2019 Little Patuxent River Trail 10k Race Recap

I feel like over the winter I need a race to keep me motivated to keep moving.  There are two distances--a 10k and a half marathon (which is the 10k loop twice.)  The race sells out quickly so there isn't really time to hesitate once registration has opened.  This is my second time running this race, and once again as I registered I thought "What did I just do?" Considering how the weather is almost always dicey in February, I really felt like I was taking a HUGE chance that I may have just put myself on the hook for a race that could have terrible weather.  In 2017, the race took place during a wintery mix that started out as flurries just as the gun went off.  This year, we had a snowstorm two days before, but on race day it was actually kind of sunny but still cold.  

Once again, packet pickup was a breeze.  I ran into a friend who was also running (but the half marathon, so the 10k loop twice.)  We discussed our layering strategies because I'm always cold, even when I run.  I ended up deciding to wear pretty much the same outfit as last year--a wool base layer, flyout jacket, flyout tights, Balega blister resist (wool) socks, a hat and some trail gaiters I got on clearance at REI a couple days prior to the race.  There was also one water stop, so I also decided to use my hydration vest rather than my bottle.  (Last year I carried a bottle and my hand got cold and the water sloshing got really annoying.)

This year, the sun was definitely working in our favor.  Like I mentioned before, there was the snow storm two days before the race, so there was a day for things to melt so the course would definitely at least be muddy in some parts but also ice was a concern.  On race day, the organizers let us know that there were a couple icy patches but nothing terrible.  I was feeling confident I could do really well with this one since I had put in a full year at OrangeTheory AND I knew this trail wasn't super technical since it didn't change from the previous year.  (Remember this for later.)

After arriving to the race, I met up with some Volee teammates for a picture.  We were a small but mighty group.

My teammate, Andrea, decided to run with me for at least a little bit.  (To be honest, I don't usually run with others so I'm used to doing my own thing and running with others is a little strange.)  We basically kept up with one another for the first half of the race.

This was just after the start!  I had no idea there was a photographer here until after the fact because I was focused on a strong start.  The path was basically gravel with packed snow which was fairly easy to run on with some of my regular trail shoes.

Shortly after Andrea took this picture, we started getting some icy patches.  The cleared part of the trail has a hill on one side, so when it rains or snow melts there are little areas of run off that cross the path.  It was still early enough that these patches were icy and since we were effectively in the woods and right next to a water source, there was really nothing to be done other than penguin walk across and move on.

After you cross the street and go uphill, you turn left and start to hit the actual trails.  It was really interesting just seeing the difference between one side of the hill from the other.  Starting out there was basically little to no snow, but as you made your way around it started to get more dicey.  There was one fallen tree we had to climb over, and more icy patches.  Since there was more ice, they were a little more iffy especially since it was on some of the downhills so there was a little bit of a backup just getting to the path.  Then you really had to be careful going down because it was so slick.  The ONE serious uphill that slows down pretty much everybody (probably including the elites because it's essentially a staircase at a steep angle) was definitely easier compared to last year, but also this year there was the added danger factor of the ice which may have slowed me down slightly.  But at the same time, knowing there were people directly behind me was motivation for me to keep going and since there was no obvious place for me to step to the side I didn't have a good place to take a moment to breathe.

Once I passed that uphill, the trail was pretty easy.  I knew the hardest part had passed.  It was smooth sailing to the finish.

I crossed the finish and stopped my Garmin.  I had no idea how my time compared to the previous year, so after getting my pint glass, snacks and water, while I stood in line for coffee I looked up the previous year's race stats.  This year, my Garmin measured 6.45 miles in 1:24:22, which made for an average pace of 13:05 per mile.  Last year my Garmin measured 6.15 miles in 1:22:17 with an average pace of 13:22.  I still don't know for sure why my Garmin measured the same course differently, but it could be due to some satellite update making it more accurate.  (Unlike road races, there really wasn't any weaving around people since the path is so narrow but even so that would be a LOT of weaving.) At Bird Camp when I did a trail running workshop with Cat Bradley, she basically said a trail race that says it's an exact distance like a road race is a liar.  Essentially since it's not necessarily a set path that's easy to measure like a road race where you can make a simple out and back whereas on a trail going from point A to point B isn't necessarily a straight line it makes a set distance more difficult to achieve.  (Especially when let's face it 5k, 10k, etc. are somewhat arbitrary distances.)  Going into the race knowing this, I'm not surprised it wasn't exactly 10k.

First Medal Monday post I’ve been able to do in awhile! (And of course a reminder of all the race recaps I still need to write 🤦‍♀️) I ran the Little Patuxent River 10k for the second time on Sunday and loved it even more than last year. It was a totally different (and more difficult) experience running it on snow. In some places it was pretty well packed, in others fluffy, and also icy in some parts. It was also more difficult, so despite my training plan calling for 8 miles, I called it quits at the finish with 6.45 miles. All of it was so scenic and I’m so glad I ran it despite being apprehensive about the whole thing. Recap to come soon! (3rd 📸: @bethaleece 4th 📸: @aakordo ) . . #ripitevents #littlepatuxentrivertrail10k #littlepatuxentriver10k #medalmonday #runnersofinstagram #balegaimpi #balegaimpi2019 #impilove #impipride #nuunlife #nuunlove #teamzensah #hshive #sweatpink #sweatpinkambassador #oisellevolée #oiselleteamdmv #trailrunning #trailrunner #runmd #lprr

A post shared by Holly (@thethriftyrunner) on Feb 4, 2019 at 7:35pm PST

Overall, I'd recommend this race, but I personally might be done with it.  I enjoy having the motivation to keep moving after the holidays, but the pint glass was the same two years in a row.  This year I really liked that the shirt was cotton and the design is fun and something I have definitely worn since running this race.  But this is also a race I can do any time because it's close to home for me.  I ended up justifying the $35 registration fee because of the course support, post-race snacks, and the shirt.  It's a good race to give yourself a taste of trail running because it isn't super technical but is still a little difficult.  At this point I've also run a few trail races, so I'm eager to see what else is out there and challenge myself further.