2017 Assault on Mt Hood Race Report

It's been a bit too long since I've done a proper race report, and I'd say the 2017 Mt Hood XC race is well deserving.

Elizabeth, Kristi, and I showed up about an hour ahead of race time.  That gave me a good opportunity to preview the latter part of the course and get a glimpse of the slippery conditions and hills ahead of time.  Unfortunately, it was also a chance for more snow to fall and for the traction to get just a little more hairy.  Thankfully, the temps were right around 30 degrees, so it was cold enough for snow, but not bone chillingly cold as it has been in years past.  After getting a few strides with the crew, we hit the line.

Once the gun sounded, I went out quick in the hopes of getting to the first short and steep downhill as one of the lead runners.



With my back still at far below 100% I wanted to be extremely careful on the downhills so as not to wipe out and risk worsening the injury.  I managed to stay upright and a lead group was starting to form as we started to veer right to the first turnaround point.  Two CMS runners were starting to break away, and I did my best to maintain contact.

As we crossed the wooden bridge that we were told was extremely slippery, they had probably a 5-10 meter gap.  Again, I just tried to be careful and as we made our way on the flat, I stayed fairly close and there were about five or six other runners in the pack I was in.  Just after the first mile we hit the first short hill, and they started to put some more space on us with one CRC runner looking to keep chase.  I felt ok, but I wasn't happy with my traction.  When trying to pick up the pace on the flat, I was feeling just enough slippage to have to try and dig in and gain momentum - so it was a challenge to make any gear changes.

The second mile was a bit winding, with one downhill that was extra dicey.  After coming out of a narrow path, we hit a short downhill before taking a hard left, and I was forced to go extra wide as the ground was slick.  With the CRC runner a good twenty meters ahead, I was trying to stay in contact along with one other runner right with me and another pack behind us that included Neil - and they seemed to be right with us if not yo-yo-ing a bit.

The first hard hill was just after the two mile mark, and the CRC runner had a tough time keeping traction and momentum.  I was in fifth position at this point, and followed close behind the fourth runner as we went a bit sideways to scale the slippery peak.  We continued to head up and back towards the finish and were quickly making up ground on the CRC runner.  I felt pretty good, and was content trading places with the other runner as we closed the gap.

By the time we made our way onto the short steep single track, I was a little bit behind, but the other guy I was with had caught the CRC runner and they were stride for stride.  I surprised to feel like I was catching my breath on the uphill.  I was also surprised to realize that the pack behind had all caught up.

Once I crested the hill, I knew this section from year's past where I always seem to struggle and where Kevin blew past me two years ago.  The ground has a spongy feel to it, and I noticed the two runners ahead were laboring.  I made ten quick short steps that made up a significant portion of the gap and felt strong.  I waited a few seconds before doing that one more time and finally regaining contact.  Traction was a major issue at this point, and we had one more crazy downhill to navigate.  I was very concerned about my back as the downhill quickly turned into a short uphill and I could feel the pressure build.  Again, I thankfully stayed upright, and we were all running stride for stride as we passed the three mile mark.

We passed through a narrow gate and had a long gentle downhill before we would end up turning onto the pavement.  I was hovering within the group wondering if someone would try to hammer the downhill when I realized that I was feeling great and the other two weren't going to make a move.  So I started to push just a bit and then a bit more, opening up a small gap, but knowing they were both coming with.  There were two more quick turns before hitting the pavement, and I slowed almost to a stop taking no chances.  Once on pavement I finally felt like I had my legs under me and I quickly found my stride.  I could hear the footsteps falling further behind me and I kept a strong stride through the finish as I passed the line good for 3rd overall.

http://coolrunning.com/results/17/ma/Dec9_Thirte_set1.shtml

Nice work by all the CSU runners!

Neil, Danny, and Me - 3rd Place Men's Open...apparently