The race courses for Friday and Saturday were pretty much the same. Saturday we basically ran Friday’s course backwards minus the climbing. Much to my relief, day two was a lot easier. My quads said, “Thank you very much!”

Don’t get me wrong-the paths were still narrow, and the declines were still steep. In fact, some of the twists had so little margin off the side you were best to walk than run. Otherwise, you’re the coyote flying off the side of the canyon while the road runner meeps along.

Lesson #3: Know your lane and your strengths. Don’t expect the same results when you’re out of them.

Canyons are cool for runners who can train properly. That doesn’t describe Florida runners. Even when you run on trails in Florida, they are flat. 

I had already figured that I should expect to run at least a minute slower per mile on average running on trails versus roads. I had hoped that I could average finishing each half in 2:20. 

Day 1: Not only were we running on trails…hold up. You ran when you could. There were some spots that were too steep or too twisty to run. I saw in the first mile my hopes were not going to be realized. The only thing to do was adjust.

Being outside your strengths does not mean you are destined to fail. You do not have to quit. Adjust and keep moving. You can finish, just not the way you envisioned.

Learning your lane and discerning your strengths is incredibly valuable. One way to do those two things is to press on when you find yourself in another lane with your weaknesses glaring. 

Relax. It’s part of growth. At the finish line, you’ll get a medal that whispers, “You grew today. Congratulations!”