Sorry for the delay in posting. So I had a successful weekend at the USA XC Championship. I was very happy to get my third XC title and to continue the success I have had over the past six months. You never really know how fit you are until you actually get out there and race. Workouts can be going great, but until you lace up the spikes you never really know.I was actually a little uncomfortable for the first lap or two, I think because I had not raced in so long. Once the initial sting of the opening lap was done I felt much better and got into a good groove. Pat Smyth set a very fast pace so I was content to sit back and let him string the race out a bit. I tried to just relax and wait until the right moment to make a move. Alberto wanted me to wait until the last kilometer but I saw that Pat and Scott Bauhs were starting to tire a bit so I made a little push to the front to see if they would respond, but when they didn’t, I really pushed for about a mile to extend my lead. I knew at that point I had widened the gap, so it was a good feeling to be able to cruise in and enjoy the victory. I have had some great races lately but that was the first victory I have had in a while. It was a great feeling to break the tape first.
I think my strength really came through in this race because I had done very little speed work prior to the championships. The next step for me is to go up to altitude for the next four weeks and get as ready as possible for the IAAF World XC Championships in Poland. It will take great training over the next month to get where I need to be but it will be fun to have another training camp to challenge myself as much as possible. I am going to really miss my family but knowing that they will be there in a couple weeks will keep me going. Until next time…
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