This is probably my favorite race out here on the Island. It follows the high school x-country course and reminds me of the "old" days of my youth. If only I could run as fast today. It's a fairly flat cousre but very sandy. You're forced to go side to side along the course to avoid the deep stuff so your time is definetly affected. After Thursdays run my legs were definetly a little slow. I thought that I was running the first mile a bit quicker than the last race but found myself coming through in exactly the same time, 6:25. That's when I knew I was in trouble. I tried picking up the pace but there was no second gear. I did work hard for the rest of the race but couldn't make headway on anyone in frontof me. I did manage to hold on to my place however, so that was a moral victory. First place for division winners was chocolates from the local chocolatiere, so my wife was happy with my finish also. Good news is the racing season is over and I can concentrate on building up a good base for a spring marathon, if I can stay healthy. | 