Last Wednesday I got a text asking me if I was going to race in the Lewadville Snowshoe Marathon. "Well, gee, I don't know." I thought about and decided it would make a great training run. On Saturday I showed up with few expectations and ready for a solid workout. I was wearing my Huakas by Hoka for their light weight and smaller frame which would be perfect inside my borrowed snowshoes.
The race started with me in the lead followed by a throng. I felt dreadfully slow but no one else wanted to lead. I determined to be consistent for the next hour and see what would come. By mile 5 I ran along in tandem with the eventual 1/2 marathon winner. We talked and enjoyed the brisk morning, however, it was warming up.
Soon I was by myself. I gave myself the goal of breaking 2 hours to the halfway mark. I ended up coming in at 1:55. I knew i wanted to push the pace on the way back. Hopefully negative split. I pushed myself. The snow was getting softer with the rising temperatures. I tripped a few times nearly face planting but kept up the grind. I finished winning in 3:49:40. barely negatively splitting. Solid training run. Solid race. Solid day. Not a bad start to the year.
