For event #9 of 10 to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, I ran a 5K charity that benefits the LLS through Team in Training. How meta is that? My friend Brad from the VineTeam put on this short trail race as part of his fundraising for IronMan New Zealand in 2012 (he’s raising $20K for LLS). Going in, I was not sure about goal times since racing so fast and short on trails was a first for me and I was unfamiliar with the course. Also, I’ve been lax on exercising lately and eating a ton so there was really too many variables to make a good finishing time estimate. It turned out to be a lot more technical than I thought it would be, but it was a fun and challenging course with a lot of turns, loose sand and rocky areas. Certainly, the choice to wear the trail running shoes was the right one. Hills were fairly numerous as well, but they were short. I managed to keep up with another friend from TnT, Felipe, for about 3/4 of a mile, but his pace was just too fast and it was so cold my lungs were burning. For the first mile I had a solid 2nd place, but took a wrong turn and dropped a spot. I spent the rest of the race trying to catch that guy but just couldn’t manage it. Still, 3rd overall is pretty good.
Time: 0:20:37 Pace: 06:39
Place: 3/64 overall, 3/30 men, 2/15 M30-39