Another Tear Drop

Tear Drop Half Marathon

Chatsworth, GA
April 25, 2021

Half Marathon # 65

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If you're reading this...I suppose I still pop up in your feed.  Hi there!  Long time, no post!  

I simply had to stop blogging a while back.  Seriously, I didn't want to read my own monotonous, uninspired posts.  So why would I expect anyone else to?  Although I don't comment, I do still read blogs.  My favorite posts are race recaps and I still search for ones relating to future races.

Along that line, I have toyed with returning to the original idea of my blog.  Race Recaps.   It is in that spirit I am posting.  If nothing else, for my own memory.  With several never-posted recaps in draft form, this one deserves the PUBLISH button.  Spoiler: I set a new half marathon PR.  And at my age I may never do that again.  Just keeping it real.

A little back story here.  Last winter I was training for a marathon.  It was going better than any other cycle before.  I felt I had finally figured out the right formula.  And then spring...and COVID shut down.  The race was postponed a couple of months and then eventually cancelled.  Ugh.  All of that extended marathon training for nothing.  I attempted to get back in the swing with two half marathons last fall, but both were meh.  

After a couple of winter adventures, I was ready to train again.  The 2020 cancelled marathon folks gave us dejected registrants the opportunity to sign up for this year's 2021 race before everyone else could. Very nice!  This small marathon has a limited field and normally sells out quickly.  I took the bait and began training this February with fervor, using the same formula as last year.

Free race pictures are always a great perk!

Back to Tear Drop (named after the iconic Trail of Tears).  My first attempt [< RECAP] at running down beautiful Fort Mountain was in 2016.  In 2018, I ran it as part of my downhill training for an upcoming marathon.  With no taper and having run 17 miles the weekend before, I set a PR in 2018. [< RECAP]  Could history repeat itself?  It was certainly worth trying.  After seeing the weather would be in my wheelhouse, and with the same 17.2 miles long run and no taper, I lined up atop Fort Mountain at 2800', in mountain hugging thick clouds with a cold strong wind, to try again.

With Garmin reporting over 600 feet of elevation gain this year [which begs the question, did the mountain grow?] the first 5 miles were as tough as ever.  The route sends runners down the forested mountain and then turns them around to come back up.  Pretty cruel, IMHO.  Actually, this race is like two events in one;  a mountainous 5 miler and then THE DROP.  They key is not to blow up in the first event.  Accordingly, I walked several times on the steepest ups.  Experience was key here!

Mile 1:      9:46
Mile 2:      9:19

Mile 3:    10:25 (ugh those nasty up hills!)

Mile 4:    10:01

Mile 5:      9:25

AVG:        9:49

I promised myself I would wait until mile 6 to get busy. I took a GU in mile 5 to be ready.  Here we go!  Trying desperately hard not to brake, I played Kelsea Ballerini's Hole in the Bottle repeatedly as its speedier cadence felt perfect for the steep section.  

[ 🎵 It ain't my fault, so don't blame me...🎵   Many thanks to you, Kelsea!]  

Mile 6:      8:33
Mile 7:      8:01
Mile 8:      7:55
Mile 9:      8:01
Mile 10:    8:21
Mile 11:    7:59
Mile 12:    8:15

AVG:        8:09

From experience, I knew mile 13 had substantial ups coming back into town.  So I negotiated a deal with myself, as I often do during races.  I'd push as hard as I could and bank time through 12 but then give myself the grace to walk in the final mile.  And walk I did.  Multiple times.  I had absolutely nothing left.  After 7 miles of running as fast as I could down a mountain, it felt as if I was crawling.

Mile 13:    9:59

Tail .18:    8:58

But there it was.  The race clock.  I was stunned.  I did it.  I set a new PR.  At my frickin' age!  My official race time was 1:57:40 and good enough for a 55-59 age group win.   Yep, I sit here days later still unable to navigate stairs or easily sit on the toilet.   The expected DOMS is brutal.  But I've been here before and know it's temporary.

So thanks for hanging around.  Maybe I'll see you soon with a post-worthy marathon recap.  {Wink}  

Until then...happy racing!

A Big Tear Drop (WW # 143)



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Tear Drop Half Marathon

Chatsworth, GA

April 28, 2018

Half Marathon # 56 

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I ran this half marathon in 2016 and knew it had a continual steeply graded downhill section on the back side.  I'm training for a downhill marathon and haven't found long downhills to practice on. Even though I knew the first 5 miles were harder than hard, I adored this scenic course and thought it was worth the travel effort to practice not braking while running down a mountain. The course drops 2100 feet in only 7 miles.   Yikes.

Being in the middle of marathon training, I couldn't afford a traditional taper.  But after last weekend's challenging 17 miler, I shortened my Tuesday race pace run to 6 miles and struggled with my cranky hip through a short easy-paced 4 mile run on Thursday.   None of that mattered as I was simply going to use this race for downhill speed work.  After a long, nerve wracking traffic-jammed commute and sleepless night -- it was go time.

I caught one of the first shuttle buses for this point to point race and thus had plenty of time to enjoy the sunrise atop Fort Mountain.  The race started 10 minutes late as we waited on the last bus to arrive. My Garmin recorded 43 degrees and no wind.  Perfect race conditions.  The first 5 miles circling the top of the mountain were just as tough as I remembered with places so steeply uphill, I walked...four times.    Mile 6 was the transition to downhill running.  My  pace through 6 averaged 9:39. 

My one goal was to keep my pace below 9:00 when the downhill started.  I found Believer by Imagine Dragons on my iShuffle and let the training commence down that spectacular curvy ribbon of pavement through Fort Mountain State Park.  The shaded canopy of spring green trees was beautiful as were the occasional overlooks down to the valley below.  My paces for miles 7 to 12: 8:19, 8:25, 8:18, 8:33, 8:17, 8:17.  Average = 8:22.   

An overlook in Fort Mountain State Park (not my picture)

As a nod to the downhill section, I also repeated these favorite running tunes: Don't Bring me Down (ELO)  Get Down Tonight (KC & the Sunshine Band) and Way on Down (Elvis).  And just for kicks the ever amusing and motivational -- I simply refuse to be old -- I Don't Need my Rocking Chair (George Jones).  

I realized around mile 10, that I should be under 2:05 and even closer to 2:00 if I could keep the last uphill mile from chewing me up.  I was definitely pacing faster than I did in 2016.    But the race had been marking long, so I didn't put much stock in my thought.  I reminded myself to keep running the mile I was in.

Just before mile 12, we popped out of the shady state park.  Sadly, the downhill was over.  In fact, there are two long uphills to navigate before reaching the finish.  The sun was bright and I was hot.  I walked twice on those hills back into town recording a 9:31 for mile 13.  When I made the final turn, I could see the chute blocks away.  I still had a 1:57 on my watch.  I can do this!  With a tiny bit left in the tank and cramping feet, I pushed with an 8:05 for the final leg. When I got close enough, my old lady eyes saw 1:58 on the clock.   OMG!  I just set a new PR, replacing one from 2014.  How did that happen?  At my age?  I shed a few big ol' tear drops.   My official time = 1:58:51.

A nice change to this race was the finish location and after party in lovely Chatsworth City Park instead of a random parking lot used back in 2016.  There was live music as well as delicious BBQ and craft beer on tap among the usual post race fare.  The sun was shining and I enjoyed soaking it up a while before heading home.
 


I've had a lot of thoughts floating in my head while processing this race.  After struggling through two fractured-feet-comebacks since 2015, I didn't think a PR was possible.  After all, I've been aging every.stinking.day.  Since I love racing, it truly didn't matter what the time showed on the clock.   It still doesn't.  I will continue to run and race because I enjoy it.  After injuries, I will always appreciate the ability to run first and foremost.

But I will say...it felt damn good to have the effort I put into this crazy sport validated.

And that's a wrap!

Downhill courses.  Love them or hate them?





 

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An InLinkz Link-up

Tear Drop Half (WW # 39)

Welcome to the Weekly Wrap!

This linkup is hosted by yours truly and my good friend Tricia at MissSippiPiddlin.    The purpose of this link is to connect with and support other active women. You can summarize your whole week or just a small portion of it.  It's up to you!  Race recaps are also encouraged!  {See rules}   

We are thrilled that we continue to have a record number of linkers each week.  Thank You!  The support and camaraderie are truly priceless.  Please return later in the week and interact with more women.   It's an excellent way to make new friends and gain invaluable support, all while holding yourself accountable!  Don't forget to comment on each blog that you read and remember to support your hosts.  

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M - Strength
T - 4 Miles
W - Strength
T - Rest
F - Rest
S - 13 Miles (Teardrop Half)
S - Rest

After running the Destin Half, I immediately went into "find another race" mode...just one more before the weather is too warm.  Not wanting to travel far or spend a big wad of money, I happened upon the Tear Drop Half.  It was advertised as a downhill race.  I'd done one other downhill race in Colorado and really enjoyed it.  The elevation chart looked flat for 5 miles and then all downhill from there.  {Oh why, oh why do I trust those things?}  On Wednesday, I registered for half #41.  I decided to skip my usual Thursday morning run. 



I learned when the scale of the chart is 3000 feet, the smaller 100 foot changes simply disappear!

PoPo graciously offered to go with me.  He drove both ways in heavy traffic while I played Farm Heroes Saga on my phone (got to love this man!).  We stayed at a hotel in Nowheresville and dined at Long Horn Steakhouse.  Saturday morning I arrived at 5:45 for packet picket.  It was just a T-shirt, but wonderfully soft!  I hopped on the second bus and chatted with another half fanatic as we slowly wound our way up to the start.  It's probably a good thing it was still dark and we couldn't see where we were going.  We were dropped off at the Overlook Inn and it's Red Barn Store with a scenic overlook across the road.  It was 62 at the bottom, but on top of Fort Mountain it felt a few degrees cooler and there was a nice breeze.  

Before sunrise on top of Fort Mountain

While waiting for the start time, I checked out a porta-potty (very interesting in complete darkness by the way), chatted with several ladies, took a few pictures and watched the sun rise.  The last two buses were late, holding up the race for 13 minutes.  The RD explained we would head down the mountain for 1.6 miles, turn around and come back, and basically we'd start the course over.  What?  Down, then up? A moment of sheer panic ensued.  The RD also clarified it would be rolling hills until mile 5.2 -- the official start of the downhill.  There would be a sign there so we'd know when to increase our pace.  OK!

A pretty pink sunrise.  And yes, I straightened my bib later.

Soon, we were off.   Sure enough, I immediately realized we were mostly going steeply downhill with some ups thrown in for good measure.  But, that meant we'd be coming back mostly steeply uphill to turn around.  I watched the lead runners struggle back up toward us middle packers.  Mentally, I decided not to start this race until mile 5.  



Just another perspective brought to you by good old Garmin.

The "rolling hills" turned into 475 feet of elevation GAIN.  475 feet gained mostly in those few early miles!  4.7.5.  (In case you missed my point.)  I conserved my energy by walking the steepest parts.  I would need everything I had to be able to descend 2,100 feet after mile 5.  (I might as well mention the total elevation LOST was 2,577 feet.)

Mile 1   9:46
Mile 2 10:22
Mile 3 10:09
Mile 4 10:24
Mile 5   9:46

Let the fun begin!  This course was beautiful in a curvy, downhill, canopy-of-green, middle-of-nowhere kind of way.  I wished I had taken a picture.  The pavement was a pretty, smooth downhill ribbon, but sharply banked around the curves.  There were breaks in the trees, and a few scenic overlooks, where the views were stunning.  I don't remember seeing buildings or any structures (maybe a few driveways?) until mile 12.   I heard one dog bark.  Ah yes, there is civilization!

An extremely soft T-shirt!

I settled in and made the most of the downhill section, trying to gain back time lost on those "rolling hills".  I leaned forward, kept my stride short (very hard to do!) and let the intense pull of gravity do it's thing.  My left knee and right calf were protesting loudly by mile 9.  I continued to check my stride for that left knee and it held up OK.  I had no cramps and no real issues and was pleased about that.

Mile  6  9:35
Mile  7  8:54
Mile  8  8:39
Mile  9  9:14
Mile 10 8:38
Mile 11 8:39

Quite suddenly, we were out of the mountains and approaching town where the "rolling hills" came back into play.  This was disappointing!  I had also recently realized how warm it was.  The last two miles felt so difficult without gravity on my (good) side.  They handed out printed finisher's certificates, indicating I was 5th in my age bracket.  There were bananas, BBQ sandwiches, hotdogs, baked beans, coleslaw, chips, pork rinds, and maybe even more.  Craft beer by local Cold Creek Growlers was being served on tap. 

Mile 12   9:41
Mile 13 10:08
Extra      9:05

Finish:  2:04:13

A nice medal, but very small.

This ended up being like two difference races in one: a tough as nails hilly mountain race with a wonderful downhiller tossed in the middle.  Alas, if only it had been all downhill!  This is my best finish time post foot fracture so I won't complain.  {And yes, if you know me -- you know I'd say I loved every step. 'Cause I did!}

I survived the drop!  Of course, sharply descending 2,100 feet in just 6 or 7 miles caused incredible muscle soreness -- the expected DOMS.  I can barely walk today, or sit on the toilet, or go down the stairs.  Ahh...don't you just love this thing we call running?

And that's a wrap!

Has anyone else run a steep descent like this one?

Tell me about your week!

An InLinkz Link-up