Summary
I ran this fun local 5K (3.1 mile) trail race this morning, put on by one of the running clubs that I'm a member of, Pacifica Runners. And I won! It was fun seeing a bunch of friends and to push myself hard for a short while, and it's extra fun that I happened to be the fastest guy that showed up.
I felt good and I think I paced myself well.
My official time was 19 minutes 23 seconds. Assuming the course was accurately measured, then my average pace was 6:15 per mile. My watch says there was 308 feet of elevation gain.
Details
This route was a bit hilly and even had some more technical single-track trail. I wasn't sure what pair of shoes to wear -- my fastest road-running shoes, Nike Vapor Fly Next%, or my fastest trail running shoes, Hoka One One Speedgoat 4? So, I brought both to the race start. My Vapor Fly shoes are basically the fastest shoes you can buy, but they don't have deep treads for dirt or mud. The ground was fairly dry and I did some strides in them and they seemed totally fine, so that's what I went with. They did great!
It was fun seeing some friends.
After warming up, I positioned myself close to the start line. I surveyed the runners and I saw Michal from the speed workout who I knew was fast but was very unlikely to beat me today. I motioned for Lauren to join me, since she was likely to be in the top 2 or 3.
We were given some instructions about the course, and then there was a quick countdown and we were off!
I led from the beginning and tried not to run too fast and I soon started pulling ahead. It was fun seeing everyone behind me on the main out-and-back, where we all were encouraging each other.
The finish is on a downhill and I really gave it my all. Whew!
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