Hokie Half 2018
I ran the 6th annual Hokie Half Marathon on September 23, 2018 in 1:52:47 . That is a personal record by 5 minutes. I was using this race as a benchmark to see if I was doing better on distance as I prepare for the Donna Finish Breast Cancer Marathon in February of 2019, which will be my first full marathon.
I improved my time here by 5 minutes, but even better, I am not sore. My last three halves ended with knee pain that made walking tough for a couple days. Today, no pain, cramps or etc. so, I am getting more confident about a full 26.2 miles at the Donna Finish Breast Cancer 12TH ANNUAL DONNA MARATHON WEEKEND in Jacksonville Florida.
This race started at 7 am on Sunday morning, so I stayed the night in Blacksburg. I was able to pick up my packet Saturday night and get a good nights sleep. I arrived at the Virginia Tech football stadium parking lot by 6:15 AM and catch the shuttle to the start line. There were plenty of porta potties and buses running to get everyone the the start quickly. After arriving there, it was a fairly good hike to the start line. I left with the first wave which was for those expecting to finish in 2:10 or less. The course was fairly flat the first four miles on city roads with only small rolling hills. There was water every two miles and later gels and Gatorade as well. There were restrooms available at miles 6, 9, and 12 (in addition to the start/finish area), and emergency medical services available at miles 4, 6, and 13. Also, live music was present at nine different locations along the way, making the course fun and interesting.
After four miles we entered the Huckleberry Trail for a little more than 5 miles. It is an asphalt walking and biking trail through fields and forest around the VT Campuses.
The miles clicked by quickly and I maintained a 8:30 pace for most of the day. There were two steep hills before mile 12, one pretty long one. At mile 12 is a well known hill that is mentioned occasionally in recaps. It is very long, but not especially steep. I was able to run it the whole way and make the turn into the start/finish area in good shape.
At the finish line medals and finisher shirts were handed out and there was a nice chili lunch, snacks and refreshments. I had already recieved a long sleeve technical shirt in my packet.
I have been adding more miles each week, preparing for a full marathon in 5 months so I was unfazed physically by this race. Usually I am very stiff and sore for a few days. This day I felt so good that I hustled back to the parking lot and started the 1 1/2 hour drive home and made it in time to attend the 11 AM church service at my church.
As I mentioned, I am preparing for my first full marathon; the Donna Finish Breast Cancer 12TH ANNUAL DONNA MARATHON WEEKEND in Jacksonville Florida on February 9, 2019.
I ran the half marathon this past February and recapped it here
The Donna mission is to provide financial assistance and support to those living with breast cancer and fund ground breaking breast cancer research. I’ve set up a fundraising page.All proceeds go to meet their mission.
http://crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/grandparunstohelpdefeatbreastcancer
#RunDONNA #TogetherWeWill
I improved my time here by 5 minutes, but even better, I am not sore. My last three halves ended with knee pain that made walking tough for a couple days. Today, no pain, cramps or etc. so, I am getting more confident about a full 26.2 miles at the Donna Finish Breast Cancer 12TH ANNUAL DONNA MARATHON WEEKEND in Jacksonville Florida.
This race started at 7 am on Sunday morning, so I stayed the night in Blacksburg. I was able to pick up my packet Saturday night and get a good nights sleep. I arrived at the Virginia Tech football stadium parking lot by 6:15 AM and catch the shuttle to the start line. There were plenty of porta potties and buses running to get everyone the the start quickly. After arriving there, it was a fairly good hike to the start line. I left with the first wave which was for those expecting to finish in 2:10 or less. The course was fairly flat the first four miles on city roads with only small rolling hills. There was water every two miles and later gels and Gatorade as well. There were restrooms available at miles 6, 9, and 12 (in addition to the start/finish area), and emergency medical services available at miles 4, 6, and 13. Also, live music was present at nine different locations along the way, making the course fun and interesting. After four miles we entered the Huckleberry Trail for a little more than 5 miles. It is an asphalt walking and biking trail through fields and forest around the VT Campuses.
The miles clicked by quickly and I maintained a 8:30 pace for most of the day. There were two steep hills before mile 12, one pretty long one. At mile 12 is a well known hill that is mentioned occasionally in recaps. It is very long, but not especially steep. I was able to run it the whole way and make the turn into the start/finish area in good shape.
At the finish line medals and finisher shirts were handed out and there was a nice chili lunch, snacks and refreshments. I had already recieved a long sleeve technical shirt in my packet.
I have been adding more miles each week, preparing for a full marathon in 5 months so I was unfazed physically by this race. Usually I am very stiff and sore for a few days. This day I felt so good that I hustled back to the parking lot and started the 1 1/2 hour drive home and made it in time to attend the 11 AM church service at my church.
As I mentioned, I am preparing for my first full marathon; the Donna Finish Breast Cancer 12TH ANNUAL DONNA MARATHON WEEKEND in Jacksonville Florida on February 9, 2019.
I ran the half marathon this past February and recapped it here
The Donna mission is to provide financial assistance and support to those living with breast cancer and fund ground breaking breast cancer research. I’ve set up a fundraising page.All proceeds go to meet their mission.
http://crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/grandparunstohelpdefeatbreastcancer
#RunDONNA #TogetherWeWill
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