Bull City Race Fest 2015- Race Recap

The Bull City Race Fest is an amazing event, and was held for the third time in Durham, NC, on October 18, 2015.  The event includes a 1 mile, 5 mile, and signature Half marathon distance race.  It is truly an amazing event, that has gained popularity each year.

This race has it all!  It is very family friendly, and one that I would recommend to any runner looking for a world class running experience.  Everything from the ease of packet pick up and expo, to the post race food truck rodeo and relaxing finisher village.  The highlight though in my eyes, is the race itself.  The course, with all of its hilly challenges, is both scenic and exciting.

This race was both a recovery run from my Chicago Marathon a week ago, and my final longish training run for the New York City Marathon just 12 days away.  The perfect way to run this race for me was to be a pacer!  The opportunity to pace it didn’t come until just a few days before the race itself.  I quickly jumped on it, and signed up my son to pace, as well.  This would be his first time pacing, and probably around my 10th time pacing a Half.  The best part?  Pacing together as Dad and Son.  In the same pace group, pacing the 8:30 (or finish time of 1:51:25).  Two years ago I paced the 1:45:00 finish group, so I knew the challenge of the course, and knew that we could both easily handle the job.

Race morning went off without a hitch.  Parking was easy and we made it to the starting line for some pre-race photos with the pace team members at 6:50am.  The race was to begin at 7:30, so we had a chance to stretch and use the bathroom and get lined up with our fellow 8:30 pacers in plenty of time.  A cold front had come through our area overnight, and we had unusually cold temperatures for race morning.  It was like 36 degrees, so we tried to stay warm until the start.  It had been so long since running in temperatures like this it was kind of exciting.  When the sun rose, the sky was cloudless and blue.  It was going to be fun!

The Half Marathon had over 2,200 people running and it was obvious when we all began lining up.  It was a sea of runners both in front of us and behind us.  I think we had 6 pacers in our group alone.  We talked some strategy on how we would pace the group right up until the gun went off.  With a challenging course like this one with all of its hills, I knew I wanted to be a few seconds ahead of target pace.  The final few hills can be PR killers, so staying one or two second ahead throughout the race would leave us in good standing for the final mile.

The first few miles are crowded, and run through downtown Durham.  You get a taste of the hills right from the start.  We nailed our target pace though right from the start.  We talked a lot with the group, but it was also obvious right from the start that we would be pacing about 40-50 people and we were all spread out.  I think the most exciting thing for me was how into it my son was.  He has a few trepidations about pacing when we first talked about it, but after I convinced him that he had everything it took to be a fantastic pacer, he really warmed up to it.  He was very excited!  I told him to stick as close to me as possible, but the excitement of the race had him out in front of me a ways quite often.

The course continues on trough Trinity Park, and Duke Campus, hills abound.  With every uphill though comes downhills, and it’s a really nicely varying race.  Occasionally there were neat signs along the course, and chalk drawings and encouragements on the road.  Our group waxed and waned, but our pace was right on the mark.  It was such an enjoyable run.  Offering words of encouragement to runners as they passed me, or encouraging every runner up the numerous hills.  The weather was so cooperative that I never felt like I needed to stop for hydration along the course.  I did, however use my GU’s at miles 5 and 10.

As the final mile approached and we were nearing the finish I started turning and running backwards to encourage runners behind me to push hard and pass me.  My son and I met up side by side with about a half mile remaining.  I wanted to be as close to the target of 8:30 as possible without going over so I ran backwards for pretty much the majority of the final tenth of a mile.  I have so much fun getting those racers to the finish!  Pacing is a truly awesome way to pay it forward.

I crossed the finish line in 1:51:14.  Eleven seconds under our pace goal.  Perfect!  My son finished about 45 seconds under the goal, so we were both within a minute under.  After the finish we were stopped numerous times and thanked for our pacing efforts.  I know several runners even had personal bests on that tough course, so it’s super satisfying to me.

The post race village is amazing, and absolutely packed with runners and families.  Food trucks all over, lots of refreshments and food.  It was the perfect day for relaxing and relishing in a victory of the course.  Durham is such a fun happening city.  Relaxing on the lawn in front of the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) was so much easier after we ran back to the car to change out of wet shirts and grab a jacket.  It was chilly!  Well, it felt down right cold to me.  A few more photos on the lawn to commemorate our accomplishment, and a visit to the Baguettaboutit Food Truck before we called it a day and headed home.  Don’t ask me how, but I knew about ten people racing that day and managed to not bump into any of them after the race.  A bit of a disappointment, but there will be other races to meet up.  I had the best time with my son pacing that day.  I only hope the opportunity comes up again sometime.

Bull City Race Fest – Race recap

Here is my review of the Inaugural Bull City Half Marathon on 10/20/13

I will begin with a few stats….

Bull City was my 18th Half marathon.  8th this year.  I won’t really recap my time compared to other Halves, because I was pacing this event, not really running my hardest.  I agreed just a few days prior to the event to be a pace leader for the 8mm pace group, a goal finishing time of just under 1:45:00.  I was excited, but a bit nervous to be pacing this event, not knowing the course.  Turned out to go just great, and I certainly will be a pace leader again, if asked.

I worked a closing shift on Saturday night before the race, which meant a late dinner, and late bed time.  Being a pro at having all of my gear together prior to race day, I wasn’t worried about the time in the morning.  I was however, worried about parking, etc, as I have rarely spent any time in Durham, and really don’t know the streets at all.  I went to bed peaceful, and tired.  Then it happened! A first for everything, I guess.  I had my alarm set for 3:30am, but I didn’t wake up until 4:50am.  I overslept!!!  Holy sh!t

I usually give myself at least an hour and a half on race mornings, to get up, have coffee, relax, shower and be out the door headed to the event.  Waking up so late meant I had exactly 30 minutes to do all of those things before heading out the door.  I was stressed!  I only had enough time for one cup of coffee, use the bathroom, shower and throw my stuff together.  I realized as I was driving to Durham that I had forgotten a shirt to race in.  I normally wear a different shirt in the car, something I can change back into after the race, so that I have a dry shirt for the ride home.  Thankfully, being a pacer, I remembered that I would be picking up an official pacer shirt once I got there, so I would be running in that anyway.  Whew!  Crisis averted.  Here is what the shirt looked like.

Awesome Bib, with name, and great shirt, too!  Thankfully it was a tech shirt, so I shouldn’t have much trouble with that.  I arrived in Durham, right at 6am, when I wanted to be there.  Parking was an absolute breeze!  Why did I stress about this?  Well, probably because knew that there were close to 6,000 runners that morning, between the Half and the other event, a 5 miler.  Plus they said they were expecting about 10,000 spectators.  I worried about parking, but really didn’t need to in the end.  I have made a mental note for next year.  Since I worked the day before, during the expo, I still had to find packet pickup, and then find the volunteer area, to pick up my pace leader shirt and info.  This too, was easy as pie.  The parking, and all event related happenings were at the American Tobacco Campus on Blackwell St.  This area is a mixed use redevelopment (commercial, residential, and office) in the former tobacco warehouses near the Durham Bulls Ballpark.  The area is just so nice, they have done a great job with it!  Lots of space to move around, and perfect for the start of a race this big.  Race morning temperature was about 52 degrees, and it was supposed to be clear and perfect for the race.

I grabbed my stuff, and heading back to the parking deck, to get ready.  As it turns out, because it was chilly that morning, and a little breezy, it was warmer in the parking garage, so it was a nice place to relax and get my bib on my shirt, etc…  I had an Iced a Gingerbread Clif Bar, and downed a bottle of water with a grape Nuun tablet.  Go to race morning fuel.  It was time to head to the start, as I had to report for pacer duty, and be at the start at 7am.  a full half hour before the gun.  I used the restroom one last time, and made my way there.  People were starting to gather, but my friend Paula managed to find me, and we talked for a few minutes.  Because I had a pacer shirt on, people started walking up to me asking me questions about the race, the course, etc., which I didn’t know how to answer.  It was my first time, too.  I grabbed the 8:00 sign, and held it high above the crowd that started to form.  Then, two folks quickly appeared, who were also pacing with me.  Tina Weiler, and Mark Manz.  Both very nice folks, we got to know each other a bit with simple conversation.  A bunch of runners started to form a group around us, and behind us.  I chatted with a number of them prior to the National Anthem, and gun.

This photo is a bit blurry, but you can see that the start of the race was right next to the Durham Bulls baseball stadium.

Two minutes before the gun, we dropped the 8:00 sign, and started to move up toward the start.  At 7:30 we were off!  It was tough dodging through the race crowd at first, at a slight incline, no less.  We maintained a nice even pace for the first mile.  I had an absolutely ridiculous case of dry mouth right at the start.  I could barely talk those first two miles.  I couldn’t form words because my mouth had absolutely no moisture in it.  This did go away eventually.  I am not used to having conversations while I run, but knew that as a pacer, folks would want to talk.  They did.  We talked about racing, races, etc… and it really helped to pass the time and the miles.

I was really impressed by how beautiful the race course was.  Time and time again, I remember talking about it.  The crowd support was plentiful, and there were even a few bands along the way to keep things interesting.  Starting at the American Tobacco Campus, the course heads downtown and over to the Trinity Park neighborhood.  From there up and around to Duke University’s East Campus, and then down through West Campus via beautiful Campus Drive.  From there the course heads over to Forest Hills for a couple of miles, and then finally returns to Blackwell St., near DPAC.  (Durham Performing Arts Center). The course was challenging, plentiful hills everywhere, and just so interesting and beautiful.  Probably one of the nicest courses I have run, and I have run on many.

Running is this group, as a pace leader, was a truly unique experience.  I really enjoyed it.  I enjoyed being the cheerleader, the supporter, the leader.  Tina, Mark and I managed such a even pace, we often traded the lead back and forth.  The group ebbed and flowed, as the hills came and went, but we maintained a great pace.  After the first mile, we built in a few extra seconds on the pace, sort of banking some extra time just in case.  I met and talked with many runners.  Many with inspiring stories, many swapping tales of races and marathons.  Overall, it just felt so relaxing and easy.  This surprised me.  I am usually the Lone Ranger out there on the course.  I normally don’t chat too much, and stay focused on my goal.  This time, however, the goal was to get others to the finish.  I really need to take part in some group training runs in the future, as the socialization aspect of running is lost on me for the most part.  I really enjoyed it during this race.  I have to be a pace leader more often.  This was a great experience.

The final miles of the the race came so quickly.  My Garmin had a steady pace of 7:52 to 7:53 for the middle miles, so coming to the end, we were sure to get this group of folks to the finish line in time.  As we neared mile 12, I knew it was time to send the group ahead to the finish.  I encouraged each one to run strong, finish strong.  I applauded their efforts.  It kind of felt like putting my children on the bus for the first time to school.  Time to let go.  One by one, over the final half mile they made there way by me.  The crowds started getting bigger and bigger, and then we could see the finish line come into view.  People cheered, and clapped.  We slowed down a bit at the very end, knowing we had made the goal.  As we came into the finish, I reached out to high five both Tina and Mark, and we crossed the line together.  It truly was special to me.  I got my medal from a young girl, and proceeded down the chute.

Awesome medal!!!

The finisher area was open and inviting.  Plentiful water, post race snacks, massages, and plenty of vendors everywhere with giveaways, etc..  They did a great job.  The sun was out, there was music, and the atmosphere just electric.  This event also had a Food Truck Rodeo in the finisher area.  There were like 8-10 food trucks there with everything from kettle corn to cupcakes.  A great way to cap off a great event.  Here are some more photos I took on my phone.

All in all it was a fantastic day.  Great weather, great fun!  This event was the second largest Half marathon I have participated in.  They had a great overall turn out for a first year event.  They had great marketing, and fantastic volunteers.  Just goes to show that local events, can be just as big and well supported as national events.  Between the 1 miler, 5 miler and Half marathon, they had almost 6,000 people register.  The race director stated before the race began, that next year he was shooting for 10,000 participants.  Based on how well this event was run, I do believe it will grow to that size in 2014.  I know I will be back for sure.

My official results:  260/2383 overall.      43/166 for age group.    Gun time: 1:44:28.    Chip time:  1:44:05

Run Local!  Run Bull City!

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Pace Leader- and loving every moment!

Well, the race is over, and I will recap it in its entirety tomorrow.  Today though, I just had to post about just how much fun I had today.  If you read my blog regularly, you know I took on the challenge of being a pace leader today for the first time.  I was not sure how it would go, but I absolutely loved every minute of it!

It felt so good to be running a race, as it always does, but today was extra special.  Today I ran for others instead of myself.  Since I had not run this race before, I didn’t know the route, or the challenge it would bring.  I purposely chose the 8:00 mpm pace group to lead because of this.  I felt confident, based on past races, and my average Half Marathon finish times, that I would be able to hit that mark without a problem.  This meant that I would be taking this race at a slower pace than I usually run.  It also meant that I would have to remains steady, and even paced throughout.

Turns out the race was quite a rolling course.  Full of fairly decent sized hills.  But what goes up, must always come back down.  I managed to start with a pace in the first mile right at 8 minutes, and slowly, but surely shaved a second or two off (just in case), as the miles ticked by.  Talking with the group, cheering them on, giving words of encouragement was different, but something I really enjoyed.  Again, I was running this race for them, and wanted them to do well.  They were all strangers at the start, but felt like I got to know each of them just a bit.

Having a big group of people just behind me was very unusual.  Normally this would annoy me, and I would try to break free, and increase my pace to get away from the herd.  Today was different.  I knew that I was leading them, they were supposed to be on my heels.  For this reason, I was ok with it.

As the miles wore on, the group often drifted apart.  Some would run further up, others would fall back.  Some eventually were lost for good.  There were true runners out there, all running for different reasons.  All running with me to reach a new goal.  Without bantering on and on about it, the day was a success.

As the final mile approached, I encouraged each and every one of them to run past me, to really finish strong.  Normally at this point of the race, I would be doing everything possible to increase my pace, and pass as many runners as possible on my way to the tape.  Today was all about cheering them on though.  It was tough to let others pass me.  It’s my competitive nature that wanted to come through.  I held it back though, and pushed my group to the finish.

I am both happy and proud to announce that they were all thrilled with their finishes.  They all made the mark, they beat the 1:45:00 finish time I was pacing them for.  Even I came in at 1:44:08, a pace of 7:57.  Not bad for a first time pace leader.

We all took home a great medal for our efforts.

As for my first pacing experience?  I loved it!  I will do it again, probably many, many times.  It felt really good to be out there volunteering my experience as a runner, and helping others achieve their goals.  It felt awesome, actually!  Many folks from the group thanked me profusely after the finish, which really made me feel good.  It’s a great thing to give back to the running community, and I encourage all of you to volunteer in some way at a race.  Without volunteers, racing wouldn’t happen.  I sure enjoyed myself today.

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Half Marathon #18

Bull City – My 18th Half Marathon

This coming Sunday, I will be running the Bull City Race Fest Half Marathon.  I’m looking forward to it, and a little worried about it at the same time.  After running a Half, Full, Half on three consecutive weekends, I have been struggling a bit with recovery while trying to maintain my fitness level for my final four races of the year.

I had to take a few days off from training last week, my hamstrings felt injured, and I felt tired.  I really started to worry last week that I would not be able to finish out my year with a real bang.  Thankfully, with a few days of rest, I have been able to put together three runs over the past few days that have felt much better.  I am not getting more excited about running in Durham this weekend.  I am vastly unfamiliar with Durham, even though it is not that far away.

Living in “The Triangle“, and area that encompasses Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, I have spent the least amount of time in the Durham area.  I have raced there in the past, twice racing an event called Running of the Bulls.  This event is an 8k, and have twice run it with my older son.  The folks at Bull City Running put on great events.  This course, is new to me, and knowing that brings me a little uneasiness.  The course is hilly, but I don’t mind that at all.  The weather looks fairly promising, but we are still a few days away and things could change.  Right now it looks like favorable morning temperatures, and partly cloudy.

Supporting local events is a must in my book.  I try to run as many as I can, but running the same races year after year can get a bit boring.  The nice thing about this race, is that it is a first time event.  I’ll definitely report back after the race, and let everyone know how this race rates.

My goals for this race?  To enjoy the atmosphere, and soak up the sights in Durham.  The race showcases the downtown area, Trinity Park and the campus of Duke University.  Most of the area is unknown to me, so this should be fun to run.  As far as a time goal, I really would just like to run it under 1:45:00.  Other than that, because this is a large race, I just want to quickly get into a nice rhythm and let my legs and feet do the work.  I will recap my event early next week.

Durham…. I am heading your way for #18!