Every June since 2010, Naval Support Activity Mid-Southās Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Department has hosted the Navy 10 Nautical Miler. This is one of my favorite races (even with my sketchy personal history with it), and it is special to the world of racing because it is the first race in the U.S. to be based onĀ nautical miles instead ofĀ land miles. By the way, a nautical mile is 1.15078 land miles, so the Navy 10 Nautical Miler winds up being 11.5078 land miles long. 2019 was the 10th anniversary of the Navy 10NM, and I knew I would definitely want to run it, so I actually registered back in December at the St. Jude expo.
The Navy 10NM starts at 6:00am, which is insanely early. Luckily, I donāt live very far away so I get to sleep in more than my friends coming from farther (further? farther!) away. Still, I set my alarm for 4:33, plus extra alarms just in case. Of course, that mean that Asscat woke me up at least twice, and I had weird dreams that also woke me up. I never seem to have good sleep before a big race. Oh well! I was up at 4:33, and got dressed, brushed teeth, made coffee, & all that stuff by 4:50. Then I realized I had nothing resembling fuel and tore apart the kitchen trying to find something to use ā I wound up shoving an oatmeal cream pie in my skirt pocket. Then off I went!
Parking at the race was a nightmare. Well, not true. Getting into the parking lot was a nightmare. It takes roughly 15 minutes to drive to the start line from my houseā¦ but then I spent another 15 minutes on Navy Road, waiting to turn into the parking lot. Once I turned in, it was really quick and easy to park, although I was in the grass because the actual paved lot was full.
Lisa, Nikki, and I were planning to run together, but I donāt think we had heard from Nikki yet that morning, and Lisa had sent a message that she made it halfway to the race and realized she didnāt have her race bib, so she had to turn back home. I just assumed I was the first there, so I headed to the start line to see who else I could find to hang with. Found our friend Tad, and chatted with him until he saw another friend and went to talk, and I got in the porta-potty line. Nikki found me there, and after I used the (surprisingly clean) porta-potty we set off to get in the start corral and find Lisa.
Lisaās got a personalized training plan because she has a coach, whereas Iām cobbling together some Hal Higdon and Breakaway Running training plans, and Nikki is gearing up for 50K training. Anyway, so Lisaās plan was to start out running 1:1 intervals, and then halfway through the race switch to 2:1 intervals. I was like ādude, Iām pretty sure I wonāt be able to hang once you switch, but go for it!ā
Oh. Back up. Important tidbit: the race announced thatĀ no hydration vests would be allowed. I wasnāt actually planning to wear one, but a lot of people do wear one on this race because it is a longer race in the intense Memphis heat and humidity, so there was some outcry about the policy change.
However!Ā The Navy 10NM really went above and beyond with their water stops. There was a stop at every single nautical mile, for one thing. Yes, every single one.Ā And every stop had both water and Gatorade. And it wasĀ COLD water and Gatorade. Yes, even at the later stops. One of the cups of Gatorade I had, at a later stop, actually still had ice in it.
So major major major super props to the race directors/coordinators. Iāve never run in nor volunteered for any race that did such an amazing job with the water stops!
There were also porta-potties at every water stop. It is really rare for me to need to use the bathroom during a race, but it was really awesome that they were available for those who did need them.
Hmmā¦ another tidbit that I maybe should have led with is that the course has changed. I first ran this race in 2015, and again in 2017 (although I, umm, decided that I was bored and justĀ done with running that day when I was only halfway through the race, so Iā¦ uhhhā¦ just walked off course and didnāt finishā¦).
Ā Ā Those are the Garmin maps from the last time I ran the whole course, and the one from this year. You can see that the course is way, way different. To tell the truth, I looked at the new map on the race website and was thinking āThis is going to suck major monkey assā butā¦ it really wasnāt that bad overall. No, the whole thing wasnāt in shade, but there was more shade than I thought there would be. And the weather was amazing for a June race in the Memphis area. It was warm but it wasnāt oppressively hot, and there was a breeze for pretty much the entire time.
We were moving along at a pretty nice clip (our walking was pretty slow but our running was pretty quick so it evened out) and before I knew it, we were about to enter the base. I didnāt take many pictures the whole race, but there are zero from the base, because photography was not allowed. I feel like that is a new rule too, and I definitely feel that it was not advertised enough. Apparently there was a sign as we entered the base (which I missed), but so far as I know that was the only official race communication about it. So, I think they dropped the ball on that, but since I personally wasnāt planning to take pictures anyway it didnāt really affect me personally.
While on base, we started leapfrogging with an older couple who were walking (power walking? speed walking?) the race. On a run interval we would pass them, and then while we were walking they would pass us again. I didnāt catch their names, but if you guys ever read this: you were the highlight of the race for me. Thank you for the jokes and even more for the encouragement! Eventually we pulled ahead, thoughā¦
Before I knew it, we were through the base and at the halfway mark of the race! Right past the 5 nautical mile water stop, we turned onto Jones Boyd Road, which I never knew the name ofā¦ it was always just āthe turn around for the RRS half marathonsā road. Unlike the RRS where you just go down the road a little bit and then turn around, this time we would be taking the road all the way to Raleigh-Millington Road. This is also where I decided to see how that oatmeal cream pie would sit if I ate it mid-race. Mmm, those are my favorite Little Debbies!
Before we got there though, it was popsicle stop time! The popsicle stop is a long-standing tradition. That year that I walked off course? I made it to the popsicle stop and just started handing out popsicles instead of taking one and running on. This year, as has happened before, the popsicles werenāt all frozen, but theyĀ were still coldā¦ but even better than the popsicles were the smiles and encouragement from all the friends who were handing them out. Thanks guys! It was awesome to see you on course!
At the next water stop, Lisa popped into one of the porta-potties. That delay gave the older couple who was walking a chance to catch up with us again. Hello again yāall! Around this time, my legs started feeling a little bit crampy. Not awful, but not really pleasant either. It was also about when Lisaās watch swapped over from 1:1s to 2:1s, I think. Or it already had and we were using mine and Nikkiās watches which were only set to 1:1sā¦ but as we came up to the 7 nautical mile marker/water stop, I realized I needed to take a break from the running and stick to just walking. Lisa wanted to run on though, so as we got through the water stop she just kept going.
{Side note:Ā thank you 7 nautical mile water stop! Even though I didnāt take one, the fact that you were offering Gu (and chews? I didnāt see for sure) is freakināĀ amazing! You guys rocked!}
Anyway, Nikki said she would hang with me for a little bit and then probably run on ahead later. We continued on the course without any run intervals. As Nikki pointed out at one point, our walking pace improved when we werenāt running. Of course lol! Although to be fair if she hadnāt stayed with me I probably would have been trudging instead of walking at a decent clip.
We turned onto Navy Road, and that was probably the worst part of the whole race. There is zero shade on Navy, and the sun was fully risen. And of course we were walking into the sun. At least there was a nice break as we turned down the YMCA roadā¦ umm, yeah technically it has a name but sorry, its just the YMCA road to me. There was tons of shade from lots of trees here! It was around the 8 nautical mile water stop that I realized running again just wouldnāt be happening for me. That crampy feeling had turned into my legs trying to completely lock up, and I was just done.
We found ourselves back on Navy Road, again walking into the sun with not a bit of shade around. Even though the right lane was closed off from traffic with cones, for the runners, we moved to the sidewalk. The camber on Navy is pretty intense and neither of our hips would much appreciate that. But eventually we did have to get down and walk on the street.
I think the only part of the race that I truly hated was the dead skunk on Navy. Ugh. Roadkill is always sad, because those poor animalsā¦ but since this was a skunk it was also completely gag-worthy. Yuck!
Finally, we were almost done! One more nautical mile to go! The sign was on Navy and almost right after it we turned left to work around the back roads to the finish line. Once we turned, there was another water stop! Yes! That was actually surprising ā neither of us expected on so close to the finish line. And just like every other stop of the day, the water here was deliciously cold. Still donāt know how you guys did it, and you might be sick of me harping on this, but it seriously blew my mind. And it deserves all the praise!
Several left turns later, we were there. The finish line was just around the corner. Even though we had been walking for miles, we agreed to run in, and off we went. Someone was calling out names as people crossed the finish line, but I wasnāt paying attention at all and didnāt realize it. I only know because Lisa came up to us and said, āI knew it was yāall because he couldnāt pronounce Katieās last name!ā The curse of a unique name. Sigh.
Our friend Chelle was also hanging around the finish line. She moved away (last year?) but came back to be a pacer for the Navy 10NM. I was desperate for something to drink and something salty to eat, but before we went off in search of sustenance Chelle got a group picture of us.
Lisaās first stop was the Italian ice stand, but Nikki and I hopped into the beer line. Okay, I canāt lieā¦ this beer was kind of nasty. Iām going to be generous and say I bet it is because we were at the end of the keg and maybe a fresher cup would have been better? I donāt know. I mean, it wasnāt so bad that I couldnāt finish, but it took a while to get that small cup down. We went inside the gym and found food. I hear the mac n cheese was delicious, but I went for a chicken biscuit. Iām not sure who provided the food, but thanks! Michael said it was probably base commissary food, but whoever it was did good.
After that, I was ready to head home and crawl into bed. Sure, doing that leads to muscles locking up and making you sore later, but I didnāt even care. I was exhausted! So thatās exactly what I did ā headed home and crawled into bed.
Even though we all complain about the early race start, and I hated the lack of shade along the end of the race, this really is one of my absolute favorite local races ever. The support along the way is pretty great, and it is neat to be a civilian running through a military installation. The anchor medal is always awesome, and this yearās medal being aĀ spinner was beyond awesome. I canāt say if I will everĀ run this race again, but even if I donāt run it any more, I will definitely be back to volunteer.
Tell me: Have you ever run the Navy 10 Nautical Miler?
My 2019 Navy 10 Nautical Miler race recap. Every June since 2010, Naval Support Activity Mid-South's Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Department has hosted the Navy 10 Nautical Miler.
