Xterra 24K in Colorado Springs

Last Saturday, I ran the Xterra 24K in Cheyenne Mountain State Park. I'd really wanted to run the 25K at the Cheyenne Mountain race a bit later in April, but had to juggle the race schedule around my husband's races. I thought that the Xterra would be close to the same race since it was nearly the same distance and on the same trails. I have to say that the feel of the race is just different. The people who put on the race do a fine job, but the Cheyenne Mountain 50k and 25k is a special kind of event. I think that it had a bit to do with the fact that the 24k was the longest of three races being run. There seemed to be a lot of people running the 5k. It was different for me to be one of the ones going the longer distance. Because of the other races being run, the course was two loops. I think that I felt a bit cheated not getting to run North Talon! My second lap was seven minutes slower than the first lap. I had lots of company on the first lap and ran mostly alone on the second, but the second seemed to pass more quickly than I'd expected it too. I made a mistake and ran with too many clothes on so was hot for most of the race. On the way up the hill the second loop, I remember thinking that there was a reason that I liked the 800 in high school. It was over before one really had time to think about how bad it hurt. There is something very challenging about trying to trick your body into doing what it really can handle when the mind is telling it to stop. It was a beautiful day and a great opportunity to run trails in the park that I'd never run before. Getting to run the loop was a chance to figure out the lay of the land a bit better. The chance to explore with your feet is a wonderful part of trail running, and I was thankful for the opportunity. The worst part of the race was the next day. I had some muscle soreness in the night, but had no soreness the next day. That is a sure sign that I didn't work hard enough. I'm still trying to figure out how to push myself to the level that I know that I can run. I was somewhat pleased with my time as it matched the time, I'd run at Cheyenne two years ago for a half marathon, and this distance was a bit farther. That fact coupled with the lack of soreness means that I need to pick things up a bit in my next few runs. I'm thankful to God for the chance to enjoy the world that He has created and to use the strength that He has blessed me with.