Race #183
Half Marathon #66
2020 Race #3
2020 Half Marathon #1
South Carolina Half Marathon #47
Hartness Half Marathon #2
When this year began, I never imagined that we would reach November and I would only just then run my first actual, non-virtual half marathon of the year. Then again, 2020 brought and continues to bring a lot of things that no one imagined before.
Several weeks ago I received an email from the race organizers about the race. They mentioned that the race would continue in person albeit with COVID 19 safety procedures implemented. Since 2020 brings plenty of uncertainty, I held off on registration until two weeks prior to the race. I also held out hope for fairly stringent safety procedures, especially after I read about other procedures put in place by a few half marathons up north. I guess I forgot that I lived in South Carolina.
On race week we received an email which contained all the race details, including the “safety procedures.” They had some but not many. Since I knew this race to be small, I hoped that these procedures would suffice.
Mom ran this race with me, a change from last year. She picked up the packets in their drive through packet pick up and then came by in the morning to pick me up. She brought with her two disposable masks that we could wear to the start line and discard if we needed to.
When we arrived at the start location, a different location due to the heavy rains we received a few days earlier, I immediately remembered that I live in a state of people who think that the restrictions do not apply to them. Many people congregated close together in the start area, a handful with masks but most without or at least without them above their mouth and noses.
We decided to sit in the car until just a minute or so before the start since we did not have to cross the start line right at 8. One of the other “precautions” the race had made was leaving the start line open for ten minutes and having people cross individually.
We stood apart from the start line when the announcer started the race. Nearly everyone started then, in single file at least but definitely not by themselves. Great.
Mom and I then walked over to the start line. Apart from a couple other guys who walked over behind us, we started the race in last place, at 8:02. Come on people.
Mile 1: 9:49
Mile 2: 10:07
Mile 3: 11:43
Mile 4: 10:53
Mile 5: 12:36
This race consists of two loops run on mostly single track, some more open cross country type terrain and just under a mile of pavement in each loop. I remembered last year thinking I could perhaps run sub 9 minute miles for all the miles but eventually discarding that goal.
Just after the first mile, we came around a corner that in last year’s course presented a “fun” little stream crossing not usually present. The recent rains from tropical storm remnants made this corner of the pond overflow. Both Mom and I attempted to avoid stepping in the water but succeeded in having our right foot sink into the water and mud. Well, I guess we’re running a real trail run.
We took a lot of the course at an easy pace, running through the first mile but walking at the second mile. On this run we just checked at the miles to see whether either of us wanted to walk. Sometimes we did. Sometimes we didn’t. I loved the trail sections this time although I ran them a lot slower than I planned. Trails are not Mom’s forte so she ran them even slower to make sure that she stayed up right. (Always important.)
Around mile 3 or so (I don’t remember for sure) we headed up an incline that I remembered from the previous year, an incline which took us up into a subdivision under construction although this year, a lot more construction had happened than the year before. Strangely, however, we saw no signs directing us to the correct street. I chose the one that I sort of remembered from the previous year and headed that way. As we ran, a huge group of runners headed back down the road we came, going the opposite direction. We each told the other that we were heading the wrong way. Now we had to decide, do we back track and try to figure out what went wrong or do I go with my gut and follow the route I remembered from the last year. On the first loop Mom and I kept going. Another runner near us tagged along. I chose the correct street, for last year’s route, and got us back on the marked path. At this point we had no idea if we lost distance, gained distance or were right on track. That would have to wait until we finished the first loop.
We finished the loop, on a course that I remembered from last year, with plenty of single track. I did not enjoy the single track last year. This year? I absolutely loved it.
As we approached the finish line on the first loop, some quick calculations showed me that yes indeed, we had somehow shorted ourselves three quarters of a mile. I told Mom that if on the second loop we still didn’t see where we went wrong the first time, I would just guide us along the same way as before so we would at least be able to make it back with reasonably close to the distance we needed for a half marathon.
Mile 6: 10:55
Mile 7: 10:50
Mile 8: 11:12
Mile 9: 12:16
Mile 10: 11:13
Mile 11: 11:26
Mile 12: 12:15
As soon as we passed under the finish line and started the second loop, I started thinking about that one stream crossing. In my head I wanted to see if I could possibly avoid it even though I knew that to be nearly impossible. Just after the first mile of the second loop, we came to the crossing again. Both Mom and I stopped prior to trying to make it across. When I stepped over, I thought I had made it but as I held onto the small tree trunk, my right foot slid and sank deeper into the mud than the first loop. All I could do was laugh at myself and then pause a few steps away to shake out all the debris that had made its way into my shoe.
A couple miles later we made our way to the fateful intersection, the one with signs that we had apparently missed the first time around. (Both Mom and I think that those signs were not there on the first loop but the race director swears that he placed them himself.) One sign indicated a left hand turn. Just beyond that sign, another arrow indicated to go on straight although this particular sign had been placed upside down which made me doubt its trustworthiness. As we pondered for a couple seconds, another runner emerged from the right hand turn and told us that we needed to head down that loop. Once we started running, I remembered this little lollipop loop from the year before, the loop we had missed the first time around. Then when we finished the loop we saw that the back of the sign that appeared upside down from the front actually had arrows indicating that we needed to go across the trail rather than turn right and head up into the subdivision. Fun stuff.
We enjoyed this “new” portion of the course, (more single track!) and made our way back to that finish line. As you can see above with the splits, our pace decreased a bit on the second loop but not much.
When we got to the finish, about .75 miles short from missing the lollipop loop the first time, I felt satisfied with a race well done and relieved to see that the volunteer handing out the medals wore a mask.
Mom and I quickly made our way directly back to the car and over to Starbucks to get our weekly post-long run treat.
As to future races? We are signed up for the Paris Mountain Road Race which may or may not have more precautions in place. I have also considered the Upstate Ultra’s 6 hour Resolution Run but now I’m not so sure. Many people in South Carolina do not appear to take these precautions seriously (don’t even get me started on the governor’s press conference yesterday) so I may have to forgo all future in person races until people get their act together or the pandemic finally ends due to some miracle.
Also, I probably will not run this race again due to the condescending nature with which the author of the post-race email addressed the course direction problems.