What a messy morning for a race, but that’s trail racing for you, even if it is just the #c&otowpath. I did the #treeoflife5k this morning and so did @lynnucla. Much of the trail was underwater after heavy rains overnight, and my shoes were soaked from the half-mile point onward. Once the shoes became wet, there went my shoelaces, and I had stop to retie them at the mile point. Then I kept slogging along as my #topoathletic MT-2 trail flats got more waterlogged and heavier with each step. I got passed by one guy during the shoe-tying stop which left me in 6th place overall and that’s where I remained the rest of the race as things strung out. The conditions definitely slowed everyone down as the winner, a speedy high school kid, still only ran 19:12, and I know he is much faster than that. As for me, I came across in 23:01, which is well off my standard, but I guess it’s a trail #5k PR. And it was good enough for top finisher in my age group and a @runpacers gift card. Proceeds from this race benefited the #treeoflifesynagogue in Pittsburgh to help it rebuild from that shameful attack last month. We were both happy to be part of the healing process for that, and to put our miles to good use. Thanks to the #safetyandhealthfoundation for putting it on! #runblr #fitblr #trailracing #fallracingseason #fallrunning (at Boathouse at Fletcher’s Cove) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq5Np3khhFZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1mv9b6hvj84r5
