Sawnee Mountain, GA
Saturday, January 8, 2022
Race/Event #99
Trail Series Race #1 - 3.0 miles
Weather - Cold, clear, about 28 degrees
28 degrees (F), why am I doing this? That was the main thought in my head when I woke up at 4:00 AM on the day of the race. About two months ago while looking at the Dirty Spokes website I noticed a Jan-Jul series of trail races. Looked interesting. Figured if I signed up for these, I'd be set for six months. I wouldn't constantly be looking for what races to do. My informal goal was to do one race a month. Having a race on the calendar keeps me motivated. So, I signed up for the series.
It's a series of eight trail races with varying distances. After almost 100 races I've discovered that I prefer trail races over road races. Fewer people and they cost less than road races. Plus, I really like being in the woods. It was a no brainer.
It was still dark at 7:00 AM when I arrived for packet pickup. I was surprised to see the main parking area almost full. Found one of the last parking spots and made my way over to the check-in table. They had a few portable heaters, so I hung out by those for a bit.
Being so cold I was happy when the race started. Thy had us in corrals according to expected minutes/mile pace. I was in the last one, no surprise there. The trail was rugged, lots of rocks and roots, and the ground was frozen. Not ideal conditions. It was a good race though and a good workout. Glad I signed up for it. Given the conditions, finished with a 14:10 per mile pace. I was happy with that. Ended up placing 2nd in my age category - that was actually a surprise.