Join me as I travel around the country to fulfill my goal of running a marathon or half marathon in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia!

Friday, May 13, 2011

What Was I Thinkin'??

Half marathon 14 days after my first full marathon? I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.

What Was I Thinkin when I signed up for this?
I believe it went like this:

1) Oh! A chance to knock out another state without having to travel too far. Cool.
2) It's a half road, half trail race...never done that before. Cool.
3) The money goes toward the organization I volunteer at (FLoC). Cool.
4) It's near Amy's parent's house. So you can convince her to run her first half marathon ever. Cool.
5) It's exactly 2 weeks after your first marathon and you have no idea how long it will take you to recover. Not Cool.

The cools outweighed the not cools, so I went with it. It was a very complicated process. I used trigonometry and my graphing calculator that I haven't seen since 11th grade to figure it out.

Tomorrow morning Amy (my co-worker turned friend turned running buddy) and I, will run the Two Rivers Heritage Half Marathon in Harper's Ferry, WV.

The weather outlook is less than desirable. Hot and Possibly Raining. I got this from Amy yesterday:

Obviously, she's pretty entertaining so you'll want to stay tuned for her guest post on our race recap. Good luck to everyone who is racing this weekend! We might be racing. Or Amy might be racing and I might be taking a lovely stroll through the mountains of West Virginia for 3 hours. Let's hope that wild animals (or wild mountain people) don't eat me alive. Okay Sam, that was kind of rude coming from a girl who wears cowboy boots to a law firm on Fridays.

1. Have you ever done a trail race? Any tips?
2. Why does it always rain on weekends when I want to be outside instead of during the week when I'm stuck in an office building all day? (This is not a rhetorical question - I'd really like a scientific answer to this please).

Happy Running,

8 comments:

Education: Exploring Online Learning said...

Oh, oh! My first trail race was in West Virginia. WATCH THE ROAD!

Have so much fun! And just jog it - good for recovery :)

Education: Exploring Online Learning said...

PS. I checked the link to the organization it benefits. Makes me happy. I teach in PG.

Richelle said...

I haven't done a trail race before, just a few runs. Expect some muscle soreness in your legs a couple days after the race, especially in your calves.

Murphy's Law--that's why we get crappy weather during the weekend!

Britt @ Chicago Runner Girl said...

Kind of looks similar to my race forecast for sunday, but with 20 mph winds and a coolness thrown in there. Yippie!

Unknown said...

I haven't done a trail race, but some trail running. Be sure to pick up your feet and pay attention to the path or you're liable to trip on a root and face plant! Otherwise, it's lots of fun, and if you take it easy the soft surface will make for nice recovery if you're not trying to set a PR or anything. As a side note, you might want to run a half in another 2 to 4 weeks cause the marathon training will have you in monster PR shape once you're fully recovered. Just sayin'.

Erik Ammon said...

Definitely pay attention to the ground- watch for roots and rocks and invisible things that will knock you down. While looking down and watching your feet, also watch for low hanging branches that might go for your face as well. Don't expect to go as fast on the trail as the road. If it's hilly, the hills may/ can be steeper since they don't have to worry about cars. It's different kind of run, but one that I love- I love the trails! I actually have a night time trail race tonight (with a beer atop at mile 5!!).

Heidi said...

Sam.....
Of course I know nothing about trail races so no advice to give there but definitely knowing your graceful skills please watch out for roots,rocks,branches and any other object that could trip you up and land you down! :)
Also just want to say I love the new pic of you flying through the city.... very cool, both feet off the ground. Who took it?
Good luck on the race to you and Amy, have fun afterwards.
Love ya, Mom

Vanessa @ Gourmet Runner said...

I know you've finished already so I can't wish you luck...but can't wait to hear all the details. especially the trail part!
:)