surrounded by People's

Peoples is one of my favorite weekends of the year...usually.
This year for a variety of reasons, i drove there 'alone'.
'Alone' is a very relative term in the Grand Tree because as soon as you get there, you run into 20 people to talk and joke with before the race.
Like last year, this morning was humid. But unlike last year, the sun was behind the clouds and the temp was in the low 70's at race time and not the upper 70's.
I had started the season with the outside thought that maybe I could break an hour here. I had dropped 6 minutes from 2006 to 2007 and neither had any assemblance of training. I was planning on utilizing the Assault for a good training event (here are enough hills there to train with).
BUT, the last few weeks at work, and with clients and with the Bantams have only allowed me to train TWICE since July 4th. Could I still do an hour? Would I at least beat my 2007 time?
One of my mini-objectives was to attack the first 2.5 miles of hills. That last hill *could not* be attacked IMHO, but up until then should be to reduce my overall time.
And I was better on climbs this year. Made up 90 seconds versus 2007 and even more over 2006.
It probably needed to be more.
Once at the top, I had trouble swallowing snot again. The guy I was running near seem to have a similar problem. His comment: "yeah, i recognized that sound". We talked and he gave me some good advice about it as he indeed seemed to have something very similar (right down the the same meds). He and I stayed within eyesight of each other the whole race.
Split 3 was bad. But then again, the third mile was pretty bad. 13:08 for one mile. that might be OK for the 7 sisters, but after a 9:30 and a 9:08, the sub hour was probably lost there.
But i didn't know it because i missed split for 4 and I had hoped to make up some serious time attacking the level and the downs hard this year.
By the time i got to 5 at 49:00, the goal of a sub hour was really over.
Not unless i sprouted wings.
And I would find out later that the winner would already be done by then (no kidding).
Coming down the wash-out hill right after 5, i deftly avoided all really dangerous footfalls, then psychologically relaxed right at the bottom.
B - I - G mistake.
I kicked a very solidly placed boulder with my left foot and fell to my right - head first - right at another boulder. for some reason, my right leg got out in front of me and saved me literally inches from face plant and i merely fell to the side of the second stone.
body parts all intact, but my right toe either compressed the heck out of the both MP and IP joints or snapped somewhere. As I type this, it is throbbing and quite painful.
Not good.
Even with the lighning bolts in my toe and the toe further abused by jamming it into the front of the shoe while running straight downhill, my legs started to twtich a bit at 6 and certainly had nothing extra to give on the final straightaway. I could not have done better today even though I wanted to.
Finished 1:04:38, which is about 40 seconds per mile slower than I had hoped for but is a PR for this course by over a minute. Once again, my training volume and intensity seems to be at fault.
Post race, most people went to the river and numbed various body parts. It was *awesome*.
I ended up sticking around enough that I won some Snicker's bars for being the next remaining 40-49 male who hadn't already won something nor had departed for home.
And 286 GT points left to pick up somewhere.