A view along the course of the Shenandoah Half Marathon. The morning started cool, with temperatures in the low 50’s. A sudden downpour left everyone soaking, and ever more eager to get started with the race to break the chill. While weather threatened all day, the worst we saw were a few sprinkles here and there. The course itself was pleasant, wandering through farmland just to the west of the Blue Ridge mountains in the Shenandoah National Park.
Training this summer has been difficult, with a move to manage and houses to buy and sell. As a result, I did my share of walking along the course, particularly on some of the steeper uphill sections of the course (for a total official gain of 881 feet). But I managed to finish in just over 2.5 hours — as my first half, it’s an automatic PR, although I know I can improve on it with some focus.
