WWC Tread Red, White, & Blue 5k Trail Race

 I will start off by saying that I have no explanation or excuse for what occurred at this past weekend's race. 

They started us off by color so I went off with the "white" group. Drizzle had been falling for about 20 minutes so the trails were damp to a bit slick in a few spots. I was feeling strong as we rounded the channel and dropped in to the woods. There was just enough moisture to make the trail a bit slick for my racing flats. I adjusted my stride and speed accordingly. 

I headed on to the Figure 8 trail. I circulate the nearly all of the Figure 8 trail when I started catching other runners. At first, I thought they had missed a turn but I quickly realized that it wasn't them that missed the turn it was me.  

The realization was a bit disheartening. I felt like I was running well. 

However, I just added about 3/4 of mile to my race. As much as I just wanted to quit, I pushed those discouraging thoughts aside and pushed on to the finish. Quitting is never an acceptable option. 

I ended up finishing 9th overall and running just over 32 minutes. 

To say the least, I was disappointed. Afterward, I went back to where I missed the turn. I looked at the 6 marking arrows stapled to the trees. I remember going through this section but I don't remember seeing any of these arrows. 

Like I said, I have not explanation for how I missed those arrows. I just did. I chalked it up to yet another learning experience. 

The Cool Down Runner