that's a mouthful!! my running club hosts a series of cross country 5k races each summer in van cortlandt park. they are every other thursday beginning late may through mid august, plus we have a 2-person 2-mile relay in the middle for fun. i signed up for the whole series, partly because the races are replacing our regular thursday tempo runs (which i really enjoy) and partly because i've never done a cross country race before so i figured it would be fun. plus a ton of my teammates will be around so that is always fun too.
the first one this year took place may 23 in the midst of torrential rains -- a great introduction to xc racing! ha.
it was actually a lot of fun once you got over being wet, especially after the first plunge through ankle deep rainwater. once you're soaked you can't really get any wetter, and once your shoes are waterlogged, there's nothing left to worry about. the first mile of the course is pretty flat, then you head up into the hills. the trail is well maintained but it is muddy and rutted. many of the steep hills have the wood crossbars (like railroad ties) across the trail, to help with erosion and footing. it is very pretty as you're surrounded by woods, feels very far from the city, which is nice. i'm looking forward to running this many more times this summer. maybe after i learn the course better, i'll be able to look around a bit more and enjoy the scenery. especially if it isn't pouring. :)
i finished in 27:23, not too bad for my first xc race, especially given the conditions.
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