Farragut Trail 1/2 Marathon

This past weekend, I ran my first half of 2015! It was odd running this distance again.... I knew that I wanted to participate in this race because it's one of our favorite places to have family hikes - Farragut State Park in Athol. The course would loop around the entire park...I would get to see different trail sections that I've always wanted to explore.

Farragut State Park 2014 (BABY YOSHIMI!)

This race served as my final "long" training run for Sun Mountain. I had no expectations of racing....Honestly, I'm a bit out of shape to compete or even PR in any distance right now. After the Spokane River Run 50k, I've been focused on just maintaining fitness while allowing my body to recover.....oh and eating A LOT of tacos....

I was SUPER grateful for a 9 AM start because it's a 30 minute drive from our home to the park.  Not having to wake up any earlier than a normal workday was nice. I understand early start times for LONG distances and / or during the brutal months of summer BUT otherwise I just think it's cruel. Not all runners are morning people (that message is intended for sadistic RDs).

I really enjoyed this course....it had a little bit of every kind of trail and a good portion was ran alongside the water. The elevation gain was moderate and only a small section (less than 1 mile) could be considered "technical".

I made a couple mistakes in this race....The first mistake was that I didn't eat close enough to the starting time. I had my normal breakfast about two hours prior and I bonked embarrassingly early (about 8 miles in).  I need to ensure that I'm putting something in my system within 30 - 45 minutes prior. I'm not someone that can run (or function) without something in my stomach. I was too confident in my decision to run without a water bottle. The aid stations were placed at miles 2, 7 and 11.....I've ran without water for 10 miles - why would there be any problem? Well....heat is my kryptonite....Even though some might consider 70 degrees comfortable, I'm used to running in 40-50 degree weather. The sudden spike in temperature is always difficult for me to acclimate to. Once I become thirsty, my whole mental attitude shifts into the negative and this affects my pace dramatically. Nine miles in, I could not think about anything other than the next aid station and how badly I wanted something to drink. Unfortunately, the final aid station was over one mile later than advertised.....That didn't help matters....

I finished in 2:16....this is a pretty slow time for me. I should have been able to comfortably finish this race in 2 hours (it ended up being closer to 14 miles). I'm not too defeated though....I didn't expect to push hard (that would be stupid during taper) AND I learned some valuable lessons that will help me in future races.