Enjoying the 2019 West River Trail Run

Continuing a minor trend for me at trail races this spring, there was perfect weather at the annual West River Trail Run in south-central Vermont this past weekend: low 60s temps to start and breezy with occasional clouds. I can't emphasize enough how nice it was in contrast to days when it's 10 degrees hotter, or more humid out.

This was my third time running this race, and my second fastest finish time at it. My goal had been to simply do better than last time (which was a disappointing 1:44:37) by at least 5 minutes, and I was able to achieve that. I came in feeling pretty good at 1:34:27. (My best time was 1:20:08, in 2015 [see blog post here]; how was I ever that much faster??)

West River Trail Run map and elevation profile (screenshots from my Strava feed)

In addition to bettering my 2016 time, my other goal had been to just enjoy myself the whole way. It's well within my experience level to pace myself properly in the early flat miles, such that I don't blow up or tire myself out too much (i.e., to not go out too fast). And one of my great joys in life is zipping through the woods on swooping singletrack trail. And at 47 I can't see much point in spending my time feeling anxious at an athletic event I paid to have fun at. So my mindset that morning was simply to make sure I was smiling, at least on the inside (you rarely see me actually smiling in race photos). And thankfully, I succeeded at that too.

me and Jen crossing in front of Angel Falls near mile 7
(photos by Peak Focus Photography for the West River Trail Run)