No posts have been written for my last two races, Geist and Bernheim Trail, well, because both are awesome and I have posted tremendous feedback to the organizers and they just keep getting better!
Where I found the Varmint Half, I am not too sure. The drive to nearly the most western tip of Virginia took us through Coal Miner Country. We drove I-64 East for nearly two hours and the remainder were tense, white-knuckled back roads through the mountains and mining towns. Beautiful mountains and terrain and some of the hardest working, proud, people in the world were just some of my observations the last couple days. Similar to us as proud runners, coal miners have personalized license plates and stickers on vehicles to show how they feel about a really tough, dirty, dangerous industry.
Our stay was at a Super 8 Hotel in Pounding Mill, VA, about 45 minutes from the start on the Varmint Half Marathon. Due to the far distance, we test drove to the start/finish. Absolutely a beautiful area of our nation! Mountains and knobs and huge rocks; the scenery looked like the Shire from Lord of the Rings. Driving up Burkes Garden Road had me hoping this was not the race route, made up of tight winding roads up the side of a mountain. Again, the view from up there were nothing short of breathtaking.
After that voyage, Ames and I dropped Cali off back at the hotel and set out for dinner at Cuz's Uptown Barbecue. Just three miles from our hotel, Cub's is a local favorite eccentric dining. The staff were pretty friendly and the food was good. Not exactly the ideal pre-race meal with a filet; however, that steak did the trick!
The morning came and off to the Burkes Garden Community Center we went. Early arrival is always good for my one mile warm up. In this race, packet pick up was the morning of. For the record number of runners, Charity and her staff were well organized and ready for the crowd. Pickup was in a gym older than me. The old basketball floor and the baskets with the plywood backboards were an awesome sight to see. This is small town livin'!!! Off to run a mile, kissed Amy and Cali, and to the start I went. Here is how my race went:
Miles 1-3: Temperature at race time was awesome: overcast and about 63 degrees. I made the mistake of getting out in front. I looked at the elevation and last year's results, so I thought I could run with those boys - big mistake! Mile 1 was a 6:45/mi pace - big mistake with some steep, mountainous hills coming up. We made the turn at mile one and up we went. I felt good about my first leg with a strong pace; however, there was still a long way to go and the temps were rising.
Miles 4-6: The second leg was no easier. After miles two through five, the Varmint had bit me and I knew it. I paced pretty good through this leg. After a cool start, the sun blared with the open road ahead. No shade and my goose was cookin'!
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| The Garmin did not do justice to the elevation. WOW! |
Miles 7-10: The hills just kept coming. This part of the route was similar to running the country roads of Kentucky in the Bourbon Chase, only hotter. Mile 8 is where I met my threshold. My hip pointers were screaming from last weekend's trail half, I was dripping with sweat and I knew a saving some energy for the final leg and finishing would be a great accomplishment. So, at a couple inclines, I walked to recharge a little. My legs were toast and there is know shame in considering personal safety when out on the course. My goal is always to finish safely where I can run another day. Mile 9 was a 7:52/mi pace and mile 10 dropped all the way to 8:32/mi. I knew, run or walk, I had to keep moving forward.
Miles 11-13.1: My final leg started off a little conservatively at a 7:58/mi pace. I was definitely fine with that. At this point in the run, my butt was kicked, I was exhausted and the goal was to finish. As always, a little adrenaline kicked in, pacing mile 12 at 7:30/mi and mile 13 at 7:18/mi. After a painful, grueling, hilly, hot and exhausting race, I was thankful I finished safely. Here are my results:
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| Well deserved after a grueling race! |
Bib: 117
Finish Time: 1:39:02
Overall Place: 24 of 283
Division Place: 6 of 22
Average Pace: 7:34/mi
Virginia is my 16th state where I have finished a half marathon; just under one-third of the way to my goal. The drive and the area we visited was truly gorgeous and the people were so nice! Charity McDaniel and her team did a fantastic job organizing and accommodating to a record number of participants. The feel good story of this race to me was mentioned in the pre-race announcements:
While I do not recall her name, a lady participating in the race (which made all 20) was diagnosed with breast cancer, had surgery two days ago, and had the will and determination to keep her streak alive. I hope this message finds you well: you are an inspiration to everyone that ran today and, to all I am sure that know you. Keep fighting the good fight!
The 20th annual Varmint half had it all: challenges, hills, good competition, nice volunteers and a homely feel and just a great vibe. Admittedly, the half marathon, my 40th, was the most challenging. I came in expecting to win an award and it did not happen. I finished successfully and safe and ready to race again!
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| Our traveling companion! Ready to be home! |
Another great trip with Ames and Cali and now for some well-deserved rest! Here are my next scheduled races. I hope to add a couple more in the this year!
Mill Race Half Marathon
Iron Horse Half Marathon
Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon
Siltstone Trail Half Marathon (Jefferson Memorial Forest)
Garmin Wickedly Fast Half Marathon
Twitter @jameshoagy, Facebook, and on my blog: JamesRunstheNation.blogspot.com
- Thank you for reading, commenting and, as always, HAPPY RUNNING!
- FIT4LIFE RUN4BOSTON
