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That is awesome!!!!
Pace slowed about 15 sec/mi and HR went up about 5bpm. While its not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, its a sign you're body is letting go when you're working harder and slowing down. It wasn't a bonk by any means, but it didn't feel good either.
Damn I really did want to meet you guys out there too. Had my Mom, Wife and 2 boys come out with their behemoth double stroller, so you may have seen me. I'll make more of an effort next time. Don't sell yourself short on that time. So close.
Congrats icon! Looks like you had a great time!Couple pics:
(Not of BnB's awesome trek, but just sharing)
Pre race beer (seemed like a good idea at the time... May become tradition at short distances like this)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ciwyzgdkxzrn7hm/Photo%20Sep%2013%2C%206%2022%2012%20PM.jpg
Panoramic of the starting line:
Very artsy little neighborhood called cooper/young here in town.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7g45vvoilov0mxd/Photo%20Sep%2013%2C%206%2052%2015%20PM.jpg
Me around the 2.5mi mark passing our "home base" bar where our friends were posted up.
The "taking a #### face" was mid-attempt to throw out the devil horns (note the hand coming up). I'm an expert at ruining photos. The two Asian chicks to the left of me were my running buddies... The one in the back w McClure's BBQ shirt is the GF, visibly struggling.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ql1suiobeahh08/Photo%20Sep%2013%2C%207%2020%2051%20PM.jpg
The "yellows" and I. McClure's shirt is my girl. Other chick is my best buddies fiancée. Girl taking pics joked with them "now open your eyes really big!" (Asianed joke) so my girl did so. She looks insane. Awesomeness
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tm9zgbkcvkcf4zl/Photo%20Sep%2013%2C%208%2003%2054%20PM.jpg
your gf looks a lot like my lady. Weird. 
Good to see Juxt and to give him race support! We were both hoping to meet Annyong ...Juxt and I stood around looking tall and skinny together, but alas.
Yeah "fell apart" can mean anything from "slightly slowed from goal pace" to "crawled on all fours begging bystanders for water and a GU".That is what I suspected. As is said often it is all relative but my definition of "fell apart" means a death walk mixed in with a jog of hate and loathing.There is a lot I like about running and one of those things is the different definitions people have for the same words.
Oh hell yeah! Great job. And don't you ever say the bolded again. I will say it again. You're a sub 17 runner.
So I threw that plan out the window and went with this as I felt pretty good early on...
Congrats on the result.
Enjoyed this write up. Way to break the cherry.Great job everyone!
EX2 Off Road Half Marathon - Quantico VA
My first ever trail race half. To set it up a bit, I'm from Va beach...probably the flattest place on the planet, so running a trail race with a buncha single track, rocky, rooty up and downhill paths was quite a new experience. Friends tell me this race is probably your best half + 20 minutes. Anything under 2 hours is a win.
The race starts out straight down hill a paved road and and right back up after you turn around a cone (kinda a lame start to a great race) for the first .6 and then right into the trails. You can really tell the people that train on this course by the way they attack the downhills. We start down a single track path and I'm amazed at how my natural instinct is to tip toe down and dudes are flying flat out with reckless abandon. My first mile is pretty fast for the course...7:05. We continue downhill to a valley next to a creek that is pretty technical...rocks, roots everywhere. I try to settle in a bit at around a 7:30. The next mile is a real eye opener when we have a very steep incline switch back...I get to the top and damn, I'm winded...run down hill and I'm still sucking air. The one saving grace was that my fitness level was decent enough that when the trail flattened out, I sped up and my heart rate seemed to settle down. The next couple miles are up and down and it's like a freight train of guys behind me running breathing down my neck. Guys are slipping, falling and finally letting guys pass. It was quite intense. Averaging right around 8's for this stretch.
At around the 6 mile point I'm feeling the hills on my legs but overall all pretty good. At this point, I ask guy near me if this pace is sustainable...immediately we run up the steepest hill of the day...I got my answer...NO. These hills kicked my ###. Still, I'm managing to pick the pace right back up when I hit the flat and down hill spots. Feeling pretty good when I get to 8 and still averaging from 8 to 8:30...it's hard by I'm hanging in there. At mile 10.5, it's starts to get a bit sketching. I go to bound up hill over some rocks and roots and I feel a sharp pain in my calf...uh oh....a quarter mile later it's in my other calf...a half of mile later it's in my quad. 2 miles left and I'm worried my legs are going to lock up. I fight through the aches and pains and the last mile is straight up hill...sonava#####. Finish the last mile with a 9:40. Overall time was 1:52:30. Not sure my exact placing but I'm pretty sure I was around 20th out of 250 to 300. Pretty proud of the result as it was way out of my comfort zone.
Side note, went this 3 other guys, two of which have done this race 5+ times. We had a bet, whoever finished last paid the bar tab today...I finished 1 out of 4 and four spent quite a bit of money today.
Yeah I started seriously (for me) logging miles this year after having my 2nd son in Feb. decided it was time for a lifestyle change. Still have a long way to go but running has changed my life. Running a HM was something I would have never considered attempting, but you guys in this thread have really pushed me along nicely. Gonna sound ####, but my eyes watered a bit after crossing the finish line seeing my family there to cheer me on. Yes I've had a few celebratory beers today.
![[icon]](/data/avatars/m/5/5167.jpg?1660313464){kind=avatar}
This sounds like a lot of fun, but I think the chokepoints and having people right behind me in technical spots would really bug me. I can definitely see how trail guys enjoy this sort of thing by themselves though.Great job everyone!
EX2 Off Road Half Marathon - Quantico VA
My first ever trail race half. To set it up a bit, I'm from Va beach...probably the flattest place on the planet, so running a trail race with a buncha single track, rocky, rooty up and downhill paths was quite a new experience. Friends tell me this race is probably your best half + 20 minutes. Anything under 2 hours is a win.
The race starts out straight down hill a paved road and and right back up after you turn around a cone (kinda a lame start to a great race) for the first .6 and then right into the trails. You can really tell the people that train on this course by the way they attack the downhills. We start down a single track path and I'm amazed at how my natural instinct is to tip toe down and dudes are flying flat out with reckless abandon. My first mile is pretty fast for the course...7:05. We continue downhill to a valley next to a creek that is pretty technical...rocks, roots everywhere. I try to settle in a bit at around a 7:30. The next mile is a real eye opener when we have a very steep incline switch back...I get to the top and damn, I'm winded...run down hill and I'm still sucking air. The one saving grace was that my fitness level was decent enough that when the trail flattened out, I sped up and my heart rate seemed to settle down. The next couple miles are up and down and it's like a freight train of guys behind me running breathing down my neck. Guys are slipping, falling and finally letting guys pass. It was quite intense. Averaging right around 8's for this stretch.
At around the 6 mile point I'm feeling the hills on my legs but overall all pretty good. At this point, I ask guy near me if this pace is sustainable...immediately we run up the steepest hill of the day...I got my answer...NO. These hills kicked my ###. Still, I'm managing to pick the pace right back up when I hit the flat and down hill spots. Feeling pretty good when I get to 8 and still averaging from 8 to 8:30...it's hard by I'm hanging in there. At mile 10.5, it's starts to get a bit sketching. I go to bound up hill over some rocks and roots and I feel a sharp pain in my calf...uh oh....a quarter mile later it's in my other calf...a half of mile later it's in my quad. 2 miles left and I'm worried my legs are going to lock up. I fight through the aches and pains and the last mile is straight up hill...sonava#####. Finish the last mile with a 9:40. Overall time was 1:52:30. Not sure my exact placing but I'm pretty sure I was around 20th out of 250 to 300. Pretty proud of the result as it was way out of my comfort zone.
Side note, went this 3 other guys, two of which have done this race 5+ times. We had a bet, whoever finished last paid the bar tab today...I finished 1 out of 4 and four spent quite a bit of money today.
Awesome run & write up Hang 10!!!! I am going to guess that second day soreness (DOMS) is going to be like no other 1/2 you've run, but very much worth the pain. The choke points and having people on your back (or tight in front) are not a huge issue if you are running with a pack of folks that get trail running. There is a whole communication etiquette that works. From let people know you are passing to point out hazards to those behind you. I love the solitude of solo trail running, but there is something exceptionally fun about settling into a pack at your pace that makes the time pass.This sounds like a lot of fun, but I think the chokepoints and having people right behind me in technical spots would really bug me. I can definitely see how trail guys enjoy this sort of thing by themselves though.Great job everyone!
EX2 Off Road Half Marathon - Quantico VA
My first ever trail race half. To set it up a bit, I'm from Va beach...probably the flattest place on the planet, so running a trail race with a buncha single track, rocky, rooty up and downhill paths was quite a new experience. Friends tell me this race is probably your best half + 20 minutes. Anything under 2 hours is a win.
The race starts out straight down hill a paved road and and right back up after you turn around a cone (kinda a lame start to a great race) for the first .6 and then right into the trails. You can really tell the people that train on this course by the way they attack the downhills. We start down a single track path and I'm amazed at how my natural instinct is to tip toe down and dudes are flying flat out with reckless abandon. My first mile is pretty fast for the course...7:05. We continue downhill to a valley next to a creek that is pretty technical...rocks, roots everywhere. I try to settle in a bit at around a 7:30. The next mile is a real eye opener when we have a very steep incline switch back...I get to the top and damn, I'm winded...run down hill and I'm still sucking air. The one saving grace was that my fitness level was decent enough that when the trail flattened out, I sped up and my heart rate seemed to settle down. The next couple miles are up and down and it's like a freight train of guys behind me running breathing down my neck. Guys are slipping, falling and finally letting guys pass. It was quite intense. Averaging right around 8's for this stretch.
At around the 6 mile point I'm feeling the hills on my legs but overall all pretty good. At this point, I ask guy near me if this pace is sustainable...immediately we run up the steepest hill of the day...I got my answer...NO. These hills kicked my ###. Still, I'm managing to pick the pace right back up when I hit the flat and down hill spots. Feeling pretty good when I get to 8 and still averaging from 8 to 8:30...it's hard by I'm hanging in there. At mile 10.5, it's starts to get a bit sketching. I go to bound up hill over some rocks and roots and I feel a sharp pain in my calf...uh oh....a quarter mile later it's in my other calf...a half of mile later it's in my quad. 2 miles left and I'm worried my legs are going to lock up. I fight through the aches and pains and the last mile is straight up hill...sonava#####. Finish the last mile with a 9:40. Overall time was 1:52:30. Not sure my exact placing but I'm pretty sure I was around 20th out of 250 to 300. Pretty proud of the result as it was way out of my comfort zone.
Side note, went this 3 other guys, two of which have done this race 5+ times. We had a bet, whoever finished last paid the bar tab today...I finished 1 out of 4 and four spent quite a bit of money today.
He's right, though. 8 weeks is enough although I don't think I could get a time I'd be happy with. I guess the bottom line is I'm just still lacking the desire to run all those training miles right now. Maybe next year I'll feel differently.
Typically my 4-5 mile run is not too far off my 5k pace. Week before last it was just a few seconds above my best 5k pace. I have found the speed work hurts my joints the most, so I dont think I will do any more than one each week.
I'd posted a quickie, but here are few more details. Fantastic race on Saturday. 15 team invite (I erred and put 12 in my earlier post) with just one race so there were somewhere around 350 to 400 kids racing a single event. My son started out with the same pack of three that have all been racing for 7th, all three went 5:55 for the first mile (hilly course). Somewhere around the 1.5 mile mark, something clicked and he started stalking #6 and left the other 2 behind. He found and passed #6 just past mile 2 and they jockeyed (in a good pushing each other sort of way) for the rest of the race. #6 distanced himself a bit in the last 1/4 mile just out doing my son, so he was 7th and will be varsity going into the next race. Top 7 score in this event and he finished with an 18:55 good for 30th place OA (getting both a medal & a t-shirt). His team finished a close 2nd to an outstanding school. Coach cannot recall having 7 runners sub 19 this early in the season and coming off 3 races in 8 days (including the suffer-fest in the heat on Tuesday). I suspect he is done with the go for 7th pack and will be dueling with #6 (a senior) going into the next race. 3 of his school's top 7 are just sophomores including their #1 who got 3rd OA on Saturday.
Should be a good couple of years coming up for both him and his team.
I love when I come in here on Monday after not being able to keep up through the weekend and not only see a bunch of great results, race reports, and training....but then somebody sums them all up in one post and I can just give it a big 'ole
Huh, other than balls out sprinting to get to the mile markers and standing on a picnic table to see over a hill to watch for a bit, nothing I can think of. I was out dueled by both Cow Bell Dad & Vuvuzela Dad (seriously) Why Are You So Slow Yelling Mom was there too.BassNBrew said:
Please up your game and bring us more good stories. Cow bells are cool by the way. Let's here more about Why Are You So Slow Mom.
Good luck, dewmass! If you trained in the heat, hopefully a cooler race day will provide an immediate boost. Which race will you be running?dewmass said:
SFBayDuck said:I love when I come in here on Monday after not being able to keep up through the weekend and not only see a bunch of great results, race reports, and training....but then somebody sums them all up in one post and I can just give it a big 'oleworrierking said:
Now you are getting it.
