Triple D Trail Half Marathon - #1

In my 2013 quest to run 13 half marathons in 13 months, I started the first half marathon of the year with a bang!  I ran the Triple D trail half marathon, a race that also included a marathon, ultra-marathon and 100k (65 mile!) bike ride.  It also originally included skiing at all race distances but that was scratched last minute because there wasn't much snow on the trail.  The field for my race was pretty small, with just over 30 half marathon runners.

Crossing the final bridge to the finish line!

Race day brought some of my least favorite conditions – cold and ice.  It was just under 10 degrees when the race started around 10 a.m. and just at or above 10 degrees at race finish.  The sun mostly stayed hidden under the clouds.  There were only light, variable winds.  The race wound its way on the Heritage Trail outside of Dubuque, IA.  The trail is mainly gravel but was still covered with ice in some areas.  I’d estimate the first 4-5 miles had ice covering the majority of the trail and I spent much of the first part of the race navigating ice and small snow packs I could run on.

The latter half of the race had much less ice with a few more open areas that exposed us more to the wind.  The race wasn’t supported (meaning there are no aid stations with drink or food).  I decided to wear a small pack with a water bladder and space for small snacks.  I didn’t need the food but I sure could have used the water.  However, the hose froze over sometime early in the race so I couldn’t get a drink.  That made my pacing even more important so I didn’t overdo it.

At the start of the race I ran a slower but consistent pace over the ice.  I saw several racers take off and I didn’t see them again until the finish.  I wasn’t sure if I was the first female or not but around maybe mile 3 (while the trail had mile markers, I don’t know the exact spot on the trail we started and I tried to avoid looking and just enjoy the run instead) a female runner passed me.  She really started to put distance between us.  I was perfectly fine with that as I wanted to pay attention to ice and to my leg (for which my hamstring was sore, especially late in the race).

Check out the cool foot medal I earned as
the top female finisher of the half marathon!

The run itself was beautiful.  With all the leaves down, you could see for miles around.  It was a crisp morning but very clear so it was nice to take in the scenery.  Mostly I just focused on how cold my cheeks and nose were.  I had the right gear on otherwise.  I wore tights and fleece pants, high socks and trail running boots, a base layer long sleeve shirt and a fleece running shirt.  I had on lobster claw gloves and a hat.  I need to consider adding some sort of balaclava or other face protection for days like these.

Around what I’m guessing is mile 9, I caught back up to the female runner ahead of me.  I wasn’t sure if she hit a wall as I was not speeding my run up.  We ran at the same pace for awhile and I continued at my pace, which eventually lead me in front of her.  I hit what I thought was maybe 1.5 miles to go when I could see the edge of a town coming into view.  I continued running across a bridge.  I did see two people standing but I kept going and the man called out, this is the finish.  Oh!

The official race end was actually inside a bar in a spit-on-the-road town.  I entered the bar to cheers and a round of applause.  I was the first female finisher of the half marathon race!  Woo!  I was surprised, especially because I didn’t know the other woman and I were leading.  I finished in just over 1 hour 51 minutes.  That is almost the same pace I ran my last half marathon on dry land.  I was actually pretty darn happy with the time because I know I had to run slower because of the ice.  While it’s certainly not close to my PR time, I’ll take it.  Now, I did finish almost 30 minutes after the winning male (and probably 10 other males finished ahead of me) so my time wasn't record breaking or anything but still, it was a neat feeling.

I highly doubt I’ll see any more race wins like that this year but it was a good confidence boost that I can make it.  Unfortunately, I did feel some discomfort in my hamstring and I did consider stopping to walk for a bit but I felt like I had the ability to just go and I did.  Overall, the Triple D was a great race and I’m glad it kicked off my first half marathon of the year!

Miss FitGab