Stowe 8 Miler (USATF NE Champs)

Kevin Gorman got in on Saturday evening to split his trip up. We had a cook out and then hit up the Putney swimming holes to cool off and relax before the race. Jess, Kevin, and I got up Sunday morning at 5:30 and were out the door just before 6. There was hardly any traffic on the drive up and there was plenty of parking at the race. I caught up with the rest of the CMS crew and we all got a good laugh at our pathetic attempts on facial hair growth. I got a good warm up with Kevin and then I headed to the line. I really liked the cross country start. It was cool to line up with the team. I also think we had the best uniforms (No shirts and mustaches). My game plan for the race was to not go out aggressively. I tucked in behind some of the leaders and chilled for about two miles. The pace was really slow and there were about 30 people in the lead pack. Finally a few went out and I followed. Now we had something going. Justin Freeman, Matt Ely, Eric Blake, Brian Harvey, and myself. The pace dropped below 5 mpm and my heart rate got going. We stayed together for the next two miles until Brian made a pretty good move at 4. Eric and I went a little but didn't cover the move entirely. We gave him some space. I honestly thought I was going to reel him in over the remainder of the course. I didn't. Eric and I worked together pushing each other and aggressively trying to gain on the leader. We would get close but Brian was tough. He would not give up and was very strong and smooth looking. I put a few seconds on Eric in the last half mile still thinking I could close it. It was a lot of fun. It really was a race for me. Afterwards, I had another great cool down with some of the crew and TiVO had some fruit and a hidden swimming hole. It was a great day. I look forward to getting back in the hunt for miles. I am also looking forward to BOF.