Saturday 020715 XC Nationals at Boulder

Short version:  31:45. 

Pic from Bethany G from FB.

Team – pic from Tania P from FB

Longer stuff …

Mixed results – not a great run, but not a bad run.  About in the realm of what I ought to have expect.  I think my race last week was a bit stronger.  Course felt slower than last year but I was about 20 seconds faster.   That is not surprising given my right calf imploded on lap 3.  I moved up through the field on all the laps after the initial settling, and only got passed by one guy – Wes T (who ran really smart).  Happy for Wes, was happy to catching guys all day, should have stuck with Wes. 

Benji’s splits have me at 7:52, 15:46 (so another 7:52), 23:51 (8:05), 31:45 (7:54).   Wes and I were together through 2 laps and then he gapped me, running the last at 23:35 (7:49) and 31:01 (7:25).  Really good running from him.  I was in 90th at the first lap (and had been moving up), 80th after two laps, 73rd after 3 and finished – and that is where I stayed!  At that point it was closing on guys and then getting gapped by them but nothing changed.  Bob moved up in a similar fashion, ending up 17th but not gaining or losing any places after the 3rd.  We kicked around a question if things would have changed at all if the race was 12k instead of 8.  I thought so, but the evidence here is off of two runners that nearly all the places were decided after 3 laps. 

Last year I ended up 71st , but was at 7:38 (-14 seconds), 15:28 (-18 seconds, or –2 on the split), 23:37 (-14 seconds, or –6 on the split) and then 32:05 (or +20, or +34 on the split with that 8:28).  So I was faster through 3 last year but completely tanked on the fourth.  But, subjectively, the course felt slower today. 

So yeah, mixed.  Not my best race or one that I can be over the moon about and definitely not my worst.  Somewhere smack dab, maybe a bit on the low end of expectations.  All good – glad I raced these two in Boulder the last two years.

Bob and Matt V-T led our effort, then Wes, then me, then Adrian S and then RL.  You can “watch” the race here.

Lots of pix out there that will be better than anything I took, but a few personal shots I grabbed…Doing the work (Chris B)
Wes getting satellites.
Bob taking in the bling.
Straka and Bob (although he was mistaken as Lucho by at least one person … old grumpy ugly guys all look alike)
King of fashion, Sandrock.
Great day jogging around after that watching the races, shooting the breeze with the team mates, cheering folks on and catching up with a variety of folks socially.  16.5 on the day.

Lyons JUNIOR Paul Roberts made the Junior team going to worlds.  He worked for it.  This is a picture that Chris B took.

Derrick is a beast.  He crushed the field after lap 3.  Pic from Todd S on FB.