.JPG)
Oakton senior Joe LoRusso admitted to having doubts about his race strategy almost as soon as the gun went off Saturday at the McDonald's Cross-Country Festival at Maymont Park in Richmond.
Before he could find his pace, a blur of bodies was already streaking past him.
Did he start too slowly? After all, the meet is one of the most prestigious on the East Coast, with a fast field. Perhaps the pace was too quick for him?
Two-thirds of the way through the race, LoRusso started to catch his second wind -- as well as the runners who had blown by him. A patient LoRusso picked them off one by one on his way to finishing in the top 15 and running a career-best time on the five-kilometer course.