Another Richmond race and another Meg’s Miles weekend in the books! It’s a busy weekend from the time we arrive in Ashland on Thursday evening to the time we depart on Sunday afternoon. I’m always exhausted afterward. But I also always come away with a full heart, an invigorated soul, and a some new friends. The Meg’s Miles family is like none other.

My running buddy, Kim, and I hit the road for Richmond on Thursday evening. Friday morning was the group Memorial Run, followed by coffee.

From there, Kim and I hit the race expo to get our packets and later enjoyed the Meg’s Miles pre-race pasta dinner. Then it was off to bed in preparation for race morning.

Per usual for race morning, we were up super early. It was a cold morning, with temperatures in the 30’s, and we were expecting some windy conditions during the race. I hate being cold, but I was ready to run and looking forward to the race.

I’ve run Richmond at least five times now, so I’ve got my pre-race routine here down pat. It’s fun to go run a new race, but it’s also really nice to be familiar with a race and know exactly where to go for bag check, the porta-johns, etc. So I took care of all of that and then lined up in my wave for the start.

The race started at 7:30 AM. I was in the 7th wave, and was off and running at 7:44 AM. This race is so familiar to me and always feels like an old friend. As we started out down the road, I soaked it all in and enjoyed the camaraderie and excitement around me.

As we made our way through downtown Richmond in the early miles, the wind wasn’t a huge factor. The wind was around 10-12 mph and we would get blasted from the side by the wind at each cross street, but it wasn’t awful. My legs felt fresh and I settled into a very comfortable, conservative pace.

We headed down Broad and took a right on Boulevard. Then it was up a little hill over a bridge and towards the out and back in the neighborhood. I always like this little half mile out and back, which gets us to mile 4 in the race. But I don’t like the stretch between the out and back and Bryan Park. For some reason, I always feel a little bored. The spectators were out in force, though, so I entertained myself by looking at their funny signs: “Always give 100%, unless you’re giving blood” and “Marathon today, Netflix Marathon tomorrow,” etc. That helped pass the time so we could get to my favorite part of the course: Bryan Park.

As we headed into the park, we saw other runners headed out of the park. I like little sections of a race course like this where you get to see other runners and can cheer each other one and high five. From there we headed downhill into the park. There aren’t any spectators in the park and it gets really quiet and peaceful. That’s why it’s my favorite part of the course. We hit the 10K mark through here and then went up a couple of hills on our way out of the park.

I was using an 8 minute run/2 minute walk interval to keep my pace in check. With another big race this coming weekend, I wanted to finish Richmond between 2:30-2:35 to ensure I didn’t run too hard. As we came up out of the park, I started to feel a little fatigue. But I hit another walk break at that point and felt completely recovered after.

From here, we headed over towards the long stretch down Brook Road. This is a 1.5 mile stretch from mile 9-10.5 or so that’s just straight and always feels kind of long. But this year, since I wasn’t racing, I chose to take advantage of the various free libations being offered to those who were 21 or older. 🙂 That passed the time (and warmed me up some in the chilly, windy weather!).

Finally we were off of Brook Road and headed back towards downtown and the finish. The party starts to pick up again, and I was starting to smell the barn. I had to focus on not getting excited and keeping my pace in check the final 5K.

We made the final turn onto 5th street and hit the big downhill to the finish line. I let loose a little here and it felt good to run hard to the finish. I crossed the line in 2:34:15, right where I wanted to be. Then it was time for some pizza and dry clothes, because it was windy and freezing in the finish area!

Following the race, I hung out at the finish line with the Meg’s Miles group and cheered on other runners. We were all freezing, and after about 3 hours we walked back to the car and headed for the hotel. It felt so good to get out of the wind! We had a little downtime, where I watched the Hokies dominate against Georgia Tech, before a group dinner at the Hanover Tavern.

We ended the weekend with church on Sunday morning, followed by lunch. I’m not sure how we fit so much into one weekend, but at the same time it flies by and never seems like enough!

The Old Glory Trail Runs took place on November 9 at the Kairos Wilderness Resort in Glen Lyn, VA. The race name is significant, as the race is held on Veteran’s Day weekend to honor our veterans. Runners have the option of running the 10K, half marathon, or 50K distance. I opted for the half marathon, as did Barry.

I have to admit, I was nervous about this race. I’m at a point where I definitely feel like I can run a half marathon on any given day. But this wasn’t any ordinary half marathon – this was a challenging trail half marathon. The race website advertised technical trails, several stream crossings, and lots of climbing and descending.

I was kind of a mess heading into this race: I wasn’t nearly as prepared for the climbing as I would have liked; I was in the process of getting over a sinus infection; and earlier in the week, I had two ribs out of place which were now being held in place with KT tape. The irony is from a running standpoint, for once, I was feeling good… no lingering injuries, no “niggles.” So I guess you could say things were kind of up in the air. To add to that, UltraSignup had my predicted finish time at 5:28. I thought that sounded ludicrous – no way it would take me that long to run a half! It turned out to be closer to accurate than I anticipated…

Barry and I were up bright dark and early to make the hour drive to race headquarters – “Ed’s Place” at Kairos. We picked up our bibs and prepared for the race start at 8 AM. It was in the mid-20’s, with sunshine and a light breeze. Cold, but overall a great day for a race.

About 15 minutes before the start, we had a pre-race meeting. As in the pre-race emails, the race director, Steve, reiterated the importance of keeping our eyes up to watch for signage and course markings. This is often the message for trail races, but for this particular race it would be easy to get off course if you’re running with your head down. However, I felt like the course was well-marked and as long as you were paying attention, there wasn’t any reason to end up off course.

Before the race, I met up with Chitra, whom I had last run with at the Blacksburg Classic 10 Miler in 2012 or 2013. It was awesome to reconnect with her again. We decided it would be fun to stick together during the race. We all gathered in front of Ed’s Place (about 50 runners total between the half and 50K), listened to a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem, and were off and running at 8 AM on the dot. We headed down the gravel road a short way before veering onto the trails. Within the first mile, we came to our first overlook at a powerline cutout. It was gorgeous!

The first part of the race course was fairly mild, in terms of hills. Chitra and I ran and hiked along at a steady pace. We wanted to conserve our energy because we suspected it was going to get much tougher later – and we were right! Since it’s mid-November, the trails were leaf-covered and we had to be very careful not to roll an ankle from the hidden roots and rocks on the trail. We even found ourselves often hiking the downhills because the trails were so rugged.

The race course wound through the woods, and around mile 4 we ran by the field where we parked and the campground next to Ed’s Place. My fingers and toes were really cold at the start of the race, but were finally starting to warm up. We got a glimpse of the finish arch as we continued through the woods. Around mile 5.5, we arrived at Aid Station 1 (“Foxtrot”). I grabbed a PB&J square and Chitra and I kept moving. We were headed out on a large loop that would bring us back to the same aid station. On our way out, we got a peek at the hill we would have to tackle upon our return- but no need to worry about that now. In front of us lay a wide, smooth downhill where we were finally able to open up a bit and really run.

This was one of four downhills in the race where I truly got to run and make up some time. It was also another really beautiful section of the course, as we spilled out at the bottom onto a creek bed.

The race course took us back and forth between Virginia and West Virginia. This section of the course is where I started to understand the significance of running on trails that were designed for ATVs and dirt bikes. Every climb we went up was steep, and pretty much went straight up (often 12-36% grade). Fun fact: Four wheelers don’t use switch backs. It’s very different running on trails that were designed for four wheeling/dirt biking than it is to run on trails that were designed for mountain biking/hiking/running/horseback riding. 

I knew there was going to be a lot of climbing in this race. It’s always hard to look at an elevation profile and truly comprehend what you’re getting into. I’ve run races with similar distance and elevation gain, however the Old Glory trails were in a class of their own. But let me tell you, the scenery was gorgeous. There were so many times that Chitra and I looked at each other and said “wow, this is beautiful!”. The course really showcased the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains.

As we made our way up one of the hills, Barry and several other runners were on their way down. He looked good and was running strong, and we high-fived on the way by. We continued climbing up and were rewarded with some beautiful views. I loved this part of the trail, as it ran along the ridge with the New River off to our right.

Somewhere through here, we went up a hill that was so steep I actually took a couple of breaks while hiking up it. Around mile 8 we arrived at the second official overlook on the course. It was gorgeous and the photo just doesn’t do it justice.

There was some more downhill that we once again tackled with a mix of hiking and running. And then we arrived at the first of two hills that have their own name on the course. Mile 9 – welcome to Asses and Elbows. Photos never do this stuff justice. But just trust me, this hill was steep. It was the kind of steep where if you leaned too far back, you were going to find yourself back at the bottom. Luckily I only climbed it once. However, this is the point in the race where both of my quads and my right hamstring started cramping. I think the cramping was primarily from being ill-prepared for the climbing. I took a salt pill at the top of the hill and hoped it would help.

This was the last part of the loop, and we were now on the downhill where I had seen Barry awhile ago. On our way up, Chitra and I totally thought we would run this downhill. But once we made it back there, we couldn’t figure out why we thought we would run down it- too steep and rocky! A pair of dirt bikers rode by us here – the only ones we would see all day. Then it was back along the creek and up the trail to get back to the Foxtrot aid station around mile 10.5ish. I refilled one of my flasks with water and also drank half a cup of Coke. Now it was time for that hill I mentioned earlier, which happened to be the second named hill in the race: Freakin’ Ditch.

Upon seeing the ‘expert only’ sign on the tree (which did not have to do with the race) I yelled to the aid station volunteers “I am not an expert, I need to come back down.” They laughed and cheered me on as I begrudgingly faced the hill. It was another hill that forced me to stop several times to take breaks, and also triggered more cramping in my quads. I would choose a tree in the distance, focus on getting there, and then take a small break before repeating the process. The trail led us up to a road. We were almost to mile 11 and feeling like we should be about done. We ran by a sign directing the 10K runners to head to the finish. A different sign directed half and ultra runners back into the woods.

Here, we ran down an awesome downhill into a sort of ravine area. The trail followed a creek as we headed into another loop section. We went up a very steep hill to the high point on the course, and then onto a section called “the donut.” From there we had another nice, long downhill.

I lost my bearings several times during this race, and it basically broke my heart when the downhill trail led us back into the ravine. We were so close to finishing the race, and now we would have to climb back up this massive hill that we had run down around mile 11. I guess it was the only way to get to the finish line. But you could see straight up the hill to the top, which crushed me. It was at this point that I decided I was going stop right there, and live the rest of my life in the woods at the bottom of the hill. That sounded like a better fate than climbing up it. So dramatic, right? It was a nice thought, but then I got back to business, using my tree to tree climbing method. My quads and hamstring cramped again really bad on the way up this hill.

For reference, the above photo was taken about halfway up the climb and the pink arrow shows where we were headed:

Here is the elevation profile for the course. That last spike on the far right is the final hill en route to the finish.

We made it back onto the gravel road and I saw my favorite sign of the day: “To The Finish!”. And off to the finish I went, down the gravel road. I veered off the road and had to run up one final hill in the grass to get to the finish line. I mean, at this point, what’s one more hill right?

Barry cheered me on, and I crossed the finish line and got a high five from Steve. I finished the race in 5:11, about an hour longer than I anticipated. But hey- I beat that UltraSignup prediction by 17 minutes! Take that! It was a tough day, but I really enjoyed Chitra’s camaraderie and I look forward to running together again soon.

The race did end up being longer than a half. We were warned it was closer to 14 miles in the pre-race email. I know that GPS isn’t the most accurate in the woods, but I measured 15.15 miles. Hard to say what the true distance is, but I think you could easily call this race a 25K.

After recovering a bit and getting some dry clothes on, I wandered back over to the finish area to enjoy some post-race food. The chili and cornbread were perfect for a cold day. There was also coffee, hot chocolate, seltzer water, plenty of beer, and s’mores fixings available for the runners. I have to say, this is why I love small races. They always feel more personal, and you get special touches like homemade chili and fire pits to hang out around at the finish.

Overall this was a strenuous, demanding race. But thats why we do these things, right? To test ourselves. We wouldn’t want it to be easy. Sometimes people refer to very tough trail races as “graduate level races.” In line with that, I would call Old Glory a “college level race.” I would not recommend this race for your first trail race. But with a little experience under your belt, this event is a great place to challenge yourself. Solidly Type 2 fun.

At the end of October, I ran the Into the Darkness Night Trail Run 4 mile race for the second time. Last year, I was very unsure about willingly signing up for a nighttime trail race. I really detest being in the woods at night. But I ended up having a great experience and a lot of fun, and knew I would sign up for it again this year.

This year’s race was interesting, as I was in the midst of my 4x4x24 training block. Into the Darkness would be my fourth run of the day, and I had no idea how my legs would feel or where I would be mentally – would I be totally over running by this point? I was pleasantly surprised with how things went.

Barry and I made the trip up to Roanoke’s Explore Park on Saturday afternoon. It was in the 50’s with rain in the forecast. We arrived at the park, picked up our bibs and race shirts, and prepared for the race start at 7 PM. The course was a bit different from last year, which would really come into play during the final half mile of the race.

Barry and I were both in the second wave, and we lined up behind the start line to wait for our 7:10 PM start. Finally, we were off and running! We headed down the road and about a quarter mile later, we turned onto the single track trails. Instantly, we were slowed by a conga line. But I didn’t mind. I was at this race to have a good time and enjoy all of the decorations Josh and Gina put out along the course.

The first half of the race was primarily downhill, with a few uphills sprinkled in. We finally got spread out a bit, and I was able to run at a steady pace. I was surprised at how fresh my legs felt, since I was closing in on 16 miles for the day. My only problem during the race was being too hot! I didn’t anticipate how humid it would feel in the woods, nor how hot it would be to run in a face mask!

Wearing a costume at the race is completely optional, but I think it’s a lot of fun. There were even two other robbers at the race! But I learned that I will definitely not be doing any running costumes in the future that use masks. I stayed committed to my costume during the race, though, and never took the mask off.

With about a mile to go we ran through an open area that had a bunch of blow up Halloween decorations. They were really neat to see. The cat one was even a bit creepy in the dark, because it slowly moved its head back and forth.

Remember how I mentioned this year’s new race course was particularly significant for the last half mile? Yea – that’s because it was all uphill! What a doozy. I was SO hot at this point and feeling a bit tired, and alternated between hiking and jogging to get to the top.

Barry and I finally made it to the top and the finish line was in sight. There were a bunch of plastic spiders, snakes, and other creepy crawlers on the ground right before the finish line – too funny. Barry and I crossed the line together in 56:08. Last year I finished in 56:12. I’m nothing if not consistent!

After the race, we enjoyed some Mama Mia’s pasta and a bunch of other yummy foods (veggies with ranch dip, crackers and hummus, candy, pumpkin bread, etc.). We hung out for a bit and then hit the road to head home since I had another run to do at 11 PM. It didn’t really rain during the race, aside from some sprinkles. But as we headed down the road the skies opened up and it poured. I’m glad we didn’t have a downpour during the race, although I may not have been as hot if it had!

From here I’ve got three races on back to back weekends in November. They’re all very different. Old Glory is a technical trail half marathon with lots of climbing. The Richmond Half is a road race. And the Crooked Road 24 hour is just a beast of its own. Crooked Road is my A goal, so my focus at the other two will be to stay healthy, run smart, and remember CR24 is the goal!

Hi! It’s been quiet around here since June. I unintentionally let my blog go a bit dormant since then… I guess call it another summer break?

A few summer highlights: Life has continued since the last time I checked in. In July, I celebrated another trip around the sun with a 31K “Fat Ass” for my 31st at our local state park. The course was a 4-ish mile loop, starting and finishing at a pavilion we rented for the day. I invited friends to come out and join in for all or part of it. We had a fun, but hot, day of running and hiking. My dad even surprised me and came out to hang out for the day! We followed the run with a cookout at the pavilion. All in all it was a really fun day!

Barry and I camped at the park for the weekend, and the day following my birthday run/cookout we enjoyed some time on the (lakefront) beach.

Speaking of the beach, we also took our annual camping trip to Myrtle Beach at the end of September. The weather was good, and we enjoyed a relaxing week.

In running news, I’ve been running consistently all summer. I haven’t been following any regimented training plan, and have simply enjoyed running what I feel like each week. But with several races on the horizon, it was time to add a little structure back in, which brings us to this past weekend’s “four by four by twenty-four.” The 4x4x24 translates into running 4 miles every 4 hours for a 24 hour period. I got the idea from one of my Facebook groups, where another runner talked about doing something like 4 miles every 6 hours for a 48 hour period. So clearly my version is much less crazy. Right? Right. The intent was to get in some specific training for my upcoming 24 hour race. Here’s how it went…

Run #1 – 7:00 AM

I did my first run at a nearby park where 6 laps equals 4 miles. 7 AM isn’t all that early… but it was dark and rainy for most of this run so it felt kind of early to me. Despite the clouds, I did get a little peak at the sunrise towards the end of this run. And although I was sleepy, my legs felt fresh and ready for the training that lay ahead.

Run #2 – 11:00 AM

My second run of the day seemed to arrive very quickly after run number 1. I did not really have my head in the game and was not feeling very motivated to be back out there running again. I headed to a different park, where there is a paved 1/2 mile loop. Today’s training was as much about mental training as it was physical, so I chose a lot of locations that would have me running loops like I will be doing at the Crooked Road 24 Hour. Once I got out there running, I felt good. My legs still felt fresh and this run actually flew by.

Run #3 – 3:00 PM

I chose to do my third run on the treadmill. I wanted to save as much time as possible so that I could shower afterward before we needed to drive to Roanoke. This one went alright. I was definitely starting to feel some soreness in my hips and my legs were feeling a bit fatigued. But the company was good…

Run #4 – 7:00 PM

Run number 4 was interesting because it was done at the Into the Darkness nighttime trail race in Roanoke. Because why not run a race in the midst of all of this? Barry and I ran together, which was fun. This run was the most technical and had the most elevation gain, so I was surprised at how good I felt. My biggest challenge was being too hot in my costume! Full race recap coming in the near future.

Run #5 – 11:00 PM

Similar to my 11 AM run earlier in the day, the time between run #4 and this run seemed very short. I was definitely feeling a lot of overall fatigue and sleepiness. Barry joined me for this run as well, and we completed it at a nearby park. Once again, I was surprised at how good my legs felt. That’s encouraging, since I was now at a total of 20 miles for the day. Run number 5 came complete with a random watermelon on the trail, and some fun glow stick bracelets that we were given at Into the Darkness.

Run #6 – 3:00 AM

This was my final run for this training weekend. I debated on whether or not I should do a final, seventh run at 7AM. But I ultimately decided that technically the training ended at 7 AM Sunday morning, and 24 miles was plenty. The worst part about this run was waiting. I was determined to stay awake until 3 AM to help simulate running while sleep deprived. It was not easy as I was so very tired.

Three AM rolled around at last and it was time to run. For simplicity, I also did this run on the treadmill. I was so sleepy and I desperately wanted to go to bed. I really had to fight to make myself do this one. Aside from being really tired, I felt physically strong during this run. One odd thing was how thirsty I was during this run, even though I think I did a good job staying hydrated all day. I think I drank 20oz of water during this run. And just like that it was done. I grabbed a quick shower and then finally crawled into bed.

So that’s it! Overall, I feel like things went well and I think this was some good physical and mental training. I kind of felt like all I did all day was run, change clothes, eat, and then repeat. I’m glad it’s done. And for the record, running 6 separate times in one 24 hour period makes for a lot of laundry!!

The Twisted Trail 10K in Forest, VA took place on June 29. It was my first race after the Dam Yeti 50 Miler. Since the Yeti, I’ve been taking it easy and letting my body recover. So I went into this race without any expectations, other than to relax and have fun.

I met up with Charlotte on my way to the race, and we arrived about 20 minutes before the race start. We ended up parking a little over half a mile from the race start, because the closer lot was full, so it was good Charlotte had picked up our packets the day before.

We made it to the start area in time to catch most of the pre-race meeting. This was the inaugural year for the race, put on by the Blue Ridge Trail Runners, and they had a great turnout of close to 100 runners.

Just after 8 AM, we were off and running! We ran down the gravel road behind Charlotte and me in the photo above, and then turned onto the trails. I hadn’t been on these trails before and I was excited to check them out! The first mile was primarily downhill and I was in cruise mode.

Charlotte and I were running fairly close to one another, and we linked up after the first mile to run the rest of the race together. It was a lot of fun running together as we chatted and enjoyed being in the woods.

The trails were gently rolling, with a few predominant hills. They weren’t very technical, so I think this would be a great race for a first trail race. We ran by two water stops during the race, and I enjoyed some ice cold Gatorade at each one. We saw BRTR members along the course at intersections and the water stops, and they were friendly and encouraging. From race start to the post-race pizza, they really did a great job putting on this race.

Before I knew it, we were on the last mile. The race totally flew by and I was honestly a bit sad it was coming to an end. I was having a great time running on the trails with Charlotte.

We crossed the line in 1:35:31. The RD, Rhonda, was there handing out some really neat homemade finisher’s medals. They were sliced from a piece of wood and had the race logo on them.

Afterwards, we hung out at the finish area. They had a good spread of food, water and Gatorade, and even had some pizza delivered. They also had a ton of raffle prizes! I was really impressed with the number of prizes they had, but unfortunately neither Charlotte nor I won anything. Boo.

Before wrapping everything up, we also held a moment of silence for Graham Zollman. He was a local Roanoke runner who passed away during the Eastern Divide 8 Mile trail race a couple of weeks ago. It was a shocking and sudden thing. The trail running community is a very friendly and welcoming place, and even in that Graham stood out as one of the friendliest. Happy trails to you, Graham.