VHTRC Women's Half

Growing up, I was a girly girl - not an ounce of tomboy in me. I liked my Barbies, painted fingernails, and all things pink and frilly. The closest I came to playing a sport was marching on the football field with my clarinet. Mud and all things dirty were out of the question. This past Saturday I was among 181 women running the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club's Women's Half-Marathon - a far cry from the doll houses  of my younger years.

The VHTRC promotes the run as a low-key way to encourage women to take up trail running. Last year I was just starting to run trails when I heard about the VHTRC half. I ran it, had a blast, and knew I'd be back again this year. Although it's not an easy course, there are so many things about the event that make it worthwhile.

The men of the club kick off the race by serenading the ladies with, what else, but Happy Trails. The course is well marked with yellow ribbon so unless you get distracted by Brad Pitt or some other hottie out on the course, you shouldn't get lost. There are five aid stations along the course so you're never more than two miles away from water, Gatorade, pretzels, and M&Ms. I think that the combination of this being a trail run and a women-only event makes it a great choice for those needing extra encouragement. While I did see several people fall, the runners behind and in front of them took the time to make sure that they were okay. The comraderie of this event certainly challenges the notion of women being catty when they're together. The few times I passed someone, I tried to say something like "good job" or "stay strong" and was surprised that those people moved to the side and cheered me on as I was going by. During an out-and-back stretch of the course the leaders who were heading toward the finish were shouting out words of encouragement to those of us who aren't gifted with speed.

Post-race goodies included bananas, berries, melons, pita chips, hummus, and brownies (yum!). While many other races are trying to cut costs, the VHTRC still gives each runner a long-sleeved technical t-shirt. This year we even got a whistle. There's no medal for finishing, but the stretchy bracelets that they were handing out at the finish line did make me giggle. The other cool thing about this event is that one of the photographers, Aaron Schwartzbard, allows you to download pictures for free! Absolutely generous and unheard of at other events. (I should mention that Aaron is an incredible athlete AND knitter in addition to being a great photographer.) Here's one of the pics he took of me as I was heading into the Do-Loop.

Yes, I'm wearing a skirt. There may be quite a bit of that girly-girl left in me, but I'm happy to report that I finished four minutes faster than I did last year.

Bottom line for you ladies: If you've ever wondered if you'd like trail running, this is the event to find out.