A few weeks ago I ran in the Loudoun Lyme 10k at the Brambleton Town Center. This race's main goal was to educate and spread awareness about Lyme disease, and to also raise money to help find a cure. There was an information fair with health professionals and specialists, county officials, veterinarians, and local vendors to help educate the public about Lyme disease, its causes, symptoms and treatments. To read more about Lyme Disease, please check out this post!

The race started out with a cool drone flying over head taking video and pictures (but unfortunately nothing has been posted on the race website yet). The 10k race started first, with the 5k starting a few minutes later. This was pretty much the same course as the Brambleton Ribbon Run that I ran a few years ago. It is pretty flat, and I love running through all of the fancy houses in the neighborhood.

The race took place on a morning that was very humid. It was misting the entire morning, which made it especially unpleasant to run. All I wanted it to do was to give a good rain to help cool me off while running!!!

Regardless, I finished in 1:13:26, which is an 11:49 minute/mile pace. I actually felt a lot more tired, hot, and sweaty than I look in my finishers picture!

I was super excited to find a gluten-free snack bar along with a banana and water at the finish line! Hooray!

I wandered around the educational fair for a bit and checked out some of the exhibitors before heading home.

Let's start with some brief notes of the stuff leading up to the race. First, I want to mention pre-race communications. The Ashburn Area Running Club (AARC), who put on the Loudoun Half Marathon and 8K, did an amazing job with communications. There were updates almost weekly updates leading up to the race for about a month an a half which was phenomenal. They were emailed to you and linked to the updates portion of the website. They talked about the course map, preview runs, a look at the shirt design, reminders and inspiration. This doesn't even include any additional small updates and pics from their Facebook page. Best I've seen for any races I've run. Yes, even runDisney didn't give this much contact leading up to their races.

Packet pickup was quick and easy. Walk up, find your bib number, next table get your packet, next table for goody bag and shirt and you're done The shirt was a nice quality tech shirt. Granted, it was a small race, so there wouldn't really be lines expected, but even at that they were set up to be amazingly efficient.

Race morning was good as well. Parking was ample at the school. It was nice being able to drive and park easily at the race site. The meeting area was right next to the stadium, which was opened up for the finish area and included real bathrooms, which was a nice added bonus. When I arrived there was zero line. Closer to start there got to be a short line (even in the men's room). Then it was just walk out the gate to the starting like and away we go.

This was a smaller race, so no corralling. Water stops were well spread out. They also FULL of people cheering, which was very nice. On a course that rolls through Ashburn, there wasn't exactly people lining the streets to cheer. There were people at time, still out as slow poke me came by, which was nice. All the water stations cheered and helped try to pump you up. Many seemed like they were being volunteered by local students, either from the track team or sports teams or other organizations, such as Boy Scouts. It was nice to see them out there. I have to also call out one specific group. Later in the course, way down at the bottom of a long hill there's a water stop. I see noone else ahead of me at this particular point. But I hear cheering. Loud cheering and hollering and clapping. Even though I was way in the distance, they were letting me know they saw me and they were there. There was a group ahead of the station, that I can only assume where cheerleaders, as they cheered a very rhythmic cheer. And they continued to cheer as I went off into the distance the other direction. It really helped mentally.

The weather was beautiful. Even as the sun warmed up, there was a breeze that countered it. As it wore on, I got a little warmer at times, but the breeze was usually not far behind. The course featured some rolling hills, but nothing too steep or difficult. Around mile 9 the course goes onto the W&OD trail. When I was at this point there was no problem. When the race pack was there, it may have been problematic. There are many bike riders who use that nice path in both directions and it isn't very wide to support the large volume of runners for a race. The course would follow the trail all the way to back by the school. While running on the trail, it was really encouraging. Many people, runners and bikers alike, would give me some encouragement as they ran in the opposite direction and saw my bib. I received a lot of "great job", "you're almost there" and "finish strong!" It felt good. The last small chunk of the race was on the track back at the school.

I was greeted immediately with my medal and congrats at the finish line. Even being the 4th from the end, they were still there for me. Heck, there were even 2 people there for medals. After my medal I got the 2nd most important thing: a cold bottle of water. I drank that and waited for the person behind me to cross because I knew they couldn't be too far behind. I clapped and cheered as they crossed, grabbed a 2nd bottle of water and headed for the food, and they still had plenty. I also liked it because it was different than other race, which often sports bananas, other fruit and maybe the occasional bagel. They had fruit cups, rice krispy treats, some cookies. It was a nice touch. Everyone was still there at the finish, caring about the back of the pack. It was a nice way to finish. Later, there were even high quality and FREE pictures from photographers that were out on the course, icing on the cake.

ArcticHalf
The Old Dominion RacingArcticHalf took place on February 24, 2018 in Sterling, VA.

Pre-Race
The ArcticHalf took place at Algonkian Regional Park. There was plenty of parking and the start packet pick-up and start line took place under a covered pavilion. This was great because it was raining before the race began, and I was hoping to minimize my getting wet prior to the race. The line to pick up my bib and shirt was quick, and I was grateful that the race shirt was a long-sleeve tech shirt. I definitely did not bring enough warm clothes to the start. There were a few port-o-potties at the start, as well.

Prior to the start of the race there was a quick warm-up from Orange Theory, with some fun dance moves and stretches. Then, it was time to begin.

Multiple Race Distances
There were multiple-race distances for this race. The Half Marathon began at 12pm, which was a nice time because I didn't have to wake up super early. The 10k started just before 1pm, with the 5k following that.

The Course
The day called for rain. Which is fine, whatever. It rained while driving to the race, and up to the start. It was chilly, so I was glad for the long sleeved tech race shirt. The rain conveniently stopped right as the Half Marathon was starting, which was perfect. I ended up taking off my long sleeved shirt during the half mile because it was starting to warm up.

The course was mainly dirt trails, with a few stretches of pavement and gravel. Unfortunately, because of the rain, the dirt trails were mostly mud trails. Again, whatever. I was being very cautious, though, because I have been known to trip and fall on dry trails. This mud trail was nothing like I have ever experienced before. I have ran in the rain. I have ran in the ice. Mud is a while different animal. No only is it hard to run because you don't want to slip, there is the extra added resistance of sticking to the ground.

Seriously, there were parts of the trail where I had to hold onto trees or walk slowly with my arms straight out to help balance.

Regardless, this was a great course. You start off with one lap of two different trails, before heading past the golf course to a gravel trail. After a bit on this trail, you turn around and do a second lap before ending. Most of the course was in the trees, with some views of the water. It was very pretty!

Parts of the course were flooded, so we had to wade, step on rocks, or jump to cross!
SWAG
The long sleeved tech race shirt was great and definitely helped to keep me warm pre-race. The water stops were stocked very well with water, Gatorade, Sports Beans, Gu chews, and hand warmers.

The medal was nice and heavy and a good quality. The finish line had fruit, pastries, coffee, hot chocolate, and root beer (which is what I chose, along with some fruit). Never has a root beer taste so good. I know understand why a lot of races end with beer!

There was a raffle for a TV, Garmin, and other running gear. You were to earn tickets based on which race you completed, as well as if you helped to raise any money. Unfortunately, they started the raffle when I was at mile 10 and was over by the time I finished the race. I wish there was a way to have had my raffle tickets in the pot so I could have been considered to win.

How Did I Do?
I hadn't run a half marathon since October, and I wasn't quite yet trained for 13 miles. However, I have been doing some training runs and races in preparation for the Blue Ridge Marathon in April, so at least I had been doing some running. My intervals were run 1, walk 1, which I tried to follow when I could actually run. However, the amount of slick mud made it hard for me to run consistently on a lot of the trail, so I was a bit slower than I wanted.

But, I felt great! Except for a blister forming on each pinky toe (due to wet feet), I felt like I could have kept running, which is a positive because I have some longer runs coming up!

My finish time was 3:16:37.

This race is an experience everyone should have at least once in their lifetime. You are running on one of the runways at Dulles International Airport (IAD) while the rest of the airport is still operational. You get to see planes taxiing, taking off, and landing on other runways while running the entire length of runway 1R and back.

Parking is provided for free at the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum in Chantilly. Make sure to get there with plenty of time since you are running on an active airport you will need to go through security screening. For runners this means being scanned with a handheld wand but it still takes time to get through security, through the museum and out to the start line. Spectators are allowed but only at the start/finish line not along the runway itself.

Since the race is on a runway it is the flattest course you will ever encounter. In fact, both time I've run it I've set PRs for the distance: 1:01:09 in 2015 and this year 58:14. The race is limited to 2,500 runners total for the 5k & 10k.

I've run the Leesburg 20K for the past two years and it was actually the first race I ever signed up for after getting back into running. Packet pickup is at Potomac River Running located off Route 7 and easy process. It allows you to pick up some additional gels/nutrition if you need some last minute supplies or other running items.

The course starts/ends right across from Tuscarora Mill on Harrison St SE in downtown Leesburg. There is a town parking garage right across from the start/finish, however beware it does fill up quickly. Otherwise you can find free parking on the street in downtown Leesburg. The starting corral is semi-organized with placards listing anticipated paces however it is basically scouts honor that you line up in the correct area of the corral. Both years I've run it I've had to navigate around people who lined up further up than they should have running at slower paces at the start.

The course starts off on surface streets through Leesburg heading to Loudoun County High School. After doing a loop around the high school the 20k veers on to the W&OD trail heading towards Purcellville. The W&OD isn't closed during the race so you will have to be aware of cyclists, however the race organizers do their best to keep everyone safe. The section on the W&OD trail is about 9-10 miles, an out & back, which can be brutal if you aren't careful. If you look at the elevation profile the first half of this race is all uphill. It isn't a crazy incline, and in fact most of it doesn't even look uphill visually, but the fact it is all uphill the first half can really wear you out if you don't properly pace yourself.

The 20K has 6 water stations throughout, with 4 of them also having gatorade for you. There is also one gel stop at mile 6 of the 20K. There is a 3 hour time limit for the course (~ 14:30 pace).

While I enjoy this race and do it yearly, the fact the majority of it is on the W&OD means there aren't many spectators to cheer you on. You have to have the mental toughness to continue until you get near mile 12 when you get back near downtown Leesburg and there are sporadic spectators along the trail and streets to the finish line.

Overall, I enjoyed the race experience. The race itself kicked my butt, but the post-race festivities definitely made up for my struggle to the finish line!

I attended the expo the evening before the race. It is a very small expo, but they had maps of the course, the pacer reps, and a few shops set up. The expo is not in the same location as the race (Doukenie Winery), but the expo was at the beautiful Landsdowne Resort in a spacious ballroom. At the expo, I picked up my race bib (which was in the shape of a wine barrel), shirt (which I've actually worn since, since it's cute, comfy, and a good material), and a little bag. At the Destination Races table, I was given a sweet Camelbak water bottle with the race logo on the outside. Score!

There were ample aid stations at the race, which I appreciated. It was definitely hot racing weather, and with all of the hills, bugs, and humidity, I took full advantage! I will say, I had never tried the Gu beverage before, and accidentally drank it (I thought I took a water cup, so this is totally user error!), and it was NOT. GOOD. Yuck! But, I didn't have to drink it, so I stuck with water after that.

There were some beautiful farms along the race route. A woman that was running my pace kept stopping to take photos of different farms, especially the horses on the farms. Because it was a smaller race, there wasn't much of a crowd, so in areas without much scenery or people, the race got a bit mundane.

The unpaved portion of the race really crushed me. From around mile 5 until about mile 9, the course was on unpaved, dusty, gravel roads. Needless to say, I was totally unprepared for this much unpaved surface! Definitely make sure you train on this type of surface before the race!

Race management was pretty good! I took away one star because I felt like the finish line could have been organized a little better. It was confusing to figure out where I was supposed to go once I crossed. This was compounded by the fact that I'm a slow runner. We didn't get much love at the finish line!

The wine festival was fun! I wish that this was included for runners, though. Nevertheless, my friends (who didn't run the race) and I got to sip on some sweet Virginia wines, which went well with the warm weather! It was weird to me that some of the wine festival activities were hidden. For example, I got to try out the compression boots, but I didn't see them until the very end. If I hadn't participated in the wine festival, I never would have even seen the massage tables and compression boots!

The bathroom situation for the festival could use some work. There was a really long line in the Doukenie Winery barn, as there were only two bathrooms. I think they could have some more entertainment after the wine festival, also, since it ends so early in the day. On a nice day, I think people would probably like to hang out longer.

Check out my full race recap here: http://www.flecksoflex.com/2016/06/the-hardest-race-ive-ever-run-so-far.html

I pretty much enjoyed everything about the Virginia wine country half. I mean what's not to like about running and drinking wine?? The only negative I saw was that it was a bit pricey for a half marathon, about $100 which didn't include the wine tasting after the race. The tasting was an additional $25. It was also $15 to get your bib at the race rather than picking it up somewhere Friday. There were also fees for a race bus from DC and there was some other type of party later in the day at the Doukenie Winery where the race was held. That said, this race has a lot more to offer than your run of the mill half marathon. It's all set around the beautiful Doukenie Winery. It cannot be cheap to stage a race there. They also many touches and details all throughout the winery that help set the ambiance for the day. I think most runners noticed and appreciated the time and effort put into that, I know I did. There was coffee, water, GU brew and various snacks for the runners. There was plenty of port o potties to handle the crowd. We quickly received our medals and water after the race. There was also HUGE camelback coolers around so that we could get extra water which was really nice since it was humid.

The course itself was pretty hilly but definitely very pretty. There was also 4-5 miles of gravel in the middle of the course. There was more than enough aid stations with water and GU brew. There was also a couple with GU gels. All the volunteers were very helpful and energetic.

It was easy for us to get our wine glasses and enter the wine tasting area. Which I should mention, $25 for a wine glass and unlimited tasting is a pretty good deal. There was probably 10 different wineries, all very excited to be there and gave us lots of information about their products. This area also had a PT clinic who was giving massages and letting runners do sessions in the compression pants for recovery. They were AMAZING! They also had many tables, chairs and benches set up for people to sit, relax and enjoy the wine including many around the lake that was there. It was really a perfect finish to a race even for this beer drinker!

You can read more of my personal story here: http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2016/06/did-you-say-running-and-wine-virginia.html

This was my 2nd race with Destination Races, the first being Napa to Sonoma. I enjoyed the VA wine country race - easy access to start via hotel shuttle, great pre-race and post-race festivities. Volunteers and aid stations were great, course was challenging but scenic and enjoyable, and great on-course photos! The afterparty was one of the best I've attended, great time with wine, chocolate, strawberries, and live music.

Expo: there was a lot of vendors to buy things. And get ideas on race racks. Very well organized

Swag: it was the Same ol
Same swag from each race. I do love the tutus but they are the same for each race. But again my daughters love the tutus.

Race: the course was a lot more up and downs then was mentioned on the pre letter to the race. Beautiful scenery and housing areas.

Post race party: on point.

HF#7570

Diva DC was awesome this year! The parking and shuttle service ran like a well oiled machine. It was slightly wonky that spectators had to pay to take the shuttle or miss the start, but a necessary limitation of the winery. The first 3/4 and last 3/4 mike is on gravel. The hills are challenging and not for the faint of heart, but aid stations and crowd support was amazing! The course was a series of out and backs and while closed to traffic some local traffic got tied up in the pack. But the course support was amazing! The tutus are a nice touch and it's my favorite race shirt of all time. Well done Diva!

The Spring Leesburg 10k/5k was a small race held on part of the C&O Canal. I had previously run a 5k race on this course, so I knew what to expect. It is a pretty flat course, with just 2 little hills as you go down an under path. Other than that, it has the potential to be a fast course!

I was signed up to run the 10k race, so I started at 8am. It was a bit chilly that morning (in the high 40s), but by the time I ran three miles I had to take off my long sleeved shirt because it was warming up to be a nice day. I was almost at the finish line as the runners from the 5k started to pass by me. I quickened my step and sprinted to the finish where I was greeted by Chuck E. Cheese!!! I grabbed a water, caught my breath, and waited for the others to finish.

During the race I used the intervals 2:30/1. I didn't think I was terribly fast, but I was apparently fast enough to come in second place overall! Go me!!!The Miss Teen Virginia and Virginia Princesses were there to hand out the medals to all the winners.

This race was put on by Bishop's Events. I have been running a lot of their races, because they have tons of them! If you are looking for a great race this spring, check them out! They have options for different distances: 5k, 10k, 10-miler, and half marathon. Even better, there is no time limit for their races, so runners of all speeds can participate! Check out their website www.bishopsevents.com.

This was my 130th marathon when I ran it in 2014. I went back and ran it again in 2015 and 2016. Needless to say, I rank it top tier of marathons. That is due to all the attention to detail that only other runners appreciate. There were plenty of aid stations as well as volunteers along the course, and they were superb. Dedicated doesn't begin to describe them. As is the case, we had some challenging weather one year (2014) and the volunteers were unbelievable. They kept us going.
The warm building before and after, hot food and drinks, great awards and again, absolutely fabulous volunteers who are on top of everything make this a exceptional marathon. Honestly, the food afterwards is exceptional in terms of selection and tastiness.
The relay has added some additional spirit and pep. The teams are fun to run with and they cheer us on as well. Makes it something to anticipate as you go from post to post. A lot of the race is on a beautiful bike path, and what is on the road is well marked and safe. Not a lot of swag as this isn't a corporate sponsored race. The shirt is one of my favorites: well made, fits well, and doesn't have advertising all over it. Understated and classy, just like the race.
Reston is a lovely town. Fly into Dulles, it's right there. Lots of art galleries, lakes, restaurants--good time for runners and families.

The Reston 10 Miler is put on by Potomac River Running, a local running store group. It is a very low-key race with a community vibe but it is very well-run (no pun intended).
The race logistics couldn't be easier -- it starts and ends at a high school, there is ample parking in the school parking lots, you can do race-day bib pick-up, and there is usually access to the high school bathrooms. :-)
The start is very low-key. Most people stay inside until 15 minutes before the start time, and then head out to the road. There are no corrals, but people usually line up pretty nicely. When there's a few minutes to the race director gives a warning, and then he starts us off.
The course loops around through pretty neighborhoods with lots and lots of rolling hills. None of the hills are terribly steep or terribly long, but they keep coming!
The race benefits the high school track team, so usually there are lots of students out along the course, directing and cheering on runners. Other than that there's not a lot of crowd support, but the scenery is nice enough to keep me going.
The race finishes through the school parking lot and onto the track. It's an awkward way to finish - weaving around parked cars, across a sidewalk and onto the track - but once you are on the track it is pretty cool to push to the finish line, and then finish a "lap" to cool down.
Post-race, there is plenty of water, bananas and bagels.

My full recap for the 2016 race is here: http://got2run4me.com/2016/03/06/hilly-pr-reston-10-miler-race-recap/

Hard to find in February, this 10k run is held on a slightly hilly course through Reston VA. A fun Valentine themed race with a small town feel. Packet pick up available day of and pre race warm area in local high school with access to bathrooms. (Always a plus for me). 3 water stops and plenty of post run water available. Parking on site. Organized very well by PR racing with easy pre registration and great long sleeve Valentine theme tech tees. Free race photos available to all within hours of the race. Good value for the money.