On Saturday morning I ran the Webster Trail Classic with a time of 1:45:33. For a ten mile trail race I was very happy with this pace, and it was eight minutes quicker than the last time I ran this course in 2019.
Despite this being only the second time I have run this race, it is one of my favorite courses. The terrain and the trail vary between the three parks, and while there is plenty of elevation none of the hills are so steep that you are forced to slow to a walk. Additionally the course is mostly shaded, and (while perhaps I have mostly gotten lucky with the weather) there is very little mud.
At the start of the race I found myself towards the front, and was a bit concerned that I had started too fast. I settled into a comfortable pace, and while a few runners did pass me in the first four miles it turns out that I was actually was just faster than most of the field. Most of the miles were uneventful as I enjoyed the scenery while only occasionally gaining on or falling behind the other runners. With less than a mile to go I decided to pick up the pace, but instead kicked a root and fell on my face. I pushed on for a quick finish, but that was the one thing that really held it back from being a great race.
Overall I am glad to see the improvement from 2019, I felt good while on the trail, and I even felt good after the race as if my legs easily had more miles in them. Hopefully I can continue to run well as the Wineglass Marathon is less than a month away.
