Wow. Just wow. Such a good race. But then again, I have a soft spot for the course since the trail is where I started running. (In fact, right where they have you pick up the trail is where I would start!) More about the course later. Gotta start from the beginning.
I ran the inaugural Hokie 5k in 2013 while I was in training for my first half marathon (the Baltimore half marathon.) At the time my husband and I were basically living in Christiansburg, VA and Laurel, MD (we were selling our home in Christiansburg, while my husband had a job in Laurel, MD. We went back and forth every couple of weeks for a quick cleaning and to check on our home.) After a couple of months of the long, drawn out move I was desperate to find things to look forward to on our trips. I made fun picnic lunches since we got tired of fast food. I downloaded every potentially interesting podcast to distract ourselves from the drive. So I was happy to see the race pop up to change things up a bit! I thought the 5k was fantastic (I've since broken that 5k PR) and it made me put the half marathon on my bucket list almost immediately after finishing. Yet again, the timing was PERFECT because it was exactly 2 weeks after my last long distance race, the Charles Street 12. Which also meant an additional 2 weeks of the dreaded taper. (I'm not sure who had it worse--my husband or myself!)
The expo was pretty straight forward. It was in the Blacksburg High School Auxiliary Gym. It was a nice space and kind of exciting to see the new high school! (It was built a few years ago when a particularly heavy snow made the gym roof collapse.) You entered in one side where you got your bib, drawstring bag and safety pins, walk through some merchandise from the local running store and then grab your first shirt on the way out.
 |
| Pre-race swag! Any hoos or hokies realize my faux pas? |
 |
Caffeinated nuun, breakfast options, chews, lip balm, headphones,
road ID, Garmin (not pictured)...what's missing?? |
That night I started laying out everything I would wear and bring with me for the race the next morning. Then I realized I had forgotten something: My running belt!!! (Adding to the irritation of my oversight, in my recent "Making Race Mornings Easier" post I totally neglected to mention the running belt's importance!!!) I hate forgetting things, especially my running belt. And this is not the first time I've done it either. I have 2 extras in case I forget my first choice, and I forgot those too. I'm one who likes everything a particular way, and my anxiety took over and I started freaking out. After calming down, I just accepted the fact that I would be using safety pins in my shirt for the second time ever. (I wore my Athleta Be Free shorts so pockets were not an issue, thankfully!)
Then the morning of the race I started going over in my head what I could use instead of the belt. Shoe laces? No, I kinda need those. Socks? No, it's still warm so I brought one pair for the race. Then it came to me: The drawstring from the shoe bag that came with my B3 tote!! I pulled that drawstring out, pinned the bib to it and tied it around my waist and ta-da--Instant running belt!! (Or as I told my husband "Lookit, Sweetie! I'm freaking MacGyver!" He was less than impressed at 6am...)
 |
| Nobody will notice it's basically a drawstring, right? |
 |
Any hoos or hokies realize my faux pas NOW?
(Orange and blue are hoos/UVA colors...and I was in hokie country.) |
I love small races for no other reason than I can take my sweet time getting to the starting line 30-45 minutes before the gun goes off and still use the portajohns once or twice if needed. It took my husband and I 10 minutes to get from the hotel to the runner drop off area. After how long it has taken to get to races lately, I was SUPER grateful! (Okay, so it usually takes about half an hour, but parking and figuring out where to go can add a LOT of time and stress.)
 |
| Obligatory pre-race selfie |
It was a pretty nice morning--in the lower 60s but humid. I started out with my light, long-sleeved jacket but took it off right around mile 2. At mile 3, we hopped onto the Huckleberry Trail where we stayed on it for the majority of the race.
 |
| I took this during one of my last runs on the trail before our move. It's one of my favorite spots on the trail, and was part of the race course. It's basically rock that they blasted out on either side of the trail leading downhill towards the covered bridge in the center of the picture. |
 |
| With views like this, what's not to like?! |
Once we hit the Huckleberry, the race became a little emotional for me. It was like visiting an old friend, and something magical happened: Muscle memory took over and I just FLEW! Not too fast that I couldn't take it all in, but just enough that the first 5 miles on the trail felt easy. It reminded me of when I could go out for a run and not have to worry about anything. This trail was safety. When people refer to running as meditation, this was it for me. On this trail I didn't need to worry about anything except maybe a black rat snake (harmless unless you're a bird.) Everyone you pass smiles or says hello, and the wildlife on the trail was fantastic. The groundhogs always let you know in the early spring that soon the grass would be hiding their burrow, and the spring peepers were so loud that you hear them over your headphones.
 |
| Absolutely gorgeous. It made the 5 hour drive totally worth it. |
 |
| Lane Stadium and the Blue Ridge Mountains! |
The race went past part of Virginia Tech's campus, but the majority of it was surrounded by either forest or fields. (Thankfully, no cows in the fields. I can remember running by them and the smell was basically overwhelming, even when I thought I was used to it.) The trail is mostly shielded by trees, so despite the sun peeking out later on it didn't make it too hot. The water stops were spaced out perfectly--almost every 2 miles exactly! They also had signs alerting runners to which side had water and which was gatorade which was a little detail that helped SO much.
The elevation map was kind of crazy. (This is spaced out by time rather than distance, but you get the idea!)
Afterwards we were handed a finisher's shirt, our medal and the race finisher's magnet.
 |
| Post-race swag! |
My unofficial finishing time was 2:37:33, about 2 minutes faster than my previous half marathon (Nike DC half) finishing time (2:39:24.) Considering those hills, I'm pretty impressed that I beat my previous time by so much! (DC races are generally pretty flat.)
 |
| Post-race with my HUGE medal. My MacGyvered running belt held up beautifully! |
After a quick shower at the hotel came the part I was dreading most: The drive back to Maryland. Again, I tried to make it a little more fun and insisted we stop at one of my favorite restaurants: Thelma's Chicken and Waffles. (Amazing, fluffy waffles with just the right amount of sweetness and perfect fried chicken.) My stomach was set on chicken and waffles so I didn't look at the rest of the menu, but my husband did. So when he ordered fried green tomatoes I was very excited. (Since we've moved it's impossible to find them!)
 |
| They really didn't last long. This is with about half the tomatoes gone! |
 |
| The main act: Chicken and waffles!!! (And a side of potatoes...) |
Afterwards that gave me enough energy to pick the first podcast of the drive...and promptly doze off. The race was fantastic and totally worth the trip. I would've liked to have stayed in the area longer, but I was happy to sleep in my own bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment