Lastly, and most disappointing, was today at the Pisgah Trail 50k. I'm so cussing  annoyed with myself that I can't stand it. 

Long mother cussing story short, I led for 30.5 miles, was well under course record pace until 1.5 miles to go and had to walk/trot the last 800m and pretend I was ok with it. If I sound like a sore loser, it is bc I am, I lost that race. I won't take anything away from other people's training, but seriously? 

I'm bitter and annoyed (with myself). I bonked with 1 mile to go (with 4 gels in my pocket) and had to accept my stupidity as my penitence for second (as I was passed with less than 3min to go). What a cluster cuss of disappointment. Drexler-esque. 

But... Afterwards we went to Greg's house and had amazing chili and hung out with amazing loved ones and it was great to be around all the positivity. My friends are cussing priceless.