That was AWESOME

Panther Creek State Park is about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes north and east of our home in Knoxville. I set out really early and made it there with plenty of time before the start to walk over and get my packet, walk back and leave stuff in the car, walk/run back and do some warmups, walk BACK to the parking lot with my coach and his wife, and then walk BACK over to the start area with coach's wife while coach warmed up. It was BEAUTIFUL out. I was loving the lower temps and misty-fog morning. 

We did a group start for the race - with both the half-marathoners and 4 milers starting together. I knew that meant there would be some jostling for trail position. When the mini cannon went off (very loudly), I set out at a faster-than-normal pace. I just wanted to get on the trail and not have to fight to pass anyone. 

I kept up with some lead runners for a good 1/2 mile. That shocked me beyond belief. Around 3/4 of a mile, a handful of runners passed me. When we got to the turnoff for the half-marathon, all but one person near me turned to go the longer route. I stayed with the lone 4 miler as we ran around the edge of the meadow. I paused at the water stop to get a drink, letting her move on ahead. I turned to get a feel for where the rest of the crowd was. There were about 6 or 7 runners in sight coming around the field. I set off up the hill at a much slower pace. A couple of the runners caught up to me. We hit the top of the hill and I began pushing again. I passed the ones who had passed me. Then it evened out and we found ourselves running together in a pack. We began having pleasant snippets of conversation as we ran. All were super-nice folks and it was nice to have a little distraction. We kept together most of the way through mile 3. As we started up the bigger incline we got further apart but still within sight. As we came out onto the road we all took off for the finish line. When I saw the clock I wanted to cry. I had hit significantly faster than I thought I'd be able to, and was really happy with the results. 

The guys in my pack I finished with all placed together - 

I found coach's wife and we hung out waiting for the awards. I finally walked over to check the screen and was both laughing and groaning immediately. Had I been in ANY other age group but my own, I would have either won or placed. But, I finished 4th in my group. I was okay with that. It was a great race, and I am proud of my finish time. I knew I had held back on some of the uphills and tried to be more cautious than usual. But, I'd still managed to come close to a pace I was running on roads just a few weeks ago, and much faster than I'd trained at Haw Ridge. I know now that I am going to be fine with the 10K trail race in December, and that's all I need for now. 

I had to laugh at my photos though. 

I'm in this photo. Really. I am. See the braid and purple fabric behind the lady in coral? Yep. That's me. 

Oh, and here I am again - the blur behind the feature. 

Which makes it even funnier when my coach gets this epic, beautiful picture with gorgeous tree canopy background - 

They even got another angle for him. I guess when you finish almost 2 miles ahead of the 2nd place person, and there's no one else around, they have time to take some great shots. This one has to be titled "follow the red" (sorry - yes - I had to) - 

Later, the photographer did email me this photo. I love it. I may still be in the background, but it's a nice trail photo. Plus, note how I had caught up to them before the "invisible" and "blur" photos. Just saying. 

I really did love this event and would certainly go back and run it again. It was such a beautiful race. I'd definitely recommend this one for anyone who is looking for a first time trail race. It was a great mix of terrain, required some focus but wasn't overly technical, and while hilly, it was a solid (somewhat challenging but mostly easy) trail race, with a great group of friendly & supportive runners and race staff.