NCR Trail Half Marathon 2017

 

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Everyone has things to which they keep going back, out of comfort or convenience, even if a lot of time has passed since the last time. Maybe it’s an awful ex-boyfriend, or a restaurant down the street, or a drunken night out consisting of way too many shots of tequila and promises to never do it again.

For me, it is the NCR Trail in Baltimore County, Maryland, USofA.

I cannot stay away. I have traveled and run all over the country and the world, but even still my all-time favorite place to run is the Northern Central Railroad Trail, officially Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail, running from as far south as Hunt Valley, MD to as far north as the Pennsylvania/Maryland line. I have probably put in more miles on that trail, instinctively drawn to its very little elevation change and its quiet, shady atmosphere, than anywhere else in my life combined. From training with the cross country team in high school to training for my sixth marathon today, the NCR has always been one of the most consistently reliable things in my entire life. Sounds ridiculous, but it’s true, okay?

The Baltimore Road Runner’s Club (BRRC) puts on the NCR Trail Marathon every year the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which, if you think about it, is actually one of the most conducive to marathoning spots in the entire state. As a Boston qualifier and an extremely fast course, people come from all over the country to run it. I have seen cars with Minnesota and Alaska license plates parked along the side of the road, their owners hoping to return home having secured that Boston qualifying time. Four years ago my mom and I ran the marathon relay, each of us running half a marathon, and I ran my half with a gentleman hailing from Quebec, Canada. For such a small race, it certainly does draw participants from far and wide.

The NCR Trail Marathon begins at Oldfields School, a private girls’ boarding school in Baltimore County. In previous years the start and the finish had been at Sparks Elementary (my alma mater), but that course had required the crossing of a busy main road twice, as well as a massively difficult uphill finish back to the school. This was their first year starting at Oldfields, actually finishing on the trail itself, and including a half marathon option in addition to the full marathon and the marathon relay.

Being that it was the race’s first year with several exciting changes, it was bound to be the case that things did not go off without a hitch. Unfortunately, these guys’ hitch was probably the biggest hitch of all hitches.

PORTAPOTTIES. GODDAMN PORTAPOTTIES.

When I read in my pre-race email that we’d not have access to the bathrooms inside of Oldfields’ gym but that, NOT TO WORRY! (??), there would be 10 portapotties right outside the gym for us to use, I was more than a little leery. Despite this being the first year offering a half marathon race, there were nearly 300 half marathon participants. There were also over 300 marathon participants, and several marathon relay teams. All in all, about 700 people, plus spectators, all jonesing to empty their bladders before the gun. 700 people. 10 portapotties. It’s enough to give any experienced racer an anxiety attack. And the race organizers made it clear that anyone ducking behind a tree on the all-girls boarding school campus would be instantly disqualified, because that’s perverted or something.

This picture was taken after already waiting in line for 20 minutes. If you squint you can see one of the ten portapotties way off in the distance.

The marathon was scheduled to go off around 8:30 but did not until about 8:45, and the half marathoners, expecting to go at 8:45, did not start until almost 9. I guess they figured there was no point in starting a race where half the participants were bouncing from foot-to-foot in a 15 mile long line to have the privilege of using a 5 square foot poop stall.

I won’t be too harsh though; this was their first year at Oldfields, the race director immediately sent out an apology email following the race and promised there would be more portapotties next year, and they did modify the race schedule to accommodate this issue. So I am not mad. I did get to pee before the race, and that’s all I really care about (never forget the 2013 Baltimore Marathon, where I peed myself 3 times during the race because I didn’t pee enough beforehand, and believe me, the chafe was angry).

The race began by looping around the campus for a short distance, then running out onto Glencoe Road for about 0.6 miles, all downhill, to the trail station. The weather was frigid, much more frigid than most Maryland Christmases, and it took a while to get warmed up. My capri leggings and quarter-zip pullover were actually the most perfect clothing items I could have chosen, though, as I was perfectly comfortable for the last 12 miles of the race.

Going into this I was nervous. One thing that has always shocked people is that I have never run a half marathon before. I ran the relay in this race four years ago, but never got an official time, and due to a botched hand-off ended up running about 14 miles total. I have run 5 full marathons, multiple 10 mile and 12 mile races, and billions of 5ks, but for some reason the half marathon distance has always been off my radar. After nearly 2 years of nonstop injury, several thousand dollars spent on prolotherapy to fix my apparently unfixable joints, and lots and lots of dramatic sobbing over being told I will never run again, I decided to do this race with no training whatsoever, except for a 9 mile jog the weekend before.

And somehow, I didn’t forget how to race. And I survived.

The race ran up to White Hall station, turning around at about mile 7 and finishing back at Glencoe Road station near Oldfields again. The marathon goes up farther, turning around around Bee Tree Road and finishing in the same spot. If you’re not familiar with the NCR, never fear! Each and every mile was marked, and the turn-arounds were clear as day. Using the different colored bibs, the volunteers were able to direct racers at the turn-arounds as well.

The camaraderie during this race is amazing. Because it is an out-and-back race, there is an incredible amount of encouragement from participants running in the opposite direction you are, and I think small races like this lend themselves well to encouragement in general. The volunteers are the best. There are aid stations only every 3 or 4 miles, each with water and Gatorade and lots of cheering volunteers, but there are also plenty of spectators waiting at road crossings excitedly, ready to tell you just how good you look this morning.

One girl ran up to me and said I had been helping her keep pace and that she liked my bow (out of superstition and also out of trying to be cute, I have always worn a bow in my hair for my marathons, so decided to do the same for the half). I grunted a thank you and she kept running with me for a while, a bit conversational for my liking, but nice to have there nonetheless. If I’m running with my mother I can talk her ear off for hours about my boyfriend or my horrid job, but anyone else I implore to not talk to me. Sorry but shh. At that point we were at about mile 9, the longest I’d run in months, and I was starting to get antsy to finish.

The first half of the race was no big deal, but there was a point in the second half where I was feeling a little fatigued. It had been so long since I had run so far at once that my body just wasn’t used to it. Around 11 miles, a spectator told me I looked “way too relaxed,” I begrudgingly agreed, and tried to pick up the pace a little bit. I managed to get my last 2 miles around 8 minute pace, but with my extremely cautious first half in which I consciously told myself not to push it, it wasn’t enough to break 2 hours.

The race felt awesome overall, and I don’t regret not pushing myself too hard. This was my longest race in a long time, and I had very few expectations going into it. I may not be as fast as I once was, but if I still have the ability to finish races like this then I am an incredibly happy camper.

So you’re wondering if I would recommend this race? Even if you weren’t, I’m going to tell you anyhow. The obvious and probably somewhat predictable answer is YES, of course, this race is great. It’s the perfect combination of being a trail race, so it’s easy on your body, a small race, so things are a little bit more personal and a little bit less overwhelming, and an affordable race, the half and full starting at just $60 and $80 respectively through June, and not exceeding $100 and $110 respectively through the close of registration. It’s a bargain, especially if you consider all you get for it (even taking into account the 30 minute portapotty wait time).

For parking, there was a smallish field where they were directing cars that was a quarter mile down the road from the school (my mom managed to nab a spot here when she dropped me off, was able to take her car out and drive up to the turn-around point, and then park in the same spot again, so obviously things were not too strict). Everyone else was directed to a satellite lot on the main road, from where there were shuttles bringing people to the start. The shuttles continued running after the race, so those who didn’t feel like walking the 0.6 miles up the hill back to the gym didn’t have to.

The gym afterwards was filled with treats, including gummy snacks, chips, hot vegetable soup, and fruit. There was also a table where a guy was writing out a certificate in calligraphy with your name and your finish time for you to take home with you FOR FREE. You also receive an UnderArmor quarter zip with the race logo on the back (one of my favorite things about racing in Baltimore, the UnderArmor headquarters), a gigantic, warm blanket with the race logo, and a nice finisher’s medal. I paid $80 for my entry, and I am not sure I have ever gotten so much bang for my buck in my entire racing life!

I am in the process, slowly but surely, of trying to finish 51 marathons in 50 states (and DC!). Even after completing a Maryland marathon, with the convenience of this race, the familiarity with the course, the almost guaranteed PR, and the unconditional love I have for the NCR Trail, I would not be surprised if I ended up running the full NCR Trail Marathon one year (though it’s not as close as it once was, I still see a Boston qualification within my reach). If nothing else, it is the perfect solution to burning off all that extra Thanksgiving chub, and the BRRC makes it so that running a freakishly long distance in the bitter cold is an incredibly pleasant way to spend a Saturday morning (I promise!).