Race Report: Backyard Burn: Fountainhead

Very brisk morning for the the Backyard Burner 5-mile trail race at Fountainhead. Arrived to 34 degree weather with a slight breeze with reports of possible mud and water crossings along the course. I really didn't put in any miles since the Marine Corps Marathon, taking a few weeks to recover from a calf tweak that was still hurting this morning. The cold weather didn't help much.

The Course and Race Day

The trail was a new one for me, but the EX2 crew did a great job clearing it for safety and marking. They used a leaf blower the day prior to clear the trail so runners wouldn't get lost in all the leaf cover and most importantly, this exposed any roots or rocks to avoid injuries. This clearance also resulted in a pretty fast course. What didn't help the speed though was the hills. As I wasn't familiar with the Fountainhead trail, I ended up quite surprised and getting beat up a bit on the hills. I was especially hurting in the last couple miles of technical hills and the final mile was a big hill push. That tough final mile and elevation dropped me from 10th to finish 12th overall. Still, not too terrible given my lack of recent training.

As usual, the post-race pizza and free massage was fantastic, and the EX2 spread of food was its usual overwhelming quantity. Even though finishing decently overall, I finished pretty far down my age group (7th) standings; so I sadly had no reason to stick around for the awards ceremony this time.

Finishing Time: 37:52   (7:34/mile)
Overall Placing: 12th

The Results

5 mile :   37:52  |  7:34/mile      (Overall 12th; Age Group 7th)

Purchased from Swim Bike Run Photography; still repping Team USO!

Spell Check Much?

Spelling is important. Today saw a FB ad for a tri store that said "Get everything for your holiday stalkings."

Like what? Ski mask and telephoto lens?