By the way, if you're ever looking for races, check out Running in the USA - it's a great web site for finding your next adventure.
Davidson Lands Conservancy puts on the race, and I believe this is third running. DLC is a nonprofit land trust for Davidson, NC and surrounding areas.
It was dark when I arrived in Davidson. This was a record turnout this year, with 865 runners and volunteers. 370 ran the half marathon, and there were also 5K and 10K options. I was able to park 2/10 of a mile from the start line, which was very nice. It was easy to find the registration tent, and I picked up my t-shirt and bib at the table.
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| Short lines and Christmas lights at registration :) |
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| Much longer pre-race bathroom line |
The start was a little hard for me to find at first. It was on the other side of the building from the registration and finish. All I had to do was ask a volunteer, and she steered me in the right direction.
I can't say enough about how important volunteers are at races. They really, really make it happen. The registration is staffed by volunteers, and volunteers are the ones throughout the course that offer you water, Gatorade, and cheer you on. It's extremely helpful - thanks to all of the volunteers!
The course begins in downtown Davidson, very close to Davidson College. Davidson College is the anchor for the town of Davidson, and is a terrific source of volunteerism for the community. The race start was a little chaotic at the beginning, as there was no starting arc or banner that sometimes marks the beginning of races. The chip-timing starting mats were down, and that's how I knew I was in the right place. One really nice thing was having pacers at 1:45, 2:00, and 2:30. I'm sure there were other time pacers, but those were the three that I noticed.
My goal for this race was simply to finish without injury. The Tuna Run 200 is right around the corner on October 10th and 11th, and plantar fasciitis continues to be a challenge for me. I thought that would be the issue that would cause me problems on this race, but it actually turned out not to be the major one.
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| Question: am I facing the wrong way? Answer: probably |
The starting line was near the Flatiron Kitchen and Taphouse, a restaurant that offered free beer to participants afterwards. I did not partake, but it was a nice gesture to the participants and a nice anchor to the community as well. It was downhill after a short climb, then down and left onto a greenway.
A really special treat for me was that we actually ran on the "Randall R. Kincaid Trail." Mr. Kincaid is former mayor of the City of Davidson, a strong proponent of Smart Growth, and also one of my professors while I was in business school. I remember his classes vividly, and it was a real treat to see the trail named after him.
It was really beautiful to run there, and part of the course was on the Carolina Thread Trail, which is a regional effort to create a connected series of blueways and greenways people can access.
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| Just off the Randall R. Kincaid Trail and getting ready to head into River Run |
We came off the greenway, turned left back onto a road, and crossed into the neighborhood of River Run. Maybe this race should have been called Run River Run, as a large portion of the course wound through the River Run neighborhood. It's a large neighborhood, nice and scenic. We cut back onto a trail from time to time, and with the new trails and the established neighborhood, the entire race was run on asphalt save a few wooden bridges. The course had some hills, but they weren't terrible. There were some that were steep but not too many. We ran past the community golf course along the way.
For the first 5-6 miles, my pace was really, really strong. About a quarter of a mile into the race I noticed that the pace of the 2:00 pacer was slower than I wanted to run. For me a goal was to get in front of the 2:00 pacer, who started closer to the starting line than I did. I was able to pass the pace group within the first half mile or so and stayed in front of them the whole time.
I continue to pass runners on the downhill as I have in past races. I know that in runs over a half marathon I'll need to better manage my downhill speeds, but for a half marathon and under it's a great opportunity to use different muscles, use your legs in different ways, and go a lot faster. For me it actually helps reduce fatigue and is a nice change of pace, and I do enjoy that.
For this particular run, I really had three challenges: PF, cardio, and calories.
Challenge one: I've had some serious issues with PF (plantar fasciitis) over the past several weeks which has dramatically reduced my mileage and frequency on the training plan. I've not run over 5 miles more than once in the past five weeks or so, and that's why the goal was simply to finish as a tune up for the Tuna Run 200. Around mile 5-6 I started to notice some pain in my foot, especially my right heel and the ball of my left foot. I noticed that when the pain began, I started running more on the balls of my feet with a forefoot strike - which can exacerbate PF. By concentrating on running the way I normally run, which is roughly a midfoot strike, it became manageable.
Two was the cardio challenge, and it was a unexpected for me. As the sun rose it became nice and warm, and this half marathon was the longest I've run in quite some time. It was a little more of a challenge than I expected. I had to work on breathing more deeply, and it was really helpful. This was during miles 6-10. I managed through it and it was fine. I started getting my rhythm back, which is something I've missed by not running as regularly, and it was nice to feel back in the flow.
During the run it was great to pick out people that could pace me. All had distinct features that were easy to recognize, and all were running at a pace that I could match at that stage of the race. For me, those are the runners I like to follow. Many thanks to the gentleman in the prep shirt, the lady with the long pony tail, the lady with the white hat with a red stripe, and to the lady wearing the Alston & Bird half marathon shirt - unbeknownst to all of you, you helped me through this run! :)
For several miles I ran next to two gentlemen in red. I can only assume their names were Gil, or that at least one of them had the name Gil, because as we passed the course volunteers these two were cheered on like no other. "Go, Gil" "You've got it, Gils!" "Looking good!" It was really nice to run near them because I could hear all of those people cheering and it kind of made me think they were cheering for me, too. Again, terrific volunteers, and really appreciate all they put into these events - it's really wonderful.
My third big challenge began around mile 10 or 11. I was feeling pretty good. The issues in my lower legs and the breathing were both under control, but at this point I began to experience something totally new to me. It started as an overwhelming hunger. Dinner the night before was full of carbohydrates, and I had hydrated prior to the race as well. For breakfast about two hours before the race I had a slice of bread and a cup of coffee, and I remember in my first half marathon I didn't eat much more than that and it turned out just fine.
This time was very different. It wasn't like sitting at home and deciding that you want a snack, and it wasn't like working all day and suddenly realizing that you haven't eaten and have a grumble in your stomach. This was just a need for calories, and I didn't have any. I couldn't run any more. Some might say I just wouldn't run anymore, and you can pick the one you'd like to think it was. I started walking, and was so hungry, and was thinking about food. Not thinking how delicious a cheeseburger would be right about now, but thinking I needed to eat something - anything - quickly. At the aid stations I would make sure to get water, which is very unusual for me during a run. Then I switched to Gatorade because I knew it had at least a few calories, and calories were what I needed.
I ended up walking the last two miles. I ran to the finish, but walked the two miles before. It cost me a ton of time, but I still finished in under two hours. I crossed the line totally spent and hungry. Normally post race I'll grab maybe a banana or a bagel with a drink and feel refreshed. This time was different, and I took a little more food. I had two bagel halves with peanut butter smeared on them, another half of a bagel, a banana, three cups of chocolate milk, two cups of Gatorade, trying to recharge. After about ten minutes I started to feel better, but was gassed the rest of the day. Note to self: don't combine chocolate milk and sports drink in any large quantities going forward. :)
I'm fairly certain that I just ran out of calories. Not a scary thing, but something I do need to be aware of in the future. I've purchased but never used energy gels or other sorts of nutrition. It could be that for longer runs it's something I need. On blogs and other race reports I read about other people using them, and see how important they can be. I will pay more attention to this in the future. [Update: special thanks to Tom K - he shared that what I experienced is called "bonking," and even passed along this great link to a Runner's World article that explains it well. Thanks, Tom!]
The finisher medal was pretty nice, and hung on a piece of green string (it's Run for Green, after all). One think I really liked about the medal is that it said "Half Marathon." It wasn't a blended medal where you could have run the 5K and received the same hardware. I enjoy both distances very much, but a half marathon is a different level of achievement and appreciate the differentiation.
I wore my cheap shoes today, my Avia Austins. It was between these and the Kinvara 4s. I chose the Avias because the Kinvaras have less drop from heel to toe. With PF, I thought it would be important for me to have a little more drop to reduce stress on the plantar fascia, I think it did help. About 45 minutes after the race I was feeling okay, and not sure I would have felt that way after running in a lower drop shoe. I really like the Kinvaras, but until I'm a little further down the path of recovery, the longer runs will be in shoes with greater drop.
I didn't get to speak with either of them, but two notables were at the finish line. First was the Old NC Runner, someone whose blog I found about a month ago when looking for race recaps. He picked up running in 2008, and blogs his way through his adventures. The other is the amazing Margaret Hagerty, who at 91 finished the 10K in under an hour. The last time I saw her was at the Streetlight 5K, when I learned that she's raced on all seven continents. Wow!
Overall this was a nice time and I would absolutely run this again.
I continue to pass runners on the downhill as I have in past races. I know that in runs over a half marathon I'll need to better manage my downhill speeds, but for a half marathon and under it's a great opportunity to use different muscles, use your legs in different ways, and go a lot faster. For me it actually helps reduce fatigue and is a nice change of pace, and I do enjoy that.
For this particular run, I really had three challenges: PF, cardio, and calories.
Challenge one: I've had some serious issues with PF (plantar fasciitis) over the past several weeks which has dramatically reduced my mileage and frequency on the training plan. I've not run over 5 miles more than once in the past five weeks or so, and that's why the goal was simply to finish as a tune up for the Tuna Run 200. Around mile 5-6 I started to notice some pain in my foot, especially my right heel and the ball of my left foot. I noticed that when the pain began, I started running more on the balls of my feet with a forefoot strike - which can exacerbate PF. By concentrating on running the way I normally run, which is roughly a midfoot strike, it became manageable.
Two was the cardio challenge, and it was a unexpected for me. As the sun rose it became nice and warm, and this half marathon was the longest I've run in quite some time. It was a little more of a challenge than I expected. I had to work on breathing more deeply, and it was really helpful. This was during miles 6-10. I managed through it and it was fine. I started getting my rhythm back, which is something I've missed by not running as regularly, and it was nice to feel back in the flow.
During the run it was great to pick out people that could pace me. All had distinct features that were easy to recognize, and all were running at a pace that I could match at that stage of the race. For me, those are the runners I like to follow. Many thanks to the gentleman in the prep shirt, the lady with the long pony tail, the lady with the white hat with a red stripe, and to the lady wearing the Alston & Bird half marathon shirt - unbeknownst to all of you, you helped me through this run! :)
For several miles I ran next to two gentlemen in red. I can only assume their names were Gil, or that at least one of them had the name Gil, because as we passed the course volunteers these two were cheered on like no other. "Go, Gil" "You've got it, Gils!" "Looking good!" It was really nice to run near them because I could hear all of those people cheering and it kind of made me think they were cheering for me, too. Again, terrific volunteers, and really appreciate all they put into these events - it's really wonderful.
My third big challenge began around mile 10 or 11. I was feeling pretty good. The issues in my lower legs and the breathing were both under control, but at this point I began to experience something totally new to me. It started as an overwhelming hunger. Dinner the night before was full of carbohydrates, and I had hydrated prior to the race as well. For breakfast about two hours before the race I had a slice of bread and a cup of coffee, and I remember in my first half marathon I didn't eat much more than that and it turned out just fine.
This time was very different. It wasn't like sitting at home and deciding that you want a snack, and it wasn't like working all day and suddenly realizing that you haven't eaten and have a grumble in your stomach. This was just a need for calories, and I didn't have any. I couldn't run any more. Some might say I just wouldn't run anymore, and you can pick the one you'd like to think it was. I started walking, and was so hungry, and was thinking about food. Not thinking how delicious a cheeseburger would be right about now, but thinking I needed to eat something - anything - quickly. At the aid stations I would make sure to get water, which is very unusual for me during a run. Then I switched to Gatorade because I knew it had at least a few calories, and calories were what I needed.
I ended up walking the last two miles. I ran to the finish, but walked the two miles before. It cost me a ton of time, but I still finished in under two hours. I crossed the line totally spent and hungry. Normally post race I'll grab maybe a banana or a bagel with a drink and feel refreshed. This time was different, and I took a little more food. I had two bagel halves with peanut butter smeared on them, another half of a bagel, a banana, three cups of chocolate milk, two cups of Gatorade, trying to recharge. After about ten minutes I started to feel better, but was gassed the rest of the day. Note to self: don't combine chocolate milk and sports drink in any large quantities going forward. :)
I'm fairly certain that I just ran out of calories. Not a scary thing, but something I do need to be aware of in the future. I've purchased but never used energy gels or other sorts of nutrition. It could be that for longer runs it's something I need. On blogs and other race reports I read about other people using them, and see how important they can be. I will pay more attention to this in the future. [Update: special thanks to Tom K - he shared that what I experienced is called "bonking," and even passed along this great link to a Runner's World article that explains it well. Thanks, Tom!]
The finisher medal was pretty nice, and hung on a piece of green string (it's Run for Green, after all). One think I really liked about the medal is that it said "Half Marathon." It wasn't a blended medal where you could have run the 5K and received the same hardware. I enjoy both distances very much, but a half marathon is a different level of achievement and appreciate the differentiation.
I wore my cheap shoes today, my Avia Austins. It was between these and the Kinvara 4s. I chose the Avias because the Kinvaras have less drop from heel to toe. With PF, I thought it would be important for me to have a little more drop to reduce stress on the plantar fascia, I think it did help. About 45 minutes after the race I was feeling okay, and not sure I would have felt that way after running in a lower drop shoe. I really like the Kinvaras, but until I'm a little further down the path of recovery, the longer runs will be in shoes with greater drop.
I didn't get to speak with either of them, but two notables were at the finish line. First was the Old NC Runner, someone whose blog I found about a month ago when looking for race recaps. He picked up running in 2008, and blogs his way through his adventures. The other is the amazing Margaret Hagerty, who at 91 finished the 10K in under an hour. The last time I saw her was at the Streetlight 5K, when I learned that she's raced on all seven continents. Wow!
Overall this was a nice time and I would absolutely run this again.
=== RACE DAY ===
Race: Run for Green Half Marathon
Location: Davidson, NC
Shoe: Avia Austin
Date: 9/20/2014
Distance: Half Marathon
Time: 1:59:00
Pace: 9:07/mile
Overall: 162/370 (43.8%)
Gender: 105/189 (55.6%)
Group: 20/42 (47.6%)
=== LINKS ===
Website: Davidson Lands Conservancy
Registration: RunSignUp
Results: Queen City Timing
Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Good post.
ReplyDeleteThe Old NC Runner has posted his race report on Run for Green yesterday! Check it out - he is a fast machine, and always has a good review.
ReplyDeletehttp://old-nc-runner.blogspot.com/2014/09/race-270-run-for-green-half-marathon.html