American Tobacco Trail 10 Miler Race Report 2014

The start of the ATT 10 Miler.  Overall winner Jordan Zwick is far right with 3rd place overall male finisher Paul Jones toeing the line beside him.  Photo courtesy of Esther Dill.

I participated in the 8th annual American Tobacco Trail 10 Miler on October 25, 2014.  The race is designated as the RRCA (Road Runners Club of America) North Carolina State Championship 10 Mile Event and draws a varied group of racers from ultra fast competitors to runners testing their mettle in their first 10 mile event. 

Perhaps the biggest news to come from the race came two weeks later when the women's division winner had a stellar performance at the Raleigh City of Oaks Marathon.  Michelle Langan won the City of Oaks women's division with a time of 2 hours 39 minutes and 20 seconds, which earned her a course record and an Olympic Trails Qualifying time.  I watched Langan in the lead on the out and back course of the Ten Miler and cheered her on while she ran a blistering pace of 5:54 and finished 10 miles in 58:56.  

You never know who you will find on the ATT.  I once saw Shalane Flanagan running there when she lived in North Carolina.  I didn't know who she was that day, but I knew she was someone special because she looked like a well chiseled athletic goddess.  Soon thereafter I saw her in the pages of Runner's World magazine.  This was before she ran marathons.  Now she is one of the top women marathoners in the country. 

It appears that this Ten Miler was a tune-up race for Langan for City of Oaks.  While I cannot compare myself to Langan, we both went into this race as part of our Fall marathon training.

This was my third time to compete in the Ten Miler.  Last year I was a spectator and cheered on a friend, and during other years I've been on training runs along the ATT during the race.   One of the reasons I like this race so much is because it's on the Tobacco Trail -- my favorite place to run.  I admit that I like a flat course, and I enjoy the feeling of being in the forest.  And it's also the reason I haven't run the race each year.  I'm out there most every week running a 10 miler.  

I registered this year to run with a friend getting back into running after taking a break and to run a race just for the fun.  This weekend coincided with my scheduled 22-mile training run for the Richmond Marathon.  My plan was to run 10 miles with my friend, cross the finish line and celebrate briefly, and then go back out for 12 solo miles.  

When I contacted my friend about a week before the race, she informed me she wasn't going to be running the race, so I then made a new plan to run 12 miles before the race and finish the last 10 in the race.  It worked beautifully, and I now have a new, 10-miler personal best time.  

The women's start.  I'm in the center on the mat starting my Garmin. Photo courtesy of Esther Dill.

I planned the best I could and enjoyed most of my steps.  I arrived at the White Oak Church parking lot at 6:30AM in the dark as a few volunteers were setting up for the race with a giant floodlight.  I planned to run on the trail with a headlamp until dawn, which was around 7AM.  It turns out that I'm not as brave as I thought and got spooked running through the forest alone in the dark.  The comforting aspect was knowing the volunteers were nearby and knowing that portion of the trail like the back of my hand. I did meet an oncoming runner with no lights early and was surprised that he snuck up on me, and I momentarily blinded him with my light.  Luckily, I came upon an entrance to the Copperleaf subdivision off the trail and decided to run through the neighborhood until the sun rose.  After sunrise I ran back on the trail to finish the first 10 miles. 

When I arrived at the parking lot, it had transformed into the base for the race. I replenished my Gu and Gatorade, used the restroom facility, shed my jacket, and pinned on my race number.  Back out on the trail with less than a half hour to spare, I fit in two more miles as other runners warmed up.  By coincidence I was joined for about a mile by third place men's finisher Paul Jones, the husband of my Tuna Run teammate, Sarah. When I arrived at the starting line five minutes before the women's race, I was just short of 12 miles, so I ran past it and back to it, and arrived two minutes before the starting pistol was fired.  

I had run the first 12 miles at a relaxed pace, and still had in my head that I would run a 9 minute pace, but once I crossed the starting line, my adrenaline kicked in, and I found myself racing.  I do not recommend that and consider it reckless, but I was enjoying it and went with the flow.  The women's race began at 8:50AM, and it was one of the first cool mornings of the season.  At the start of the race it was around 50 degrees, but the trail is shaded and always seems cool.  I had dressed for the cooler, early morning hours, and was comfortable in my calf length tights, short-sleeved shirt with arm warmers, a visor and gloves.  

The men's race started 10 minutes later at 9AM, so the fastest men were chasing and passing the women runners.  The course is mostly flat except for a slight downhill grade at the beginning, which turns into an uphill grade for about 2 miles at the end of the race on the out and back course.  The toughest part of the race was the last two miles.  I was tired anyway, and the subtle, uphill climb to the end was challenging.  I managed to run an average pace of 8:09, which gave me confidence going into the Richmond race.  To end a normally grueling training run at a finish line with spectators and a party with music, food and fellowship was really neat.  The race T-shirt was royal purple, and the finisher glass was a nice touch.   

After the race.  My Coach Brennan Liming (center) took 3rd place overall women's finisher.  I am on her left, and my friend Esther Dill is on the right.  

I watched most of the awards ceremony before I needed to leave to attend my daughter's softball game.  It was inspiring to watch the awards ceremony.  It took a long time though, and most racers except those receiving awards were no longer in the area.  I was able to watch Brennan, my coach of three years, accept her award for the 3rd place overall women's finisher. I recommend this race and will plan to return in the future.