Cross Country Nationals!

This was my weekend.

Scott finagled his way out of working this weekend so he could be with Bruce and Phoebe while I went to Charlotte, North Carolina and got my cross country on.

I flew to Charlotte on Friday night and got a full night's sleep (amazing!) followed by sleeping in and lounging about on Saturday morning. It felt luxurious. Then my teammates and I geared up and went to the race, which was held on a gorgeous wooded course with one big hill and one big mud-pit.

The race was very competitive. All of the fastest club runners came from around the country. My team was shooting for the top ten, but we ended up 16/29 teams. We aren't disappointed though: just about everyone ran her best, but the competition was just so good!

I love races like that - where there is always a pack to run with and plenty of runners to pick off. It keeps racing interesting.

The start was fast - there was a long straightaway that narrowed quickly. I got pushed and shoved to the back of the pack, and spent the rest of the race working my way up. This was perhaps the most physical race I've been in - some lady pushed me away from her while we were battling up the hill. I felt good about how I ran and even had a sprint at the end. My time wasn't my best - 22:55 over 6K - but I don't run that particular distance often and I am not in super-fab shape. I'll get there though.

Boston Marathon 2011 is the next Big Race.