I hadn’t planned on running the Star City 10K in Roanoke on November 17. I signed up last minute after my husband, Barry, offered to run with my running buddy, Kim, to help her PR the half marathon. I planned on getting some easy miles in at the 10K. However, this turned out to be quite the interesting race, and quite the adventure. This race report is going to be unlike any other that I’ve written.

First of all, the course was rerouted the night before due to flooding on a low water bridge. Both the half and 10K were now set to run an out and back from the start/finish area. They would follow the same course until mile 3.1, where the 10K would turn around. The half would continue until mile 6.5-ish and then they would turn around.

The half marathon started at 8:15 and 10K started at 8:30. I saw Barry and Kim off and then waited for my start. At 8:30, we headed out to follow the half marathoners.

Less than half a mile into the race, the majority of the runners took a wrong turn in the downtown area, but I didn’t know this right away. Somewhere after the first mile, I realized we were not on course. I wasn’t seeing any arrows on the ground, there were no course marshals at any intersections, and I knew we were going in the wrong general direction. But I had no clue where we were supposed to be or how to get back on course. There were a ton of runners ahead of me and behind me, so I continued to follow them for the time being.

Around 1.5 miles there was a girl running ahead of me. I overheard her talking on the phone about how we were off course. That confirmed it for me. I figured I would just try and get in 3.1 miles and then retrace my steps (if I could) back to the finish line. Once the girl ahead of me finished her phone conversation, I caught up to her and verified that we were off course. She said she was just going to keep running in the downtown area and I asked if I could join. We initially ended up with a group of about four or five runners.

This is where it got kind of funny (depending on your outlook towards our predicament). We were looping around downtown Roanoke and so were other runners. Some were still following people, possibly thinking they were running the course. But most knew they were off course. We kind of laughed and waved as we passed each other in opposite directions and cheered each other on. Welcome to the “Choose Your Own 10K.” We also saw a few runners angrily walking back towards the finish.

Our group continued on the ‘Tour de Downtown Roanoke’, just putting in the miles and enjoying the gorgeous crisp fall weather and each other’s company. Along the way we picked up a few more “strays” and in total I think we had about 9 runners in our group. By mile 5 we did get back on the final part of the course and we fell in with other runners and made our way toward the finish. I finished in 1:11:31, with 6.75 miles on my watch.

Maybe I’m being lax about the situation, but I really wasn’t angry that this happened. There’s some responsibility on the race director’s part, sure. But accidents happen. And I do think runners share a certain amount of responsibility in knowing the course. It’s the first time I’ve ever gotten lost at a road race, but it was still a good run. Thanks to the group I was running with, I ran a faster pace than I otherwise would have. And I think ‘my’ course turned out to be hillier and tougher.

I’m not here to point fingers or place blame, but here’s what I think happened. I think either course marshals were missing from the below marked intersection, or they were there but directed us the wrong way. It’s common, especially in a road race, to simply follow the person in front of you. That’s how I think everyone got off course. And I’m pretty sure it was at this intersection, which was about half a mile into the race:

From what I heard, only the lead guy ran the actual 10K course. The majority of runners took a wrong turn during the first mile. And those that did make it out of the downtown area made a wrong turn through a park around mile 2. As far as I know, there were no issues with the half marathon runners staying on course. However, they had some issues of their own, with half the runners getting stopped for about a minute at a railroad crossing for an Amtrak train.

Overall, I still had a good day and had fun at the race. But I think there are definitely issues that need to be addressed by race management before next year.

On November 10, I ran Richmond for the fourth year. I love this race, and even more so with the Meg’s Miles family (there’s so much more to this weekend now than just the race). Richmond is where I ran my PR half marathon in 2012. I definitely wasn’t gunning for a PR this year. But I also didn’t really know what to expect since this was my first road half in over three years. I ended up surprising myself a bit.

Kim drove me and several others from our hotel in Ashland to the start on race morning (she did all of the driving that weekend – thank you, Kim!). It was an easy trip to the start. We hit the porta potties, dropped off checked bags, wished each other good luck, and prepared for the start. I lined up in my wave and waited for the party to begin.

I was in one of the last waves, and we finally got going about 20 minutes after the gun. It was crowded early on. I did my best to run along with the pace of the group and tried to get around those walking 3, 4, 5 abreast (ugh). I mostly used a 30 minute run / 5 minute walk interval for the first 10 miles.

I felt good during the early miles. The weather was perfect – sunny and crisp. My breathing was relaxed and my legs felt strong. Around mile 4 I realized I kind of needed to pee, but all of the porta johns along the course had lines. I didn’t feel like stopping so I just held it to the end. Too much info? Oh well, just keeping it real.

Around mile 5, I was running near two guys. They saw a girl they knew, Tiffany, who was also running the race. They both excitedly said hi to her and chatted for a minute. When she ran off, I overhead the following conversation:

Guy 1: What’s Tiffany’s sister’s name?
Guy 2: Hillary
Guy 1: Oh yea… she’s hot!
Guy 2: Yeaaaa, Hillary is super hot!!

The things you overhear at races….

My goal going into the race was to finish in 2:30. A little before the 10K mark, I started to realize 2:25 was possible. We headed into the park and I got to see several Megs Miles runners headed back out. The loop through here gets quiet, and I kind of enjoyed the peace of just being surrounded by other runners. I hit the 10K split in 1:09:34.

Call me crazy, but I enjoyed running the hills out of the park. I felt strong, so I picked up the pace during my run intervals. I ran by a junk food stop around mile 9. I didn’t stop at the table, but I did grab a cup of Coca Cola. It was like rocket fuel for me at New River Trail 50K, so I figured I’d see if it could work its magic again. It helped and around mile 10 I realized 2:20 was possible.

I definitely started feeling tired by mile 11, but that’s to be expected. I ran by an unofficial beer stop, where they were serving something called “Sprint Lite.” I’ve never heard of that one, so I took a pass on it.

Even though I was tired, the final two miles of the race really flew by for me. I made a few turns through the downtown area, and before I knew it I made the final turn onto the big downhill to the finish line at Brown’s Island. I was so excited to see the big Meg’s Miles cheering section just before the finish line.

I crossed the finish line in 2:20:16 for a negative split and a sub-11 average pace – that’s something I haven’t seen at a race in quite awhile!

I exceeded my own expectations and feel like I ran a strong and well-paced race. All in all, it was a great day.

I hope y’all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!!

The Richmond marathon weekend has become a tradition for me thanks to the Meg’s Miles group. The group was formed in memory of Meg Cross Menzies, who was tragically killed by a drunk driver while out for a run in January 2014. Days later, runners from around the country and around the world ran in memory of Meg. From that, the Megs Miles family was born. The entire Richmond weekend is a big family reunion.

I headed up to Richmond on Thursday evening with my running buddy and fellow Megs Miler, Kim. On Friday morning, we were up bright and early for the Memorial Run.

The group gathers at Meg’s memorial each year, where fellowship and prayer are shared before heading out for a two mile run. It was a chilly morning with light rain. But as always, it was great to come together and honor Meg and her family.

We followed the run with coffee and breakfast in downtown Ashland. From there I headed back to the hotel for a quick outfit change before heading back out for run number 2 of the day. Undeterred by the weather, my friend Doug (who traveled with his wife from Ohio for the weekend) and I headed into downtown Richmond for a lunchtime trail run.

It was still raining steadily, but the loop we ran was awesome. I couldn’t believe we were in the middle of Richmond! We got in about 6.5 miles, bringing the total for the day to 8.5-ish miles.

From there Doug dropped me off at the race expo on his way back to the hotel to pick up his wife. I got changed into dry clothes and did the whole expo bit (got my race bib, shirt, looked at vendor booths, etc.). Then I headed back to the hotel with Kim to grab a quick shower before we headed to the Friday evening Meg’s Miles pasta dinner.

In addition to the Meg’s Miles group, I’m also part of a group called “We Run for the Caffeine” that puts teams together to run the year in miles (so 2,018 miles in 2018). My team is Team GinnySas, with three of us being from Virginia and one from Arkansas. After a years time, we were finally reunited at the dinner.

After dinner it was off to bed – race morning was going to come early! On race day, I surprised myself and ran better than I expected. But more on that later. There’s a full recap coming.

After the race I got to meet up with my friend Liz, who I’ve known since Kindergarten but haven’t seen in awhile. She had a killer race and it was great to catch up with her at the finish line.

Per Meg’s Miles tradition, we all hung around at the finish line to cheer in all of the runners in the 8K, half marathon, and full marathon.

After everyone finished their respective races, we continued with tradition and headed to Starbucks for coffee. I usually only drink black coffee, but after the race I like to treat myself. So I got a delicious caramel concoction. And then something really cool happened – Bart Yasso walked in. Not only did he hang with our group, but he sat at my table. Oh man! I was starstruck, but tried to play it cool. We talked to him for a little while and listened to his stories. He had some good ones!

After coffee it was back to the hotel once again for quick showers before heading to dinner. We got together with the group on Saturday night at a really neat nearby spot. Good food and good company!

On Sunday morning we visited the memorial so Kim could hang her shoes. From there, we headed to church with the Meg’s Miles group. After that, it was time to hit the road and head home. On the way home, Kim and I got to visit with my dad and have some lunch.

As you can see, the Richmond marathon weekend is a big one and it’s always very busy. This was my third year and I always leave with a full heart. It’s hard to find the words to describe how special this weekend and this group is. I’m truly blessed to be apart of it, though. The connections I’ve made and the people I’ve met are unlike anything else. Together, we Run for Meg and carry on her legacy as a runner and Christian.

From the moment I signed up for this race, I was unsure of my decision. Don’t get me wrong, Mountain Junkies races are as good as it gets. But I do not like the dark, and by extension I do not like running in the woods in the dark. You can’t conquer something without facing it, though. Plus this race was supposed to be a lot of fun.

The race was 4 miles long and was held at Explore Park in Roanoke. The course was a mix of pavement, singletrack dirt trails, and grass trails. I got to the race about an hour before the start, picked up my shirt and bib, and hung out. I enjoyed seeing all of the runners walk around pre-race in their costumes.

Around 6:45 PM we gathered for a pre-race talk. It sounded like the race course was well marked (Mountain Junkies races always are) so I had no worries of getting lost. We mingled around before the start of the race at 7 PM.

The race was split into two waves, and I started with wave 2 at 7:10 PM. We immediately headed up a hill that’s lovingly nicknamed “vomit hill.” From there we headed into the woods and onto the trails. I wasn’t sure how I would feel, since I haven’t been running hills that much. But my legs felt strong as we ran along the rolling terrain.

I was running in a line of people that was slightly spread out. Because it was dark, I ran along without much concept of when we were going uphill or how big the hills were. I was cautious on the downhills, though, since parts of the course were pretty slick with clay-type mud.

Since this was a halloween-themed race, there were lots of little surprises for us hidden in the woods. There were motion-activated noise makers that howled and there were lots of flashing decorations. I was having fun and never once did I wish for the race to be over (which has always been my past experience when running in the dark). Before I knew it, we were already on the last mile.

It flattened out a bit and I picked up my pace, which felt good. I ran strong up the final hill, looped around the village area, and made my way to the finish line. I didn’t know what to expect for this race, but I finished in 56:10 which I’m happy with.

There was a post-race feast for the race participants. They were serving delicious pasta with marinara sauce, veggies and crackers with hummus, homemade granola and pumpkin bread. I enjoyed some dinner, and hung out with a few friends to watch the awards ceremony. Overall, I had a great time and look forward to doing this race again in years to come!

Running can be a solitary activity. But when a runner decides to run a race, it often involves support from their friends and/or loved ones. We definitely couldn’t do it without that support, and it’s appreciated more than you know! That being said…. Sometimes, those that come out to cheer on a runner during a race mean well, but say the wrong thing. So here is a list of five things you should never tell your runner. A sort of “how to” in reverse.

1. How do you feel? – They’re doing something hard, chances are they don’t feel good. Don’t give them the opportunity to dwell on it.
2. You look awful/tired/exhausted/etc. – Yes, they probably do. But don’t tell them! Lie to them. Tell them how strong and great they look. They’ll know you’re lying. But trust me, it will still help.
3. I feel tired/cold/hungry/etc. – Today is not about you. Take care of yourself. But don’t put it on your runner. It’s their day and the last thing they should be doing is worrying about you.
4. Do you want to quit/drop out? – Don’t put the thought of quitting in their head. Your runner may arrive at this decision on their own. And trust me, it won’t be a snap decision. But it shouldn’t come from you.
5. You’re almost there! – If they can’t see the finish line, they are not almost there.

And there you have it!

One last note – Once the race is over, celebrate your runner’s accomplishment with them! But don’t hold them accountable for anything that may have been said or done during the race. That wasn’t the same person as the rational, every day person you know. What happens during a race stays in the race.