The Perils of Running a Race on a Civil War Battlefield

Last weekend I thought it would be a good idea to run in the Freedom Run, billed as "a run of health and heritage," which took place in Shepardstown, WV. It was the week of the Army Ten Miler in Washington, DC. If you're familiar with my previous blog that I deleted, you will know that the Army 10 Miler has only ended in tears, and I haven't even run the race yet.

I needed a race to run that was a 10K or over, but the only gig in town was that darned Army Ten Miler. I found an inviting alternative in the aforementioned Freedom Run. The course included a tour of a Civil War battlefield and other historical markers, so I decided it was a perfect fit for my history-loving self. The picture above of President Abraham Lincoln was famously taken at the battlefields, and I imagined running on the same fields where he once stood.

I did my best to get to bed early the night before, but I was doing laundry and probably just making myself nervous by procrastinating to fold it. I did manage, however, to put most of my clothes and food out the night before, although I did forget to wash the shirt I planned on wearing, so that cost me an extra hour of sleep. I had to wear that shirt for no particular reason. I had it in my mind and my mind was made up.

The next morning I woke up and showered just in case there were people taking pictures at the race. I arrived in Shepardstown and had a tough time finding a good place to park because the signs weren't that helpful, and if there were any at all then I didn't see them.

Registration and bag drop off were fairly straightforward and well organized. I did my business the best I could at the port-o-potties before lining up at the start. The Freedom Run also comprised of a full Marathon, a 5K, a 10K, a children's run of some sort as well as the Half Marathon that I ran. As I lined up with the runners, I could've sworn that it started at 9am, but a 10K runner thankfully reminded me that the 10K starts at 9:00 and the half marathon begins at 9:05. That would've ruined my day.

As I lined up in toward the front, I tried to jump around and get myself moving. Usually my first mile is the slowest so I don't line up at the very front, plus I like passing people and I despise getting passed. Slow and steady wins the race, says the tortoise. I also have this thing that I do to myself in the first few miles that is really self defeating. I tell myself that I can quit at any time and that I can just walk back to the start line and go home. "It's OK, you can give up. No one will know or care!" Try as I might not to think about it, those negative thoughts always creep up on me.

The first five or so miles are fine. We mostly run through the town and everything is on a slight upgrade. But then at the fifth mile we enter the battlefields of Antietam and it is very beautiful. It reminds me of Gettysburg. What I didn't count on was the battlefield being so hilly. For about five miles or so, the course was nothing but rolling hills -- and I don't even think they are rolling because it's pretty much up and down the entire time. There is nothing gradual about it.

Even this chart seems misleading because it only captures the gradation every half mile, so it misses a lot, and those hills were plentiful. The marathon runners came at us from the opposite direction and god bless 'em because they had to run up those hills at mile 18 or something ridiculous like that. More than a few were walking and I don't blame them at all. I was passed by this guy and who I think was his wife on one of those hills and I felt pretty crappy about that. It's not nice to get passed, especially while on a hill. I returned the favor to some guy on the hill of death (not the actual name), leaving Antietam. Previously at the start line, he claimed he would run a 6:10 pace, but walking up the hill, he clearly wasn't going to make that.

The next few miles are mostly in the shade and downhill. I see a few more marathoners walking this portion and I feel badly for them because it's only going to get worse. Well I'm going along with about three miles to go, and I hear footsteps behind me, but I keep going. Then with about a mile to go, there is this bridge you have to run up to, and it's really steep and you come to the street and I had no idea which way to go. I started running the wrong way until a pedestrian told me I was running the wrong way. A minute later the first guy passed me. I wasn't happy about that. With the finish in sight, I saw as another guy passed me. I was even less happy so I passed him back! And with a sprint to the finish, he beat me by a few seconds. I was mad at myself for allowing that, but I shook his hand because he deserved it.

I ran a 1:25:37 (6:33 minutes per mile), which was only 26 seconds away from my goal time. I attributed it to the heat and the hills. I was going to go to the award ceremony, but I didn't think I was going to get anything, and what's more, I didn't feel that I deserved anything for letting those two guys pass me at the end. (I later found out that I did get 3rd in my age group.) So instead I went to the booths and enjoyed the city of Shepardstown, which is really lovely. I ate at the Stone Soup Bistro and if you ever have the opportunity, eat there! It's great food at very reasonable prices.

Overall I would recommend the race to others who are looking for a tough course. I wouldn't expect to PR there, but I did really like the course and those who directed the race. I believe it was the inaugural run. Great job. There are a few improvements I would like to make:

1) More signs to tell people where to park.

2) More people at the turns to direct people where to run. Even though the finish line wasn't that far from where I went the wrong direction, my brain was fried and I was seriously confused.

3) Warn people of the hills. I'm just sayin'.

4) As always, more port-o-potties.

5) Are there pictures?

The end.

Epilogue: Here I am getting passed at the end.

8 Weeks and Miles to Go

I had a pretty good week in terms of running. I ran about 45 miles this week including speed work and a tempo workout. In addition, I ran a 10K with a time of 38:52, which is the fastest time that I have ever run a 10K by about a minute and half. My PR was around a year ago. I consulted McMillan's Running Predictor and I should run the Marathon in 3:02:45.

The South Fairfax Credit Union 10K took place in Lorton, VA and is about 15 miles outside of DC. I prefer the smaller races because it gives me less anxiety. I feel that with less people I can pick people off easier and focus on that aspect. I ran pretty even splits, possibly even negative splits. Focusing on one person is more doable than worrying about a million other people. Plus I have more of a change of placing in my age group. So I get benefits that way as well.

In terms of mental health, I had kind of a depressing week. During the week, I focus on work and errands. Then on the weekend I'm at loose ends because I have all this time. So much time and I get overwhelmed with how to fill it, so I just end up watching The Office on Netflix. I have a million little things to do, but nothing really concrete. Running provides such structure and I really take out only what I put in to it. Most importantly, it makes me happy. It's more than just the "runner's high." It's a sense of accomplishment.

Another week done!

10 Weeks and Miles to Go

I registered myself for the New York City marathon believing that I would be rejected. That didn't happen because on November 1, 2009 I will be running it along with 40,000 other individuals. In doing so, I decided to create a goal for myself -- to run 26.2 miles in 2:59:59 or less. It's the next progression in my running. I've trained very hard to get where I am. I've ran three marathons so far, including Boston. I've never been a fast runner at short distances, but I can run far. I've always enjoyed pushing myself past what I thought I was able. It helps me work out many issues in my mind; creative, stress, problem-solving etc.

I would like to explore how the brain is affected by exercise and more specifically the relationship between the mind and running. Running has provided a myriad of benefits for me concerning the mind. I believe that running unlocks my creative unconscious. I've had some of my better thoughts while running. I can't remember most of them, but I remember breaking some sort of creative boundary while running.

Now I mostly run to relieve stress, and have some sort of short term goals that I can achieve.

I would like to use this blog as way to chronicle how the brain and the body work together in the sport of running.