 |
| Starting...I am to the left, purple shirt, grey earband and sunglasses. Yippee! (Photo by Jerry Scott, Wytheville Enterprise) |
What a fun way to spend a Saturday morning! Wytheville, VA is a
little over 60 miles from my home, but curvy mountain roads make travel take
between 1:20-1:40, depending on who you get behind on the roads.
Wythe County Schools Fund for Excellence put on the 6th
running of the half marathon and 9 miler, with all proceeds going to benefit
the organization's projects for students. The run started at 9am and was a loop
with an out ‘n back in the middle where we ran up a dirt road up and back to
reconnect with the loop. We gained around 1000’ in a little under 2 miles. It
was quite chilly with a starting temperature in the high 20’s, yet it warmed up
considerably and we ended with bright sunshine, no wind and temperatures in the
40’s.
 |
| course map: dog leg is up Sand Mtn, loop is the 9 mile version |
I stumbled across this event when browsing running calendars
this past Wednesday while on an unexpected snowday from work. Sounded like a
fun adventure. I expected it to be so because I knew it would be chilly, the
climbing would make for “slow” times and since this was a local fund raiser,
people would be out there solely for the love of running and spending time with
good people. I was not disappointed.
This time of year, even with a half marathon we runners seem
to always struggle with the perfect clothing choice. I laughed to myself as I
heard people around me wondering ear warmers or hat? Jacket or vest? I was
wondering the same thing and ultimately settled on: road shoes, low socks,
capri’s, long bra tank, lightweight Patagonia LS zipT, Columbia Omni-Heat Earband, mittens and
handwarmers. I figured if I got hot, I could always gypsy tie my shirt around
my waist-which is exactly what happened around mile 10. Though I wasn’t
planning on tracking my pace during the run, I did wear my Soleus Fit, in order
to review data after the run.
 |
| This combo of suede and sheep fleece mittens and hand-warmers saved the day |
The running field was relatively small. Though it had 100
person cap, I’d be surprised if there were more than 60 folks out there. This
is a really neat event and when word gets out, I expect they’ll need to up
their race cap. I met many runners from the Wytheville area, several from
Roanoke, VA and a man from the Front Royal, VA area looking to run a half
marathon every month for this year. I didn’t realize half marathons were so
hard to come by in January?
My experience of running was joyful: perfect attire and warm
hands, no body pains or cold weather wheezing. I just ran with happiness and started to feel more in my
element as we switched to dirt road and started our climb up Sand Mountain.
Ahead of me, I could only see a man and a woman. There were others too far
ahead to see. The woman caught my eye as she was willowy tall with an extremely
graceful running form. We went back and forth a couple times and later after
finishing, I learned she is a bit of a local celebrity-Brie Jackson and she is
a reported with a Roanoke based TV station. I enjoyed a brief conversation in
the recreation center as we waited for awards.
 |
| Brie and I shortly after finishing |
 |
| Brie and her Roanoke peeps at awards |
Because the run up the mountain was out and back it was
super fun to cheer for and be cheered on by other runners. I was thrilled to
see an ‘ole buddy, Nick Whitehead flying down the mountain in 3rd
place. Nick and I have shared many trail miles together, not during recent
years, yet we have had shared adventures and I certainly consider him a kindred
spirit. Great to see him fast and healthy!
 |
| Nick and I after finishing... |
There was nothing flat about this course. No chance of
getting bored. Plenty of water, sports drink, signs and human’s pointing the
correct way. Local law enforcement even gave runners the right of way during
the couple intersections on the route. There was an itty bit steep hill at
around mile 11 that was attention-getting, but fine.
My Soleus says I finished in 1:43:22 with a 7:49 average
pace. Slowest mile was mile 4 at 9:01 with 285’ gain chugging up the mountain,
fastest mile 7, loosing 242’ 6:30.
I was 9th overall. Results here. The
photographer/writer from Wytheville Enterprise missed me crossing the finish
line, so a few minutes after finishing, he asked me to go back out and finish
again. I expect it will look real, yet anyone who knows me might question as I
had already removed my mittens... I was flattered and happy to do it.
 |
| Showing off my cool sand hourglass which I think will be a hit with students as they can play w/ it in my office while we talk. |
The 8th graders of the local Junior Honor Society
hooked us up with hot chocolate and snacks after the run.
I highly recommend this event for folks looking for a
challenging, yet very “runnable” winter mountain half marathon.
 |
| Georgio and kittio. Life is good. |
2 comments:
Thanks for posting here in Roanoke Brie and excellent recap Annette,,it was such great fun along with a great challenge.Hope to see you somewhere outside soon.
Annette, So glad to see your blog again. I love your enthusiasm & reading your race reports. Respect you even more as a person. Aldo
Post a Comment