Trail Running Weekend

Fall trail running is in full swing. I did two races this weekend. The Ridge Runner Classic, a 3.75 mile run at Fox Ridge State Park near Charleston on Saturday and the Allerton Trail Run near Monticello on Sunday.

This was my first time running the Ridge Runner Classic. Actually, this is the first year I had heard of it...and this was the 21st running...and I grew up in Charleston...hmmmm. Anyway, although this was my first time running this event I knew what to expect. I spent alot of time in the park in my youth. The park features alot of deep ravines - it's very scenic.

The first mile and a half was on a paved park road with a couple of long downhill sections. I ran the first mile pretty fast...6:46 - too fast. After the on-road section, we headed onto the trail. There had been some rain in the days leading up to the race, but the trails were in good condition. They were covered with a layer of crushed gravel, so there really wasn't any mud to deal with. Just a couple of rutted spots had some standing water in them, and it was easy to see and avoid.

The trail meandered by the Embarass River, through the woods and came to a long stairway with a hill at the top. Due to the shear length of this section and the fact that I had run the first section too fast, I walked up the stairs. I figured I'd either walk the stairs and run at the top, or run the stairs and have to walk at the top. I think I lost less time by walking the stairs.

The rest of the run was up and down park trails, a short section of campground road, then up another long staircase back to the park road and the finish line. I finished the 3.75 mile run in 28:25.

I enjoyed this event. It was small and casual, and the trail was fun. I'll probably run it again in the future.

On Sunday I headed out to Allerton Park near Monticello for my second event of the weekend. The rain that hadn't shown much of an effect at Fox Ridge showed a massive effect on the Allerton Park trails. The run began at the Foo Dog garden - a flat grassy area - then headed into the woods.

Every section of the trail was covered in mud. This was not a deep, shoe-sucking mud, but a thin, slick layer of mud on top of a hard trail. It was very challenging to keep my footing the whole time. Additionally, there were a few sections of the run requiring a run through ankle to knee deep water. The first of these came up in the second mile, so we all ran with heavy, wet shoes for most of the race.

I felt ok for most of the run. I could tell I had run the day before. I had sore muscles in a few different places, but nothing too bad. I finished the 5.5 mile run in 47:24.

Overall it was a nice weekend for running. Both mornings were cool, but the days ended up being sunny and pleasant - a very nice fall weekend.