Boston Trail Half Marathon Recap

BOSTON TRAIL HALF MARATHON

WHEN: April 18th 2015

WHERE: Elizabeth township, Pa. (Boston Trail)

Swag: Long sleeve Tech shirt, and hat (You only received a shirt if you registered before a certain date. I did not so I did not get one therefore I have no pic to show, sorry.

Distances: 5K and Half Marathon

Course: This is a great course if you are looking to go for a PR. It is on a limestone trail that is all flat. The course is an out and back course with aid stations every 2 miles. Bathrooms are almost nonexistence on the trail (I saw one, maybe two at most) so you will want to use the restrooms before you line up. The trail is only about 7 feet wide so passing at times can be a problem if you get caught in with a group of people. The scenery is a river to your left on the way out and on your right on the way back, with trees on the other side.

Finishers Medal: The medal is nothing to write home about, but for the price of the race you really can’t expect a blinged out medal. They also give medals for top 3 finishers in each age group.

My Experience: Packet pick up was from 7-8am. I arrived a little after 7 and had no problem finding a parking spot. There were people directing traffic which made it very easy. After I picked up my bib number I did some stretching and went for a short run. I recently had injured my calf muscle and neededto see if I would even be able to run. My calf wasn’t 100%, but I felt I could give it a go. After joining some Steel City Road Runners for a photo opt. I headed to the start. NUGO had their pace teams there so I was able to find a spot around the 2 hour time. As I started I felt pretty good and soon was ahead of the 1:55 pace group. (Huge shout out to the pacer for the 1:55 group. He interacted with his group the whole time and really was trying to motivate not only his group but runners that were behind them at the turn around) Around 4 miles is where I noticed my calf muscle just wasn’t getting looser and running fast just wasn’t something that could be done. I slowed down to a comfortable pace behind the 2 hour group and ended up finishing in 2:04.


Overall this is a great race to go for a PR. It’s flat with hardly an elevation change. Most of the course has shade so you never found yourself dealing with the sun too much. They cap the race at 900 runners to make sure the trail doesn’t get too crowded. It’s a cheap race and can be really beneficial to any of the runners using it as a test run before the Pittsburgh Marathon. If you are the type of person that looks forthe big bling and the expo’s with tons of people this race is not for you. I would describe this race as your basic local race that gets a fairly decent crowd and attracts a lot of runners looking to get a PR. For the price this is one race you may want to consider.

2 Weeks Until RaceDay: Taper Time

With only 2 weeks until the start of the DICK'S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon it is now time to go into taper mode. After this past week I am looking forward to that. Normally I would get the taper blues and go insane but this training cycle is different and I really need the break. I will be one person who is happy for the taper. If I was on a beach I would be laid up in a hammock with a nice cocktail in my hand.

This week was supposed to be my week that really would let me know where I stand. I scheduled a race hoping to help get me out of my mental funk. Every run I had planned was going to be at a speed a bit faster than normal and the distance would be a bit longer than scheduled.

MONDAY: 5 miles at 8:00 pace or faster. I ran a pretty flat course and was able to finish in 38:24. I felt really good. It was nice because I still wasn't going 100%. It was the start of the confidence booster I needed.

TUESDAY: Speed Workout: 4 mile fartleks. The course I did was pretty flat except for 1 big hill. I used the telephone poles as my markers, and would go about 90% full speed for one set then jog for the next set. Once again I finished feeling really good.

WEDNESDAY: Rest Day: I had all intentions of running this day, but I had to go with Amanda and look at a house we were interested in. Looking at the house was great, but I recieved a call from Stephanie who was on her to Boston and would be passing through the Burgh. She needed to get in a 40 minute run. Stephanie is a person who inspires me and I really wanted to finay meet her, but it just wasn't going to happen. I did give her directions to the riverfront trail so she could run on it and see our beautiful city.  Please make sure to wish Stephanie luck while she runs Boston tomorrow. Her Twitter handle is @IRun4MyCrazy.

THURSDAY: I set out of a 6 mile run while there was a brief break in the rain. I had it all figured out I would run a new course and listen to music in hopes to shake up the training. I thought maybe a good run where my mind wasn't all over the place would help get me out of my mental funk. As soon as I started I knew something didn't feel right in my right calf muscle. It felt very tight, but I just figured it would loosen up as I ran. Two mile in and it was still tight. On the third mile coming up a hill I felt the muscle get real tight and it brought me to a sudden stop. Luckily I was only 1 mile away from my car and was able to walk back. When I say walk it was more of a painful limp. This was not the confidence booster I needed. When I got home I checked and didn't see any bruising on my leg, so I foam rolled it and threw my compression socks on for the night.

FRIDAY: With my leg still sore and a half marathon the next day I decided to skip running. It kind of worked out since I was going to the Pirate game that night. One week in and I still hadn't been to a game with our season tickets.

SATURDAY: The Boston Trail Half Marathon: (Review on Thursday) I woke up earlier than normal so I could roll my calf muscle before I left. I still wasn't even sure if I was going to be able to run the race. I got there early so I could pick up my packet and start stretching. I ran into some SCRR members and we were going over the course and discussing strategies. After getting a group photo I went out for a short run to see how the leg felt. It was still sore but I felt I could give it a go. I lined up just before the 2 hour pace group. As I started I felt strong and soon found myself in front of the 1:55 pace group. About mile 4 is when I realized my leg was not getting any better and the pain was getting worse. I made the decision to slow down and not risk injury before Pittsburgh. I took small strides and ran a smart race for the remainder and finished in 2:04. Normally this would be a let down with that time, but actually it was a confidence booster and just what I needed to get out of my mental funk. I didn't give up. I fought through the pain and ran a smart race. Now that it is taper time I will take the next 2 weeks to ice down the leg and get it back to normal for RaceDay.

SUNDAY: Today I plan on just taking it easy and icing down my muscle. I will also do some foam rolling as well.  The good news is there is still no bruising on my muscle, so I am pretty sure it is not torn. With some ice and compression I should be alright. I am now out of mental funk since my race yesterday and this up coming week I plan to get back in the gym and still lift since the running will be on hold for at least a week or so.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE RUNNING BOSTON TOMORROW!!!!

How did your week go?
How do you deal with taper time?