Race #15/17 Big Woods Half Marathon

This was the second time I have run Big Woods Trail Run. The first time was 2 years ago and it was my first trail run and also my first 10k run. That year it was rainy and cold.

This year the weather was excellent. It was a sunny albeit cool autumn day and perfect running conditions.

Driving to the race.

I had two weeks off from racing although I still completed the Saturday long runs in preparation for my next race which is a 50k on the SHT.

I got to the race quite early. I decided to wear my Ultimate Direction hydration pack with the bladder even though I knew it would be overkill.  I have gotten used to not having to stop at the aid stations for fluids and did not like the idea of carrying a handheld bottle for the Half Marathon distance.  As expected I saw very few people carrying water as the aid stations were no further than 3 miles apart. Felt slightly awkward but decided my comfort was more important than fitting in with the crowd.

Met up with the usual suspects before the race started. Saw Nora, Rick Stevens and even Wally Goetl and we chatted at the start line.

Nora Compton and I at the start line

This race starts out with the first mile on the roads before entering Nerstrand State Park trails. That road mile is downhill at the start and then of course uphill at the finish. Being downhill and on roads I of course started out with a pretty fast first mile around 10:30 pace. My goal for this race was to average 11:27 which would bring me in at 2:30 or under.

As I was running the roads I came upon some running friends from Red Wing and decided to run with them in the beginning. They were running at a nice (albeit fast) pace but I knew after we split I would slow down.

My calves were quite tight for the first 4 miles of this run and I started to wonder if they would ever loosen up. They did eventually and I was able to settle into a comfortable pace.

I ran with these ladies for around 10 miles, leap frogging as they followed a run/walk plan

There were many leaves down on the trail which is one feature of this trail run that everyone warns you about. It hides many roots and rocks on the trail and a lot of people end up falling. I was lucky enough to not fall once. I attribute this to all the time I spend running the trails both on the Superior Hiking Trail and also places such as Afton State Park.

Sun Shining through the trees. Benefits of running in the woods is that the trees block the direct sunlight so no sunglasses needed.

Sun Shining through the trees

This race has very few hills for the first 6 miles. The first major hill happens at mile 6 which is preceeded by a downhill section which I took advantage of by running down with reckless abandon (well not exactly reckless but at an accelerated pace). Gotta take advantage of the downhills to make up for walking the hills.

I knew the course was fairly flat compared to many of my other trail races but the hills are still walkable hills for me. There are really only two major hills (mile 6 and about mile 8?). When I hit the first hill my pace was slightly better than my goal pace which is a good thing as mile 6-9 were slower than the goal pace as a result of these hills.

The funny thing about having so much flat trail is that I feel like I need to run. My hips started to feel the effects of this around 11 miles or so. I was still leap frogging with the ladies that were using the walk/run method. On the flats I was trying to stay running but did end up walking just a little.

The last aid station (and the first aid station) was sponsored by Break the Stigma Project. I stopped for a quick picture with Julio and then continued on my run

As you pop out of the trail the last 1.25 miles are ran on the roads. This is my least favorite part of this race and this year proved to be no different. You can see the church and yet you have about a mile of uphill road to run before getting to the finish line. At least this year it was not raining and the wind was minimal. It was still a tough mile and I really wanted to walk. I did break down and walk for a few seconds but otherwise forced myself to continue running even if at a slower pace. The two gals I ran with were right behind me. They passed me up and then encouraged me to finish with them. I think this helped me as I would have slowed way down otherwise. I even managed a sprint, even though it was not a very quick sprint, when I turned the final corner for the finish line.

The long uphill road to the Church and the finish line.

 Although my Garmin did not register a full 13.1 miles (I had 12.87m) I finished this race with the chip timing of 2:28:24. Overall 162/193, Div 25/37, SexPl 67/90.

Next up is Wild Duluth 50k (I bumped up from HM distance). Only 2 more trail series races to meeting my goal of Shooting the Moon with Upper Midwest Trail Runners Association.