Well, it’s been about two and a half months since I ran this one so I guess it’s time to write my race report. At least I’m getting this report done sooner than my Ozone race report.

Back in mid-April I ran the James River Trail Runs 10 Miler at James River State Park in Gladstone, VA. The park was pretty much in the middle of nowhere and it was really pretty.

On Friday afternoon, I met up with Charlotte and then we carpooled to the park where we met up with Christine, Peter, and Carole at our cabin. I was surprised at how nice the cabin was! We walked over to the start/finish area (about a 3 tenths mile walk up and down some hills) to check in and pick up our race bibs and swag. After that, we chilled, ate dinner, and prepared for our races the next morning. Kim and her family were also there, but were staying in their camper over in the campground and I looked forward to seeing her the next morning.

This race weekend was kind of difficult for me. I had a lot going on personally, and I just felt so anxious and like I didn’t want to be at the race. It was supposed to be a fun weekend with friends, but I was struggling. The course was a 10 mile loop, with options of 10 miles, 30 miles, and 50 miles and I ultimately decided that the 10 mile race was the best fit for me.

Race morning arrived bright and early, and it was relatively cool in the upper 50’s. My friend’s races all started 30 minutes earlier than mine, so I hung back at the cabin and then had some quiet time to myself walking over for my race start. Around 8:15, we were off and running. We started with a short paved loop before heading onto the trails.

Once on the trails, we headed towards the campground area and ran a loop around the pond. It was a smaller race field and I let myself fall towards the back of the pack so that I could just chill, take it easy, and try and lose myself in the beauty of the trails.

From there, we crossed a few roads and climbed up to the Ridge Loop Trail between miles 2 and 2.5. I liked this loop section. There were some good views through the trees up here. The race had also spread out enough that I didn’t see anyone else around me and I really liked that, too. As I came off of the loop a little past mile 4, I saw the two leaders of the 50 miler heading onto the loop (abut 12.5 miles into their race).

Coming off of the loop, there was a steep descent down the trail and across the main park road onto another trail. Just after getting onto that trail, we took a hard right. I nearly missed the turn, but just noticed the race course flagging. The course rolled downhill, with one climb, and then a very long descent to mile 6. During this section, the leader of the 50 miler passed me. I kept waiting and expecting second place to catch me as well, since they were running very close together when I saw them headed into the ridge loop, but he never passed me until mile 7 or so. It turns out he missed that turn that I nearly missed after the main park road – bummer!

As you can see on the elevation profile, we hit a very steep climb at mile 6. I was not expecting this. But I knew I was getting close to the aid station, so I put my head down and just put one foot in front of the other.

When I topped the hill, I arrived at the aid station. Woohoo! It was an unseasonably hot day for April and by late morning it was really warming up. Kim’s husband, Chad, and their kids were working the aid station and I was happy to see them. I refilled my water and grabbed a few orange slices. I thanked them for volunteering and then headed down the gravel road. From here, I knew most of the race aside from the very end was supposed to be downhill or flat and I was feeling ready to roll.

I knew that we would be making a right turn onto a trail from this road, so I kept an eye out for that. The turn ended up being right at a gate area, which had me looking straight ahead at the gate, but then I noticed the five or so race flags on my right telling me to turn onto the trail. This was between miles 7 and 8 and as I made my way down the trail, I came upon Charlotte and Peter. They were chugging along, but were also feeling the heat of the morning. We had a funny exchange with each other that still makes me laugh when I think about it. I’ll leave it between us, since what happens on the trail stays on the trail. But hopefully the two of them will remember that it had to do with a certain podcast about a rugby team that I was listening to.

The trail dumped me onto a road and I ran down around a parking lot area and onto a grassy trail along the river. It was really flat through here, so I increased my pace some. But it was also really hot with almost no shade. The water was pretty, but it also tormented me that I couldn’t go get in it and cool off. I did see some cows wading in it from the other side, though!

The course took us through a sort of field section that I found rather tortuous. The sun was just beating down on me, and I was glad this was my one and only loop for the day.

Finally, I popped out back onto the road near the canoe landing and ran up a mean little hill to the finish line. I was so glad to be done! I finished in 2:47:51. The race was a lot hillier than I anticipated, but I also really enjoyed the variety on the course.

After I finished, I received my finisher’s mug, got a hot dog, and met up with Carole. We hung out in the finisher area for the rest of the afternoon, cheering on our friends and the other runners, and crewing Kim to her 30 mile finish. It was such a hot day, with the temperature hitting 80 degrees with full sunshine. None of us were prepared for that.

Later in the evening, we drove up to the Tye River Overlook. On our way up there, we saw runners still making their way along the course. I couldn’t believe they were still out there. When it’s one of my long races, I’m in the mindset to go all day (or all night). But when it’s not my race and I see others out there who have been going for so long, I am so amazed by them. Makes you think about how important mindset is. Anyway, we hiked out to the overlook where we saw the confluence of the Tye River and the James River. It was really pretty up there, and it was a good place to reflect on the day and on life.

After that, it was back to the cabin for showers and dinner (prepared by Christine – thank you!). On Sunday morning, we all packed up and headed home. When Char and I got back to her house, we watched the NCAA gymnastics National Championships together (Florida was robbed, but the curse of the white leotard lives on) and then I headed home. It was a fun and beautiful weekend, and overall I’m glad I went.

I’m still in kind of a weird place with my relationship with running, but I’m working through it. Thus far, this summer has been a fun mix of summer swim league, running, and Pickleball. The variety has been good for me, so I think I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing. Every day may not be a good day, but you can find something good in every day.