2nd (20-29)! 11th Overall!

My first race of 2008 is in the books! Today I raced the Chickasaw 15k trail run in Columbia, TN with great results. Running is definitely my weakest area, but my training and hard work paid off in a BIG way.

• 1:16:00 (~ 8 minute miles, lots of elevation)
  
• 2nd in my age group (20-29)
  
• 11th overall

Pre-race dinner:We had a great dinner to celebrate Chandler's birthday at Nashville's new City House in Germantown. The half chicken and Frico appetizer went a long way towards today’s success.

Pre-race breakfast

Kept it simple and pretty small.

At the race

More rain last night and cooler weather meant a damp 45 degrees at the starting line. I tried to stay bundled up as much as possible waiting for the start.

Post-race

Back at the car with my 2nd place Chickasaw mug and new confidence from finishing my first 15k.

Post-race ice bath

Back from Columbia, I filled up the tub with ice and jumped in for 15 minutes. Nice and numb, I ate a great lunch and put on some recovery tights to get ready for tomorrow’s 30k MTB race.

I’ll post an in-depth race write-up next, but I am incredibly excited for the XTERRA season to get underway. If today’s race was any indication of my new level of fitness and running ability it should be a great year of racing.