After a lovely 4:30am alarm and two and a half hour, curvy, drizzly drive I finally made it to Mt. Nebo. This was my first time to travel up the mountain and the views were just wonderful!
Ok, it was a little too foggy to see the river valley below, but the clouds did part. This was my second trail race and just like before, I had no idea what I was getting into. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how long this race was or the elevation change that would take place. I was super happy to find out that it was only 4 miles and we were running around the mountain, not up. The trail was great. It was wide and soft, with very few rocks and obstacles. If you are looking for a “starter” trail, this is a great choice. My biggest goal was to not fall down and I accomplished that magically.
I ran comfortably and could have pushed myself a little harder, but I had a lot of fun and that is what counts. Here are the results:
I came in second in my age group.
I placed 7th overall in the women.
I am trying really hard to not be shy and make new running friends, so I stuck around and chatted with my ole pal Lisa. She knows everyone, so if I just stick by her it makes it easier to introduce myself to new folks. I also ran into a crazy guy I graduated high school with. It was fun to catch up and learn how awesome some of my old pals are at running. The great volunteers also provided us with chili and cookies to chow on and we got some great swag:
I am really starting to love trail runners. They are so nice and the races are a always a big reunion. Everyone is competing but with smiles instead of intense glares.
You can read the official recap and see more pictures at ArkansasOutside.com.
Trail runners are happy runners. Gosh now I have to write about being slow and drinking beer.