Wild Vine Trail ½ marathon
So this weekend I ventured out to the
White Water Center for their Wild Vine Trail ½ Marathon. Great event
but everyone endured tough conditions. Between the weather and the
course, more than one runner including yours truly was “cooked”
by the end.
Heaven only knows why they decided to
start this race at 9:30. The temperature was well in to the upper 70s
by the time we rolled off the line and well into the upper 80s by
time that I crossed the finish line. I will say that for the first 5
or 6 miles, I was tolerating the heat fairly well, but over those
last 7 miles, I was reduced to putting one foot in front of the
other. In fact, when I crossed the finish line, I immediately went
over to the benches and laid there for probably 30 minutes. I wasn't
alone. Looking around, many of the runners were suffering. All any of
us wanted was water and shade.
The early miles of the race suited my
style of running which was probably why they let me pound away at the
front. We made a circle of the main loop around the rapids before
descending into the trails. Rolling along the South Main trail, we picked
up the Carpet and Wedge loops. Then going by the Weigh Station loop,
the 2nd place guy passed me. To my credit, I told him early on to
not let me hold him. I guess finally he decided to take me up on my offer.
Minutes after passing me, he had pulled away and was soon out of sight.
After the Lake Loop, we picked up the
“but kicking” East Main trail. Twisting and turning, going up
hill and down, all the while I was attempting to keep my feet
underneath me. Throw in the fact, the heat made me feel like I had an
800 lb. Gorilla on my back. I was really happy to get through it
without falling.
Plus, I was really surprised that I
didn't get caught by another runner. I felt sure that my crawling up the hills would
give someone the time that they needed to catch me.
Guess they were struggling as much as
me.
Long story short, I ran 1 hour and 53
minutes. This was 40 seconds slower than my time 3 years ago.
However, this time I moved up a few spots to 2nd overall,
and I came home with 1st place in my age.
Take the tough days in stride and live to run another
day.
The Cool Down Runner
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