Running Down the Dream: Run with the Wind 25k

The short:

I ran Run with the Wind in 2023, 2022, 2015, 2012, and 2010, so you'd think I'd have figured out how to race it by now, but I have never been able to finish strong and this year was no different - though finishing strong with 5 miles against the wind and uphill is relative I guess! I ran 10 miles of the race with my running buddy Sally, but she had more in the tank in the final 5 and I also settled a bit when I lost contact. I was hoping I could average under 7:00 pace, and I did that with a 6:56 average. By some miracle it seems I ran a slight negative split (6:56.3 average for the first 7 miles, 6:54.9 average for the final 7 full miles), which is quite challenging on this elevation profile. I ended up 3rd overall female, 1st masters female, and with a new state record for the 25k in 1:48:01. This was the second fastest I've run at this race, and the fastest I've run from Carthage to Sarcoxie, which is the harder direction with a net uphill.

My state record will be here.

My Strava activity is here.

Mid-race smiles

It's hard both directions, but this one is harder!

The long:

I updated this bit from my 2022 race recap; it is still very accurate:

I've run this race 5 times previously, which was enough to know that 1) you never actually have a tailwind the entire way, 2) it's hilly, and 3) 25k state records are generally easily attainable since it's not a common race distance. The race organizers announce the night before the race which direction it will run, and this year was Carthage to Sarcoxie, which means primarily a south and east route. The northwest wind was behind us going south and we had a headwind going east.

Sally rode to the race with me and we had a great time on drive. The race had a bus this year, which was a nice update! We parked at the finish in Sarcoxie, picked up our packets, and boarded the bus bound for the starting line. The bus was supposed to depart at 8:00, but it left nearly 30 minutes late and we arrived at the Carthage starting area less than 20 minutes before the 9:05 start. We dropped our bags, used the bathroom, and jogged as much as we had time for which was about 1.25 miles. I'd have liked to get in at least 2 miles plus drills and strides, but what can you do? I was very cold on the warm up (the wind chill was 7*!) and questioned if I should have put on a thicker shirt, but there wasn't time.

Sally and I planned to run together, knowing that one of us would likely feel stronger at some point, much like at Bass Pro. The woman who beat me at this race last year (Katie) was in it again, so I expected she would be tough to beat, but I also thought Sally and I had an advantage working together. From the gun, one male took out hard, then Katie, then a few other men, and next Sally and me. I planned to run by effort and wanted to go out conservatively, fearing the hills from past experiences. Sally and I chatted and relaxed. After a few miles, we started passing men. I told Sally she had to tell me when we passed 5 miles so I could take a gel, because I didn't want to look at my watch and the course didn't have mile markers.

Rural racing at its finest

The miles passed quickly and the hills didn't seem as bad this year, despite this being the harder direction on this course. I could tell Sally felt better than me for most of the race and she was pulling me along. Before I knew it we were halfway, we had passed all of the men between us and Katie, and we could see that we were maintaining pretty steady with Katie. Sally gapped me a bit going up a hill around mile 8 or 9, and I caught back up going down it but could tell that she was itching to go get Katie. I encouraged her to go chase her down, and hoped I could hang on.

Me hanging on

We took a turn onto the final long stretch heading east into the wind. You can also see by the elevation chart that 10 to the end is a long net incline. Sally gapped me again and this time I couldn't close it. I watched her pull farther away from me and closer and closer to Katie over the next few miles. I got a little complacent running alone, into the wind, and uphill, but I stayed pretty steady with just a slight slow down - but if it hadn't been uphill I think I'd have been consistent. I wish someone with Strava premium had been on this run because I've love to know my GAPs!

Final couple of miles

I was thankful when I saw Sally turn left and knew the final half mile was in sight. I stayed steady through the finish but now wish I'd have kicked because I ran 1:48:01 (1:47:59 just seems a lot better!). I was pleasantly surprised to see my time because I'd only broken 1:50 on that course once before, and that was going the easier direction. Once I learned that Sally ran her final 5 miles in the 6:30s, I felt a lot better about my performance because I hadn't been fading so much as she had been hammering! I don't know official splits or my 7.75 mile time, but my average for my last 7 full miles was a tiny bit faster than my average for the first 7 full miles, which I have definitely never done at this race - so, progress. I have never run a stellar pace relative to my fitness in this race, so I am happy enough with this one! My perfect day would have been the race that Sally had, but I'm glad I didn't have a bad day like last year.

Finish

Post-race we enjoyed soup and snacks while waiting for the awards. I ended up getting 4 awards: 1st in my age group, top female age-graded performance, state record, and something else. This was a fun low-key race and I look forward to the next - which will surely be flatter!