This past Saturday I drove up to Falling Creek Park in Bedford for my second ever trail race. My experience at this race was a lot different than my first trail race.

I arrived at the park about 30 minutes before the start of the race and was directed to park in a grass field, which was being used for overflow parking. It’s a good thing I got there when I did! Just after I parked, the girl directing cars said “two more and then shut the gate because we’ll be full.”

I hit the restrooms, and then headed down to the main pavilion to catch the tail end of the pre-race briefing. I have been through two of these meetings for trail races now, and they always confuse me and make me worry I am going to get lost. I’m pretty sure they’re supposed to have the opposite effect, though.

Once the meeting wrapped up, we all headed down the hill from the pavilion to the start line. I bumped into my friend Jessie, who was running the half marathon, and hung out with her before the start. We failed to get a picture together at any point during the day, but it was great to see her! At 9 o’clock the half marathoners were off, and then we waited for our turn (10K started 10 minutes later). A few minutes later it was our turn to run!

The race started up a grass hill, did a brief stint on a paved path, and then we plunged down into the woods to take to the trails. It’s amazing how my heart rate can skyrocket just minutes after the start of a trail race. I think my average heart rate on trails stays higher than it does during most road races.

The course had rolling hills through the woods for the first mile and a half or so. We came out of the woods and ran on a paved road for a short distance before going back into the woods just before mile two. At this point, I couldn’t see anyone in front of me, and as I ran down the winding trail I worried I was off course. This was the only time this happened the whole race. But then I saw a pink streamer with polka dots and knew I was on course. They had the race course really well marked!

Around mile 3.5 we passed through a water stop. It was kind of hot/humid out, so I chose to fill up my handheld from a pitcher. I quickly ate a Salted Caramel Gu (yum!) so that I could toss it in the trash bin, and then headed back into the woods. Some of the trails were technical with roots and rocks through the woods, while others were smooth dirt through fields.

There were a few times that we popped up out of the woods to a clearing and had some really gorgeous views. I really enjoyed running in Falling Creek Park. If I lived in that area, I’d be visiting that place often.

I had to walk on some of the hills, especially later in the race, but I think my legs are still recovering from last weekend’s Blue Ridge Half Marathon. I think as I get stronger on trails I will be able to run a course like this in it’s entirety. I finished the race in 1:19:54.

My Garmin was off, but the race ended up being roughly 6.4 miles long. The race director had warned us of this beforehand. I think it’s kind of the norm for trail races to claim “10K” or “half marathon” and that really just means they’re in the ballpark of that distance. And I’m cool with that. I know one thing – they have good post race food spreads.

After the race I hung out with Jessie and watched the awards ceremonies and raffle (I didn’t win anything, boo). The pavilion was a great gathering place. Then it was time to hit the road home. My throat was bothering me a bit on the way home, so I stopped at McD’s to get my favorite – a mango pineapple smoothie.

That way I would have brain freeze in addition to my sore throat. But it was yummy! And don’t worry, I’m wasn’t driving in the above picture. My right foot is on the brake and I was at a stop light.

Overall, I had a great time at this race. This was my first Mountain Junkies LLC race, and they do a great job! The course was so pretty and I wish they were holding the race again next month so that I could run it again! Instead I have about a month break before I tackle my next race, which also happens to be a Mountain Junkies race – Conquer the Cove 25K. Fifteen miles on trails, better start training!

Who else raced this weekend?
Have you ever gotten lost during a race?
What’s your favorite “special treat” beverage?

Happy Cinco de Mayo (I didn’t celebrate, unless you count making chicken enchiladas for dinner last night)! This week I didn’t do as much running at the beginning of the week as I planned. It was a bad combination of traveling for work, uncooperative weather, and hotel treadmill hogs. But maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Maybe my shins would have gotten aggravated if I hadn’t taken a few days in a row off after Blue Ridge.

Monday- Rest day. This was a planned rest day after last weekend’s half marathon and hiking on Sunday. I also came down with a little 24 hour stomach bug, so the day was spent on the couch.

Tuesday- Rest day. I had to travel for a work meeting, and was hoping to get in a short run in the evening after I got to my hotel. Unfortunately, it was pouring so hard (as it had all day….) when I got to my hotel that I chose not to run outside. The treadmill was occupied, so I took another rest day. No biggie. Side note: My hotel had thin walls and the guy in the room next to me snored hard enough to peel the paint off of the walls.

Wednesday- Rest day again. I had a long day at work and was still out of town. Once again it poured all day and in the afternoon we were having cloud to ground lightning strikes, a bit of hail, and tornado warnings. So running outside was not an option.

Despite the long work day, I did want to get a run in and intended to do so on the hotel treadmill. I went by at 8 PM and there was a lady on it. Went by at 8:45 and there was a guy on it. Went by one last time at 9:30 and there was a different guy on it. So I did a few planks and some push ups and sit ups in my room and called it good.

Thursday- 4 mile run in the morning. This was my travel home day and usually my workout prospects are no good on travel days. By the time I get home I’m beat and I’m just ready to unpack and settle in. So I knew I needed to run in the morning if it was going to happen. I set my alarm early, and finally got to go for a run on the High Bridge Trail State Park. I parked in town in Farmville and enjoyed an easy 4 mile run as the sun came up. There was some pretty crazy flooding around town from all of the rain, but the trail wasn’t affected.

Friday- Easy 3 mile run in the midafternoon heat. I had to get groceries after work, so I decided to run at Bisset Park in Radford before hitting the store on the way home. I actually parked in Bisset Park, but then headed up the hill and under the main road on the trail in Wildwood Park. Everything was so green!

Funny story- I got to a section where the trail crosses a road. They have been doing construction on the road for a few months, and currently have the road torn up and have signs up saying the trail is closed. But the trail is open past that intersection, across the road, so I asked the construction worker who was controlling traffic if it was alright to cross. He said no problem, just be careful. Of course the next thing I do is trip right in front of him on the pile of asphalt that they tore up from the road. Typical. He just chuckled, shook his head, and went back to directing traffic.

Saturday- Trail Nut 10K race in Bedford. My legs were still pretty tired from Blue Ridge last weekend, but I still enjoyed this race. Much different from my first trail race experience. 🙂

You know the drill – full race report coming on Wednesday morning.

Sunday- Met up with Kim in the morning at the Dora Trail for a 5 mile run. My legs were feeling fatigued, but not too sore after Saturday’s race. It was a really nice day out, and I’m glad we got to meet up for a run together. I’m loving all the green that’s back, because it means there’s shade on the trail again!

Total Miles: 18.65 miles
April Total: 73.69 miles

I was in Farmville Tuesday through Thursday this week for work. Last year, I got to run at the High Bridge Trail State Park while I was in Farmville. I was hoping to be able to do the same this time, and get in three runs while out of town. But the weather had other ideas.

The High Bridge Trail State Park is a 31 mile long trail of crushed limestone that used to be a rail bed. The trail gets it’s namesake from the High Bridge, which sits 125 feet above the Appomattox River and is nearly half a mile long (2,400 feet). It’s actually the longest recreational bridge in Virginia and one of the longest in the country. (source)

I got to run across the High Bridge last year when I was in Farmville. It’s really something to see!

When I rolled into town on Tuesday evening, it was pouring so hard you couldn’t see six inches in front of your face. I knew a run on the trail wasn’t going to happen. The rain continued the next day, with some thunderstorms sprinkled in. When I finished up my workday in the evening it was raining hard and hailing at times. There were also tornado warnings and numerous cloud to ground lightning strikes in the area (including one in an open field that I was parked next to during the day that made my hair stand on end!). Obviously a run outside was not going to happen again. My prospects for getting to run on the High Bridge Trail were not looking good.

The rain finally relented Wednesday night, and I got to run on the High Bridge Trail yesterday morning before work! It was in the low 60’s, but it was so humid I was as sweaty as if it were 100 degrees outside.

I got in an easy four miles while enjoying the sunrise and watching Farmville wake up. I think the three days of rest must have done my legs good, because they felt recovered from Blue Ridge.

I didn’t run to the High Bridge this time, though. The bridge is a little ways away from town, and I felt safer staying on the part of the trail close to town since it was early. During my run I saw some pretty crazy flooding from all the rain they got in the area on Tuesday and Wednesday. Check this out:

That was one of my views from the trail. The water level of the river was up so high it was nearly up to the main road through town. I’m not sure what the river normally looks like, but you could tell by the trees that the water was much higher than usual.

As I got further down the trail I saw a road that was washed out. The river had swelled up and over the bank.

There were some sections where the agricultural fences were under water. The picture of the gate below shows how deep the water was here.

The trail had a view of this road for at least half a mile, and as I ran I saw a car driving down the road towards the washed out section. Luckily, when they got to the flooded part of the road they stopped and turned around. Smart decision. Then on my way back into town, I saw another car (it looked like a Ford Taurus) approach the flooded area. They came to a stop and I thought they were going to turn around, too. Then I heard their engine rev and they floored it and drove straight into the water! I didn’t get a picture, because there were a lot of trees between where I was on the trail and the road below, but the road looked like this.

I stopped to watch, hoping that they’d make it through safely. The water was rushing swiftly, and it was up over their wheels. They did make it through by the skin of their teeth. The car was barely moving when they got to the other side. I would have been sprinting back to town to call 911 otherwise! The rest of my run was free of anymore crazy drivers, and I arrived back in town feeling refreshed. Morning runs just feel so good.

I’m glad I was able to at least get one run in on the trail while I was there. Tomorrow morning I’m running the Trail Nut 10K (my second trail race!) in Bedford. After all the rain we had earlier this week, I’m wondering what the trails are going to be like. Maybe they will have dried out by now?

If not, I guess the race logo will be very fitting!

What kind of weather did you have this week?
Have you been able to stick to your workout plan for the week?

Wow, how is it the last day of April already!? We are one-third of the way through 2014. I feel like running a lot of races seems to make the time fly. This past Saturday I ran my fifth race of the year – the Blue Ridge Half Marathon in Roanoke. I’ve got lots of pictures for you today.

This was my third year running Blue Ridge. The first year was in 2012, and Mill Mountain did me in. The second year, I was much more prepared for the course and despite additional elevation gain from 2012 I dropped 22 minutes on my time. This year they added an extra mountain. I wasn’t sure how that would affect me, and I ended up finishing in 2:40:49. Faster than the first year but slower than last year. But check out this elevation profile. Crazy!

I headed up to Roanoke in the morning with my dad and Barry. Barry was signed up to run the full marathon, which has 3 significant climbs up 3 mountains in addition to plenty of hills around town. We arrived about an hour prior to the start and easily parked in the garage closest to the start and finish area. Of course the first thing we did was make our way over to the porta potty line. It looked long, but only took 5-10 minutes to get through.

I also met up with my running buddy, Kim, who was running the 10K, and with Anita, Wendy, Glenda, and Kim from the Sole Sisters in Wytheville. I have run many races with Anita and Glenda, including last year’s Blue Ridge.

Barry and I also got a quick pre-race photo. It was par for the course for our pre-race photos 🙂 To show you what I mean, I made a collage. The picture on the left is from Saturday, the top right is from the 2013 Varmint 1/2, and the bottom right is from the 2013 Thunder Road Marathon.

Then it was time to head up to the starting area! This year they had corrals set up, and runners placed themselves based on expected pace. It seemed like that helped with the larger field. But I’ve never really had an issue with crowds at Blue Ridge because the climb up the mountain is during the first 3 miles, and the majority of people are taking walk breaks periodically.

I kissed Barry goodbye and wished him well, and then headed towards the back corral with Kim. We listened to the National Anthem and then waited about 2 minutes for the race to start.

At 7:35 on the dot they started the race and we were on our way! I think it took me less than a minute to get across the start line. I love small races.

Shortly after crossing the start line, I saw my dad, who came down to visit this weekend and spectate the race. It was sunny and in the low 50’s, but would warm up to nearly 70 by the time I finished and 75 degrees when Barry finished. Pretty hot for April!

Kim and I ran together for most of the first mile before parting ways. The race starts in downtown Roanoke and crosses a larger bridge on Walnut Avenue. As you cross the bridge you get a nice view of the Roanoke Star and Mill Mountain, which you will soon be ascending. You can see the star on the right at the top of the mountain in the below picture.

After mile 1, things get serious and you get down to the task of climbing Mill Mountain. This year I felt really good early on in the race and was able to run until mile 2 before taking my first walk break.

From there I alternated between running and walking until I made it to the top of Mill Mountain. There are some pretty views on the way up the mountain, but the sunshine made them hard to capture.

Around mile 3.5 we finally arrived at the top of Mill Mountain. First, you run behind the Roanoke Star.

Then you take a short gravel path to the front of the star. A little trail action for my Hokas.

There is an overlook at the star where you can view downtown Roanoke and the surrounding area. Not too long ago, we were down there on the valley floor preparing to start the race!

In years past I have always gotten very nauseous and even gotten sick on the way down Mill Mountain. It’s a pretty harsh descent, and I think the water sloshing around in my stomach has caused it to get upset. So this year I decided to not take in any water until I got off the mountain, between miles 5 and 6. This worked out pretty well, and I killed it down the mountain, averaging 8:30/mile pace.

Before I knew it I was back on the valley floor and heading for the greenway bike path. I saw my dad around this point.

As we entered the greenway and hit a few gentle rolling hills, I realized what I had done by blowing down Mill Mountain: completely worn out my quads. Uh, oh. I tried to push it to the back of my mind as I took in some water and my first gel (a Vanilla Honey Stinger gel). There were plenty of good signs to distract me, including each mile marker. The bottom right is what the volunteer’s shirts said this year.

I knew we still had Peakwood to climb, although I didn’t know quite what to expect with that.There were a few challenging hills as we ran along, and my pace suffered.

Then we hung a left onto Peakwood shortly before mile 8 and things got serious. Again.

I don’t know how to describe Peakwood other than relentless climbing. At times it was just so steep, and I was more hiking than walking or running.

The people of Peakwood were awesome, though (see above sprinkler set up). And the houses? Amazing.

We continued climbing, and passed by an aid station one of the Peakwood residents had set up. She had orange slices out and that sounded good so I grabbed one and ate it. Then I remembered I’m not supposed to eat anything citrus, acidic, or spicy for the next 10-14 days from the surgery I had last Tuesday. Oops. As you climb up Peakwood (which I should let you know has been nicknamed ‘Pukewood’) you get a brief respite before it gets. even. steeper. Hills never capture in pictures, but I tried.

The climb up Peakwood was hands down, twice as difficult as the climb up Mill Mountain. Part of it is because it is later in the race (full marathoners reach this climb at mile 17!), but the other part is it was definitely more relentless. But the climb is worth it because…

There is a party at the top! Complete with champagne to toast the mountain. Yea, there was a lot of this going on up there:

But I did not partake, in the interest of meeting my no-puke goal. You do a small loop at the top around the party, and then head back down for another quad busting descent.

I spent the entire way down Peakwood just praying I would trip over my own feet and face plant on the pavement. Luckily my legs held up and I did not trip, and made it down mountain number two unscathed. From there we ran around on the valley floor, and up plenty more hills. I think I heard “this is the last hill” at least eight times during the final 3 miles.

I had to take more walk breaks in the final 5K than I would have liked, but I never had a moment during the race where I questioned signing up for the race. Despite the challenge, I was still enjoying myself. I was so tired, though! At last, we turned on Jefferson with just over a mile to go. But there were 3 mean bridges to run up and over. Ugh.

Finally we reached the last “last hill” and then it was a gentle downhill to the finish! I was thinking I could come in under 2:40, but I crossed the line in 2:40:49. Not too shabby for me, with all the Sherpa-ing I did. As I crossed the finish line, I high fived the race director. He stands there all day and welcomes every runner home. So cool!

Just after I crossed the finish line, I met up with Anita and Glenda. We had yo-yo’ed back and forth throughout the race, but were never really on the same run/walk schedule. They finished about a minute ahead of me or so.

I made a quick loop through the food area and grabbed a quarter of a bagel, half a banana, two orange slices (forgot about the citrus restriction again!) and a bottle of water. Then I met up with my dad and we headed back out to position ourselves on the marathon course at mile 22 to cheer for Barry. After a little bit, he came through fighting, but looking strong and determined.

The final part of the marathon did a small loop before heading to the finish, about 4 blocks down from where we saw Barry go by at mile 22. So dad and I cut down to the final straight away to the finish and awaited Barry’s return. He came through and we cheered him on to the finish, as he crossed the line in 4:53. He was hoping to run sub-5, and he did it!

We hung out in a grassy area near the finish line for a bit as Barry recovered. Then we headed over to the finish line celebration area to partake in some free beverages.

The half marathon medal was similar to last year’s, but I like it. I love the bright green shirt the half got this year (and I like that they had different colored shirts for each race distance). A neat twist this year on the full marathon medal is that the medal itself comes off and doubles as a belt buckle. How cool is that?

The Blue Ridge Marathon is America’s Toughest Road Marathon. With the addition of Peakwood this year, runners completing the half marathon had the honor of running what is now America’s Toughest Road Half Marathon. I have run fourteen half marathons over the past seven years, and I definitely agree that this year’s Blue Ridge was the toughest road half that I have run. The trail half I ran in March was a bit more difficult, but only because of the snow and ice. Otherwise, I think the 2014 Blue Ridge Half would be the toughest half I have completed period. But you know what? I’m already ready to go back in 2015 and run it again.

What is the toughest race you have ever run? What makes it the toughest?
If you’ve run a race multiple times, what keeps you coming back?

Monday- 5 mile trail run at Claytor Lake State Park. After taking the day off of work to watch the Boston Marathon (don’t judge, I always end up losing leave at the end of the year anyway…), I decided I needed to actually get out for a run and make use of the day off. Plus, I had decided to join in on the Boston Marathon World Run.

It was a beautiful day outside, but also relatively hot (mid-70’s)! This was my second time running trails at Claytor Lake, and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first time. This time I ran on both of the trails I ran on last time, as well as another new-to-me trail. I love the views of the lake you can glimpse through the trees as you run.

I also decided to wear my Hokas during this run. This was my first time wearing them on trails, and it went well. The reason I hadn’t before now was because of the increased risk of tripping (which I already do enough of on trails) due to the larger soles on the Hoka One One’s. I’m happy to report I only tripped the usual number of times, and no actual blood was shed during the run. Went for another mid-run selfie on a flat, smooth part of the trail. Don’t worry, I made sure no one was around to see me trip in case I fell while trying to take a picture of myself…

Tuesday- Cross training: 30 Day Shred Level 1 workout. I worked out in the morning before work, because I had minor oral surgery scheduled for that afternoon. It wasn’t a big deal, although I was plenty nervous about it (I’m not a big fan of dentists or anything related to dentists). I figured I wouldn’t feel up to working out in the evening afterwards, though, and I was right.

Wednesday- Rest day. I managed to stay off of pain meds and went to work as usual, but by the afternoon I wasn’t feeling so great. My left cheek was swollen and bruised, and I had a headache and felt like someone had punched me in the mouth. So I took some of the pain meds the surgeon sent me home with and took it easy on the couch with an ice pack on my face.

Thursday- Easy 3 mile run with Barry on the roads around our house. I wanted to run some hills to give my legs a heads up for Saturday’s race.

Friday- Rest. Picked up packets in Roanoke for the Blue Ridge Marathon.

Saturday- Blue Ridge Half Marathon! It was a gorgeous day in Roanoke, if not a bit on the warm side. They added an extra mountain to the half marathon course, so it was even more challenging this year. I ran slower than last year, but faster than the first time I ran the race in 2012. You will have to wait until later this week for the full recap, though 🙂

Sunday- 3.8 mile walk/hike at Claytor Lake State Park with my dad. My legs were definitely sore from Saturday’s race, but it felt good to move around and get the blood flowing. It was such a gorgeous day to be outside, too.

Total Miles: 25.01 miles