camaker
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing
- Joined
- May 8, 2015
Race Report - New River Marathon
I ran the New River Marathon in NC's Blue Ridge Mountains just outside of Boone this morning. Since MW, my training has been focused on both reestablishing my pace and dropping my weight back to an acceptable level. I've managed to lose 48 lbs since MW, so I'm calling that a success, if still a work in progress. Having already achieved another goal of establishing a new PoT in March, I was looking for a marathon to capitalize on all that training, and being just a 3h drive from home, this one fit the bill.
Scoping out the course map in advance, there were only 3 significant hills, despite the mountain setting, as the course is run largely along the banks of the New River in its valley. I didn't really have any solid goals going in, although I thought a 4:15-4:30 finish would be a good indication of pacing progress.
The race started under cloudy skies with just enough sun peeking through to give us a mile 1 rainbow. It was relatively cool, but the humidity was very high (Temp 65, Dew Point 65, 100% RH). The first half of the course consisted of two large, independent loops including the three major hills. I quickly found I had underestimated not only the scope of the hills, but also the fact that there were long stretches of mild, but significant uphill running between them. My pacing wasn't too bad as we finished the 2nd loop around mile 14, but my energy output was significantly higher than I had anticipated. The rain mostly held off through the first half of the race, limiting itself to mostly refreshing periods of misting.
As we entered the back half of the course, a 6 mile out and back, that changed and we had a steady rain from miles 15-19, or so. The rain was soaking and enough to cause ponding along the course. Worse, when it ended the sun came out and the asphalt roads engaged "broiler mode". The outbound portion was a slow, gentle downhill that left us with a much less gentle-feeling uphill return to the finish line. I started having trouble with my hip/IT band at that point, too. The race was run entirely on 2 lane country roads with significant camber and no shoulder. They were open to traffic during the race, which meant staying largely to the side. My "upslope" hip decided it had had enough and it was difficult to run through. I ended up coming in a bit slower than I'd hoped at 4:37:55, but I'm pleased with my effort and result.
This is easily the most scenic race I've run. The views of the New River and looking up and out across its valley were gorgeous. We ran by numerous Christmas tree farms that were beautiful and impressive on their own. Unfortunately, I don't run with my phone so I don't have any pictures. It wasn't a spectator friendly race, with moral support on the course being provided by horses, cows, and even a few alpacas! All in all a very enjoyable, well-run race. I'd consider running it again.
Thanks for reading! Now I just need this hip to settle down!
I ran the New River Marathon in NC's Blue Ridge Mountains just outside of Boone this morning. Since MW, my training has been focused on both reestablishing my pace and dropping my weight back to an acceptable level. I've managed to lose 48 lbs since MW, so I'm calling that a success, if still a work in progress. Having already achieved another goal of establishing a new PoT in March, I was looking for a marathon to capitalize on all that training, and being just a 3h drive from home, this one fit the bill.
Scoping out the course map in advance, there were only 3 significant hills, despite the mountain setting, as the course is run largely along the banks of the New River in its valley. I didn't really have any solid goals going in, although I thought a 4:15-4:30 finish would be a good indication of pacing progress.
The race started under cloudy skies with just enough sun peeking through to give us a mile 1 rainbow. It was relatively cool, but the humidity was very high (Temp 65, Dew Point 65, 100% RH). The first half of the course consisted of two large, independent loops including the three major hills. I quickly found I had underestimated not only the scope of the hills, but also the fact that there were long stretches of mild, but significant uphill running between them. My pacing wasn't too bad as we finished the 2nd loop around mile 14, but my energy output was significantly higher than I had anticipated. The rain mostly held off through the first half of the race, limiting itself to mostly refreshing periods of misting.
As we entered the back half of the course, a 6 mile out and back, that changed and we had a steady rain from miles 15-19, or so. The rain was soaking and enough to cause ponding along the course. Worse, when it ended the sun came out and the asphalt roads engaged "broiler mode". The outbound portion was a slow, gentle downhill that left us with a much less gentle-feeling uphill return to the finish line. I started having trouble with my hip/IT band at that point, too. The race was run entirely on 2 lane country roads with significant camber and no shoulder. They were open to traffic during the race, which meant staying largely to the side. My "upslope" hip decided it had had enough and it was difficult to run through. I ended up coming in a bit slower than I'd hoped at 4:37:55, but I'm pleased with my effort and result.
This is easily the most scenic race I've run. The views of the New River and looking up and out across its valley were gorgeous. We ran by numerous Christmas tree farms that were beautiful and impressive on their own. Unfortunately, I don't run with my phone so I don't have any pictures. It wasn't a spectator friendly race, with moral support on the course being provided by horses, cows, and even a few alpacas! All in all a very enjoyable, well-run race. I'd consider running it again.
Thanks for reading! Now I just need this hip to settle down!
