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Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon - Hillsboro Loudoun County - May 31 2014-Race Report (Read 44 times)

harisubbu


    May 31, 2014 -  Saturday 7 a.m. Start/Finish - Doukenie Winery, Hillsboro, Loudoun County VA

     

    Finish Time - 1:54:13 -   2 minute PR

     

    http://destinationraces.com/runvirginia/

     

    This race was not on my racing schedule this year. I volunteered at the finish line last year after driving a few of our running club members that ran this race last year. I liked the setting and the course but balked at the high admission price to actually enter this race.

     

    This year one of the registered runners could not make it at the last minute and was kind enough to let me get a registration transfer by paying the transfer fee at packet pick up. I was grateful and will return the favor to him on another occasion. I was going to drive the carpool anyway so this opportunity was perfect.

     

    By Thursday night I decided I was going to run this race. Packet pick up was a breeze at the Landsdowne resort the previous day. I ran 3 miles the previous day at about 9.30 pace. Earlier that week I ran two 5 mile runs at about 8:50 min/ average pace.  Hardly ideal situation for a half marathon distance but I had just ran my 7th marathon at the Flying Pig on May 4 with a 4:11 PR time so I was hoping I was in decent shape for a half marathon with a decent finish time. I was going to find out.

     

    Usual food for dinner previous night. Set the alarm for 4.30 a.m.  Pre-race nerves meant I woke up twice once around 3 a.m. and again at 4 a.m.  Well, better to get ready early. Showered, drank some coffee, and packed the last piece of pita bread lying around in a pantry to go and by 5.10 a.m. I was at our meeting point which is usually our neighborhood Starbucks.

     

    My fellow runners arrived on time. One of them was going to pace the 1:45 pace group and the other had just come off a sub-2 hr. half marathon two weeks ago. So we talked of recent races, race experiences and general running stories all the way to the race venue which was about 40 minutes away. The early departure helped as we beat the traffic back up on the narrow rural road leading to the winery.

     

    Porta-a-Potty lines were short. I did what I had to do and we made our way to the start line. I felt energetic and we took a group picture at the start. The national anthem was sung and I felt thankful to be able to do what I was doing at that moment under the gorgeous blue skies in Virginia Piedmont. At 7.04 a.m. the race was underway.

     

    First 2 miles were at about 9:30 min/mile pace. The faster runners from our group had taken off within the first 1/10 of the mile and I had no intention of keeping up with them. Another runner from our club Kurt usually runs at my pace and we settled into a 9-ish pace by mile 2. We stopped for a few seconds at the water stops which were placed roughly every 1.5 miles.

     

    We hit the half way mark at the Hiddencroft Winery and this was the only place in the course that felt a little crowded in the short out and back section around mile 6. Also the surface was a little uneven but did not bother me much. I had run on dirt roads and packed gravel surface before. In fact it seemed like a nice change of surface that felt good on my feet.

     

    Half way mark was roughly at 58 minutes. I still felt I had some energy. I told Kurt I was going try to push the pace just a little bit. I was also wondering to myself that I may be too ambitious given that I had not run more than 5 miles at pace in last 4 weeks. So I increased the pace by about 15 secs and hit the 10 mile mark at 1:28 hr.  Now I had a shot at a PR if I can hold that pace. Around mile 9 I ran an 8:18 mile and by breathing became heavy. I slowed down a little bit for the next half mile and it got steady. Then mile 11 came and went and so did mile 12. At this point a PR seemed well within reach. I kept a steady 8:30 pace and before long the final right turn came into view. I knew it was less than 1/10 of the mile from there.

     

    After that right turn I could see the finish line and I picked up the pace. I was excited as a half marathon PR was so close at hand. I ran it in around 7:30 pace and the finish line display said 1:54:55 gun time and 1:54:13 was my chip time per official results later that night.

     

    4 of the fellow runners had finished sub- 1:50 and 2 others came in not much longer after me.

     

    Another satisfying race and a nice albeit hilly course. I was happy with the outcome. If you are into wine or making it a nice day with wine/picnic at the end of the race, this one is ideal. It is pricey no doubt but then it is positioned as a destination race.

     

    I left for home immediately after the finish feeling grateful for the opportunity to get a PR on a near perfect morning in a well organized race.

     

    Happy Rrunning

     

    Hari Subrahmanyan

    Chantilly, VA

    NHLA


      Congrats! Sounds like a fun race. Pretty country.

      amn77


        Congrats on a great race. I did that one a couple of years ago with a few friends, made a nice girls' weekend out of it. Found the course challenging but fun.  I PR'd on it too-but then trumped that time last year with a flat race at the beach Smile

        Allyson