2007 UMAC Championships

As I hustled out the door for my morning run on October 27 I knew I was totally ready for the UMAC conference meet. The meet would be held at Far Par golf course, home turf for St. Scholastica as far par is only 3 miles away from our campus. Though the weather on race day was nearly ideal - about 55, sunny and a light breeze – the course was soft and soggy. The golf course is built on what is basically a bog, which makes for a slow course, but I knew today would not be about time. Today was all about place.
As the start time approached I warmed up with about 30 minutes of jogging and about 8 minutes of ANT running. After a few starting line strides, I shed my warm-ups. My plan was to go out fast for the first mile and take the lead pack with me. The middle 2 1/2 to 3 miles I would run with the lead pack, and then in the last mile to mile and a half I would play to my strength by really kicking it in. I knew that I had the endurance to sustain a kick over the last mile and few others would, so that would be my strategy.
When the race started, I shot to the front of the pack. My race plan unfolded perfectly. I lead the pack through the mile mark in 5:11. After that I settled in and let the other leaders pace me through miles 2, 3, and 4. At the 4 mile mark dropped the hammer. The last 2 runners who had kept the pace throughout the race fell away, and I cruised in with a 5:12 last mile and a first place finish!!!
The race had unfolded just as planned. I ran to my strengths and raced patiently – and it paid off. I was the 2007 UMAC XC champion. A great way to end my last college conference XC meet.