Loudoun Half Marathon and 8K
April 17, 2016
2:14:16
Temp:mid 40s at the start going up to low 60s by the end
What I wore: hat, short sleeve shirt, arm warmers, Skirt Sports Happy Girl skirt, compression socks, and my Altra One 2.5.
I’m a teeny tiny bit burned out on racing right now. Physically, I’m fine, but every time I finish a race, I realize I have another one right around the corner. I did this once before and said never again, but…
I also was not really excited that this was race #50. I had originally planned for that to happen at a Mainly Marathons race, but I needed to get these races done before it gets too warm. I was kind of sad that despite it being a “local” race, no one I knew was running. Add in the fact that it was a Sunday race and I had to get Shoo to a game and it was all kind of anti-climactic.
Oh well. I put on my big girl panties and did it. And it was actually a really good race. I did packet pickup on the morning of the race, so I arrived really early. Parking was a breeze, packet pickup was simple, and we had access to a big indoor bathroom at the high school. Then it was go time! I think there were about 500 people or so and I started about the middle of the pack. I started nice and slow and just warmed up in the first mile. I thought the course was supposed to be super hilly, but it was mostly just gentle rollers (my favorite!) for the first half. I ran easy, but found my pace was a bit faster than the previous weekend. I was feeling pretty good as we hit the halfway point and continued to run strong, even through mile 8 which had the worst hills of the race. The remainder of the race was hillier than the first half, but totally manageable. With one mile to go, I realized I was likely to beat my previous week’s time, so I really picked it up. I was shocked when I realized I’d knocked another two minutes off my time!
The good:
- The logistics, including picking up my bib before the race, went smoothly.
- I sat in my warm car until right before the start.
- They had Gatorade at most of the water stops and gummy bears at one of the later ones (I think they also had GU and mini-cliff bars, but I liked the bears.)
- The medal is cute and unique.
- The t-shirt is a women’s cut and color (they had different shirts for the men) and it goes with several of my skirts.
- I ran into another MRTT runner from a chapter I belong to and got to chat at the start.\
- The food at the finish was plentiful: water, Gatorade, bagels, chips, gummy bears, and pizza.
The bad:
- It warmed up near the end, so I was pretty well covered with salt.
The ugly:
- The hills in mile 8 were no joke!
Would I do it again?
Probably not – it’s just far enough away and expensive enough to not make it a “do again”, but the race itself was lovely. Part was on the W&OD trail and the rest was through neighborhoods. The scenery and cheering were nothing like a big city race, but there were enough people running and really enthusiastic volunteers that I was never by myself. If I lived out in that area, I’d definitely run it every year.
Linking up with HoHo and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap. Make sure to stop by and see what everyone else is up to!
Congratulations! 500 sounds like an incredibly small race, but it’s probably similar to the PRR Reston races? Today did warm up quickly – but woohooo on that time. And I do love that skirt!
It was another one of the PRR races I think. It was a decent number of runners – maybe closer to 600. Not sure. I’m totally digging that skirt too. Goes with so much!
Since my marathon I am so NOT motivated to race. I have one in May and one in June and just don’t want to think about it. And its not the physical side of things, I am feeling great, but more the mental energy… just not there at the moment.
Congrats on your performance !
Congratulations on your finish. What a beautiful medal! Never say never, isn’t that what you said last time? How great they provided gummy bears at the half. Usually you don’t see them at that distant.
It was a beautiful day for it! Congrats
Congratulations on #50, even though it wasn’t the race you wanted that is still an amazing number to reach Erika. Gummy bears at the stations? I’d like that, a Sunday race I do not really. It just messes up my week. 🙁
Great job on your time too even with the killer hills. I appreciate you linking up with us.
Congratulations on #50. I’m never going to catch you at this rate. I wished Mother Nature had been kinder for my #40 but there’s nothing you can do about that. Come to think of it…#25 was brutal too. I guess we can’t really pick what we get for our milestone races. Great job on beating your time from the last one! I like the shirt too. I’ve been trying to squeeze in a few more because it will very soon be too hot, and that makes me a little sad. Hey — I need that HF hat! Thanks for linking with us Erika!
What a pretty medal, and a solid race!!! Nice job!!