Windsor 5 & Dime - Race Recap

I have been running.
Monday, June 3, 2013, I was supposed to meet up with friends to walk/run up Payne Mountain in Northfield, VT.  I was running a few minutes late, they didn't wait. I had a personal best on my time as I went up Payne Mountain by myself.

At the top of Payne Mountain!

I have been running.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013, at the weekly 5k fun run, I ran a 5k without taking a walking break for the first time ever.

I have been running.
On Saturday morning, June 8, 2013, Jim and Mary stopped to pick Jeremy and I up at 7:15 in the morning. We were ready. It was time to head off for our first 10k race.  Not only was this our first 10k, it was a trail race.  The West Windsor 5 and Dime, the first of the year in the Western New Hampshire Trail Running Series. The forecast was for rain. We had received emails the night before that the race would go on, to be prepared for wet, muddy, slippery, slick trails. To pack dry clothes and be prepared to have fun.
The race started 15 minutes late as people were still registering. So far no rain. We zigzagged through a field  and were into the woods.  It didn't take long for the rain effects to be apparent as we splashed through puddles and were hitting the mud almost immediately.  I ran and walked at varying intervals, passing the first aid station without stopping, glad I had my Camelbak on.  Then came a hill, steep, but relatively easy to climb up.  We veered off from the 5k course, and started to loop back and forth through the woods.  I stuck to my main goal to never walk down a hill, even if it was only two or three steps. Mary pulled ahead of me as soon as we had hit the first set of woods, but I never let her too far out of my site.
It felt like I had been on the trail forever, my Runkeeper app told me it was only 2 miles and change.  I passed my first two people.  There was a waterfall on course, they wanted a photo. I was happy to pass someone as usually I was the one being passed. Another half mile and I caught up to a younger girl walking.  It appeared she had gassed herself early as she never caught back up to me.  It wasn't long before I reached the top.  I had made it. There were two woman in front of me stopping for water, I kept going. I passed another two people! That makes five.  One of the woman was Lois, an ex-coworkers Mom.  She looked fantastic.
It was on the downhill that I caught back up with Mary. I would have stayed with her the rest of the run had I not almost face-planted, wrenching my left leg.  Apparently the scream I let out had Mary turning around, expecting to see me on the ground.  A quick walk, which was luckily flat, to make sure I wasn't done for and I was off again. I never did catch back up with Mary. Took more walking breaks on the downhill than I would have liked but it sure beat injuring myself.
Along the way I picked up a lost roll of duct tape, a pen, and played tag with another runner.  I was back into the field, down the hill, and running through the finish line.
My goals:
To never walk down a hill - COMPLETE!
To finish - COMPLETE!
To be under two hours - COMPLETE!
To not finish last - COMPLETE!
Stretch Goal:
To be under 1h 45m - COMPLETE!
To not finish last in my age division - COMPLETE!

Crossing in under 1h 45m - Super pumped!

While I was far from being a contender for placement in over or age division, I conquered every goal I set out for myself for this run.  Finishing with an official time of 1h 44m 27s. I was 102 our of 107 overall, 7 out of 8 in my age group.

We got muddy!

Jim, Mary, Jeremy, and I all muddy and sweaty.

Jeremy has been an AMAZING support on this journey.