The trail section was a welcomed relief after climbing the Hill to get here. We were definitely in our element now. We both love trail running and we've had plenty of practice living in New England.
The trail was wide enough for two, but it was single track more than anything else. I told Katy to take the lead and I would follow close behind. I would do the scouting and let her know if anyone wanted to pass.
Our target pace on this section should have been in the low 9's, but we were cruising along in the mid 8's. I figure that it was due to the adrenaline and the ease of this part of the trail.
I was holding onto the lone water bottle that Katy had brought along, and we drank from it intermittently. It was still cool and I didn't feel like I was sweating at all.
We eventually caught up to the lead female and we could tell that she did not like trail running, especially once the trails got a lot more technical. She was timidly skipping over the rocks and roots, carefully watching every step she took.
Using a strategy that I've used on other trail races, I got run up on her tail and was literally breathing down her neck. I know I hate being chased on trail runs, so trying to keep your pace and focus is even harder when you have someone right on you. It's mentally draining.
I continued this chase, with Katy right behind me, for about a half mile. When I heard the lead female runner say under her breath that she "sucked at trail running" I knew it was time to take advantage. The opportunity came when we arrived at a sharp right hand turn in the trail. We quickly made our move. Both Katy and I passed her and continued on down the trail as fast as the trail would allow.
There was no other female runner in sight by the time we got to the first opening in the trail at mile 9. We came down off of the trail and we were both feeling great. The spectators were all here and cheering us on. I reminded Katy to not let the adrenaline get to her as we re-entered the AT on the other side of the opening.
Katy was now 1st female overall.
(Almost all alone)
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