2013 Explore Your Limits 10k

The Mountain Junkies 2nd RNUTS Series race was at the Explore Park, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway South of Roanoke. This was the same location as the Into the Darkness night race I ran in last October. It was a chilly 30 degree morning and I got to the race way too early. I could sleep past 6:15am because of my anticipation for the run. So I got up and ate my normal pre-race breakfast of a banana and a slice of wheat bready with Nutella. After double checking my bag, I was out the door by 7:30am. The race wasn't starting until 9am, but I thought I would get there a little early since I needed to pick up my packet. I made really good time and got to the park just before 8am. So after picking up my race packet and pinning my number on my running jacket, I had a lot of extra time. I ended up sitting in my car for 25 minutes with the heat running.

 I started stretching around 8:30am and took a warm-up run for about 10 minutes. I decided to hit the port-a-johns one last time before the race and ended up standing in line for 15 minutes. After a quick pre-race meeting, we were off to the starting line just after 9am. The two races were started 10 minutes apart. The 10k racers would leave first and followed by the 5k runners shortly after. Since I wasn't trying to set any world records, I decided to fall into the middle of the 10k pack. Once the race was started, the first 0.5 mile was through pretty open grass fields and gravel roads. This gave everyone plenty of time to sort out their positions based on their pace.

 This was my first race wearing my New Balance MT10 minimalist shoes. If I would have known how many rocks and gravels would have been on the course's route, I may have decided against wearing the New Balance. The first mile went by really fast and my split was around 7:30. That was way too fast of a pace for me to stick with for this course. The next few miles went by without much excitement. I got into a good breathing rhythm and just let myself concentrate on foot placement.

 There were several nice hill climbs that really did a number on my legs. By the halfway point the course split for the 5k and 10k courses. It is sort of wrong for the 10k'ers to see the finish line knowing they still had over 3 more miles to go. Once the course went back into the woods, I got back into a good flow. By this time, the soles of my feet had taken a good pounding from the gravels and were starting to get a little sore. So I really started paying attention to every rock on the course.

 

I kept my pace pretty steady until I came to the last of the big hills on the course. I felt myself start to fade as soon as the incline started. I was just about to give up on running the hill when an awesome lady, who appeared to be in her 40's (not that her age matters at all), pulled up beside me and said, "we can do this"! We kept our slow trot up the hill, side by side, until she finally pulled away from me with 10 yards to go. She really help me get over the "feeling sorry for yourself" feeling that was beginning to set in at that stage of the run. I tried to find her after the race and thank her. But since I was really not in my right mind when I encountered her during the race, I wasn't 100% what she looked like a after the race was over.

After finishing that last hill, there was only a short distance to the finish line and my official time was 53:35, with my first 5k at 26:01 and my second 5k at 27:35. This was my personal best time for a 10k race, beating my previous best from January by 59 seconds. So setting my personal best time on a course that was much more difficult that the site of my previous record was very rewarding. I feel like I probably could have done a little better if I picked a better starting spot and didn't choose to be content and run behind several slower runners at the beginning of the race. This just gives me more incentive to do better in my next 10k.

Thanks to the Mountain Junkies for putting on another great race. They by far have the best post-race food and drinks. I enjoyed my post-race feast and a nice cup (or three) of hot coffee on a very cold morning! The next race on my schedule is a home game for me. The Montvale 10 Miler is scheduled for March 23rd and I am looking forward to running a race just minutes for my house.

2013 Frozen Toe 10k

For 2013, I decided to take part the Mountain Junkies RoanokeNon-Ultra Trail Series (RNUTS). This race series is made up of 6 trail races in the Roanoke area varying in lengths of 5k to 25k. I took part in some of the Mountain Junkies races last year and I had a great time. So, it only made sense to try and complete all the races in their series this year.

The first race of this series, the Frozen Toe 10k,  took part on Roanoke Mountain. The starting area was at a church behind the Outback Steakhouse off of Rt. 220, south of Roanoke. This race took place on January 5^th and it was a very chilly morning. The race distance was 10k and it covered a section of trails that I had never run before. Going into the race, I didn’t have any target finishing time. This was only my second trail 10k and the previous one was over 9 months in the past. So the plan was to run at a comfortable pace and finish the race.

The race was pretty uneventful, so I do not have a lot of details. The most exciting part of the race was right before the race started. Missy Bradley and I were talking about our new running shoes we had received for Christmas, when all the sudden the gun went off. I failed to start up my GPS watch and was not really ready to start running. Having no choice, I spent the first 0.5 mile trying to get my watching up and running.

With temperatures below freezing for the entire race, the Frozen Toe 10k was a very fitting name for this race. It was a really nice course and the conditions (other than the temperature) were great. I got set with a comfortable pace and the miles started ticking away. I got to the finish line with an official time of 54:34. This time was almost 4 ½ minutes faster than my previous trail 10k race. So I was pleased, even though I knew I could have pushed myself a bit more.

I was very glad to get to my car and start up the heat after this race. It was a great day of running and a great start to my racing year. I am looking forward to a great year of trail racing through the trails in the Roanoke area. The next stop on the series is the Explore Your Limits 5k/10k at the Explore Park off the Blue Ridge Parkway. I am looking to improve on my 10k PR time at the Explore Park in February.

2012 Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic 5k

 

This was my first repeat racing event since I started entering races a little over a year ago. For those that aren't familiar with this race, it is an annual run put on as a fund raiser for the Bedford YMCA. The course starts at the Bedford Middle School and routes runners around the famous "loop". Last year this was my second ever 5k race and I finished with a time of 24:50. Having run these roads hundreds of times in 2012, I was hoping to better my time this year.

 For once, I actually got to a race with enough time to actually warm up. I read some 5k racing guides online and all of these writings talked about how important it was to warm up for shorter races. So I made myself run at a decent pace down Longwood for about 10 minutes. I made it back to the starting line in enough time to get a decent spot in the crowd. I quickly spotted a friend, Travis Wingfield, right in front of me. After talking to him really quick, the race was off. I decided that I would stick with Travis as long as I could. I had written down mile times I needed in order to get a finishing time under 23:00. I had planned to stick with those splits all week leading up to the race and it took me 5 seconds to abandon them.

After setting a pace that was much faster than I anticipated, it was too late to change. I had to just do my best at keeping up the blistering (for me at least) pace. By the time I got to the infamous hospital hill, I was really feeling the burn in my legs. I was just concentrating on keeping my foot speed up. I had run this hill at least 50 times since last year's race, so I felt pretty confident I could get to the top without dropping off my pace too much. The good news was that I made it to the top at a pretty good rate; the bad news was that my legs felt like they were sticks of wood with bricks attached to the bottom.

 The next mile was spent trying to get my legs to speed back up to the rate they were turning over at the beginning of the race. With about 1/2 mile remaining, my legs were starting to loosen back up. I was glad because one last small incline to the middle school was still to come. I was able to finish this last section of the race fairly comfortably and I was happy to beat my last year’s time by 1 minute and 32 seconds. My official time was 22:12. This time didn't beat my best 5k time of 21:47 (which was set on a very flat cross country style course last August), but it was fast enough to get me 3rd in my age group.

 Even though I was very happy with my performance in the 5k, the highlight of my race day was still yet to come. Eli and Coy were both taking part in the kids' 1/4 mile run. They were both so excited when I gave them their "numbers" the night before. We pinned them to their sweatshirts that night and had all their running gear laid out for the morning. By the time the kids race was about to start, I ended up with the boys so that I could encourage Coy and get him to stay at the starting line. I could not have been more proud of my boys that morning. It is not that I want my boys to be successful in sports; I want them to be willing to try anything and do always do their best.

 

 

 Just before the start of the race, Coy spotted Mommy about 20 yards in the distance, trying to get some pictures. He decided that he was going to go hang out with her, so he took off. Just then, the race organizer reached out and grabbed his shirt. While trying to be helpful, Josh scared Coy and he started balling. Now we were down to one runner! With Coy out of the race, I could pay a little more attention to Eli. I believe he has inherited his Mommy and Daddy's competitiveness. Once the race was started, he definitely had his game face on (except when Mommy was taking pictures, of course). Eli completed his lap around the middle school parking lot while running 100% of the time. As I ran past Anna and Coy, I stopped and helped Coy at least finish the race. He was in a much better mood by this time.

 Eli and Coy both finished the race and received medals. They were so proud, but not as proud as their parents. It is so much more rewarding to see your children excel at something, than anything I can personally accomplish. This is a feeling that I believe only parents can understand. I look forward to having many more experiences like these with Eli and Coy. So all in all, the 33rd annual Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic 5k was a great time and I look forward to taking part in the race for years to come.

 

It's been a while....

I took a little break from my blog for the past few months. December is always very busy with the holidays and Eli's birthday. Then Coy's birthday was in January. I took the time enjoy my family and not worry about my next post. During this time I have ran in 3 different races. I had race recaps written, but I never posted them. In preparation for this weekend's Montvale 10 Miler, I am will be trying to catch up on my previous race posts. I am going to try to be a more consistent blogger in the coming months (I think I have said that before!).

Richmond Half Marathon Review

I had been waiting for this race for quite a while. Having registered in March, the Richmond Marathon seemed so far in the future. I actually registered for this half marathon prior to running my first one in April. After the Charlottesville half marathon, I backed off my weekend long runs through the summer. I wanted to be able to spend more time with the family on the weekends and I didn’t have any long distance races in the near future. I told myself that I would start back with my longer runs when the Richmond race got close. Well sometimes life gets in the way. Between the Virginia 10 Miler in September and the Richmond race, I managed to only get one 8 mile or longer run completed. Even though I was still putting in 20 to 25 miles a week, I didn’t feel like I was as prepared for my second half marathon as I was for my first.

 

To make matters even more complicated, after reading “Born to Run”, I decided that I needed to tweak my running form. I wanted to stop being such a “heel striker” and run more on my forefoot. I haven’t really discussed this change with anyone. It has been something I have been slowly doing on my daily runs. I first started running with my “new” form for the first 10 minutes of my runs. Once the soreness in my calves wore off, I made myself go add a few more minutes of my changed running style. I built up the ability to run on the balls of my feet for my entire 4 mile treadmill runs. My legs didn’t agree with my new running style, but the soreness finally went away and my legs have never felt stronger. Just a couple weeks ago, I ran a 8 mile run in Bedford while exclusively using my new form. Even though I was able to do the 8 miles, I knew my legs were not going to be able to handle the new form for 13.1 miles. So I didn’t know exactly “how” I was going to mix my two running styles in order to make the full half marathon in Richmond.

With these two issues weighing heavy on my mind, the family and I set off to Richmond for the weekend. Since I knew we had to travel and pick up my race packet on Friday, I went ahead and took a day of vacation to give us plenty of time. Our friend Haley was nice enough to let us crash at her house in Richmond for the weekend. This allowed us to save a lot of money on our travel plans. So after sleeping for a couple hours on an air mattress and a few more hours on a couch, my alarm went off at 6:00 AM on Saturday morning. I jumped right out of bed, got dressed, and ate my normal pre-run breakfast of a banana and Nutella on a slice of wheat bread. Haley was also nice enough to wake up early and drop me off near the race’s starting line.

 

After walking a couple of blocks to the starting area, my next concern was trying to find the bag drop off area. I brought along a backpack with a dry set of clothes to wear after the race and my cell phone to call Anna if I couldn’t find her after the race. It was in the 30’s on Saturday morning and I was not too happy about getting rid of my fleece jacket 20 minutes before the race, but I knew I would get too hot running with it on. So with 20 minutes to go before the start of the race, I was down to my long sleeve shirt, shorts, socks, shoes, a beanie, and gloves. I don’t know if it was the nerves or the temperature, but I was definitely getting a little case of the “shakes”, while waiting for the start.

By 7:15, I had made my way to my starting group “C”. I still had 19 minutes until my wave started the race, but I knew I wanted to go ahead and get a spot before it got really crowded. The next 19 minutes seemed to take forever. The combination of nerves, cold temperatures, and anticipation didn’t make the time go by any faster. Finally at 7:30, the first wave of half marathoners was released and we started walking closer to the start line. From this point on, my nerves seemed to calm down and I was able to start enjoying the experience. At 7:34, I was off!

The first few miles were straightest, flattest miles I have ever run. I was excited about this race because of the lack of elevation change, but this was starting out more flat than I could ever have imagined. The downside to the flat route was the fact that I wanted to run faster than I should have been running. After a quick check of my pace on my watch, I had to make myself back down a little. I was running in the low 7 minute per mile pace and I knew that was way too fast at this point. Even though I made myself slow down my first mile was covered in 7 minutes and 53 seconds. Seeing this time, I made myself slow down even more. I ignored the other runners’ around me and started to enjoy the surrounds. Running down Broad Street, there were plenty of things to see and this helped me get through the next few miles.

After settling in on a good pace in the 8 minute per mile range, the next few miles seemed to go by very fast. Before I knew it, we were heading into Bryan Park. Somewhere in the park would be the halfway mark and this gave me a really good feeling. Around 55 minutes into my run, I started to eat the Gu gel pack that I had in the pocket of my shorts. Thanks to my friend Lindsey for providing me with a couple gel packs at the packet pick-up area on Friday! I slowly finished off the gel pack over the next mile of running. I don’t really like eating the gel packets, but I knew it would help me finish the last few miles strong.

Through the entire course of the race, I passed a number of special needs people being pushed in large strollers. There were teams of 4-5 people taking turns pushing these individuals through the entire half marathon course. The names of the riders were written on poster board and hung on the side of their rides. The combination of the bravery these individuals showed by taking part in the race and the determination of the team of runners helping these people was very inspiring. It was very hard for me to feel sorry for myself 8 miles into a race when possessed the physical ability to run. I made sure to encourage each of the riders by name and also say a few words of encouragement to all the running teams. Seeing these groups of people working together to bring someone else so much enjoyment was very moving. It was truly one of the most inspiring parts of the entire race.

The extraordinary people were not only limited to the runners and riders taking part in the race. There were countless numbers of bystanders that were very encouraging. There were many shouts and cheers that helped keep my feet moving. There were also many creative signs with various phrases and messages. Of course I cannot remember most of them now! I do remember one lady holding up a sign that read, “Hit here for extra energy”. I definitely switched sides of the road just to hit her sign. It didn’t work, but at least it took my mind off running for a few seconds.

Around mile 10, I hit a wall! I knew it was coming. I had set a very fast pace for myself and it had finally caught up with me. I didn’t have any pains anywhere, I was just fatigued. I was having a hard time keeping my feet turning over like they were for the first 10 miles. I knew if I wanted to post the time I was shooting for, I needed to keep my pace the same as it had been all race. I knew the last half mile of the race was downhill to Brown’s Island, so I just kept telling myself that there was only a little bit left. Rounding one of the final turns, there was a gospel band going to town on a stage just off the course. This was very uplifting and their Godly words of encouragement were just what I needed.

 

Before I knew it, I was heading downhill! The end was near and I tried to finish strong. The downhill section was more difficult that I had imagined though. My top half wanted to go faster than my bottom half could muster. So I had this feeling that I was going to fall on my face! I finally found a comfortable speed to maintain as the finish line came into sight. I had done it! I come across the line in 1 hour 49 minutes and 33 seconds. My time was just under the 1:50, which was my goal. I was very excited about reaching the goal I had set for myself even though I didn’t put in the training I had wanted to do. I was able to run about 75% of the race with my new running form. I had to revert to some bad running form a few times because my calf muscles were beginning to get very tight.

After making it to Brown’s Island, I quickly found the food. I must eat right away after long runs or I will get light headed very quickly. I was able to get a banana and a slice of Papa John’s pizza in my system. I had not seen Anna and the boys at the finish line. So I was trying to keep an eye out for them. After about 15 minutes, I was starting to get pretty cold from my wet clothes. I decided to make my way to the bag pick-up area and get my dry clothes and cell phone. I was finally able to call Anna and they ended up being less than a block away. We went back to Brown’s Island and enjoyed some more food and music.

The Richmond Marathon has been coined as “America's Friendliest Marathon”. After my experience this past weekend, I believe that is a valid description. Whether it was the volunteers, the bystanders, or the other runners, everyone was very hospitable and encouraging. Hopefully I will be able to take part in this race weekend again in the future. Now it is on to the next race for me. I just have to figure out what that race is going to be.

Last Thoughts Before Richmond

Well, it is almost here. Tomorrow I will be running in my second half marathon. It has been over 7 months since I ran in the Charlottesville half marathon. I do not feel as ready for this one as I did for the Charlottesville race. I have felt more like watching cartoons with Eli and Coy, instead of going on the longer Saturday morning runs. I am not stressing out about it though because my boys are only going to be this size once and there will be plenty more races to train for in the future. Eventhough I have not put in some of the longer runs I should have been doing, I have been getting plenty of miles in each week. I have really given my legs rest this past week, so hopefully they will feel great tomorrow morning.

Good luck to everyone running in Richmond this weekend. There is going to be so many people in these races, I am not sure I will get a chance to see everyone. Hopefully I will be posting a new PR this weekend, but if I don't....there is always next time!

Now I need to start packing!

Anthem’s Into the Darkness Night Trail Race

I competed in a very unique race a couple weeks ago. It has taken me a little while to get a summary writen down. The race took place at the Virginia Explore Park off the Blue Ridge Parkway, just south of route 24. The starting time was what made this race different. The start times were just after 7:00 PM. That meant that all runners had to carry a light source to use on the trails while running in the dark. The race is one of the Mountain Junkies races and I think the purpose is to get more people running on trails, even if that means at night.

Luckily I already had a decent Petzl LED headlamp that I got for Christmas about 10 years ago. I probably should have tested out the headlamp on a trail prior to the race. I just verified that the light worked and replaced the batteries with a fresh set. I also decided to carry a small flashlight, just in case my headlamp went out while I was in the middle of the woods. Other than these lights, I didn’t carry any additional equipment. The race was only 4 miles, so there was no need to bring any water.

Anna and the boys were taking Anna’s mother out to dinner for her birthday, so I was solo on this race trip. It was sort of weird to run in a race with 500 other runners and not knowing anyone. Since I was alone, I actually go to the race earlier than I usually do. I had time to go for a little warm up run. I was sort of worried about not knowing the course at all. I had been to the Explore Park about 15 years ago. My cousin Doug and I went to a mountain bike festival there, but we didn’t even get to get on the trails that day because there were multiple races being run. So, I was definitely going into this race blind.

Once under way, my only thought was where my next foot step was going to land. I quickly regretted not testing out my light on an actual trail prior to the race. Apparently they have greatly improved LED headlamps in the past 10 years, because my light was about half as bright as everyone else’s. This probably wouldn’t have been an issue if I was on the trail alone and my eyes could adjust to my single dim light. But with so many other runners out there with bright lights, my eyes were constantly trying to adjust to a number of different light brightness levels.

The first mile of the course was mostly downhill on a somewhat paved road. There were some major potholes in the road, so I had to be very careful with my foot place during this part also. The path of the road went down close to the Roanoke River. Of course, I forgot to start my watch at the start line. So my plan of adjusting my pace as finish line approached was blown. Now I was not going to know exactly how far was left. I had an idea when I was on going to be on the last mile, but that was going to be about it.

From that point the path turned to a somewhat wide dirt path for another 0.5 mile. Since there had been so much open room at the start of the race, the group had shuffled itself out pretty well. I found a couple runners whose pace was very suitable to mine and they had good headlamps! I think I actually watched the path through other’s headlamps more than mine. By this time we had made it to some more difficult single track. There were lots of rocks and roots that made it very tricky to get good footing.

All of the sudden a root jumped out of nowhere and tripped me. Luckily I was able to catch myself with my hands before my body made an impact. I was not as lucky with the second root that decided to hide from me. I tripped and hit the ground pretty hard on my right shoulder. I was able to sort of barrel roll back on my feet pretty quickly. I lost about 10 yards on my pacers in front of me. I decided to check out my knees because I could feel liquid running down my legs. This was a bad idea because I immediately was taken down by another root that decided to jump out in front of me. I hit ground again! I rolled once again to my feet pretty quickly and decided that I would just wait until the end to assess my damaged knees.

The next 2 miles went by very quickly because I was so concentrated on no falling any more. I was not running at my fast possible pace, because I didn’t know how much more hill climbing was left. Since my watch’s distance was not really any help, I decided to just stay at my current pace until I definitely knew how much was left in the race. The finish line really snuck up on me. At the top of one of the hills, we popped out of the woods and back onto an asphalt road and I could see the finish line about 50 yards away. I definitely had a lot left in the tank because I was able to sprint the rest of the way pretty comfortably.

I finished with a time of 36:16.51. That time put me 81^st out of 513 runners and walkers and 12^th out of 31 in my age group. I was pretty happy with this time, even though I knew I could have done a little better if I was more prepared for the course. After doing a quick check on my knees, I only had a few scraps and scratches. I must have only been feeling sweat running down my legs and not blood. I later found a nice large bruise on my left hip. I didn’t even notice it until the next day, so it was not hurting too bad.

All in all, the night trail race was a great experience. I would greatly encourage people to take part in one of the Mountain Junkies races. They really put on a well-organized event and have plenty of good food and drinks afterward. My next race will be the Richmond Half Marathon in November. So I need to start getting some longer runs in until then. My trail racing is finished for the year, while I turn my attention to the road races I have left.