Let me start by saying OMG it’s the first day of October!! You know what that means people. Marathon month is here!!

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I wasn’t sure if I would be running this race, after missing nearly an entire week of training the week before it. But things started to look up at the end of the weekend before this race and I was hopeful I may be able to participate. I don’t know what it is about the Virginia 10 Miler, but as soon as I crossed the finish line last year I knew I wanted to run it again.

Last year we stayed at a nearby campground for the weekend, but this year Barry and I chose to drive to and from the race. It’s a little over 2 hours each way, which meant we had to be out the door by 4:45 AM. I decided to give a new pre-race breakfast a try, as this was a good chance to practice for the Marine Corps Marathon since I’ll also have to leave really early for that race. I had a pancake with peanut butter about 4 hours prior to the 8 AM race start and then ate half of a Honey Stinger waffle about 45 minutes before the start. It worked well and I think that will be my game plan for MCM!

We arrived at the race about an hour prior to the start. I hopped out of the car and picked up Barry’s and my packets while he found somewhere to park. The high school lot was already full, but he was able to park in an adjacent shopping center. I met him back at the car where we pinned our bibs on, dropped the race bag off at the car, and headed back over to the start. They have ample porta potties at this race, so it was easy to make a quick stop there on our way to the start.

This race has a 10 mile run, 4 mile run, and 4 mile walk and all three are unlimited. All three races also start together at the same time, so it’s very crowded! We listened to announcements and to the introductions of the elites (although we couldn’t see anything). Then there was the singing of the National Anthem, and then we were off at 8:00 on the dot!

The first mile and a half of the race course is all downhill, so I just let gravity carry me. I was aiming to use this race as a long run, which means my target pace was 11:05/mile. I wasn’t sure I would be able to meet that goal with the hills, but I was going to put in a good effort for the day. My first mile was sub-10, but I knew it would average out once we hit the hills. Plus it felt good to just let it roll!

After the first mile and a half we veered onto another street and were faced with our first tough climb of the day. Lynchburg is often referred to as “The Hill City” and for good reason. Not only is it hilly, but they are big, big hills! There are big rolling hills along most of the course, and just before mile 5 there is a short but very steep hill in the park. That one was especially tough!

Despite the hills, I continued to have mile splits below 11 minute pace. Most of my splits ranged from 10:20/mile to 10:50/mile. I definitely surprised myself! Barry kept asking me if we were running too fast, and I kept telling him yes, but that I was sure we would be slowed on the hills and it would all average out.

The race course is what I refer to as a “lollipop” course in that it’s an out and back with a small loop at the top before you head back. We headed out on the roads, did a small loop around a park (and up that dreaded hill!), and then head back the way we came.

One of the really neat things about this race is that is also serves as the RRCA National 10 Mile Championship, so there’s a lot of great runners. Since the race course is laid out the way it is, you get to see many of the elites on their way back while you’re still on your way out. It’s a lot of fun to cheer for them, and it always amazes me the way they run. There were several men under 5 minute pace for the 10 mile this year. So fast!

My right leg felt great the whole way, and I didn’t have any lower leg or shin pain during the race. During the last few miles of the race my calves and quads got really sore and tired, though. I knew I was definitely working hard on those hills!

Barry ended up running the entire race with me, which was a lot of fun. He had just gotten over a bad cold he had all week, so he decided to take it easy. It’s been awhile since we actually ran together and I really enjoyed it. I sometimes have a strange type of humor during races, and it’s often lost on the strangers around me who don’t understand my dry humor. Barry gets it, though, and he makes jokes back at me. 🙂

This race always has a lot of great spectator support as well. It’s not enough to overwhelm you – there are still a few quiet places along the course, which is nice. But there are plenty of spectators and volunteers who are all very excited to be out there. This one girl in particular had a sign that said “keep going” and she was interacting with all of the runners and jumping up and down and cheering everyone on. When we saw her on our way back she was just as enthusiastic and the sign was all crumpled from so much cheering. She yelled to Barry and me “you’re running so fast, I can’t even see you!” which was funny since we were running uphill 🙂 I saw this great sign, too:

Finally, we reached the final 1.5 miles of the race. Which was good because I was getting pretty tired at this point. If you’ll remember, the race course is out and back and the first 1.5 miles were downhill. That means if you want to get to the finish, you have to climb back up what they call “farm basket hill.” The first part of the hill is rather steep, and much to Barry’s dismay, I took a short walk break. I was really proud of myself for not taking one up to that point, though. Then I ran the entire final mile uphill and back to that darn finish line.

I chose to go with the classic “looking down at my watch” finish line pose rather than the “arms raised in victory” one.

Like last year, Katherine Switzer and Roger Robinson were at the race. We learned at the awards ceremony last year about Katherine Switzer’s ties to Lynchburg. This year she was at the finish line announcing names and she announced my name as I crossed the line! We’re basically old friends, now.

I finished in 1:47:29, for a 10:45/mile average. I really surprised myself by actually running too fast, as I thought it would be a struggle to maintain my long run pace on this course. Especially so since I jumped head first back into training last week, and didn’t rest at all for this race. I beat last year’s time by about 7 minutes (although I did run 6 miles prior to last year’s race to turn it into a 16 mile long run).

After the race, Barry and I hung out for a bit and had some post race food (standard fare- bagels, fruit, cookies, pizza, and Gatorade and water). Then we hit the road to make the two hour trip home.

Overall I had a great time at this race. We had perfect fall weather (mid-50’s by the finish) and it never felt too warm. The Virginia 10 Miler continues to be one of my favorite races and I will definitely be back to run it again sometime! The hills are challenging, but the race course is beautiful and they do such a great job in putting on this race, which is now in its 41st year.

Who else raced this past weekend?
Do you ever include other races as “training runs” when training for a goal race?
What kind of race do you prefer: out and back, point to point, or loop?

Last week I missed nearly my entire week of training due to shin/lower leg pain in my right leg. I don’t think it was actually injured, but I think I severely aggravated my leg by running three times in less than 24 hours during Ragnar. Not to mention I was running harder during those three runs than I have most of training. I certainly don’t regret Ragnar, though! I am happy to report that my leg is feeling better and I was able to ease back into training this week.

Monday- 5 mile easy run on the Dora Trail. I still had the same kinesiology taping job from Sunday (you can pretty much leave it on until it starts coming off) and I think it’s providing the extra support my leg needs. Aside from a minimal amount of pain, I felt really good during this run. The fall weather was perfect and I just really enjoyed being out there.

Tuesday- 2 x 2 miles with 800m recovery for 7 miles total. There is guidance in the Hansons Marathon Method book on what to do when you have to miss multiple days of training due to an illness or injury. I fell in the 3 to 6 days missed category. Their advice is to run easy for 3-4 days (I did 3 days) and then revert to the previous week’s training regimen. After that week you are supposed to jump ahead to the week you should be on. For me, that meant repeating week 12 during week 14 and then jumping ahead to week 15. However, weeks 12 and 14 are nearly identical, except for the strength/interval workout (Tuesday) and the tempo run (Thursday).

So what I decided to do was take the 3 x 2 mile workout that I missed last week and cut it down to 2 x 2 miles to help ease myself back into training. The last thing I wanted to do was to re-aggravate my leg. The workout went really well. Intervals are still my favorite! Especially long ones. My goal was 20:16 for each 2 mile segment and my splits were: 20:03 / 19:49

Once again I had nice cool fall weather to run in during the evening. Did I mention fall is my favorite!?

Wednesday- Rest.

Thursday- 7 mile tempo for 9 miles total. I had a 9 mile tempo on the schedule, but chose to do a shortened workout to continue easing back into training. All in the interest of not re-aggravating my leg. The run went really well. It was relatively cool outside (or at least not humid) and there were lots of people out on the trail. I ran at Bisset Park which means I also go to run by lots of soccer games.

With the Hansons, tempo runs are synonymous with marathon pace runs, so I was aiming for a 10:18/mile average during the middle 7 miles. I have struggled with tempo runs in the past, but this week it went really well. After the first few miles I just got into a groove and it finally felt like a pace I could settle into for a long time.

I ended up averaging 10:10/mile, a bit too fast but not by much. I also gave a new pattern of taping a try on my leg. There are two different ways to tape based on the type of shin pain you have. I decided to give both a try and see which one I liked better.

I decided I liked the first style better.

Friday- Easy 5 miler in the afternoon. I didn’t feel much like running, but it was on the schedule so I got it done. More of the leaves are changing now, so it was really pretty on the trail.

Towards the end of my run I saw a momma deer with her two not-so-young babies in tow. They were on the trail I was running on, and then they ran across the road, across a field, and into the woods. Can you spot them?

Saturday- 10 mile long run at the Virginia 10 Miler road race in Lynchburg. I had a pretty good day, and ended up running about 7 minutes faster than last year. Although, I should mention that last year I ran 6 miles prior to the race so there is that. I’ll do a full race recap on Wednesday!

Sunday- 8 mile easy run with Kim on the Dora and New River Trails. It was a chilly fall morning, which felt really nice to run in. My leg, shin-wise, felt fine, but my quads and calves were really sore from Saturday’s race.

Total Miles: 44 miles

 

You’re probably getting bored of Ragnar recaps by now, but don’t worry! This is my third, and final, recap from the three legs I ran during the DC Ragnar Relay on September 12-13. If you missed the recap of my second leg, you can find that HERE.

My final leg was leg 33, a quick 2.2 miles through Arlington, VA. The route took me through neighborhoods and onto the Custis Trail.

It was raining during this run, but it wasn’t cold or anything so I didn’t mind. Running in the rain is fun! Debbie rocked her final leg and then handed off to me right around 12:50 PM. It had been estimated that I would run my final leg around 1:45 PM, so you can see how awesome everyone was running.

I had a sweet downhill during the first part of my leg, and I let it rip. Then I hit some uphills getting onto the Custis Trail and running along the trail, which really worked me. I was definitely feeling the fatigue from the weekend, both from running and from lack of sleep. My right shin was also starting to be pretty bothersome.

Despite this being my shortest leg, it had the most turns. There had been some rumors about signs missing or being moved along the course, so I opted to carry a map of my leg folded up in my water bottle pouch. Luckily all the markers were there, and I never had any issues. Had one of them been missing, it would have been very easy to miss one of the turns or veer the wrong way at one of the many forks along this leg.

Running on the Custis Trail was a lot like running on the Huckleberry. I wasn’t quite prepared for the hills, as the leg looks pretty mild on my route map. But it was the last one, so I didn’t back down.

I arrived at exchange 33 to find my team wasn’t there. I only waited about 10 seconds when Chuck came running up to take the slap band and take off for his final leg. I finished with an average pace of 9:19/mile. Just like that my Ragnar running was done.

Ragnar Relay was a great experience. It’s definitely something I would consider doing again. although I think next time I would give one of the Ragnar trails a try. I was amazed at how well-organized the entire event was. The Ragnar folks really know what they’re doing and they put on a great show. When you think of the magnitude of the logistics that must go into planning something like this, with passing through so many towns and localities, it’s a wonder they’re able to put these things on.

After Ragnar my legs were very sore – especially my quads and calves. I think it was a combination of running and being squished into a van for 30 hours. A 15 passenger van is spacious, but it’s still a van! I was exhausted after the relay, too, and it probably took me 2-3 days before I finally felt rested and back to my usual self. It’s a tough thing to throw into the midst of marathon training, but I’m really glad I decided to do it!

This is my second race recap from the DC Ragnar Relay. If you missed it, you can find the recap from my first leg HERE.

My second leg of the Ragnar Relay was early in the morning on Saturday morning. I was actually estimated to run around 3:00 AM, but our team was killing it and had banked a bunch of time. Instead, I found myself waiting for Deb at exchange 20 around 2:40 AM. My second leg (leg 20) was 6.7 miles long and ran through Maryland farming country.

I hadn’t gotten any sleep at this point and was getting a little loopy. But there wasn’t anything to do except get the slap bracelet from Debbie and get my run done for the team.

I didn’t take any pictures during this leg, because I opted to carry my phone instead just in case. I was worried about getting lost, but this leg was easy to follow. The signs were well-marked and were visible with red blinking lights on top. There were also vans driving along the leg nearly the entire way, which helped light the way. Debbie handed off to me at a John Deere Tractor Store in Frederick, MD (which we both appreciated!) and I ran from there to an industrial area in Adamstown, MD.

When Debbie came in to hand off to me, she accidentally took off her watch instead of the slap bracelet! I wasn’t the only one who was getting a bit loopy 🙂 She also gave me one of her knuckle lights to help light the way. I was downright scared of running this night leg because I am scared of the dark. People think I’m joking or just trying to be funny when I say that, but it’s for real.

This leg was run through a very rural area. About 70% of it was on a road that had cornfields on either side of the road that started only 2 feet or so from the road. There was a breeze that made the corn rustle continuously while running. I was just waiting for the Children of the Corn to jump out and get me! In all seriousness, if someone had decided to play some kind of prank and jump out at the runners, they would have gotten kicked, punched, and pepper sprayed by me before I sprinted off.

I had never run at night like this before or with a headlamp. I got it done, but it’s not really something I would voluntarily choose to do again. I think my nighttime running will be limited to relays and races.

Since this leg was a bit longer, I carried a gel to take halfway. Unfortunately, my stomach was feeling really gross during this whole run, so I only sipped on water.

Just before the end of my leg, I had to cross some train tracks. I could hear a train approaching, and I managed to make it across the tracks just before the lights started blinking and the crossing gates came down. Good thing I didn’t get caught there! I arrived at the next exchange and handed off to Chuck. There was a little less fanfare with this one, since it was in the middle of the night, but it was still fun.

I finished this leg with an average pace of 9:59/mile. We had to jump in the van immediately and head to the next exchange, since Chuck had a shorter leg and we had to be ready with Barry. It was a short drive over there, and then I was able to stretch and change into some dry clothes. It was such a relief to have this leg over and done with!

My last leg of the relay was a very short one. I was hoping to get some sleep before it, but that didn’t really end up happening. More on that next time!

So the good news is today is the first day of fall! Fall is my favorite season, although around here I feel like it doesn’t stick around too long before winter rolls in.

The bad news: We are going to call this week of training unlucky week 13. It’s unrealistic to expect everything to go perfectly, and as planned over the course of 18 weeks of training. During and after the Ragnar Relay, my right lower leg started to bother me a lot. Initially it was hurting even when I was just sitting which was no good. I practically took an entire week off this past week, while spending time resting, icing, and doing a bit of light foam rolling.

Monday- Rest. I was supposed to run an easy 7 miler, but my right lower leg and right hip were really bothering me.

Tuesday- 2 mile run on the treadmill. This was supposed to be my third strength workout of training: 3 x 2 miles. The interval workouts are my favorite part of training, and I always feel awesome after conquering one of them. I started out with a one mile warm up and then ran the first mile of my first 2 mile interval. My right lower leg was very bothersome, so I ended the run at 2 miles.

Sometimes I’ll have some pain in my leg when I first start running, but it dissipates by the first half mile and then never bothers me the rest of the run or after the run. I’m not sure what that means, and I’m not sure if it means I actually have an issue going on or not. I ran the first 2 miles of this run to see if the pain would go away, and when it didn’t I chose to stop.

Wednesday- Rest (this was a scheduled rest day… so at least I’m sticking to my training plan..?). I spent time in the evening alternating between icing and heat, and that had my leg feeling pretty good.

Thursday- Another day off from running and another day spent doing some foam rolling and hot/cold therapy. Both of which seem to be helping my leg.

Friday- And another day off and more time spent resting and icing my leg. It had started feeling better at this point.

Saturday- I headed out to the Dora Trail for a test run on my leg. Unfortunately, I was only able to run 2 miles. Every single step was painful, and I finished the run feeling very defeated and frustrated.

One good part about this run is I chose to run in a new pair of shoes. I think my old shoes (which I have been running in since February) have gotten broken down and may be contributing to the problem. These new shoes are the same version/model as the old ones, just a new obnoxious color:

Sunday- I met up with Kim at the Dora Trail and was able to run 4 miles with her (she was running 9 miles total). I would have loved to run the entire run with her, because it was a perfect fall morning. The air was crisp and clean, and it was in the mid-50’s. Perfect.

My leg was feeling a bit better during this run. I had a bit of pain, but it was very minimal compared to Saturday. After Saturday’s run I decided to give kinesiology tape a try and it really seemed to help! Maybe this, in addition to all the icing and stretching and resting will be the answer.

Once I got home, I spent time using my two new homemade ice packs. A while back, my Dad emailed me a picture he found on the internet about making homemade ice packs. I mixed 3 parts water with 1 part rubbing alcohol in each gallon-sized Ziploc bag and then froze them overnight in the freezer. The packs are super cold, but they also remain soft so I can mold them around my leg.

Total Miles: 8 miles (a far cry from where I was supposed to be this week… like 50 miles short… but I think I’m on the mend!)