Run Woodstock Half Marathon - Race Report

It's times like this I'm glad the Barefoot Runners Society is so inclusive. Because I don't have a barefoot race report to share: this is a minimalist shoe race report. Today was a first on a number of fronts. My first race in my homemade huaraches. My first half marathon. In fact, my first race over five miles. But I'd covered the distance in training a couple of times this summer, so as long as the wheels didn't come off completely, I was confident of at least finishing.

Still, going into this morning, I kept thinking about how the wheels might come off. My knee wasn't 100%, I had this new twinge in my quad, and the weather had turned cool. Should I carry a handheld? Should I wear a shirt? Would the aid stations be sufficient? Would I be able to pace myself appropriately? Just where exactly am I going to stash this Zipcard, so I'll be able to drive home afterward?

I arrived at Hell Creek Ranch in the early dawn light, and managed to get myself registered and ditched my swag in the car. After getting a taste of the chilly morning air, I did what any self-respecting minimalist would do: ditched my shirt in the car with everything else. I was down to my shorts, injinjis, and huaraches. Little did I know there was a drop bag area right at the start. In fact, I hadn't figured out exactly where the start was. (Maybe those ginger beers last night weren't a good idea after all?)

Following the sound of the P.A., I found the starting chute, and was pretty sure I heard correctly that the half marathon course followed the blue flags. That was repeated a few times...blue, blue, blue flags. Looking around the start, I expected to see Shelbell and jscott87, but no sign of them. Evidently, they were starting their races at different times. Somehow I thought it all started together, but I was still pretty confident I was at least at the right place at the right time. And then we were off, cruising along a gravel road toward the woods.

Then we hit the woods. And stop. Too many people for one single-track. But this is where I ran into St. John, who is barefoot, at least for now. He was running the 50k, which loops back past the start twice, so he would have a couple chances to grab huaraches from his bag if the trail demanded it. I thought of John later when the trail was littered with acorns.

The race itself was pretty uneventful. I kept up an easy pace, not having a watch or GPS, grabbed gatorade on the second pass of the first aid station (there was a little out-and-back section). The trails were beautiful and very runnable. The only downside was the second quarter or middle third, which were flat, straight, sandy, and exposed...not as much fun, but still a good opportunity to settle into an easy rhythm for a few miles.

I saw easily 8-10 VFF runners. I had started back in the pack, and think I may have passed them all by the end. I tried to keep track on the out-and-back, watching the runners coming at me. But I knew that even if I didn't win the "minimalist division", I could capture the "shirtless crown". Did I mention it was a chilly morning? Fantastic running weather!

So I'm running along, and with another runner trying to figure out far we've got left. She figures we're past 10 miles, so I pick up the pace a bit since I'm still feeling good. I'm cruising along, feeling some fatigue, but still with plenty of energy, when all of a sudden, I'm out of the woods and the finish line is 100 yards away! Nothing left to do now but kick it in to the finish.

I'd figured I was likely to finish between 1:45 and 2:00, depending on how I felt and how I paced myself. So I was very happy to see the clock reading 1:45:45 as I crossed the line. I don't have the chip time yet, but it doesn't really matter. I felt good the whole way, and finished with some gas still in the tank, so I know I have some room to improve.

I guess I'm gonna have to run another one.



p.s. I haven't said much about the huaraches. That's because I mostly forgot about them while I was running. They just worked and didn't get in the way. Perfect. Maybe I won't have to buy those MT101s after all...

Comments

I liked the distance and definitely plan to run more halves in the future. In fact, I'm already looking forward to a trail half in April that is right "next door" to this race. I'm also looking forward to longer distances in the future, if I can moderate the mileage increases to keep my knee happy.
 
Great report and great job with the run! I'm going to attempt a 1/2 marathon in Nashville this November and I've been debating whether to run it barefoot, with huaraches, or carry the huaraches along just in case. Your insight helps me as I work up to a decision. Thanks for posting!
 

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