Mount Tabor 8M Trail Race + Attitude

Saturday morning I ran the Mount Tabor 8M Trail Race in Dallas, GA. I have not done a very good job of training consistently recently, so I went into this race underprepared. I did run 10 miles on the road last weekend, so I knew I could at least run the distance without a problem.

I went into this race knowing I was not planning to “race” – it was just for fun. That meant I started slower than normal, didn’t stress about my pace, and just tried to stay on my feet. That didn’t last long, since I fell twice in the first mile (it was a very rocky, technical course) – but the fall was relatively harmless and I jumped back up immediately (both times) and started running again. =)

I noticed the difference my attitude made in this race. When I fell, I didn’t let it bother me, I laughed at myself and brushed it off. When I was running too hard up a hill and wanted to stop, I just backed off the pace and didn’t let myself walk. That meant I made it to the finish line with a smile and really enjoyed the race! Nothing earth shattering, but just a reminder that your attitude makes a HUGE difference in running.

I filmed a quick video after the race just to share my thoughts at the moment:

I also took a few short videos of the trail during the race, but I’ll spare you since they made me seasick to watch. 🙂 I’ll try to figure out how to capture that without too much jostling in the future.

The best surprise was finding out I placed 2nd in my age group – just 30 seconds or so behind 1st place! Taking home hardware was not in the plans today, but oh so much fun. 🙂

Before I close for today, just wanted to say a quick CONGRATULATIONS to Tina, who did an awesome job at her first marathon this weekend!

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Questions for you:

• Did you race this weekend? How did it go?
• Catch me up on your weekend – what was your favorite part?
• Have you had an experience where you’ve realized how important your attitude is?