Juliana Moves

Hellllo from my couch! I had planned to sleep in this morning, but Alaska had other needs so here I am! On the couch, cozy under a blanket. I’ve got a candle going and autumn jazz playing and a cup of coffee. Can’t complain!

Yesterday I ran the PB&J 25k – one of VHTRC’s fat ass events in Prince William Forest Park. Fortunately, the park had enough resources to allow the race to go on, despite the shutdown. Yay!

FYI: a fat ass is sort of like an extremely low key race. They’re free but all the runners are assigned something to contribute – either for an aid station or finish line. Some people bring cookies or Gatorade or chips. You get it.

Anyway, I’m trying to slowly make my way through all the VHTRC events, and I figured I could make the 25k (~16 miles) part of my Richmond training. Patrick is out of town so I was flying solo. The park this time of year is STUNNING.

The weather was pristine. When I woke up it was FORTY DEGREES. 40!!! I was briefly stressed about what to wear. I’m out of practice in true cold weather running! I knew it would warm up a bit but I figured it’d stay cooler under the shade of the trail.

I was also planning to volunteer at the finish line after I finished my race (there was a 50k option too), so I had to strategically pack warm enough clothes for that.

It’s an easy drive to the park from our house. I listened to The Life of a Showgirl the whole drive!

After a short race briefing, we were off right at 8 am! The route is a big lollipop. The 25k race does it once, and the 50k race does it twice. I’ve run at PWFP many many times, though I’ve done a different variation of the loop. A few times I had to stop myself from following my normal route/muscle memory and focusing on the race marking instead! I’ve got to say, the race loop was way better than the one I normally do.

Some highlights from the race.

• About 5 miles in, you’re running alongside the river and the trees are stunning and there was a true cacophony of bird song! I wanted to stop in my tracks and marvel at it. It was so beautiful. I did briefly worry that I was about to get covered in bird shit but I escaped unscathed!
• The first aid station was ~7 miles in and I was craving chips so badly. I enjoyed a handful of Pringles and a single Dunkin Munchkin. Verdict: they’re even worse than I remembered. But I’ll take the carbs!
• Miles 8-12ish were relatively new trails for me (see above: doing a different route) and they were amazing. So runnable and flowy and the TREES. Y’all, I can’t get over the trees. I love fall. I love nature.
• Bathroom at the second aid station. I waited 10 miles for the opportunity. Enough said. We love an on course bathroom.
• Finish line sticker and food! I had packed a recovery shake but should’ve packed more food since I was sticking around for another 6 hours. That’s okay since they were slinging grilled cheese at the finish line. And it was GOOD. I probably ate 4 grilled cheeses yesterday. Did I have a minor stomach ache later? Yes.

It was a super fun day! My face was so beat up after being outside in the cold all day, but that was nothing that some Vaseline couldn’t fix.

I felt great throughout the whole race. My hips were a bit fatigued at the end so I didn’t do the extra mileage I had on my training plan. Oh well! I ran with a healthy amount of effort the whole time and am so pleased with my result.

I love trail running, for the joyful movement, for the community, and for the opportunity to just soak in nature.

I hope you find some time to be outside this week.

Happy Sunday!

Love,

JN