Mountain reservoir at ~6,900 ft elevation, surrounded by pine forest at the edge of the Lincoln National Forest. Clear, calm water — not a river, not an ocean. No current.
Water temp: historically 63–64°F on this weekend. Cold. Wetsuit almost certainly required.
Roll out of Ruidoso village onto the highway heading east toward the small community of Hondo. Open Sierra Blanca views, mountain-desert terrain. Rolling hills, likely some exposure to wind and sun.
Elevation gain: expect meaningful climbs both directions. This is not a flat course.
Winds through the mountain village and scenic residential neighborhoods. Hilly — Ruidoso has no flat anywhere. Finish line is in the heart of Midtown, the walkable commercial heart of the village.
Expect: shade from pine trees in spots, exposed sun in others. Cool mountain air makes this easier than a Lubbock 10K.
Ruidoso sits at ~6,900 ft. Lubbock is ~3,200 ft. That's a 3,700-foot gain, and it affects performance. Aerobic capacity drops roughly 8–12% at this altitude for un-acclimatized athletes from low elevation. Translation: a pace that feels like Z2 in Lubbock will feel like Z3 in Ruidoso. Your legs won't know the difference; your lungs will.
Strategies that help: arrive 24–48 hours before the race (arriving 3–4 days out puts you in the peak altitude-sickness window, counterintuitively worse than arriving the day before). Hydrate aggressively from Wednesday on. Expect your heart rate to run 5–10 bpm higher than normal at any given pace. Adjust effort by RPE, not pace or HR targets.
Translation for race day: don't chase your Lubbock pace. Race the effort, not the watch.
Set your zones with the benchmark tests in Week 2 & Week 9. Until then, use RPE (perceived effort, 1–10) as your guide.
Daily carb targets scale with your current weight (edit at top of page). Detailed protocols for specific long sessions appear on those weeks. Numbers like this are personalized to your weight.