USATF Northwest Region Open/Masters XC Championships

The USATF Northwest Regional XC Championships took place on November 23 and was my last race of the 2014 XC season. Held at Lincoln Park in West Seattle, the course loop lead around and through the park and included sections of open field, trail, and gravel road. With prize money on the line for the top three teams of each division, the race always attracts some impressive talent and I could not think of a better way to end the season than racing with Team Darkhorse in this club XC championship event.

The Women's Open 6k was set to start first at 10:45 a.m. with the Men's Open 10k following at 11:30 a.m. I had originally planned on arriving early to cheer on the Women's race but ended up barely making it with only 15 minutes to spare before the start of the Men's Open. Anxiety was sinking in as I realized I wouldn't have time to properly warm up and I wondered if the Women's Open had already finished. As if on queue, a runner in a bright Oiselle singlet flew by like it was nobody's business. Oh... well apparently Lauren Fleshman (2006 and 2010 US 5k Champion) wanted to crush some mortals on this fine morning... Shit just got real. No time to go fanboy, must get race bib! When I arrived at the registration area, I met up with the rest of my team and attached my race bib as the last Women's Open runners crossed the finish line. Heading to the start line I took note of how muddy the field was and how much I wished I had spikes. I looked around at the other teams lining up next to us. Club Northwest was out in full force. Uli Steidl (10 time Seattle Marathon winner) was lining up with the Seattle Running Club team (I later learned he ran in both the Men's Masters 8k and Men's Open 10k events). The Western Washington University XC Team and the Eastside Runners XC Team were there as well. A couple independent runners rounded out the field and we waited for the final countdown.

I remembered the words of wisdom I used in my last race. First part calm. Second part confident. Third part courageous. Breathe in - I am, Breathe out - here now.

Start of the Men's Open 10k.
Photo credit thanks to Daniel Julian.

The line exploded forward across the muddy field and I almost immediately found myself in the back. Having never raced the 10k distance before, I told myself that this was probably for the best. Feel it out and reassess after the first lap. This brilliant idealistic thinking was short lived though as I realized I was not just toward the back... I WAS the back! I looked behind and there was nobody. Absolutely nobody.

Photo credit thanks to Daniel Julian.

I'm proud to say that my mind remained calm and classy as I processed this info.

[Start of Inner Monologue]

Sh**!

[End of Inner Monologue]

Okay, so maybe not... However, this did make me cry a little on the inside highly motivate me into picking up the pace and I found myself catching up to a small group just ahead of me. I passed my friend Daniel who was standing along the side of the course and I could hear him encouraging me to catch up with one of my teammates so we could work together.

Teammate Reuben and I keeping each other's paces honest.
Photo credit thanks to Daniel Julian.

The third lap was a bit more positive. With the first lap a haze of madness and chaos and the second lap filled with anxiety and trying to catch up, I realized that my body had finally warmed up. I mean, why start your day off with a nice warm cup of coffee and favorite newspaper when you could instead start it off with a gut-wrenching fear of being left behind and anaerobic pain? Am I right? At this point in the race I had a pretty good idea of where the muddy sections were located and which section I should make my move to try and pass an Eastside Runners mark I had been tailing for the last mile. With a flat gravel section ahead, I sped up and managed to push ahead of him. Looking ahead I saw another small group about 30 seconds in front of us and knew that I realistically didn't have a chance of catching that group. So, my strategy for the remainder of the race turned to trying to stay ahead of the guy from the Eastside Runners team.

Making my move on an Eastside Runner mark.
Photo credit thanks to Daniel Julian.

I managed to maintain a slight lead for the next mile. However, I was met with a nasty little surprise when I reached the fork along the course loop where we would split off onto the final add-on tail section at the end of our last lap. I realized I had made a disastrous miscalculation and had thought there were only four laps instead of five. I had studied the course map the night before but it was based on another XC race called the Sundodger Invitational which was only 8k. Whoops. This wasn't the last lap. This tragedy was made abundantly clear when I noticed the race volunteer in charge of blocking off the path for the add-on section wasn't moving. What a jerk, right? I could almost hear him sending me psychic vibes: "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!". Sir. Please. I really want to go that way now. It is my destinyyyyy! He didn't go for it.

Photo credit thanks to Daniel Julian.

So on to the fifth lap I went. And it hurt. A lot. My Eastside Runners rival had managed to stay right on my heels to the point where his footsteps were making me nervous. I passed the Club Northwest crew  as they headed off to the parking lot having already finished both the race and probably a cool down run. Speedy bastards. They offered a couple cheers and words of encouragement and pointed us to the finish line. I want to say I gritted it out and held my lead in a 400 meter sprint to the finish, but I didn't. My foe had one final push in him and was able to outkick me in the last section of open field.

One of the muddier sections of the course!
Photo credit thanks to Daniel Julian.

I crossed the finish (alive even) with a spectacularly fabulous 3rd-to-last! I think I remember getting looks from a few people at the finish line area as if they were concerned I had gotten lost and wondering why I had arrived so late. Fools! A wizard runner is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to... Regardless of the small and ridiculously competitive field, coming in close to last sucks. Still, I am proud to be part of an effort to bring a little more diversity to the club racing scene in Seattle. SRC vs CNW year in and year out makes for a great rivalry for sure, but that's just it. A rivalry. Hopefully, Team Darkhorse's presence this year had a positive impact on the local XC running community.

Yes, I went to war with the ground.
Photo credit thanks to Daniel Julian.

Oh, and Team Darkhorse did manage to place 3rd (out of 3 officially ranked teams) in both the Men's and Women's Open divisions. Legit podium status?

Post Race Thoughts/General Comments:

1. I have really enjoyed the XC season and teaming up with a lot of exceptional runners. It was a refreshing opportunity to run and race with a different perspective. One of a team effort instead of just an individual one.

2. On a positive note, XC season is apparently a fountain of youth that has rejuvenated me back a couple years and I am once again 24 according to the race results!

3. Big congrats to my friend Keith, representing the SRC-Brooks Competitive Team and finishing the year strong with a solid "W" at the 2014 Deception Pass 25k!

4. Also big congrats to my friend Brenda, representing TMNR with a significant half marathon PR at the 2014 Seattle Half Marathon last month.

5. I can't believe a whole year has past since I started this blog. I have found comfort and an outlet in writing about my running adventures and providing a glimpse into this side of my life. I plan on reviewing my writing from this past year and finding what I like and what I think I should improve on. Feel free to leave comments/suggestions about any ideas/changes you may want to see going into 2015! I still feel like I am new to this process and definitely welcome any feedback! Even critiques. Although I may like you a little bit less afterwards.