Yes, finally the Mayor's Cup cross country race was today. It had rained hard overnight and was still misty this morning. The rain pretty much left before the race started but the course was very wet.
After getting my number, chip, and t-shirt I returned to the car and changed for the warm up. I mixed some walking, stretching and light running to cover most of what I expected to be the critical sections of the course. Fortunately, I have raced this course at least twice previously and run part of it several other times watching high school meets.
I returned to the car to change into my racing shoes and make my final preparations as the first kid's race started. My race (the Open 5K) would start in about 40 minutes, time enough for stretching and strides.
I did well considering the slipperiness of the course. The first mile was 6:50, the second 7:35 (Bear Cage Hill), the third (including the Wilderness) was 7:30 to finish at 22:54. This was better than the two previous times I raced here (2003, and 2002). I feel with a more solid footing, I would have done better than 22 and may have gotten close to 21. But it was not to be today!
Still a good race. I felt good. I am in a good position to maintain this fitness level during the winter, cutting back on some of the speed work and building the mileage slightly. Come spring, I can adjust the mileage and drop into the speed work and be ready for another good year.
