US X-C Championship at Chambers Bay

 

After years of whining about my struggles with cross country races (versus road/track races)  see here and here - I gain some redemption this month at the national championship in Chambers Bay near Seattle. 

Club Northwest is hosting the big national championship and the Club's focus on the race, along with the timing of the event right before Christmas (enabling family visit) compels me to sign up.  Remarkably, I am eligible for the championship event even though I missed all the local and regional qualifying (and Club even pays my entry fee)  

I am seeded at the very back of the field and so I am not burdened by any expectations or pressure to perform well and score for the team.  Nonetheless I am absolutely dreading the thought of winter cross country running.  The weather service issues severe weather alerts the morning of the event. When we arrive wind and rain are screaming in off the Puget Sound at the gorgeous Chambers Creek Regional Park.

 

 

So just getting out of the car and preparing for the event evokes strong memory of my experience at many triathlons - the most stressful part of event is the pre-race logistics with its decisions and shock of cold water.  Once the gun goes off it gets simpler - just run. 

I have one plan.   Start slowly.   I am seeded at the very back which helps.  You can actually see my foot (black shoe and compression sock) at very back of pack in the photo below:

Right after we start the sun bursts out and I am struck by the sublime beauty of the setting and the sheer spectacle and aura of being in the national championship here -- surrounded by this group of very old men splashing through puddles like school children 

You can see my splits from Strava below - I do my best to draft behind other team's runners on the windy sections and then pass as many competitors as possible - working my way up from very back of field to top third.  

 

 

I help my team with my much lower finishing place than 4th teammate (top three of five runners score in master's cross country).  

 

While I am totally satisfied with my effort on the day, I am not accustomed to having so many other elderly runners ahead of me.  How would I do against this same field on a flat, fast, paved course?  I tried not to talk about this and obsess about this.  All I can say is the field would likely be much more compressed.  Maybe I would place higher, but this day is about cross country running.