Do you know Joe? Revelations from the 2016 Beau Biden Memorial 10K Trail Race

Prerace selfie with Joe, myself, Donna, and Sierra.

There were some argument and yelling that happened leading up to this race:

Yang: It's too far. It's about 1 1/2 hours away.

Yin: What's the alternative? I don't know of a closer trail and if I found one, I don't know anyone I can easily invite to run with me.

Yang: I have to soak my new (aged 35 miles) trail shoes in a water crossing?

Yin: I bought these shoes precisely so I can enjoy the trails without hurting myself. Use them the way they were intended to be used.

Braising myself while we enter the Tunnel of Love.

Yang: I've been coughing terribly for the last 5 days and it's going to be very cold out there.

Yin: If Peyton, the Wired Athlete can run a marathon with a 2-month old heart pacer, I can run a 10K with a miserable cough.

Glad I won the battle against my dark side, or else I would've missed a historical day in my life! First I met a nice guy named Joe. Then I conquered a new trail, and then earned a new personal record (1:24:04, 2 minutes 30 seconds better than 2 weeks ago).

I'm fairly new to trail running, having completed only 3 races since I started pounding the pavement 4 years ago. I welcome every learning opportunity.

Revelations:

My shoes! Now they're really broken in.

1. Water will not melt shoes. It's ok to get the Altra Lone Peak 2.0 wet - they dry fast.
2. Hills in trail running = steep mountains in road running.
3. Strong gluts and hamstring required. I see lots of squats and stair master in my future.
4. Joe is the US Vice President? Beau was his son?

I'm embarrassed to admit that I was of one of the 29% of Americans who did not know who the US Vice President is. When I saw him, I wanted to say something intelligent but nothing came to mind. Sadly, I was not fast enough to google anything either.

Here's what I learned about Joe that Google may not tell you:

1. His children and grand children ran the 5K today. 
2. Beau, Joe's eldest, was a runner. Beau passed away last year due to brain cancer. 
3. Asked if he would run, he replied with a nice smile.
4. In the 2 mins. I spent trying to get a selfie with him, I sensed his genuine kindness. He wasn't afraid to show his emotions. He talked proudly of Beau during his heartwarming speech, and broke down in the middle.

Congratulations to Betty Olmstead (70) for finishingthe 5K. and thank you 
for taking care of me when I coughed incessantly after crossing the finish line.

About the Race

Well organized, fast and easy registration/packet pick up, encouraging and helpful volunteers, affordable ($30 for any distance), no free shirt (and it's perfectly fine), at least 3 water stations, lots of post run food (bananas and water) and giveaways (socks, clif bars, gloves, caps, etc),

An incredibly beautiful yet difficult course. It was rocky, rooty and hilly, with a total elevation gain of 920 feet.

These pictures only show a small fraction of this course's fascinating scenery. You'll just have to run it to see the rest.

Proceeds of the race benefitted the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children. Thank you to Trail Creek Outfitters and Velo Amis for organizing this race.

Less than 1/2 a mile to finish line. See the hill?

I almost settled for this selfie.