Start Time: 3/12/08, 6:45pm
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 4 miles
Average Pace: 8:31min/mile
Total Miles For March: 22 miles

The plan was to step out for an hour and go run five more miles on Wednesday; while it would be the same stretch of trail, instead of running downhill for the first half (from marker 5 to 2.5) and then uphill back (2.5 to 5), I would start in the middle of the strech and vary the course a bit. (Downhill one mile, uphill 2.5 miles, downhill 1.5 miles.) What actually happened was that while it wasn’t a bad run, per se, it wasn’t one where I was feeling great either—I just still haven’t re-found my groove after skipping far too many runs this winter. So, I decided I’d turn around half a mile early (at marker 4.5), just run 4 miles, and call it a day.

Well, there were a bunch of running groups out on the trail and they were doing all sorts of strange sprint drills (something of which I completely relate to!), zipping up and down parts of the trail in a huge pack at times, other times stretched out into a thin line. I was just under half a mile from the end when I heard someone shout… well… something right behind me. I have no idea what. At the time I thought it was a warning along the lines of “move over we’re about to run you over.” In a slight panic, I headed off the trail onto the shoulder and waited for them to pass as I kept running. And waited. And waited.

With 20-20 hindsight what I think was shouted was actually to the other runners in that pack telling them they’d hit their timing mark and they could slow down, because I finally glanced over my shoulder and I was increasing ground between me and them. I’m not sure if that’s what helped contribute to my last mile split or if it was just the tiny downhill grade, but either way I’ll take it. (8:17, 8:41, 8:53, 8:12) Maybe I need to have people chase me from now on?