I ran the Red course at NEOC's Breakheart meet, set by Alex Jospe, and a US Team fundraiser. I helped out a bit in the morning - procured refreshments, brought registration equipment, and worked the meet for about an hour.
I ran aggressively; I wanted to win every split and to have a clean race, though I didn't set out a specific objective for this course. Trail options were plentiful, and I was not quite as effective taking them as I should have been. I took a dumb route to 2 (and realized it even as I began it); I should have run to the trail on the right. On the way to 3, I drifted farther to the north than I planned because of an aversion to climb; I meant to run south of the marsh halfway through the leg. I hesitated near the circle at 5, though I was pretty confident of my location. I checked the wrong boulder at 12 at first, and initially thought I was on a different road on my way to 13. Overall, I was precise and clean, and I kept the intensity reasonably high. I felt sluggish running on the trails; I didn't have the spring in my step that I'm used to. I managed to win the course, though some of the usual suspects were absent, organizing, or running different courses.
I glanced at my watch after 12 and realized sub 50 was attainable, so I kicked into a high gear for 14, 15, and the finish. I startled a few innocent bystanders when I busted out of a swamp onto the road at full speed.
Note: I am very sad to hear of Daniel Hubmann's Achilles tear at the EOCs; he is a titan, and it is devastating to see them fall.
Quickroute