On Sunday I participated in my third Blacksburg Classic 10 Miler. The race was originally supposed to be held on February 15, but it got postponed due to snow.

I didn’t have the best day, but it wasn’t my worst time either. Although, I should mention that my slowest 10 mile time was at the Virginia 10 Miler and I ran 6 miles prior to that race. But I digress. I finished Sunday’s race in 1:46:40. I would have liked to have run under 1:40, since I have never broken 1:40 in a 10 mile race. I feel like it’s something I’m definitely capable of doing. 

One thing I love about the Blacksburg Classic is that it’s a local race. It’s on the smaller side, the logistics are very simple since we only live about 30 minutes away, and parking is never a problem. Barry and I arrived about 40 minutes before the start of the race.  It was in the mid-50’s and looked like rain.

I bumped into Anita, and later linked up with her and Glenda prior to the race. Last year, I ran most of the Blue Ridge Half Marathon with Glenda and Anita, and we ended up running together at the Classic as well.

From the 2013 Blue Ridge HM

There were a few pre-race announcements, and then shortly after 1PM they sent us on our way. From the start I felt off, but sometimes it takes me a few miles to settle in. So I just stuck with Anita and Glenda and enjoyed catching up with them. The race starts with a loop through a neighborhood, a short stint on the Huckleberry Trail, another smaller neighborhood loop, and then an out and back on the Huckleberry Trail before finishing at the elementary school.

I continued to feel off throughout the whole race. My stomach was bothering me and at times I felt dizzy. I’m not sure what was going on, but the way I felt kept me from taking in any fuel. I sipped on water, but couldn’t stomach anything else. There are no porta potty’s or restrooms along the race course, but had there been I would have paid it a visit.

It rained lightly on and off throughout the race. We also dealt with some pretty strong winds at times. There was one point where the wind blasted straight into our faces, blowing dirt from the gravel road alongside the trail into our eyes, and making us look like we were just running in place. We did have a few spots where that wind was at our backs, though. During the out and back portion on the Huckleberry Trail, I saw Barry heading back.

Barry had a solid day and finished the race in 1:17:24, less than a minute off of his PR. In true Barry fashion, he came back to collect me after finishing his own race. He caught up with me, Anita, and Glenda as we came up one of the last hills in mile 9. I stuck with Anita and Glenda the whole race and they really kept me going.

Me, Glenda, and Anita during mile 9

That last mile felt very long, as it often does. There is one final, gradual incline and then it’s on to the finish. I focused on running steady and picking it up as much as I could to the finish line.

I crossed the finish line in 1:46:40, which is a 10:40/mile pace. Not my best, but I am really happy that I did not take any walk breaks during the race. Just after I crossed the finish line it started to rain steadily, but it only lasted for a brief time. I grabbed some water, and Barry and I headed inside to the school gym for post-race food and to watch the awards ceremony (there is also a 5K associated with the race). They had a large spread including bagels, fruit, homemade baked goods, granola and Chewy bars. I grabbed two orange slices and half a banana.

We hung out for a bit and watched the awards. The New River Valley area is very deep when it comes to the talent of its runners, and it’s amazing to hear the top 3 times in each age group. Especially for a race that has only 230 runners total. 

Overall, I’m glad that I got in a decent amount of time running on rolling hills. With two other races coming up these next two weekends, it may be good that I didn’t feel up to running harder. I’m not sure what caused me to feel so bad. Maybe there was something more going on. I continued to feel bad for the rest of the day and then I was up in the middle of the night on Sunday night with a migraine. Either way, I’ll be back for another Blacksburg Classic next year. Maybe I will crack 1:40 in 2015! 

Have you run the same race multiple times? 

Have you ever run a race that started in the afternoon or evening?