WWC Treadnightly 1/2 Marathon

 After months away from racing, I jumped right in to the deep in of the pool with the WWC Treadnightly 1/2 marathon. I should have tried something easier but this was the first race that I felt comfortable trying. 

I think that the WWC guys did a good job putting on this race. Runners had a entire week to pick up the packet. They had a long window to start the race so that there was no mass start. Runners winning awards can pick them up at Outfitters over the next month. 

I kind of liked the changes. With no waiting on the start, I could start as soon as I was ready. Once the race was over, I got my medal and headed home. I was back at my house twenty minutes after finishing. What's not to like about it. 

All week long, I was hoping for dry conditions. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. Rain left the course soaked and sloppy. 

I started under a little drizzle falling. My plan was to start shortly after they opened the course. Only a few runners were in front of me. Jake and I quickly linked up and started catching people. By 4 miles, we had caught everyone that left before us. 

There were plenty muddy spots. I was doing my best to choose where I put my feet down carefully. 

We made our way along North Main to Figure 8, to Academy, to Thread, to Bandit, to Panda, back to Bandit, to Needle. Jake and I had been chatting back and forth which really helped pass the miles. 

Jake was only doing this race so he told me that wanted to pick it up over the last 3 miles. I told him to go for it. I was racing the next morning so I needed to save a few matches for the next day. 

As I got back along the river, fog started to roll in to the woods. I had to give up looking ahead and focus on the 3 or 4 feet in front of me. When I looked up, I couldn't see anything. My Black Diamond heads put out a lot of light. They just don't cut through the fog very well. 

Last couple of miles of the 1/2 overlapped with the last couple of miles of the 4 miler. I encountered a few runners and walkers. Everyone was super nice and gave me plenty of room to pass. 

I exited the woods along the channel and headed for the finish. I could breath a little easier now. There were no roots or rocks to trip me up. 

I finished in 2:04:54. This was faster than last year when we ran in a pouring rain. I am not sure how that happened. 

It felt good to get a race under my belt. The rust was very evident. I am not in any type of racing shape but I can work on it. Now, that a few races are starting to reappear, I am going to get in a few more speed sessions. Hopefully, this will help with my leg turnover. That's the theory anyway. 

Hope your running and racing are going well.

The Cool Down Runner