Dogwood 10 Miler - Race Report

 

It was a perfect day for running in the woods. It was slightly cool, just warm enough to warrant going sleeveless for the race. Like a lot of trail races, the mood was low key with runners coming out of the shadows a few minutes before gun time. In fact, this was the most low key group I have seen in a while. Most people stood back away from the starting line with just a few of us gathered in up near the timing mats. There was no fan fare, just a quick shout from the race director. "Thirty Seconds". Then "Five Seconds". Then, "Go"! And off we went. 

The pace was pedestrian compared to previous races. After a while, I realized I was in second place and wondered where all the hard chargers were. While a few young guys passed me, they were actually not participating in the 10 miler but were doing the 24 hour race. I only knew this because I heard them talking about it. So, I just maintained my pace and did not worry about trying to keep up with them. I was sure the faster people would catch up to me at some point but after several miles, the chances of that happening were diminished. 

The course did have a few muddy sections that made the downhills a bit tricky and caused me to run slightly slower than I did the previous year. It was challenging but fun and my main goal was to stay upright. The course was 3 laps of 3+ miles. There was nothing flat on the course. Everything was up or down for the most part. 

During the course of the race, I came across lots of folks doing the 24 hour and 48 races. Despite not competing against them, their presence did give me a lift. I would see them up ahead and get sucked up the trail towards them. It made the course less lonely and kept me on my toes. It was a nice little ongoing motivator. After my second lap, I knew I was probably locked in to second place. At this point, it would be unlikely that anyone would catch up to me. 

Despite not pushing the pace too hard for the first 2 laps, I did fade a bit on the last lap. Overall, I ended up with a 10:15 minute mile average which was significantly slower than my previous year's effort on the same course but with a deeper and more competitive field. Given my injury and less overall training volume, I was happy with my performance and had a fantastic time toeing the line. I love the format for these kinds of racer and I highly recommend checking out Virginia Adventure races. 

 

Now I Have Done It

Well, it is done. I have officially signed up for my first proper single-track trail 50K race. On April 9th, I will line up with other like minded individuals for a long day of trail running at the Single-track Maniac 50K in Williamsburg, VA. When I say it out loud, it does seem a bit intimidating. 

The race promises to be a big challenge but also has the potential to be fun. Of course we are not talking about 'playing dodgeball with your 8th grade friends' fun. No, this is a different kind of fun. In fact, there are undoubtedly going to be times during the event when I feel like it is the opposite of fun. But planning for those inevitable low spots is the key to success with an event such as this. Not only will I need to train my legs, lungs, and heart, I will also have to train my mind and equally important, my stomach. Taking in and processing calories will be an important factor that could determine my success or failure.

In an attempt to set myself up for success, I joined a winter training team that is training for this particular race. As a endurance athlete who has done most of my training solo over the last decade, this group training team could prove to be just the extra motivation and accountability I need for such an endeavor. The training team has a structured training program with long group trail runs at various places in and around the greater Richmond area as well as coached tempo runs. I am looking forward to meeting everyone and learning from some veteran racers. Of course, I am not a total newbie as I have completed 7 full distance Ironman races. But this will be something very different I think. 

I will actually miss the first weekend long run with the team as Melissa and I will be in NYC for our anniversary. Plus, I will miss the New Years weekend run as I will also be out of town for the Van Gogh Immersive Experience in Washington DC that weekend. I plan to do a solo run on New Years day, most likely on the W&OD trail and perhaps on some cross country trails up there.  We are going to a NYE party the night before that will likely mean less than optimal sleep before a long run of 18 miles but doing something epic on New Years Day is something I l always strive to do. 

So, that is the plan for now. After getting my training plan this morning, I decided I better snap out of the winter doldrums and get to work. I started by putting all my workouts in to my Training Peaks app, doing some 'Planking with Jim' and writing this blog post. Tomorrow I will go for a long run, perhaps solo. 

And the journey begins.