My racing season is now in full swing! Two weeks ago I ran the Blue Ridge Half Marathon, and this past weekend was Bishop Event’s CroppMetcalfe’s Bug Run 5k in Lorton, VA.
Location: Pohick Bay Park in Lorton, VA. Previous races run here include 5k at the Bay.
Weather: Rainy. It had been raining all night long and continued all morning.
Course: Mostly trail, some paved road, some gravel. Hilly. Muddy.
The theme of this race was bugs. There was a raffle for Nationals baseball tickets for everyone who dressed up as a bug or a pest. I wore butterfly wings and a butterfly headband. Other people were dressed up as butterflies and ladybugs. I like the themed runs and wish more races would do them. It’s just festive!
Packet pickup was located in a covered picnic area and was simple and quick. I then sat in my car until the race started to minimize getting wet. About 10 minutes before, I went to the start line and hung out with Sponge Bob!
After a quick race run-through, we started to run. Luckily, the rain had let up a bit and I quickly shed my rain jacket. It was just too hot to wear (it was 50 degrees outside).
The course was pretty through the trees, but completely muddy. At times it was hard to run because it was too slippery. I was extra cautious because we all know I like to trip and fall, especially on trails (if you don’t believe me, check out: Moose on the Loose 10-Miler, Disneyland 10k). Luckily, I stayed upright the entire race.
I was super interested in the people that were trudging through all the puddles and not caring that they were getting muddy and soaked. I was running, but totally watched where I stepped, trying not to go in the puddles.
The course starts on paved road, changes to gravel, and then goes to trail. There is a big hill at the beginning going down (which you have to then climb up at the end), then it is flat for a little while before a HUGE hill before the turn around point. There was a water stop, and then we turned around going down the hill we just climbed.
I was a bit fatigued towards the end of the race because I had ran 11.25 miles the day before. That, paired with the hills and mud, made it a pretty slow time for me.
I finished the race in 38:04 and ended up placing first in my age group! Even better…there were actually a few other people in my age group, so I truly earned it! Go me!
Bishop’s Events has a lot of races planned for the rest of the year: 5ks to half marathons. Check out what they have to offer and maybe I will see you there!
