When I signed up for the trail half marathon that I ran yesterday, I really did not know what to expect. Sure, I have run the trails at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach; but not very regularly. I am much more a city girl, pavement runner. It was the inaugural running of the race & there would be a cap at 150 participants. I quickly signed up when the registration was released & just decided I’d give it a go with zero expectations. On my marathon training plan, I simply put in a time goal of “FINISH”.
On the night prior to the race, I attended the Kick Off Party hosted by Running Etc. for the 2014-2015 Ambassador Program. This year, they selected 28 avid & enthusiast runners to promote & support the local running store. Following the event, I enjoyed a yummy dinner with my hubby Scott, as well as my running partner Julie & her hubby John at Croc’s. Conversation & great company certainly did not lack at dinner either! After a glass of sangria at the party, plus a bowl of Mediterranean pasta & a tasty mojito at dinner, I was done for the night & ready for a good night’s sleep.
Race morning was supposed to start with a 6:45 am alarm. However, my silly little 2.5 year old monkeys decided 6:30 am would be a better time to awake that morning. After having a few minutes of family time, I headed towards the North End of the Oceanfront. En route, my pre-race breakfast consisted of a Larabar ALT Protein bar & a banana. Just like the days prior to the race, I pushed a ton of fluid. The big dilemma while I drove to the race was that I had forgotten any cash & so I would not be able to park inside the state park. I ended up parking on the road & had a 1.45 mile warm-up to the starting point. This certainly wasn’t a race or kind of day that needed any big warm-up, especially not almost 15 minutes worth. I arrived to the start with about 15 minutes to spare—just enough to dry my sweat & get a swig of water.
Prior to race morning, I had been talking with my runner friend & fellow RRCA Certified Running Coach, Lesleyanne about running together. We both had the same goal for the race—simply finish. After a quick chat, the gun went off & off we went.
The first mile of the course is on a paved road, specifically the same road I had just run into the park through. After that point, you turn off into the trails & don’t return to that exact spot until mile 12, which then completes the course with the mile back to the start. Once on the trails, there was minimal crowding & after about the 3 mile point, we saw very few runners. During mile 2, there was a good amount of mud to dart over, but surprisingly, that was all for the icky mud that day (thank goodness!). At about the 5K point of the race, I knew it was going to be a long day (for me though, I was nearly at 8K for my running of the day).
Mile 1 – 9:10
Mile 2 – 9:25
Mile 3 – 10:38
The next couple of miles ticked past very slowly. There was tons of sand to trudge through & lots of hills to maneuver over. Strangely enough, I really enjoyed the hills. It kept my mind alert & my feet moving. I was anxious though when my quads began to burn that maybe I had made a mistake by signing up for the Richmond Full, since I have heard there are a good amount of hills. However, I pushed those fears to the back of my mind & decided to enjoy the trail day.
Mile 4 – 10:08
Mile 5 – 10:41
Mile 6 – 10:26
Getting to mile 7 seemed like an eternity. While I wasn’t uncomfortable or really struggling, I had come to the realization that this certainly wouldn’t be a 2 hour half marathon (the random “realistic” goal Lesleyanne & I had said we’d shoot for at the start). The average pace at the completion of mile 6 was exactly 10:00 (which would translate to a 2:11 half marathon). Sometime between miles 7-8, Lesleyanne started to complain about ear popping & water in the ears feeling. Whether it was the elevation or something more serious, my nursing skills kicked into high gear. I have had a similar sensation during an intense speed session & knew how I had felt then. Our goal continued to be, just finish.
Mile 7 – 11:05
Mile 8 – 12:31
Shortly before arriving at the 8 mile marker & then subsequent aid/water station, I believe we took our 1st walk break (I forget the exact place). We did enjoy a little “paparazzi” time & grabbed a photo of each other running. Hey, this was supposed to be a fun run, right?! Just like the prior two water stations, the volunteers were amazing & so supportive! This station was extra nice though, because Drew (the Running Etc. ambassador program coordinator), had Sports Beans for me. Woohoo! We rested at this aid station for about 5 minutes chatting, while Lesleyanne took her fuel. We then walked for about ½ mile & enjoyed the bliss an ice cold towel provided.
The next 3 miles were physically tough on my sweet running friend. I would be there until the end though! My mantra: “No (wo)man left behind”! We did some running, then some walking, then running with walking up hills. We stopped to take pics of the beautiful scenery at the top of one particular hill. Two other sweet ladies joined in too for that photo op. One of them called me a great cheerleader, which of course made me blush. I was proud to still be feeling so physically strong—which gave/gives me hope for Richmond. But I felt incredibly sympathetic for the people around me struggling. There really is no way to determine just how you’ll feel & perform in those circumstances. The heat & humidity in VA is NO JOKE. Even the well-trained athlete can have an off day! On the road & in other situations, Lesleyanne is definitely quicker than me. Everyone just has off days & we definitely can’t beat ourselves up!
Mile 9 – 14:36
Mile 10 – 11:15
Mile 11 – 20:23
With 2 miles to go, we took off & ran continuously to the finish line. I was super proud of my running buddy for pulling through & running the final couple of miles.
Mile 12 – 12:45
Mile 13 – 10:10
Official ½ Marathon Time: 2:33.11 (11:41 average pace) – my Garmin was only a second off of the official time
Overall Distance for the Day: 14.55 miles (11:28 average pace)
Temperature: 77F with 83% humidity (71F dew point)
While this certainly was my slowest half marathon, time-wise, there really is NO {zero, zilch, nil, none, nada!} comparison between the pavement & the trails. I found myself simply enjoying the scenery & camaraderie that accompanied the race. I kept up with my hydration (slowly drank a 16.9oz. bottle of water with 2 Nuun tablets over the first 8 miles; in addition to drinking at each water stop) & electrolytes (took a total of 3 SaltStick caps) on a VERY hot morning. I think staying on top of this helped with warding off any icky feeling after the race, although I did get that annoying headache (thanks Advil for helping clear that up!).
Following the race, I enjoyed the post-race party at O’Leary’s, including 2 pork BBQ sandwiches, some Mac-N-Cheese, & some salty Lays chips. Yummmmm! Overall, the race was great!! Great job & many thanks to all of the volunteers & fellow runners! The only 2 recommendations I would have for next year, which I heard many other people echo as well, would be to add 2 additional water stops & start the race earlier than 8:30 am.
Up Next For The Running Blonde: Continuing with the Summer Series each Tuesday in July, including a 5K on July 29th. Next big race will be the Rock ‘n Roll ½ Marathon on the final day of August
Have you ever completed a trail half marathon? If so, how did your time compare to road racing?
Have you ever stuck with a running buddy who was having a tough day? If so, what encouraging words helped to get them through?
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