Talk about jumping into trail running!  Derek’s first experience with trail running was right on our home turf on the Liberty Mountain Trail System.  In December of 2017, Derek set out on the Deep Hollow course armed with a new Garmin watch and a Strava account.  He might have got a little lost and felt miserable for a few days, but the love for trail running was ignited and he ran the Deep Hollow Hal-Marathon the next October.

Derek ran Indoor and Outdoor track in high school right here at Jefferson Forest.  He was involved in short distances mostly, the 400M and less, as well as hurdles.  From there he went on to ran one season at Bridgewater College.  After that season he basically took a 13 year hiatus from the sport. Derek shared with me his thoughts on how he transitioned from being a competitive track sprinter into the trail distance runner that he is now.

“It is a different world.  I saw my competitive 7:30 half marathon pace drop to 8:30 overnight.  I though “Aww man, I’m going slow!”” was his initial response.  It really was a slow and steady transition for him.  In the beginning Derek had a great friend who was able to prepare him for success.  Derek remembers that “He set up a training sheet for me and held me to it.  I was running 6-7 days a week and hit 100 miles in his first month. I also was able to utilize Strava to keep track of times, distances and receive the coveted “thumbs up” from my friends.”

As we chatted for several minutes, I was very encouraged to hear that Derek and I have the same favorite race in the series.  Valley View race day is a different feel and it is evident to everyone who participates.  Not only does the race has special meaning to those who knew Major Mike Donahue (the race is in memorial to him), but the course gives the best comprehensive snapshot of the trail system.  Derek agreed, “For everything that the trail system has to offer, you get a touch of it.  You’re running on the wider roads, you’re running on the narrow one lanes.  You’re getting the elevation…also running through the creeks and getting the view of Lynchburg” he stated.  Derek also spoke to the distance being perfect.  “If you’re a short distance person that normally does 5k’s, you can push yourself that day to do the five mile.  Or if you’re a person who likes to do 7 or more, it’s not too short where you wouldn’t want to do it.”

Though Valley View is his favorite race, his children cheering his finish during the Arctic 5k is his favorite memory from the series.  Derek has three kids; 5 years, 7 years and an infant.  He is just starting to run with the 5 and the 7 year old as they participated in last year’s Virginia 10miler. Teaching healthy running habits to children can be challenging.  It is important to encourage and support, but sometimes we can put a little too much competitive pressure on them.  Derek says that “I want to make sure that my kids understand that they’re gunna be out there racing somebody else, but they are there doing it for themselves…I don’t want to be that person putting the pressure on them to not have fun.”  I think that is the best advice to give to those running moms and dads who want to share their passion with their children.

As we finished up our conversation, I asked him why does he continue to stick to trail running?  He had a rather simple answer…

“It is a whole different feel.”  Avoiding the crowds and finding peace is one of Derek’s reasons for hitting the trails.  “You are out there by yourself or with a few friends.  You can just zone out in the shade and fresh air.  I just get more pleasure out of it.  Pick a good trail, push yourself and go out there.  Just turn off and enjoy it.”