Race report: Dash Point trail half marathon

It has been WAY too long and I finally got back on the trails for a race - and this was an awesome race! This weekend I ran the Dash Point trail half marathon and loved almost every second.

The race started at 9am which was great because it meant I could get up at a normal time with the boys, enjoy a coffee, then hit the road. It was a small field - less than 200 people all in for the 10k and half. Trail races are typically small, but I think peoples' personality and cheering at the start and finish line more than make up for it. The race started with the entire first mile up hill with a couple flights of stairs and bridges thrown in to ensure very tired legs before going too much further. The half marathon was a double lollipop with a side lollipop thrown in (kind of like an infinity sign on a stick). It was a dry morning and the trail was fairly dry which was great. The race was almost entirely covered by trees, too - also nice.

Here are a couple of the highlights / lowlights of my race: at mile 3 I took a wrong turn, when turning back I jacked my ankle (not awesome since last year I sprained it terribly), a couple cuss words later and I was fine; at mile 6 near the turning point, a bug jammed itself up my nose - a BIG bug; at mile 10 I was going down hill and hit a root funny and fell, like a pancake, on my face, sprawled and winded. The fall was the big ugh moment of the race, but I successfully shook it off and made it to the finish to nab 3rd female. The funniest part of the race was running the final loop of the lollipop and seeing the 1st place woman - for some reason when she saw me she said "oh! It's you!" I have no idea who she is/was so this was entertaining - and now I'm feeling bad that I'm so terrible with faces and names. Felt great getting back on the trails. Now I'm ready for more!!

Here's the start with the small half field lined up:

 

And the finish with the tiniest glob of mud on my face: