I was pretty excited for this race. Sometimes you just need to run 30+ miles to get yourself back in the right mental state. It was a quick trip but friends were going and I got to skip the weekend shit ( I mean shifts) at work.
Dogwood Canyon was put on by Bass Pro so figured it would be put on well and had heard nothing but good things about the event. My first distance race was the Inaugural Bass Pro Marathon in 2007 and now while the thought of running a road marathon sounds taxing this race is part of the same fitness series. The Dogwood events included a 25k that ran with the 50k and a 15k the day before.
I think my weekly mileage was hovering right around 20 since my last 50k at the beginning of October at Rockbridge Revenge. I'd been spending all my workout time in the gym but running, lifting its all the same right?
Basically it was just a good time. Shannon was a great host having us stay at her cabin the night before the race. Tacos, a couple beers and a shot or two of fireball made for perfect pre run dinner.
We were really close to Dogwood so getting up and over there for the 7:00 or 7:30 start ( don't remember) was easy. There was a bunch of us from Kansas City down for the race, a couple more are missing from this picture. Plus a couple of AK people I always like to run into.
I thought about taking pictures during the race but then reminded myself I'm in a race and not that fast so maybe I should focus.
It was kinda an out an back with some loops in it. Wide trail paths, no single track, for a part of it (maybe 3-4ish miles) we were running on pavement which sped things up. Then there were a lot of steep hills. My favorite part by far! I love running downhill and I'm getting better at speeding downhill not worrying about how bad it would hurt if I miss stepped and fell (pretty sure this will happen at some point.) Then trying to power hike the uphills and just running the flats. In a way made for an easier race since you don't have the same muscle movement the whole time.
I assumed I wouldn't place so didn't worry about it and just enjoyed the race. Then of course with 5ish miles to go this girl caught up to me so I ran those last miles way faster than I would have had she not been there. I was sure she was going to pass me because that's what always happen but I managed to keep her behind me and running fast (for me) seemed easy so that was cool.
Finished 4 of 23 women and 20 of 71 overall so not too bad.
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