Representin' TT in Strong Island

Last weekend was the first race in the new XTERRA Long Island Trail Run Series. It was held in Stillwell Woods in Syosset, NY and I was excited to be running on trails again...that was until my warm-up lap. The trails were covered in a mix of snow, ice and deep muddy mtb ruts. They actually shortened the race by 1.5 miles (to 3.5mi) due to the "ice-rink-like" conditions on part of the trails. But we were there, and I wasn't backing out. Along there with me was David Booth who was actually psyched to be running in those conditions! Competitors take note, David is fast, SNEAKY fast! As the group started across the snowy field and merged into the single-track trail, I didn't see David's Targetraining shirt in front of me. I thought perhaps he got blocked out or stuck behind a slower runner, but boy was I wrong! I managed to pick my way through the snowy trails, avoiding a twisted ankle thank goodness, and crossed the finish line in first place. I looked up, and David was already rested, having finished three whole minutes ahead of me! Like I said, sneaky fast. Unfortunately, the little high schooler coming up behind him was also sneaky fast and snuck around him for third place. But David still ended up winning his age group! The next race in the series is Saturday, April 10th at Bethpage State Park; hopefully the snow will be melted by then!

XTERRA Planet's recap of the race: http://www.xterraplanet.com/news/dsp_content.cfm?id=2622