the week:
Recovering from traveling, returned to my original office building (but in a new space), and roads closed on my usual route leaving my house THROUGH NOVEMBER (ugh).
weekend:
Another race weekend; this time a road trip to Solon, Iowa for the Hawkeye 25k trail race. Super excited for this one — spoiler alert: there’s a water crossing!
Though I have to wake up at, like, 4 am to drive east, and Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
seven things, seven days:
1. My sleep schedule is a MESS.
2. We saw Fun Home at the Des Moines Civic Center. I had a giant lump in my throat by the end and wanted an ugly, cathartic cry. It was such a beautiful show!
3. Also, enjoyed an awesome dinner at RoCA downtown. I loved my pasta dish so much (gluten-free!) — and there were a lot of choices for gluten-free dining.
5. Ugh, Runner Face. {via Women’s Running}
6. How much does it cost to be fit? (My percentage per my monthly income is pretty high!) {via Outside}
7. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!
Crazy week. And crazy weird temperatures!
Despite a crazy week, I completed all of my scheduled workouts! Coming back from vacation, I was eager to return to my routines. I feel like I can adapt well to being thrown off my usual schedule, but I definitely feel the impact of stress when things change in my usual routine. So, this week’s runs and workouts were MUCH needed to help me deal.
MONDAY: Rest day and return to work; but wow, did my hips feel sore from the weekend.
TUESDAY: Random day off (my work building caught fire!), so I did my kettlebell-focused strength workout in the early afternoon.
WEDNESDAY: Easy 5-mile run + core workout
10:21 average pace
My first mile felt pretty rough but got easier — and it was 72 degrees in Iowa!!!! Since my office was still closed, I got to run in the afternoon on the Greenbelt Trail in Clive.
Splits: 10:35, 10:29, 10:24, 10:05, 10:13
THURSDAY: A fun but TOUGH Intervals workout — 6×400 (400m recovery) with an easy mile warm-up and cool down. I was a little freaked out about sprinting so fast on the treadmill, and it took so much focus.
Finished with foam rolling — which is something that is seriously lacking in my training right now.
FRIDAY: Wow my body is tired; bless this rest day.
SATURDAY: The Long Run That Could – I had 12 miles on the schedule, but I totally mismanaged my schedule and ran out of time in the morning (Who makes a hair appointment for 10:30am on a Saturday in the middle of marathon training?!) I finished 11 miles – a fast finish workout at that — just in enough time to shower for 5 minutes, dress, and drive 20 minutes to my salon.
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!
Things seen on my recent runs — including an amazing riverfront trail in Tampa, a water stop on the trails in Iowa, a “jogging” track on a cruise ship, and… alligators?!?!
One of the best parts of having a running coach is the ability to adapt my training program when life (and fun) comes first, like during vacation. I like the balance of working out on vacation — and running outdoors always helps me explore a new city or neighborhood. Being gone for 8 days though was TOUGH. And I can tell you that running on a cruise ship is even tougher (particularly if you experienced a day-long nausea spell at sea and drank too much definitely). This was my 3rd adventure on The Rock Boat — and this was my favorite boat so far — but this post is only about my marathon training adventures. 😉
I worked around my travel days, making airport days my rest days. Though I had 6 scheduled workouts (4 runs and 2 cross-training) during my trip, getting in only 3 runs was still a success. All things drinking and sea sickness considered. My goal for for the next couple of weeks though is to get back into my cross-training and strength training because I’ve let those important workouts slide. I also hope to get in a better blogging routine and return to weekly training posts.
Week 5 was a drop-back week, and I had a Tempo and Easy runs before vacation — and two easy runs while I was away (one with Strides).
MONDAY: Rest Day
TUESDAY: MY TREADMILL IS FIXED!!!!! Good lord that took way too long. ProForm finally sent out a technician, and both the motor and control board were replaced. And my first workout back on the ‘mill was intervals (one additional than the prior week) — alternating .75 mile fast and .25 recovery. I’m aiming for consistency on these — and running based on effort level.
THURSDAY: Travel Day (and Rest) — WOOF! Such an early flight!
SHORTS! And testing out my new Saucony Triumph ISO 3.
FRIDAY: 55 degrees in sunny Florida! Some older gentleman runner laughed at me for wearing shorts & tee shirt — he was bundled up completely like it was winter or something. hahah
My training plan called for a 40-minute easy run, ending with Strides.
SATURDAY: Boat sickness caught up with me, and I had to skip my “long” run. Only 5 miles on the plan, given that it was a cutback week; but 5 miles that I could NOT do (besides, you know, even keeping food down).
SUNDAY: I was feeling better, but skipped the Strength workout on my training plan and enjoyed all the wobbly stair climbs at sea.
Week #6 at a Glance — and almost back to my normal schedule (and surroundings):
Easy Run, Tempo Run, Long Run, Recovery Run
Running on a cruise ship is NOT easy!
MONDAY: Ran on the cruise ship, which was super hard, super hot and super windy. Got 2 miles in before giving up (4 miles on the plan).
Average 11:39 pace
TUESDAY: Skipped my strength workout again (I know, I know) – but I did SO MANY STAIRS on the boat, you guys!
WEDNESDAY: Rest Day – and Debarkation Day (booooo!)
THURSDAY: Outdoor running on the paved Sarasota trails – such a great place to run (and flat!). I was working it for those high effort level paces, and felt like I was going to puke near the end and had to slow up. Felt really, really easy though considering how fast my paces are (all things relative).
Stoneybrook Nature Trail in Sarasota, Florida.
5:00 total miles / 48:30 / average 9:42 pace
Splits: 9:38, 8:59, 9:14, 9:42, 10:56
FRIDAY: Travel Day back to Iowa (and a scheduled rest day)
SATURDAY: Woke up early to join the group run, but ended up staying in bed a little later. Instead, I drove to the Greenbelt Trailhead near my house. It was 48 degrees in Iowa in the AM (got to around 60 when I was done). What a beautiful day for a long run! 🙂
Time to figure out double digit run fueling!
This pace felt like I was running an effort level 7 for majority but I was moving soooo slow – yay, vacation hangover! I also am testing out how running on Cytomax feels. I used it on the course during my first marathon, so I’m interested in how it may aid my energy and performance for the duration of the race. In training, I’ll take a couple sips after 30 minutes, and then a few more every 15 minutes.
Made up for the absence of cross-training by doing a kettlebell-based strength workout following my run. I also had an afternoon massage, which was the perfect addition to my recovery day.
Back to work and normal life and training schedule commences!
WEEKLY RUNS: 3 (week #5) + 4 (week #6) WEEKLY MILES: 13.45 (week #5) + 19 miles (week #6) TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 77.36 miles
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!
Because of the upcoming double digit distances this training plan, I worked with my coach to swap my long runs to Saturdays to participate more often with the Capital Striders (the Des Moines area running community) group runs — which are, painfully, at 7:30 am. I did something similar in my last marathon training and getting the long run over with early Saturday seemed to work well for me. Though getting up at 6 am on a Saturday is definitely not the easiest, I usually take a nice afternoon nap — and I wait to do my Sunday recovery run in the afternoon.
Week #2 of Marathon Training Plan looked like this:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Interval Run
Wednesday: Easy Run + Strength
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long Run
Sunday: Recovery Run + Core
My treadmill is still busted, despite receiving two replacement motherboards from ProForm. So, that meant a couple evening runs in the dark after work and ALL of my runs this week outdoors. The whole situation is totally irritating seeing as how we’ve had the equipment for less than a year AND purchased a 4-year warranty — and bundling up just to do an easy 20-minute outdoor run pisses me right off… but I’m working through it. But if I don’t get a promise of a replacement treadmill by next month, I’m REALLY going to lose my shit on someone.
Monday: GLORIOUS REST — and another recognized holiday at work — has me feeling finally (mostly) back to normal. We got a crazy ice storm in the Midwest on Monday, but the above-freezing temps melted mostly everything away overnight.
Tuesday: Short run — 3 miles, followed by an at-home kettlebell-focused strength workout.
Average 10:25 pace
Wednesday: Tempo Intervals — 6x400s (with a mile warm-up and mile cool down) in my secret stretch of sidewalk near the backside of my development. I love it; it’s a near-perfect .25 mile block (a little over, actually) and only slightly uphill that I just run back-and-forth.
Finishing these intervals was TOUGH, and I slowed down quite a bit on the last set. Looking forward to seeing myself get more consistent for a full set.
Thursday: Yoga Roots at LifeTime Fitness. Some weeks I love this class and others I hate it. I guess that means it’s working. Recently the instructor changed the programming to hold poses for 10 breaths instead of 5 — and holding some of the poses are really, really hard. The instructor tried to adjust me in triangle and I nearly collapsed.
Friday: Rest Day! I ended up meeting some friends after work for happy hour at Wellman’s Pub.
Saturday: I had 6 miles on my training plan, so I joined the Capital Striders group run (at 7:30 am) for the short route (which ended up being about 5 miles). After my running friends departed, I explored the Drake University campus to finish out my last mile. It was a pretty nice day in Des Moines, and I can’t believe I got my ass out of bed that early.
Average 10:21 pace
Sunday: Easy 20 minute run — and despite it being 37 degrees, it felt REALLY really chilly.
Average 10:11 pace
WEEKLY RUNS: 4 WEEKLY MILES: 16.1 miles TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 18.11 miles
With winter officially arriving, it’s been fun to look back on my Fall and (early) Winter race seasons. While I’m taking a couple weeks off this winter (which I’m in the midst of recovery right now) — Fall was fun, just as I trained for.
Since September, I’ve completed 9 races — 4 of those half marathons and 6 with close to 100% humidity. While the extended summer temps was a bear for outdoor races, I also started trail running, culminating into my most difficult (but most awesome!) race to date. Many of these races I intend to repeat in 2017, and overall I had positive experiences at each — you know, despite all that humidity.
The Hitchcock Experience‘s inaugural event created by the Greater Omaha Area Trail Runners (G.O.A.T.z) opened up last year with 50- and 100-mile distances; this year, a 13.1 distance was added. I found out about this race through the local trail running groups and knew immediately that I needed to add to my winter schedule. Hitchcock was my 9th half marathon distance, my 4th trail race and my last race of 2016.
Flat Mel: SO MUCH GEAR!
There’s a reason that the word “experience” is in this event — it’s much more than a trail race. I experienced many moments throughout; least of which were:
Unabashed fits of joy.
One of our pre-race emails included that phrase, which is spot-on and absolutely sums up my personal experience with Hitchcock. I’ve felt many emotions during my races — particularly in completing my first marathon — but this race transformed everything that’s fun about trail running into something that deeply affected my soul. Can you find yourself in the Loess Hills? It’s quite possible that I did just that.
I knew going in that Hitchcock would be my most challenging race thus far. For starters, throw out everything you might think about Iowa: IT IS NOT FLAT.
Elevation change for the half marathon is just under 6,000 ft.
Location: The Hitchcock Experience takes place entirely within the Hitchcock Nature Center — located north of Council Bluffs — and its adjoining private property. The nature center exists to develop and foster appreciation and understanding of the Loess Hills as a globally significant landform through land management, environmental education and low-impact recreation.
Registration and Cost: Because the half was capped at only 50 runners, I stayed up until midnight when registration opened up on September 2 (at exactly 12:01am). I even set an alarm to make sure that I didn’t fall asleep. The race cost $65 (+fees for online registration).
Packet Pick-Up: I had to leave work early the day before the race to pick up my bib in Omaha — which is two hours away. Packet pick-up was held at Canfield’s Sporting Goods from 2-6pm OR you could do pick up on race day at 4am (uhhhhh, no). It wasn’t obvious where the pick-up was once you entered the store (it was in the shoe section at the back), so I had to ask an employee (who didn’t understand why I was there at first either). I love that the bib is event specific, featuring an awesome nighttime picture of the course from last year’s race.
Swag: We received a branded cinch race bag with a long-sleeved cotton shirt, extra reflective keepsake bib, Hitchcock patch and sticker, and finisher medals! (100-mile finishers under the time limit get a belt buckle, as is tradition with ultra distances.)
Weather: Having a race in December, you’re almost guaranteed SOME level of winter weather; the race started in the low 20s. But as we were running, we got SNOW!!!!! I never really felt cold though until the last 1/4 mile or so when my gloves got damp from the constant snow and chilled over; my nose was running constantly throughout the race, so I also had a frozen patch on my BUFF. It actually snowed quite a bit and was so beautiful. There was a section where it was near white out and I was catching snowflakes on my tongue like a literal crazy person. I loved it!
Course: Not your usual out-and-back, this trail race is a 12.5-mile loop on varied terrain (alfalfa fields?!) with challenging elevation gains, and great technical difficulty. I went out a couple weekends before for a race preview run with the GOATZ, so I already knew which sections I would hate — thankfully, due to the weather, the much-cursed sandy sections and aforementioned alfalfa fields were frozen over (but severely lumpy!). There’s an addition at the beginning of the first loop for each race, and there are a few places on the course of two-way traffic.
Oh, yeah… and most of it is run in the dark.
There was something positively magical about being in complete darkness in the middle of the woods though. At certain sections, I was entirely alone. I could see headlamps in the distance — some at much higher elevations than where I stood.
Headlamps required!
For this race headlamps and hydration bottles/packs were required. The course was marked extremely well and had reflective orange flags, plenty of colored signs with arrows and/or ground markings to aid in course direction. Even in the dark, I could always see where the next trail marker was. The two-way traffic areas were also marked well, but I had a few moments wondering if I was moving in the right direction.
When the sun rose, I was in a rolling section of the trails in the woods and any description I attempt to use just underestimates the incredible experience. Powerful.
Start Line: Speaking of the dark, start time for the Hitchcock half distance was 5am (!!!). We got to share the start line with the 100-milers in the morning; the 50-milers started at 9pm (so everyone runs in the dark at some point). Oh, and the news was there to broadcast all the crazy! While there were time limits for the 50 and 100 runners, there was only a “just finish” for half marathoners (the last finisher came in just shy of 8 hours).
Aid Stations: An integral part of ultra races is the aid station; there were three stations per loop, and we were all required to check in at each. I used the stops for a quick fuel break; at the Oasis I was strangely craving hot coffee (perhaps because of how early it was?) and had that. Aid stations had a bunch of food and drink options, including: water, Tailwind, pop, coffee, soup, peanut butter sandwiches, chips, fruits, candy and various Honey Stinger gels and waffles.
There was also a fourth aid station located near mile 9.5 and manned by volunteers from Loess Hills Nordic Ski Patrol; they had a giant bonfire, which made it difficult not to stay longer to hang out. One of the kind gentlemen volunteers allowed me to drink from his water bottle, since my hydration pack hose froze over and there weren’t any beverage cups at this station.
Stations included:
The Lodge aka: Beacon of Hope/Despair (start/finish)
Ralph’s (the campground) at approximately 3.65 miles. Named in honor of Ralph Hohneke, who has so graciously allowed us to run on his property on race weekend.
The Oasis at approximately 6.75 miles
Loess Hills Nordic Ski Patrol near the 9.5-mile mark
Finish Line: To add to the physical and mental torture of the event, the finish line was uphill; it was nearly impossible to run at that point, and it seemed most of the finishers around me walked that last part of the course. Good thing, because my dang shoe came untied near the final climb (and was frozen). There was a volunteer who placed the medals around our necks and a photographer who snapped several finish line photos.
After Party: My after party consisted of a gigantic omelet at Henry’s Diner in Crescent, Iowa. After a ride back to my hotel room, a hot shower, and a glass of wine (since I wasn’t driving home), it was then a two-hour trip back home to Des Moines.
Experience: Something that I want to emphasize in this race is the amazingness of all the people — including the volunteers. Everyone involved in race day was so helpful and positively excited to have us there; fellow runners were equally as encouraging, and I loved the spirit of the two-way passes with everyone congratulating one another. By the way, the race communication for this event was The Best — I received no fewer than 3 emails following up to race day with all the info that I needed to know and their Facebook page was a great source of additional info and finishers updates.
Extra Awesome: The race directors sent out a post-event runner survey “thank you” email within a couple days, which also included official results and a link to FREE race photos, where I found this gem:
SO EXCITE!
OVERALL The Great: UNABASHED FITS OF JOY The Good: Snow! The Bad: In the last mile, I slipped going downhill and fell backwards – somehow catching myself on my right elbow and not my butt. Luckily, I did not get injured. The Ugly: My Camelback hose froze; thankfully, a nice volunteer at the Ski Patrol let me drink from his bottle.
TL;DR: Thank you, GOATZ and thank you, Hitchcock for just an incredible event. I will remember this experience forever. I fully intend to run this again next year; though the distance is still to be determined. 😉
OFFICIAL RESULTS
3:16:44
29th finisher in the half
8th female finisher overall in the half — I made the Top 10 Females leaderboard!
As I’m making friends in the run community here in Des Moines, trail running has become much more fun. Since I’ve joined up on some Capital Turkeys group runs, I have familiar faces that I can locate beforehand — and that’s added a new level of relaxation and joy to my race day. The Sycamore 8 trail race is a Capital Striders event, taking place the first weekend in December, and following the Sycamore Trail along the Des Moines River.
An 8-miler is a new distance for me — and the course ended up being about a half mile short… so, still a new distance. Though, they weren’t kidding when they said Sycamore 8 was FAST! I was pushing a pretty decent pace for it being a trail race — just a little faster than my comfort zone; since I was unfamiliar with this section of the trail system, I didn’t want to completely overdo it. I paced the first half with some of my fellow lady Turkeys, and only fell behind when I walked through a water stop (I needed Gatorade, as my fingers were starting to swell on me). It wasn’t a big deal, as I did my best to catch back up — and ended up finishing only a couple minutes behind.
The energy surrounding the race (and the question as to what the weather will be in early December) is understandably why runners who love winter trail running come back to do this one every year. No question, I enjoyed myself immensely, and intend to make Sycamore 8 a part of my own yearly circuit of trail races.
Registration and Cost: Race registration was online with GetMeRegistered, and after a Capital Striders member discount and fees cost only $33.07 ($30 base cost; $35 for non Striders members). Race entries are capped at 300. If spots are available, day of registration is an extra 10 bucks.
Adapted Flat Mel
Packet Pick-Up: My first trek into the Beaverdale neighborhood, packet pick-up was the night before the race at local coffee shop (and sponsor), Grounds for Celebration. It’s a super adorable place, and I want to go back and hang out.
Swag: Probably some of my favorite swag from any race — a branded 2016 Sycamore 8 trucker hat and small bag of Grounds for Celebration signature “Sycamore Single Track” coffee. No medals for this race; but if you’re fast enough to place in an age group, the handmade awards are really sweet.
Weather: Around 30 degrees at start time; I definitely warmed up by mid-race. There’s such a difference in temperature here when there’s wind and when there’s not. On race day we had the latter, with moderate sun.
Course: This race is a point-to-point course, on mostly single dirt trails — starting at the Johnston Soccer Complex and ending in Des Moines at the Polk County building. A good portion of the course is in the woods, with one section of paved bike path for about a mile or so; since it had been dry for a while, there wasn’t really any mud, and we didn’t cross any water. The course is also mostly flat with only one big climb — which coincided with the one water stop on the course (about Mile 4). For a still-beginner trail runner, the course was marked pretty well. There was only one part where I wasn’t sure to go right or left (though both pathways went around to the same place).
Bag Drop: You could self-tag a bag to be bussed back to the finish line. Unclaimed or dropped clothing items were donated to the Central Iowa Shelter.
Start Line: I always get a little bummed out about having to take a bus — the race info stated there was no other way to get to the start line — but at least this time I had some friends! I was dropped off at the finish line around 8am; the busses left around 8:20. There were a few Kybos at the bus meeting point (the finish) and another set at the actual start line.
Hot chocolate season!
Finish Line: It’s hot chocolate season! There was also some kind of vegetarian chili and chicken noodle soup, and the usual hot coffee and Gatorade. A rep from Merrell was set up, passing out free stickers and branded tubular headwear (don’t mind more of these in my collection!). They were also giving away shoes from previous test runs — but nothing in my size. Whomp whomp.
Fans and Experience: Some kind of holiday mascot at the sole water stop on the course was giving high fives along with the water and Gatorade volunteers. There were a couple (and I mean, two) people at the end of the paved section of trail leading back into the woods — and they were cheering as though they were 10x more people. It was awesome.
It kind of felt like a tailgate wrapped around a running event at the finish line, which made for a really entertaining experience. Though, I was kinda bummed about there not being any of that supposed Fireball at the aid station. ?
After Party: The After Party was at Goodsons in Beaverdale — with a free Shock Top beer for all 21+ runners. There were a bunch of raffle prizes given out from sponsors; sadly, I had to miss the post-race celebration, as we had to prepare for another holiday party.
OVERALL The Great: Best swag ever! The Good: Making it up that steep hill without any help. The Bad: I got lost on my way to pick up my bib. Stupid GPS. The Ugly: Swollen fingers again. 🙁
OFFICIAL RESULTS
1:17:01
161th Overall
24th in Women 30-39
Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa hosted its 38th annual off road race — which is a super-fun cross country meets obstacle course run. Bonus for me, the farm grounds are practically in my backyard! I’ve had several people tell me that THIS is the race that I had to do in Fall, and it did not disappoint.
Let’s start with the race FAQ:
Will it be cold? Probably!
Will I get wet? Probably!
Will I get dirty? Probably!
Do I need gloves? Yes!
Exactly how far is it? 7 miles
Cold and Cranky.
So, I was having another crabby morning on race day, and with the cold weather and thoughts of getting wet and muddy made me seriously contemplate NOT doing the race. An added element of fun to this race is anticipating what the weather might be — last year it snowed and the course was cut; other years it was moderate enough to wear shorts (and then there are those people who wear shorts no matter the temperature). I’m so glad that I didn’t back out — this was exactly the kind of fun race experience that I needed. And I will most DEFINITELY go back to do this one every year when possible. You should come visit me and do it, too.
Registration and Cost: Advertised as “the best cross country race,” Living History Farms Race cost $44 after fees, including a $5 discount for being a Capital Striders member. I think the race is capped at 7,000 participants. There are both individual and team registrations.
Expo and Packet Pick-up: Packet pick-up was the evening (which closed at 8pm) before at the visitor center at Living History Farms; there was also bib pick-up available the morning of the race. They posted the bib number lookup sheets inside, for those who hadn’t already checked out the race info page – pick-up lines were by number (I didn’t have any lines at 5pm!). Bibs were at one table and t-shirts were in a separate back room. There were a couple extra vendors set up in the hall on the way towards the exit, mostly handing out race discount flyers.
Free Swag: No finishers medals at this race (whomp, whomp), but I love the long-sleeve comfy t-shirt!
Weather: Winter came to Iowa! This, after temps hit nearly 80 degrees mid-week, so it was a little shocking. It was also windy — like, super windy. Plus, trying to remember what to wear in 30 degrees was something for which I wasn’t really prepared. I ended up wearing my long tights with a pair of cat shorts over them, and two long sleeves shirt over my dri-fit tank. Wool socks, wool buff and wool hat — and a pair of old running shoes that had already made their way through a previous mud run — rounded out my race day outfit.
I packed an extra change of clothes, a towel, and other clean-up necessities to basically plan for anything.
Parking & Transportation: The organizers said that parking would be limited, so we arrived about 40 minutes before the race. We didn’t have any problems parking near The Machine Shed (since the boyfriend was only dropping me off), and having the police directing traffic made for a speedy entrance into the grounds. There were plenty of runners crossing the intersection that parked across Hickman Road in the industrial/retail areas. The boyfriend left and came back to get me post-race and basically parked in the same location.
Course: This year, the course changed a bit (though I have no previous experience). Creeks, mud, trenches, hills, cornfields… the course had it all! There is a strong recommendation to not bring your phone or keys, and I did not bring either (though, it’s always fun trying to figure out logistics of post-race meetings – only, not really). For as many people expected to run this race, all the race logistics felt incredibly well organized. I should note that there are NO water or fuel stops along the course, which actually kind of surprised me, given that it would have been difficult on this course to carry along your own hydration. There is an ambulance at the halfway point though, should you need it.
There was a hilarious moment about 5 miles into the race where two routes diverged in the woods — with big arrows, one was marked “shorter and harder” and the other “longer and easier.” I was pretty sure it was a trap, and continued on the harder route with those around me (definitely not the path less traveled!).
This race made good on all its promises of being cold, wet, muddy and dirty.
Though I only saw one farm animal.
Start Line: There were plenty of Kybos — though lines were pretty long before the race. There was one big corral and kind of a guess to everyone’s pace, which… despite it being a fun run, I’m sure there were people competing for the top finisher prizes. I ended up finding a fellow runner who I met at the social run at Fleet Feet last week!
People watching at the start was great, as there were so many fun costumes!
Where’s Waldo?
Fans & Experience: So there were a few spectators and groundskeepers out cheering on the course, but VERY few (you heard more “cheers” from the car honks on the highway nearby). The fun was definitely all the participants. If the costumes weren’t enough, there were basically people out having a party. There was some tailgating going on pre-race, and some guy even offered me some brandy out on the course (he was double-fisting cans of Budweiser) — alcohol was prohibited per the race guidelines, but there were definitely people out having a good time.
I started off with a group of Power Rangers. Within a couple miles, there were a group of cyclists (running while wearing their bike helmets) and we watched a group of runners dressed as prisoners take off in the cornfields (cutting off a good portion of the course — trust me, it was absolutely hilarious watching it happen). I ran with a couple of local firefighters (one, running in a dress). I jumped into (and climbed out of) muddy trenches with a woman from Twin Cities who had done the race multiple times since high school.
Finish Line: YAY, I loved that the race had a completely separate “refreshments area” festival just beyond the finish line chute, which ended in the adorable old-timey historical city within the farm grounds. A post-race meal was included with entry fee, and thanks to Iowa Machine Shed Restaurant and the Iowa Beef Industry Council there was hot beef stew (with biscuits!) for every runner; there was also pumpkin bars and cider, hot coffee and chocolate milk. And yep, a shit-ton of doughnuts!
Naturally, this gluten-free runner cried herself to a two-hour nap because of all the wonderful fall comfort foods she could not have. I made my boyfriend run out to Granite City to grab me a burger though.
I did get some chocolate milk and coffee!
After Party: The Machine Shed Restaurant located just at the entrance of the farm was offering half priced tap beer or $3.00 margaritas during race weekend.
Random BS: I don’t know, but the guy yelling for everyone to get out of the visitor center before the race really rubbed me the wrong way. Like, I get it, it’s cold and everyone wanted shelter from the wind but… it was just a little much.
ETC: Both the Walnut Creek YMCA and the YMCA Healthy Living Center offered use of their showers following the race, should you be an out-of-towner.
Charity: Proceeds from the race supports Living History Farms and more — giving over $1.1 million over the last 13 years to the Living History Farms (a not-for-profit museum).
The race has also funded the Capital Striders endowment for scholarships to area senior cross country athletes; raised food/money for the Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry and donated to area age-group track & swimming teams, the American Red Cross, the Boy Scouts of America, the M.D.A., and area Fire Departments. Proceeds from the race help sponsor area races, purchase equipment and racing supplies used at road races and middle school/ high school XC meets.
OVERALL The Great: The course and experience were excellent — just the kind of cold, outdoor fun that I needed! The Good: I love the challenge of testing my physical strength outside of just running. The Bad: Walking around after the race, cold and wet and trying to find my boyfriend who wasn’t at the finish line as planned. ? The Ugly: I mean… THIS could happen. You want to laugh… until it happens to you. But you’ll laugh anyways. ?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
1:27:54
#435 Overall
#46 in my 35-39 age group
The Hillbilly Hike is a race series in south-central Iowa (just a short drive from Des Moines) consisting of a 10k and half marathon distance. While not necessarily a themed race, some runners really tapped into the spirit of their inner hillbilly. The race was fun yet peaceful — a really picturesque backdrop to a difficult half marathon for me.
For this race, I was playing mental games with myself — attempting to run completely by feel and never looking at my watch. I decided this at the start line, committed to not looking at my Garmin until 5 miles. Five miles came, and I wondered if I could make it 10. Well, I went 10 and decided again that I wouldn’t look at my watch until I stopped it at the finish line. I really was interested in what kind of race I could do (since I didn’t have a time goal) when I was in tune with my body and acknowledging my effort level. Well, I felt like crap by Mile 11 and was definitely feeling symptoms of dehydration before I hit 6 miles (not sure how that happens when it’s only 50 degrees!). I was determined not to stop though, as I didn’t want a repeat of Dam to Dam. I still REFUSED to look at my watch (half contemplating to stash it in my belt, so I wouldn’t accidentally see it).
ALL SAID, I’m so excited and proud of what I accomplished! And Half marathon #8 is in the bag.
Registration and Cost: I initially didn’t want to run another half marathon so soon after the Des Moines half, but the cost was the same for the 10k and half (at least, that’s how I remember it lol). Because of that, I decided to run another half. That’s how we do, right Runners? 😀 With a $5 discount for being a Capital Striders member, after fees the race only cost me $38.69 — it’s a helluva deal for a half!
Packet and Bib Pick-Up: Race organizers reused timing bibs from Dam to Dam (those big honkin’ ones that I complained about) – with a new number stapled to the front. I appreciate their ability to reuse and cut costs, even though I prefer the race-specific keepsakes for my bib wall. Packet Pick-up was the night before at Fitness Sports in Clive (thankfully, local, so I didn’t have to drive out to Indianola twice); I’m pretty certain there was packet pick-up in the morning before the race, too. Side note: In the race day info email, it was stated that 70% of the registration of this race goes to Indianola Christian Union Church mission charities, so it’s all for good cause. Thank you, race sponsors!
Free Swag: Another short-sleeve tech tee for the collection, and the first 320 to register for the half got a special die-cut medal at the finish. I love this medal — including the corn cob on the ribbon!
Parking and Transportation: Plenty of Parking in Indianola at the high school, though there were school busses available to shuttle runners from Carlisle to the start line (me and my car sickness don’t get along very well with this option, so I got dropped off).
Bag Drop: This race offered a Hillbilly Bag Drop for both races. Hillbilly Bag Drop = a car with the trunk open. LOL Just look for the Hillbilly parked near the start line to take your bag!
BONUS: the bag drop Hillbillies were ALSO sweeping the course to collect any discarded clothing found in the first 1/2 mile and bringing to the finish line for a “Lost and Found” pile.
Weather: Holy moly, 50 degrees feels really chilly when there’s no humidity! I kept my long-sleeve on and was thankful that I decided to wear my tall socks, too. There were several points within the course where it felt chilly again (mostly, in the shaded trail areas in the woods). Though, it was that weird in-between weather where you’re not really sure if you’re overdressed or underdressed.
Course: The Hillbilly Hike half course is a point-to-point race starting in Indianola and ending in Carlisle. The trail is mostly flat, paved… yet net downhill. I really enjoyed seeing the various landscapes — lakes, woods, farms, wetlands and prairie — and running over the wooden trail bridges (there were several throughout the course) gave me some intention for picking up my feet.
There were water stops about every 2 miles — it seemed like Gatorade was at most stops, with the exception of maybe Mile 10? At least I didn’t see it there (when I probably needed it most). Most of the aid stations were volunteered by the Girls Scouts (yay!). They rocked it!
Start line: We started in front of Indianola High School – before curving around the campus and entering the McVay Trailhead. There was a DJ in the parking lot making announcements and getting the crowd pumped up and SUPER long lines for the Kybos.
Random BS: Even though the temps were somewhat cool at the beginning of the race (and I took at GU before the race, and half a salted caramel GU about half-way) I REALLY needed more sodium, as my fingers were swollen like it was 100 degrees outside and I was starting to get weird cramps. BLARGH.
Finish Line: The race ended in Carlisle at the Summerset trailhead. The finish line flags seemed to appear quickly on the trail, that I almost looked at my watch to make sure that the race wasn’t short (I guess I was feeling better by the Gatorade that I took at Mile 12, though my split tells a different story).
So you know me and post-race food — this race had apple pie, cherry pie, and biscuits and gravy. The chocolate milk and bananas looked sad by comparison. And gluten-free Mel was very, very sad.
FINISH LINE PIE!
There was also a set up for a fun photo booth with props:
Fans and Experience: fans at the finish line were AMAZING. Volunteers along the trail, amazing. Everyone helping out at the finish line and food tables, amazing. The volunteers TRULY made this event top-notch, and I’d definitely come back to run this again. Panfoto was out taking pics and the Dead Line String Band was playing mid-race on the trail. It was just very, very fun.
After party: While I really, REALLY wanted a root beer float from A&W, I wasn’t feeling so great and opted to return home for my usual post-race steaming shower and 2-hour nap.
OVERALL The Great: Everyone who worked/volunteered at this race really made it a top-notch event! The Good: SO MUCH FOOD AT THE FINISH LINE! (and very good for all you gluten-havers ?) The Bad: Dehydration. ☹ The Ugly: Um, active hunters (and gun shots) in the distance as we were running the trails.
Last weekend was To Grandmother’s House We Go — a local trail race partnered with the Capital Striders’ Turkeys (the trail runners of our Des Moines area running group). There were three distances to sign up for: a 5K, 10K, or 15K. This was a legit in-the-woods natures trail run in West Des Moines at Browns Woods Park. My first trail race was certainly memorable!
I was looking forward to this race for a while, so I’m disappointed in myself for not having as much fun as I planned. I didn’t sleep very well the night before (or the night before that), so I woke up on Race Day feeling pretty cranky. I wasn’t in the mood for anything and anyone, and I ended up not wanting to wear any resemblance of a costume either. My mood continued to deteriorate even in the middle of the run. I was really forcing myself to have fun, and I was becoming overwhelmed at running all alone. I run races by myself all the time — but being in the middle of the woods, without any runners around me for a good chunk of the second loop, I was questioning everything in my life. Being out in nature was having the exact opposite effect.
Maybe next time I should just bring my dang headphones and drown out all that negativity. All my poor attitude aside, I’ll likely go back to Browns Woods and run that trail a few more times to prepare for Hitchcock that’s coming up in December.
Registration and Cost: Online registration through Get Me Registered and cost $28.07 (after fees and a $5 Capital Striders discount). You were able to change your race distance up to the start of the race and still be eligible for age awards.
No Expo! Small races are awesome dot com.
Packet Pick-Up and Bag Drop: There was an option to pick up my bib the evening before at Active Endeavors, but I didn’t feel like returning to West Des Moines after 6pm when I just left work there at 4:30. I opted for Race Day pick-up, and everything was fine about that choice — no lines or long waits; I even got to use the Kybo before the race started. There was also park bathroom facilities available (with a short line). Boyfriend came with me to the start, so he stashed everything in the car for me.
Free Swag: A really sweet bag (it has separate pockets and feels waterproof!) and a 25% coupon to Active Endeavors, a local store and sponsor of the race. No finisher medals, unless you place (I missed an age group award by just a couple minutes!).
Parking or Transportation: There were two lots — one dirt, one paved — which both filled up quickly. Most participants were parking around the edge of the paved lot (once the dirt one filled up… which happened right as we pulled into it) or on the street leading into the park entrance, and there were volunteers helping direct traffic.
UGH. This humidity.
Weather: I was wearing shorts in November, and had to remove my long-sleeve during the race, so… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ At least being in the woods, it wasn’t direct sun.
Course: Each distance of the race followed the same 5K loop — the 10k and 15k runners repeated the same lap. We were deep in the woods on this one, with the trail nearly completely covered in leaves. There was a lot of elevation gain and gnarly hills. I loved running up them, but they definitely took a lot out of me. I tripped over a few hidden stumps on the path, but (thankfully) didn’t wipe out completely. I also got to run through a muddy creek, which I do remember feeling really happy about mid-run. The course was marked REALLY well, and I never felt like I was going to get lost.
There was a water and Gatorade stop at the “finish” of each loop.
Start Line: Gotta love an airhorn start!
Finish Line: Since we were all running the same loop, there was some confusion at finishing at the flag chute vs. where we started just down the path. The volunteers handled it well, though, and chased after runners who were actually finishing – just in the wrong spot.
Experience: There were quite a few runners dressed in costume, which was really fun to see. There were awards for best Red Riding Hood, the Wolf, and an “other” category. Panfoto was taking pictures in the middle of the woods, which was also cool. I still need to order and download the couple pics of me since it’s a cool setting — at least I smiled!
After Party: I stuck around for the awards ceremony and all the Halloween candy at the finish line — and then came home and napped for two hours. GOOD LORD, THE TIRED. For days later, I was sore in a bunch of new places. Hooray, trail running!
Random Bullshit: How were there no females in the 20-29 age group running the 10k????
OVERALL The Great: Trying something new! And I’m already committed to finishing the 15k next year. The Good: The Capital Striders Turkeys are a fun bunch, and I’m pretty excited to get out more on the trails with them this season. The Bad: I had an opportunity to cross an item of my yearly goal list (run a race in costume), and I didn’t do it. 🙁 The Ugly: My mood was just awful, and I wish I could have a do-over.
Do splits matter in a trail run? SPLITS: 11:26 / 10:32 / 13:14 / 12:14 / 11:52 / 13:11
OFFICIAL RESULTS
1:14:08
17th overall female
4th in my age group
As I’m making friends in the run community here in Des Moines, trail running has become much more fun. Since I’ve joined up on some Capital Turkeys group runs, I have familiar faces that I can locate beforehand — and that’s added a new level of relaxation and joy to my race day. The 
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