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Garland Mtn. race report

My second trail race of the year was a tough one at the beautiful Garland Mountain horse/hike trail system near Waleska, GA.  Temps were in the 40s at race start but skipped any warm clothing. Had the trusty Altras on, which did well on a muddy,slick course.  This race was part of a national cup series so there were some elite runners in the field.  I positioned myself at the front of the pack and had a quick start, perhaps a tad quick although I felt like I could maintain that pace.  I was putting in an 8:15 or so over the first 3 miles. Maybe an 8:30 would've been a wiser choice.  I'm sure all this will come with more experience.  Strangely, 2 weeks before during my half-marathon, I felt a lot better overall and had a strong finish. Today, I felt like I stumbled toward the end despite a eyeballs-bleeding uphill climb to the finish.
A week before I had finished the Snake Creek mountain bike time trials then followed with an 8-mile run the next day so I may have still been tired from that effort. Lately I've been struggling with balancing rest and effort. How much of each and for how long...
The run was pleasant for the most part with a long greenway downhill about 3 miles in then the greenway uphill, which I was actually looking forward to. The uphill is when I knew that I was in some trouble because I didn't have the power going up that hill that I expected.  Didn't know if I was blown already or poor breakfast or stars were out of alignment.  This was a rolly course too with lots of ups and downhills.  Downhills are probably my weak link if I have one. I tend to baby them too much and really slow myself down. Not uncommon to play leapfrog with a few other peeps out there.
Prior to the race I had 3 days straight of rest. Ran on Tuesday for 4 miles then 3 days of swimming every other day.  Fuel was a gu and coconut oil with coffee. No problems. Again the Altra's were Superior. Great grip on a slick course.

Totals:
9.6 mi
1 hour 23 min

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