XTERRA Topanga Turkey Trot - Race Report

The first two miles of the 10k were not the most enjoyable.  It felt like running up a wall to be quite honest.  I had run this section of the run a few days earlier so I made sure to conserve as much energy and high spirits as I could.  During this section I continuously changed positions with another runner.  Any downhill section I would catch and move ahead of her, any uphill she would do the same to me.  It was a cat and mouse game that kept my mind busy so the cold and elevation didn’t bring me down. 

I had some sharkey’s before the race because I had not had any breakfast.  But, I was conscious of carrying my own water, which is something I did not do in the last 10k.  I am a sipper, I cannot take water all at once at the stations, I need a little at a time on the run…I learned that last race and it helped me tremendously this race.  The only time I stopped at a water station was to have a volunteer dump two cups in my bottle and I kept on going.  At the turn around point, I knew that it was all downhill and I did not see the group I was running with until the finish line.  The trail went from fire roads to single-track at about the 4.2 mile mark.  This single track maze was very fun to run and you quickly forgot you were participating with other people, no joke there was tiny stretch there where the only sound I heard were my New Balance MT101 pounding at the dirt. 

I was enjoying it very much.  On the single track I caught and passed two people, but then a group of 5 I simply could not go around; there was no space.  I stayed with that group until the end.  I thought of rushing past them, but it is thanksgiving and that’s not what it’s about.  I am definitely going to go back and run that trail either for next year’s turkey trot or just by myself when I have a chance.  I enjoyed it that much that I would definitely sit in traffic for it.

Finishing info: 
Place: 124 
Age Group: 14  
Time: 1:15:46  
Avg Pace: 12:14


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