Full Bloom 13.1 by Final Mile Events

Last year I ran the excellent Gibbet 50; a local Ultra distance event put on by Final Mile Events. For some reason I find it hard to resist an inaugural race, so decided [kind of last minute if truth be told] to jump in on the Full Bloom 13.1 . I wanted to see how I came through Boston before committing to the race, and as the post-marathon hip seemed to be okay, it was all systems go for the local trail half marathon.

As per the Final Mile Events web site, the course would be pancake flat with a mixed terrain of gravel roads, hard packed dirt, grassy sections, and some hard packed sand. Oh yeah, there would also be several irrigation ditch crossings to contend with. Sounds like fun, right?

It was nice to trade Boston stories with several of the local runners before the race. Standing around near the start area I felt well-rested, and very relaxed. The Full Bloom 50K set off promptly at 7:00am, and for once in my life, I was glad I didn’t have 31.1 miles ahead of me! Not today anyway. My race would start 30 minutes after the 50K, so mean time I jogged back to the car to change into my race singlet and gulp down some Nuun to ensure fluid levels were topped off.

In no time at all we were called to line up for the start. I realized I hadn’t warmed up at all (rookie mistake – what was I thinking?!), so made a quick decision to take the first couple of miles pretty easy. I settled in to 4th place in the first mile, with one unknown and two local Hampton Roads Runners setting the early pace. The cool air felt great despite some humidity with the early morning fog. Almost perfect conditions. The course featured many twists and turns, but signposts were abundant, making it almost impossible to get lost.

Within a couple of miles I’d moved in to 2nd spot, but after a brief encounter with a giant black dog named Scooby, I dropped back a bit and found myself in 4th once again. The dog turned out to be quite harmless, but the way he charged at my leg from a standing start shook me up just a little bit.

I soon settled in to a good rhythm again and took the lead just before a water stop at around mile three. I felt strong and really enjoyed the variety of the mixed terrain. Aside from another encounter with a couple more strays, it was a relatively comfortable race to the finish, holding off the second place guy by about a minute. My lack of endurance definitely reared its head in the latter miles, but I’m confident that will return as normal training is resumed.

The event was fun, well organized and as mentioned earlier, also featured a 50K race which started 30 minutes before the half. Maybe I’ll do that next year?

Naturally I’m really pleased with the race win, but more happy with how the hip and glute fared on the uneven terrain. It’s been ten weeks since I pulled out injured in a 30k race back in February, so finally I feel like I’m making some positive progress.

Thanks to Final Mile Events for an excellent inaugural race. Post-race food was great, and the hand-painted awards are a real collectors item. I love when Race Directors think outside the box and make things unique.

PS – Shoe of the day: Inov-8 Roclite 285, with Compression Shorts by Tommie Copper.