Stapleton XC CMRA Colorado State Championship

As usual the CMRA put on another great race.
I've been excited for this one. Everything I found and everyone I talked to said it would have a 'true cross country' feel. So I've been anxiously waiting to be able to wear spikes and get dirty.

-Breakfast
>BumbleBar with peanut butter and coconut oil
>a small chunk of a caffeine pill (~25 mg)

I got to Stapleton Central Park at around 9:15. The sun was shining by then but it was still below 40 so I kept all my layers on for my warmup. Before heading out of the car, I drank my last mouthful of water and took about 100 mg of caffeine (half of a pill).
The race started in an open field, which backed up their 'true cross country' claim. As everyone jostled for positions I stayed relaxed and focused on keeping my form perfect and not stumbling or wasting energy in the 5" of snow that covered this stretch. -That move paid off more than anything else during this race. At the half mile mark I was in about tenth place.
Once we got to the first hill the snow thinned out and I started my race. After a few more small, rolling hills we hit the mile mark and I had moved up to 8th place. Miles two through three were on packed snow over single track trail which made passing much harder, and after almost getting hip-checked off a boulder during the back stretch while trying to pass someone I decided to wait it out again. Once we hit the end of the first loop (6k; half way done), we headed back into the powder and I passed another three people in the next half mile and started feeling like a real competitor. Over the rolling hills of the next mile I caught the guy in fifth and passed him on a turn, then the guys in third and forth shortly after in the powdery back-stretch.
As I came around the final turn I saw the second place guy ahead of me but it was way too late to catch him. Still, I kicked as hard as I could thinking maybe he'd trip or run off the course alowing me to make up the ground. Obviously that didn't happen.
But a 3rd place finish is good enough for now, and I was only 50 seconds behind the guy in first -a guy who's 5k PR is probly more than a minute faster than mine.
Can't wait to hit the training for a few weeks before the (road) 5k on January 7th.

thoughts going into the Xterra Marathon of Trail Races

I'm extremely excited about the trail marathon this weekend! and with another rugged, trail marathon coming up on November 5th, this weekend will be a great chance to master my game-plan and develop myself as a trail runner.
as far as pre-race food goes, the plan is almost identical to my last few races, but during the race I'm trying something new to attempt to avoid gastric problems, and the crash i had at Bear Creek.

dinner: bacon cheese burger and a late salad, along with a lot of water
breakfast plan: strong awake tea with hemp milk and ginger, and one piece of Life Bread with organic, creamy peanut butter and virgin coconut oil

during the race:
-S!Caps (electrolyte pills) at around miles 5, 14, and 21
-half a caffeine pill at miles 10 and 20 (100 mg each)
-plain water or very diluted gatorade throughout*

I'll probly end up with well under 100 calories taken in during the race, for better or worse. my high-fat diet along with Vespa will stop me from burning through my glycogen too quickly, so energy shouldn't be a problem for marathon distance, even if it has more than 3000 feet of gain.. hopefully.
*I've never had a hydration goal, but I've also never taken in enough fluids, so this time the goal is to take in at least 60 ounces of water during the race. so i need to fill my bottle at three aid stations per lap and down it in between.

I'm not planning to go out too hard, but I'm also not going to leave anything left in the tank. I'd rather crash than feel like i wasted a race. plus, this one is 5 miles shorter than a 50k... my number one goal for this race is to get my hydration/electrolytes dialed in. if that happens, i should have a great day... i have no time goal, but a top-5 finish at a race like this would be a good step forward...

I'm planning on trying the pills and the pre-race meal during my run tomorrow. if that goes well, I'll be confident about race day.