2019
Blue Ridge Half Marathon
2016 and 2018 still have me a bit gun shy on training for this race, so I didn't do a lot of downhill sprinting until just 3 weeks before race day and even then I only did 2 or 3 serious attempts at a sub 6 mile. It seems to have worked out well as a strategy because I approached the start line with little to no nagging aches or pains and I crossed the finish line with no pain at all, (but I did develop a cramp in my right foot that lasted for several hours).
Every year my primary goal for this event is to run mile 5 at a sub 6 pace. I had achieved a 5:59 for 7/10ths of a mile in training on a neighborhood road, but I wasn't overly confident that I would have what it would take on race day. Blazing through a downhill sprint for 7/10ths is one thing when your 2 miles into an easy jog, its something totally different when you have just ran 3.5 miles up the side of a mountain at full throttle and have to make a transition from uphill to downhill without dropping below a tempo pace.
Somehow I managed to pull off my fastest mile 5 to date.
I generally find training in the high 5's and low 6's to be uncomfortable, so I don't do it much, but I like to log at least one sub 6 each year...preferably during the Blue Ridge Half.
Its worth noting that the first 6 miles of the course have been the same since 2011. The course was tinkered with each year for its first 5 years, then in 2014 the race directors decided to stick with the Peakwood addition on the back half. I didn't care for it much at first, but have grown fond of it over the years.
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| 2013 (left) 2012 (right) |
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| 2019 (left), 2017, 2015, 2014 (right) |
Its worth noting that the first 6 miles of the course have been the same since 2011. The course was tinkered with each year for its first 5 years, then in 2014 the race directors decided to stick with the Peakwood addition on the back half. I didn't care for it much at first, but have grown fond of it over the years.
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