Birmingham Bucket Races: Peavine Falls

On this rainy 4th of July I decided to get up on my own at 4:30 that morning to go run in the 32nd annual Peavine Falls Run at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham Alabama.  This is my second year to run in this race so I knew what I was getting myself into.  I deem this race as a "Birmingham Bucket Race".  What this means to me is that if you are a Birmingham Runner you have to run at least once in certain races that are held in Birmingham.   In my opinion The Peavine Falls race is a "Birmingham Bucket Race" due to the beautiful scenery you encounter while you run, the physical challenges and the mental challenges.

Scenery:

The race is held in Oak Mountain State Park.  The route starts at the Dog Wood Pavilion which is right next to a beautiful lake.  You run up a road that is fully lined with trees and rocks on both sides.  As I mentioned it was a rainy day for the race.  However, although it was wet, the trees kept a good portion of the rain off of you.  Runner's World Magazine showcased this road as a Rave Run last year.  Here is the picture Runner's World Magazine used for the article.

As you make your way up the hill you get to pass by several scenic overlooks.  These views give you an amazing perspective of how high up you are.  As you make your way down the hill you take a trail that has you wandering through a few of the less traveled areas of the park.  You end the race back at the Dogwood Pavilion with the lake in front of you.

Physically Challenging

At the beginning of the race the elevation is around 500 feet.  By the time you get to the four mile mark you are at 1100 feet.  This is a gradual climb.  Running up the long mountain road for this distance is physically draining on your legs.  When you reach the top of the road you turn around and go back down the same road.  You get a different physical challenge as you run down the hill.  You feel the pounding in your knees as you try to control your speed going down the hills.  

At the end of the road you are diverted to a trail for the last mile.  This is a different physical challenge.  Trail running requires very concise steps so you do not trip over roots, rocks or other people.  

Mentally Challenging

This race is always mentally challenging.  This was enhanced by the rain.  As you begin the race all you see is a road that keeps going up.  You have to mentally prepare yourself for this.  I do this by knowing that it is about four miles to the top of the hill.  My Nike Sports Watch gives me a good idea of where I am.  When you get to a certain portion of the race you are faced with the really fast runners who have already made it to the top of the hill and are headed back down. All you can do is push on knowing you are not far from the top yourself.  Coming back down the hill gives you an opportunity to give words of encouragement to the runners that have a little more to go.  As you head down the mountain you have to mentally discipline yourself not to go too fast.   It is not good on your knees and you might slip .  This was even more of an issue with the rain.

As you hit the trail your thought process changes.  You again have to stay focused on the trail and watch for something that might cause you to trip.  Even passing runners requires more thought on the the trail portion.  In most places on the trail there is only room for one person.  You have to pick your spots when passing.  At the end of the trail you hear the announcer calling out the times.  This gives you that extra push as you get to the end of the race.

Here is the GPS snapshot from my Nike Sports Watch:

There are a few other things I like about the race.  It is always on the Fourth of July.  Normally I would not be very motivated to workout on this day.  People dress up in patriotic colors.  Some people even carry flags.  You even get the occasional USA! USA! chants.  All of this atmosphere makes for a great race.  It also makes you feel a little less guilty eating all of the BBQ later that day.

Here is a links to some of the pictures taken during the race.  This gives you a good idea of what a great time everyone had and how challenging a race it really was.


http://bhamtc.zenfolio.com

This is a race I will always have on my calendar.  Thank to all involved for putting on this race especially The Birmingham Track Club.