EX2 Adventures Backyard Burn Series
Race #4
December 7, 2008
Prince William Forrest Park
Triangle, VA

Previous Best: N/A
Goal: Unable to move up in the overall standings, the goal is to beat Vega and Phil with an added bonus of possibly beating Jason and take 1st overall.

A dusting of snow and temps in the upper 20s increased the adventure factor of the Backyard Burn Finale held yesterday at gorgeous Prince William Forest Park. Hundreds of athletes took on the challenge and braved the elements, running a course of wide fire roads, streamside single-track, and almost no pavement. In an all out effort to make one last push in this years series Phil and I set the bar high, but would we be able to meet it? Two weeks after I blew up in the NCR Trail Marathon, my training has been light, but I've continued to do the speed/track work every Wednesday morning. Is it enough? Am I rested? Did I eat too much turkey at Thanksgiving?

PRE-RACE/WARM UP
Another cold morning, but luckily registration and packet pick-up were inside a little shack this time. Since I had to be at my cousin's house for a XMAS brunch, I drove seperately this time allowing myself a few moments of zen and peace before I warmed up in the bitter cold. Today's race would prove to be a challenge from a competitor stand point. All the usual suspects had shown up along with Lawrence Buckley and Sean Ward. After Race #3's results (5 of the top 6 times all came from our Age Group M30-39) adding these two gentlemen would prove difficult. I must say, running these races has been great. Every week, we know who our competition is. We may not train together or run together, but we certainly race together. I'll be sad when it's all over, but for now...it's on! Again, I can't move up in the standings but as of right now I'm 2 for 2 against Phil and 1 for 2 against Vega. I would like to put another win under the old belt, but time will only tell. Today's course is hilly with some difficult patches, but nowhere near the last two races. It will come down to an all out effort to win.

RACE
The start of the race was downhill and if you've run with me or followed my race reports, I'm not the fastest starter in the world...especially if we're going downhill. However, if I can just keep everyone in sight I'll be OK and with the long wide trails at the top of the race this didn't prove too difficult. Jason had taken off at a quick pace with a pack of 5 runners including Phil and Vega close behind. Then Lawrence passed me too. My mantra was repeating over and over in my mind..."Just keep them in sight, Just keep them in sight...just keep..." I'm not sure if it was the rest or the marathon, but before too long I was catching back up to the pack. Luckily, what goes down must come up on this race course, and though I may not be the fastest man up a mountain, I'm certainly one of the faster guys up a hill. Hurray for HILLS!!! Slowly and methodically I picked up the pace and pushed up every hill. These guys all had almost 4 inches on me in height so there was no way I could out pace them on the flats so I pick and choose my moments to surge. We near the road and I had already passed Lawrence, then another guy who was probably a 5 miler, then it was just us. 100yds. or so ahead stood Micheal and Phil along with the kid who kept placing 1st in the M20-29 group. He had beaten all 3 of us every race thus far, but what today a different day? Maybe.

We darted back into the woods and the kid made his move. Phil and Vega kept close together and I was now only 10-20yds behind them. Should I make the move to catch the kid or stay behind my competitors? I stayed, figuring if I blow up chasing him, these two could over take me. Smart move? Yet to be determined. Phil and I both let Vega take the lead and force him to dictate the pace -- my strategy was to strike at the first moment of weakness. Stride after stride we were a pack of banshees in the woods flying past the occasional weekend warrior out for a hike. And then it happened, Vega pulled up. Concerned, Phil and I both called out to make sure he was alright and after a confirmation that he was OK, we made our move. It wasn't a sprint, but it was enough to force the issue...Michael was either sick or cramping and we took advantage. Step after step Phil and I assured ourselves we were carving out a lead, but then something happened. Ahead in the distance, not directly ahead where the kid was running, but further away in the forest I spotted Jason. JASON! what was he doing in my sites? Surely, something was wrong? Never at any point during our races did we see Jason this late in the race. He was struggling. He was struggling!!! I knew then and there that beating Jason was a possibility. I quickened the pace and passed Phil, but first things first -- I had to catch the kid. Branch, twig, turn, jump, corner...branch, twig, turn, jump corner...I was in a Super Mario Bros. game! Yet stride after stride I was gaining ground. What was once a 500yd. lead was no down to only 150 yds. I looked ahead across the stream and up the next hill - he was out sight but only just turned the corner. If I only knew how far away the finish was I could gauge my kick. I'm climbed to the top of the hill: left, right, left, right, lefffffffftttttt!!!!!!!!! Thump! was the sound my body made as it hit the forrest floor. And my only reaction at first was "Uhhhhhuhhhhuhhhuhhh!" The wind was knocked out of me, there was dirt all over and if I didn't know any better, my kneecap was busted. GOD DAMN BRANCH!!! For a split second I took my eyes off the path and clipped a stupid branch. As quickly as I could, I got back up and hobbled along the path. It was then that Phil crested the top and yelled at me to keep going. I WAS! -- at least as best as I could. What was once a diminishing lead quickly became an insurmountable obstacle. It was all for naught, yet I was pissed. 100yds later my body's adrenaline surged thru my veins and I was off. FUCK!!! I had him, I HAD HIM! Time was running out and I had no idea how much further to the finish line. I peeled around the corner and there it was: 1 mile to go. ONE MILE! Crap! It was too much and he was no where in sight, yet with two large hills looming, there was a chance. Puff after labored puff, my body surged up the hills, saw the bend toward the finish line and raced home. It was too late. The kid had already finished and I came in in a lonely 3rd place overall position. I turned and congratulated Jason on a great race and series and then turned at the last moment to see Vega surge past Phil at the very end. Vega had Phil's number and Jason had all of ours. In the end, the kid beat me by :39 and Jason by 1:21. Phil lost to Michael by :08. Next year...next year.

Next up: Colonial Williamsburg Half-Marathon: Feb. 22nd.

Kip Pierson
1:09:09
6:54 min/mile pace
3rd Overall
2nd in AG, M30-39

Overall Standings for the Series
1st - Jason Switzer 200pts.
2nd - Michael Vega 147pts.
3rd - Phil Schmidt 130pts.
4th - Kip Pierson 112pts. (not bad for only running 3 of 4 races)
5th - Jeffrey Furr 89pts.