Mountain Masochist Trail Run 50 Miler

Saturday November 2, 2013

Mountain Masochist Trail Run 50 Miler was the final race in the Lynchburg Ultra Series.  I had done the other three 50k races in the series during the spring.  Comparing my finish times to those of other series finishers from prior years showed that about half of those with similar times did not meet the 12 hour cutoff.  I approached the race expecting the toughest run of my moderate running experience.

It was a beautiful day to be outdoors

Race morning temps at Wildwood KOA Campground in Monroe Virginia were about 50 degrees at start time.  The forecast called for mostly sunny skies and temps remaining rather steady, then dropping into the 40s during late afternoon with the approach of a cold front.  There was a slight possibility of showers also late in the day.  We would also be higher in the mountains later which also factored into cooler conditions.  The 6:30 am start meant there would be about 45 minutes of running in the dark.

I positioned myself behind about three fourths of the runners.  At the start signal, we ran around the end of the campground pond then up a dirt road to the paved road.  After about a mile and a half of pavement the course followed the first of many forest service roads.  There soon was a small stream crossing then another get-your-feet-wet place where we crossed under the Blue Ridge Parkway through a tunnel made for the stream to flow through. There we some spectators at this spot and it was fun to hear the cheers as we approached through the darkness.  

Most runners wore headlamps that lighted the way until full daylight.   During the dark period we could only see for a short distance and focused mainly on the area near our feet.  I was amused at one of the wet and muddy places by an exclamation made by another runner as she stepped into a messy spot.  I wondered if she was expecting a sign warning of the mud hole.  Anyone who started with clean and bright shoes would have a hard time finishing with them looking so nice.  There many water crossings, puddles, and soft muddy places.

The pack of runners had spread out enough that we didn’t have much of a slow down when adjusting to the double track conditions of the forest service/jeep roads.  The course seems to be about 80 percent some type of road and the remainder single track trails, some of which were fairly technical.  And there was a lot of climbing and descending – a stated 9200 feet of ascent and 7200 feet of descending.  The longest climb (in both miles and elevation change) of the day began just before halfway on the course.  And in the tradition of races connected to David Horton there are some extra miles with the consensus that this course is really 53 or 54 miles long.

My concern for the day was to stay ahead of the cutoffs and not push myself hard enough for prolonged heavy breathing or extreme muscle fatigue.  I simply ran along at what seemed to be a comfortable long-run pace.  There seemed to be relatively little conversation in the first miles.  It made me think that most people near me were thinking of the tough day ahead of us.  Now and then crowding would mean a little waiting to get through a narrow point or to get what I wanted from an aid table.  As in other long races I had taped a printout to my water bottle that let me see the elevation profile and aid station locations, distances, and cutoff times.

#	Name	Segment Miles	Total Miles	Seq Time	Cutoff Time	My actual times
1	Peavine Mtn	7.63	7.63	1:55	1:55	1:24
2	Dancing Creek	3.70	11.33	0:50	2:45	2:12
3	Parkway Gate	3.55	14.88	0:50	3:35	3:03
4	Robinson Gap	2.24	17.12	0:30	4:05	3:30
5	Irish Creek	2.58	19.70	0:30	4:35	3:50
6	Reservoir	2.24	21.94	0:25	5:00	4:33
7	Long Mtn	4.55	26.49	1:05	6:05	5:21
8	Buck Mtn	2.83	29.32	1:00	7:05
9	Wiggins Spring	2.31	31.63	0:40	7:40	6:58
10	Loop – IN	1.45	33.08	0:25	8:05	7:27
11	Loop – OUT	5.33	38.41	1:10	9:15	9:00
12	Salt Log Gap	2.94	41.35	0:30	9:45	9:38
13	Forest Valley	1.07	42.42	0:20	10:05	9:55
14	Porters Ridge	4.10	46.52	1:10	11:15	11:00
F	Finish	3.75	50.27	0:45	12:00	11:40

During the first part of the course I settled into my pattern for the day.  I ran the flats, down-hills and easy up-hills.  I hiked the steeper up-hills, frequently running 100 steps uphill, then hiking until my breathing recovered before running again.  This allowed me to keep making good progress without burning myself out.  For a while I ran with a guy who had also run Wineglass Marathon 4 weeks prior.  We had been doing the same pace then too, and very likely chatted a while during that race.

During one of my 100 step running cycles I passed two guys hiking uphill.  When I got to 100 steps and shifted to hiking, one of them called to me about quitting so soon.  One of them had “bet” the other that I wouldn’t run the whole way to the top.  Maybe if I knew how far away the top was and if I would be getting the $20, I might have run to the top.

I came into aid station 1 at 7.6 miles about 30 minutes ahead of the 1:55 cutoff.  I filled my water bottle and skipped the food choices.  The crowd at the food area overruled any interest I had in a snack.  I planned to eat a gel every 30 minutes and supplement with aid station foods and beverages.  Through the first half of the course, my margin ahead of the cutoffs increased a little.  I generally used the cutoff times at aid stations to estimate how long I would run until the next break.  If I always kept my pace equal or faster than 12 hour pace, I would be able to finish.  At the Long Mountain station it seemed I was on pace for a finish time of about 11 hours.  This would soon change.

Around mile 20 I was passed by one runner I recognized – Rebecca Trittipoe.  She has finished this race more than any other woman and is also the author of several books that I have at home.  As the long uphill went on and on, my 100 step plan allowed me to catch up to her.  We passed a couple of miles together chatting about her running and writing as I almost interviewed her.  And when the next mountain ridge became visible Rebecca confirmed that we would “get to go up there”.  Eventually I ran ahead a bit and came to the Long Mountain aid station almost 45 minutes ahead of the cutoff.

This pic was taken when almost halfway done.  Still need to get to the top of the ridge behind me.

I quickly refilled my bottle and grabbed some snacks to eat during the climb that resumed from there.  I was hiking with another guy and eventually remembered that drop bags were at this last aid station.  I had forgotten to refill my supply of gels and pick up an extra layer that I might need as the day cooled off later.  So after climbing for about 5 minutes I turned around and ran down the logging type road against traffic.  Of course I received a lot of puzzled looks and a few people asked if I was ok.  I felt silly, but thought it was best to give up some of my time buffer to make sure I was properly supplied for the next 5 or 6 hours.  Checking my watch, I saw that I had lost about twelve and half minutes because of my mistake.

So I resumed my pattern of hiking and looking for occasions for 100 quicker steps.  This climb went on and on.  I gradually became aware that my stomach was too full.  It seemed I wasn’t digesting/absorbing the gels and food as fast as normal.  I tried eating a ginger cookie.  I decided I would eat more from the aid tables and especially look for salty foods more than sweet choices.  There were two more aid stations to visit before entering “the loop”.  The loop section of single track was described by some as the best part of the course, and by many as the toughest, most challenging part.  And last year an additional out and back section was added to the summit of Mount Pleasant.

I passed this guy heading into the loop.  And later he helped me through the toughest miles after the loop.

Upon entering the loop I was running on a wide smooth path that is somewhat enclosed by tall rhododendrons.  It is flat to slightly downhill and very pleasant.  There were several family type groups out for a walk as I came through.  They were very considerate and made room for me to pass easily.  Then the trail changed to the expected single track with rocks and roots.  And it turned slightly up-hill.

In the loop my energy level or strength seemed to fade.  The uphills took more out of me and the tricky footing and narrow path required more care.  It was a really enjoyable place in the forest but I was slowing more and more.  On the out and back section there were other runners going the opposite direction and that meant stepping aside frequently.  The view from the summit was really amazing and I took several photos but they didn’t nearly capture the beauty.  I punched my bib as required and started down.  I was thinking more about the cutoff time and started to wonder whether the runners still going to the summit could return quickly enough to beat the time limit.

As I checked my watch now and then I kept expecting to be done with the loop very soon.  I ended up taking more time there than the cutoff times allowed.  A couple other runners nearby were also pushing to get to the aid station and hoping to stay ahead of the cutoff.  When I finally came out of the loop I had only a 15 minute margin.  The sky was now overcast and a mid-afternoon chill was underway.

I got my bottle refilled with the last water available there, grabbed some snacks and started down the road.  As I was looking for the turn another runner joined me on the road.  We had passed each other several times in the last couple hours.  He seemed to adopt me as his responsibility to keep me ahead of the cutoffs.  Darin is a Virginia Happy Trails Running Club runner with lots of experience in ultra races including several MMTR 50 finishes.  He encouraged me to not worry about the small time buffer.  We ran everything that was flat or downhill and hiked the uphills.  He told me of numerous other races and other times he has done this one.

We arrived at the next aid station to be told we now had a 7 minute margin.  I took some chicken broth and some chips, pretzels and PB&J.  We had a steep mile of gravel road to climb to the next aid station and 20 minutes in order to not lose any more time.  As we hiked up the road we were chilled by a cold breeze that included some sprinkles of rain.  We made the climb in 17 minutes, quickly refilled before taking off for the next section.  One of the volunteers said we had 4 plus very tough miles to the final aid station.

This section was mainly trail again, somewhat rolling with one really steep climb.  Darin took the lead, setting the pace.  I’m sure the pace with him was faster than I would have managed if I was running alone.  During this section I felt I was moving at my limit and wondered whether I would know if I was working so hard that I could get into medical trouble.  I had promised my wife Rose that I wouldn’t hurt myself or have a heart attack and that I would come home alive.  So I prayed that God would let me know to slow down before anything like that would happen – regardless of my hopes for an official finish.  (I think that may have sounded over-dramatic, but thoughts like those do spring up sometimes.)  When we reached that steepest climb of the day, Darin power hiked this hill faster than I could manage and gradually moved ahead of me and out of sight.  He had gotten me through the toughest part of the remaining miles.

I was able to keep moving and was leap-frogging with a couple of other runners through the remainder of this section.  Coming into the last aid station I saw that I had an hour left to make a 12 hour finish.  The cutoff schedule gave a 45 minute span for the final section.  The volunteer said it was 3.75 miles to the finish – all downhill.  This was good news for sure.  There was no water available here, so I took GU drink for my refill.  In these last miles I would learn how bad this drink tasted to me and that it seemed to trigger a gag reflex.  Sipping a little now and then was all I could tolerate.

I remember thinking I would be ok for an official finish unless I got hurt and couldn’t run anymore.  When the hillside beside the road was steep, I moved away from the edge to make sure if I stumbled I wouldn’t fall over the edge.  A lady caught up to me and we ran together a little while until I slowed to walk for a few minutes and she kept running.  It was pleasant to talk about soon finishing our 50 mile day. 

I resumed running and passed a fellow who was walking.  He asked if I knew how far it was to the finish.  I told him it was something over a mile because there was to be something saying it was a mile to go.  In a few minutes I crossed the 1 mile mark.  Soon I caught up to the same lady who had gone ahead.  We ran together again and gradually increased our pace.  It seemed there would be no one else to catch or pass and we discussed whether to sprint across the finish.  I wasn’t feeling like racing anyone.

The finish area came into view but it wasn’t immediately clear where the line was.  As we approached the area we could see we would cross an intersection then turn left onto the grass and have maybe 20 yards to the finish line.  I got my camera out so I could take a photo of the race clock.  The other runner surged ahead a little in the last few steps and my finish time was a second later at 11:40:07.

Race director Clark Zealand was at the line congratulating the finishers and I thanked him for the race.  I found my way to pick up the finisher’s shirt, pick up my drop bag and get onto the bus for a ride to the post-race meal and awards event.  I was almost completely exhausted as I sagged into a seat and began my recovery.  After a long day of constant motion and a few hours of concern about the cutoffs, my goal was achieved of completing the LUS races.  I would receive a nice jacket as a LUS finisher. 

Some numbers to consider:  325 starters and 250 finishers, that’s 75 DNFs or almost 25%.  My finish placement was 221 of the 250.  The winner finished in 7:09, the top ten finishers were under eight hours.  There were 23 more finishing before 9 hours, 51 more before 10 hours, 49 more before 11 hours, and 120 finishers in the last hour.  So almost half of the finishers came in during the last hour!

 

Retracing the Walking Purchase of 1737

August 13 and 14, 2013

I had wanted to do this run for about three years.  I wrote about the idea in another post.  Here.


My sons Keith and Matt and I met up with my cousin Harvey and his life partner Dale to retrace a two day run that our 6th great grandfather Edward Marshall completed in 1737.  The run was done to set the boundary for a land purchase by the sons of William Penn to acquire land from the Lenni Lenape Indians in Eastern Pennsylvania.

His run covered about 65 miles.  Our retracing required 70 miles since we followed public roads.  The original running was intended to go as far as possible in a predetermined direction in a day and a half.  The first day allowed 12 hours and the second day allowed 6 hours.

I ran from his starting point to the end point of day one in a little under 11 hours and from that point to the final endpoint in under 6 hours.

Below are some links that help describe it.

My full report has been submitted (under contract) to Marathon and Beyond Magazine for the January/February 2014 issue.  (The magazine ceased publication in 2016.)
A proof copy of the article is at article.

Dale posted about our adventure at blog entry.

We got some news coverage in the Morning Call.  News report

Some of Dale's photos...

Mural depicting the Walking Purchase by George Gray.  Displayed at Hotel Bethlehem

Starting where Edward Marshall did

This stone honors the Lenni Lenape Indians

Starting in heavy rain and running close to traffic

 

Food and water stops about every 3 miles

End of day one after 47 miles

Day two running included hills and mountains

Keith and Matt joined me for a mile of trail to bypass the highway

Pushing up the final climb

Team photo at the finish spot

Burying a time capsule

A surprise presentation

Wineglass Marathon - Unharvested fruit or unfounded expectations?

Wineglass Marathon Sunday October 6, 2013

Wineglass was my goal race for the year. I had trained for 19 weeks specifically for this race. My goal was to finish under 3 hours 30 minutes - a two and half minute improvement on my PR from October 2011 at the Marine Corps Marathon. Training had gone well and I felt ready for a good day.  The race started out well, but changed dramatically later.

The weather forecast predicted temperatures some 20 degrees warmer than normal, starting about 60 going into the mid-70s with humidity ranging from 90 to 100%. It felt cool at the start with a light breeze. I planned to aim for a 7:58 pace and lined up a little behind the 3:25 pace group. The national anthem was sung by a runner and like usual it gave me chills and choked me up with patriotic emotions.

Ready to start

There was a short countdown to the start and we were off. After some brief shuffling toward the start line, we were jogging when crossing the timing mat. In less than a quarter mile the pack around me was moving along on the noticeable downhill at about a 7:30 pace. A light and cool rain started falling.

I tried not to get drawn into the fast pace without getting in the way of other runners. In about a half mile we made a turn onto a flatter road. By the end of the first mile my pace had slowed to 7:46. Others had passed me and I just kept my planned pace in mind even though the effort level was surprisingly easy. It reminded me of comments about what the "magic of the taper" does before race day. It seemed this would be a good day.

There wasn't much chatting going on around me and I was content to just roll along. The water tables on the course were to be at about 2 mile intervals. My fueling plan was to take a gel with water at every second aid station which would be just over 30 minutes apart. I planned to grab water whenever I was thirsty. I was carrying fast food salt packets to use at about 1 hour intervals.

The comfortable, steady running led me to visualize how my race would end. I expected to run at this effort level for 18 or so miles and to gradually work harder. It would take focus and determination to keep pace in the last 5 or six miles and to still be able to speed up a little before a final finish-line push through downtown Corning.

The time for my first gel came soon enough and I swallowed it before reaching the tables, walked to drink water, then resumed my pace. I was quickly back alongside the people who had been running about the same pace. A man nearby struck up a conversation with me. He was from Canada and came with a group of about 50 to run Wineglass. It turns out we had stayed at the same hotel. We ran together up the first of the three modest hills on the course. After a few miles he moved on ahead and I continued maintaining my pace.

I can't remember how long the light rain lasted. Probably it was less than an hour. As time passed, the humidity must have started to affect me. It seems that around mile 12 I was starting to notice that I could hear my breathing. That usually reminds me to check my pacing and effort. My pacing was good, so I knew that the effort to keep pace was increasing. It was not good for that to happen this early in the race. As I was coming up to the half marathon mark, keeping pace required more focus and more effort. I decided to "trust my training" and continue to stay on pace. I would count on my training to allow me to work harder and longer than before. It was too early to "negotiate" or surrender any ground on my plan.



Just past the halfway mark and on schedule

While considering all of this I was also looking forward to seeing my son Matt. He was planning to be on the course around mile 14. Shortly after the 13.1 mile mark is the only real hill in the second half and soon after that I came to where Matt waited. He ran with me briefly to ask how my pacing was going and if I needed anything that he could bring at another point. I didn't need anything but I thought whether to tell him about the increasing effort and that it could force me to slow. I decided to not voice my concern as if saying it out loud would make the problem more real. Matt said he planned to meet me again near mile 19. So I continued to maintain my effort.

But I soon realized that my pace plan was slipping away. More water tables, gels, salt. I was passing some people but others were starting to pass me. So now what? Check my pace, can I push harder to get back on pace? Could I hold that effort ten more miles?

The way I was feeling reminded me of running in the heat at Boston last year. In that race I had to keep slowing and even walk to not overheat so much. The one difference was that I didn't feel overheated this time. I did feel like something was wrong and I would need to slow down or risk needing medical help. My goal time was not that important. These "be reasonable" thoughts were challenged by some other ideas like "what are you really made of?", "are you quitting that easily?" The 3:35 pace group passed me - about 10 of them. So I was clearly behind not only my goal pace, but also behind my PR pace.

After making the first concession to ease up or to walk a little it seems the need to "give in" again comes even more quickly. I was allowing myself more walk breaks while trying to not lose pace entirely. More and more people passed. Some of them I recognized as people I had passed not long ago. Mile 19 was coming soon I would have to tell Matt how things had changed. I looked for him but didn't find him near 19 or the next place with spectators and water tables. I had hoped to hand off my light running vest which held my gels. Maybe I would be cooler without it and could revive a little for a more peppy finish. Well there wasn't much to salvage. It was a matter of continuing to move forward.

The volunteers were helpful and cheerful at the water tables and where the course required making a turn. I was feeling quite bad physically but was participating in a nice event. All along the running route, people held signs to encourage the runners. Some were for someone by name, many were for everyone - "Yay random stranger. You rock!" In a park a young girl was holding a sign that said "There is a cemetery ahead. Look alive!" That was funny to me and more relevant than I had hoped.

About mile 22 or 23 Matt was along the course. He asked if I was hurt. I think my answer was that I was just "burned out". There wasn't really anything for him to do or get for me. I was glad to see him. It turns out that something prevented him from driving to the mile 19 spot, so he went to the next place. I had wondered if waiting longer than expected for me would have made him think he missed me. Just before I got there he got a text update on my progress, so he did find out that my race had changed.

And the 3:45 pace group passed me.  There were only 4 or 5 of them.  With two or three miles to go I noticed that a young lady running was joined by a guy who was maybe checking on people in his group. When they spoke, she was crying and telling him how much it hurt to do this. He put his arm around her shoulder and assured her that it was normal to hurt when running so far. It was an odd thing for me to feel sympathy for her, even though she was able to move faster than me. She went on ahead and I continued my run a block, walk 100 steps approach.

Eventually I came to Bridge Street and the final half mile or so. I committed to running from the end of the bridge to the finish line. There would be about 3 blocks straight down Market Street which was lined with spectators. Often I pour out everything I have as I come to the finish line. It feels like celebrating when I have a strong finish. For this race, my finish line push was limited to not walking. I decided not to try chasing anyone down or racing anyone who would pass me. After so much walking and slow running it just didn't make sense to me.



   

So I jogged my way through the finish. And I was done. Finish Time 3:56:14. The finish was so different from what I had pictured earlier in the day and many times through my training.

It is not clear to me what explains the difference between my goal and my results. I think the weather was part of it. I wonder if my fitness is so far from what I thought. Did my lack of racing over the last two years leave me mentally soft? Can I blame anything on the taking blood samples for a health checkup a couple days earlier?

As in the title of this post I wonder if it is a matter of unharvested fruit or unreasonable expectations?  Did I have "one of those days" that prevented me from collecting on my training?  Or did I fool myself about my fitness for the race.  How does one find out?  Maybe by racing again.

One tired runner

Overall pace 9:01 per mile. First half in 1:44:24 (7:59 pace), second half in 2:11:50 (10:04 pace)
Mile splits from my GPS watch (total distance on watch of 26.36):
7:46, 7:53, 7:57, 7:55, 7:57, 7:58, 7:53, 8:06, 7:50, 7:54, 7:58, 7:56, 8:06,
8:05, 8:04, 8:51, 8:06, 9:40, 9:04, 10:08, 10:54, 11:04, 11:18, 11:25, 11:40, 11:30,
3:15 (for last 0.36 or 9:00 pace)

Photos by Matt Stone

Promise Land 50K++ April 27, 2013 Bedford County Virignia

(race director report with background info is here)

The course has about the same elevation change as Terrapin Mtn 50k which I did in 5 weeks earlier, but it seems to have one less big climb, meaning the climbs are longer and or steeper.  It also has some extra miles compared to TM; it is generally reported to be 34 miles.  In order to know what was coming next I taped a couple of things to my water bottle.  One was a chart of the distances to the aid stations including arrows to indicate uphill or down.  The other was the elevation profile with my own estimate of aid station locations.

 

It was an early race start at 5:30 am and unfortunately I only had half of my bathroom visits completed.  This would nag me off and on for the first half of the race.  Maybe I ate too much pizza the night before?  After announcements and a prayer we were given the start signal.  We were off in the dark; an uphill start with pavement soon turning to unpaved service road that grows increasingly steeper.  More than half of runners wore headlamps at the start; I had a small handheld light.  When I heard the nearby gps watches signaling the first mile, I checked my watch - about 12:30 pace.  Before long the road was so steep that running was less effective than hiking.

At about 2.6 miles there was an aid station before the course turns off onto a horse trail.  My fuel plan for the day was to eat and drink at aid stations to supplement the GU brand gel I would eat every 30 minutes.  I wore a bottle belt for my 28 ounce bottle of water that I would refill at every station.  I also had some fast food salt packets and took one at 2 hours, 4 hours, 5.5 and 7 hours.  The trail was rocky for a while then became more and more grassy.  There were some short runnable sections but it was still mainly hiking terrain, until a little beyond the 5 mile mark where the course turned downhill.  For a while it seemed to me like we were an Indian tribe moving silently through the woods in single file under orders to avoid talking.  Once the trail turned downhill, conversations broke out.  Maybe the uphill effort had been restricting our talk?  I chatted a little with Helen whose artwork became the design for the race t-shirt.  And I met Gary who seemed to greet everyone and ask their name as if we were visitors to his home trails.

After about 20 more minutes the course again turned uphill.  The sun rose over the mountain top ahead. This was part of the Hellgate 100k course and came out to a service road at aid station 2.  The trail turned back for 100 yards or so and then branched uphill more steeply.  The next couple miles were familiar to me from the Terrapin Mountain 50k last month.  While hiking this section I fell in step with a fellow also doing the LUS races.  We talked about what he knew of the course ahead.  We passed couple of college age girls who were sharing the same hydration pack, taking turns carrying it.  It turned out they are sisters.

 

This section crossed the high point of the course almost 3000 feet above the starting elevation. Along here I ran with another guy and chatted about how hard to understand ultrarunning is for those who are not this kind of crazy.  Near the top we crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway and descended a service road to the Sunset Fields aid station.  There was a nice view here worthy of a photo, which I snapped before heading down the steeper downhill trail.  This single track section was rocky/rooty and I passed a few people through here.  But the downhill was forcing the toes of my left foot into the front of my shoe, so I stopped to change the top lacing.  This allowed those people to pass me.  Once back on the move I was able to re-pass them.  Near the end of this trail section we followed a nice tumbling stream.  Eventually we had to wade through at nearly knee depth.  And soon we came to the Cornelius Creek aid station – at about the halfway mark.

 

Along the one mile or so of paved road after this aid station another runner remarked how the course mileage didn’t match his gps watch.  It showed over 18 miles while the advertised distance was 16.  I mentioned the “Horton miles” concept of getting more distance than described.  There were lots of nice flowering trees and a stream along the road.  I was enjoying those while also looking for a suitable location for the potty stop I would have to make soon.  I needed one of those bury-your-business stops for the first time in any race I’ve been in.  I found a spot about 20 yards off the road and used up at least 5 minutes taking care of business.  The name of the next aid station is Colon Hollow.  Hmm.

Soon the course left the road to enter the Whitetail Trail which is a nice mostly rolling single track section.  I was able to catch and pass a few runners along here and I also took a few photos when the springtime growth struck my fancy.  This section became more steadily uphill until the aid station.  Leaving this station the course followed a grassy forest road – uphill first then rather flat and then somewhat downhill to aid station 6 at Cornelius Creek. 

The next section includes the toughest climb of the course and the nicest scenery.  It features Apple Orchard Falls trail.  The incline was not so steep to start, but soon enough was a hike-only section with some parts requiring reaching out my hand to help with climbing.  I took a lot of photos of flowers, waterfalls, etc. since I was mostly walking.  I also stepped off the trail twice to splash water from the stream onto my face and head.  I tasted a lot of salt when rinsing my face.  I passed a few people early on and then was passed by a lady who I then managed to stick with from the middle to the top of this steep, steep climb.  It seems the hard work goes better with company.  The consolation of climbing more than 2500 feet in less than 3 miles is the promise of nothing but downhill after the next aid station.  This would be the second visit to the Sunset Fields station along the Parkway.

 

Once more I refueled and refilled and although feeling somewhat depleted from the climb, I was able to resume running.  Several people who arrived at this station ahead of me were still there when I left.  The course again crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway and then followed a wide grassy road or trail downhill.  And then it turned uphill for about a half mile.  That was disappointing.  Once the downhill resumed I heard voices behind me and eventually realized it was the sisters sharing the same hydration pack.  They caught up to me just before the downhill trail became steeper.  Gradually I moved away from them since downhill running seems to be my stronger point.  At some point I realized there had been no course markings for a while and this concerned me even though I could remember no trail intersections.  I continued for several minutes worrying that I was off course but soon saw a runner ahead of me.  I quickly caught up and confirmed with him that this was the correct route.  It would have been unhappy news if I needed to climb back uphill to find the course.

And soon after this I came out onto the road at the final aid station.  Now only 2.7 steep downhill miles remained.  An aid station worker said “only 2 miles, you’ve got this.”  My answer was “it’s not for sure until you cross the finish line.”  But I felt sure I could manage a sub 9 minute pace on the downhill and a finish time under 8 hours seemed safe.  The steepness of the road was tough and there was loose gravel, but not much that seemed to threaten rolling an ankle.  About half to the finish 3 runners passed me.  I remembered each of them from different parts of the race.  I considered whether I had the reserves to keep up with each one as they passed and decided it was too soon to use everything available.  At the “1 mile to go” line on the road my watch showed 7:41 and some seconds.  Soon I passed a man who had passed me.  I consciously pushed my pace for a strong finish.  The next person ahead of me was a young lady who was something like 100 yards ahead.  The gap shrank to about 50 yards as I reached the pavement on the last quarter mile or so.  That was as close as it got.  We each took the turn into Promise Land Camp and then crossed the finish line.  I heard my name announced as I approached the line and race director David Horton was there under the race banner to congratulate me as he does for each finisher.  Finish time was 7:49:27.



So Heartbreak Hill is feared?  Look at these hills in comparison.

 More pictures here

Terrapin Mountain 50k March 23, 2013 Bedford County, Virginia

This race is described as having about 7500 feet of elevation gain and loss which is significantly more than any course I have run.  I added several training runs up and down long steep trails and roads.  But my only local choices for training had about half the elevation change over the typical 3 to 4 mile climbs and descents in this race.

The race started just at daylight and I positioned myself about midpack among the participants of the 50k and half marathon races.  After about a mile and a half on paved roads the course followed what was either a washed out forest service type road or a streambed that had been filled in to be passable for 4wd vehicles.  Then it crossed a stream and followed what might be jeep trails up to the first aid station at 4.1 miles having gained about 2000 feet.  I did what most people around me were doing - walking the steeper uphills and running the rest.  I was watching other runners thinking who might be a likely person to work with for the long day ahead.  I also listended to the chatter among friends.  Someone was joking that if we had real friends they would have talked us out of doing this race.  Hmm… Later in this section I chatted with a lady who had done the race several times and she wisely spoke of pacing myself for a long effort.  Her thought was that I was presently on pace for about a 7 hour finish.  I thought that was reasonable so I kept going at that effort level.

 

Hiking to the aid station number 1

At the first aid station I was only hoping to refill my water bottle, but that took longer than I expected.  Only one volunteer with a water jug was serving numerous runners and that jug became empty before my turn for a refill.  Another the volunteer came over and was able to refill it from a big thermos type jug with a little water spout.  Finally I was ready to go and made the turn downhill while the half marathoners continued uphill.  I knew there were about 5 miles of downhill running ahead of me on roads and tried to keep my pace in check to not hurt my quads so early in the race.  My fueling/nutrition plan was to eat a gel every 30 minutes and refill my water bottle and take whatever my appetite wanted at the aid stations.  There was soon a section of the dirt road that was white with ice/snow.  As I approached this area a runner went down hard on her back and I was all the more careful. There were some nice sweeping overlooks to enjoy while carefully watching the footing.  The next aid station was about 3 miles down the road and as I approached, a little girl was standing in the back of a pickup truck anouncing ‘first aid station ahead!’  I think she was talking about first aid rather than aid station number one and that made me smile   I got my water refilled and this time took a few chips/cookies and continued on downhill.  The downhill road continued but not so steeply and eventually came onto paved roads.  The course also transitioned from the look of remote forest to edge of the forest developments.

Toward the bottom of the downhill I passed a Phillipina lady who resembled Anna in my small group of local running friends.  Shortly after the next aid station this lady passed me back as the road turned uphill.  My mission for the day became to keep her from going out of sight.  She was really strong on the uphills, whether powerhiking or running.  We moved past a group of men who laughingly declared this road was a ‘mandatory walking’ section.  She and I both alternated running with hiking to keep progress somewhat brisk.  My approach to this was to run at least 100 steps each time then walk until my breathing recovered.  After maybe 2 miles the course left the road for double track trail that was even steeper.  As this section leveled off and then descended, I passed this lady.  And so it went most of the race, me going ahead on downhills and she passing on uphills.  We exchanged greetings and encouragement each time.  The course came out onto gravel road again and the next aid station was set up there.  Then it was uphill on roads for 3.1 miles that seemed longer than that.   There was a nice mountain stream, a stretch of road with snow and ice and some views into the valley below.  The next aid station is also the first one on the course, but this seemed to approach from a different direction compared to the first time. 

 

The lady who I would try to keep up with.

Typical uphill road section.

By this point my right foot was hurting on top and I wondered how a stress fracture would feel there.  This soreness remained for the rest of the race but didn't get significantly wors.  After the race, I concluded I had laced my shoe too tightly and that caused the soreness.

This next section would be 5.7 miles, a lollipop type out and back.  It went out on gravel road, moved onto double track trail around a loop and then back the same road.  So to start we saw runners coming back to the aid station while we were on the way out.  And it was again uphill.  I had taped a list to my water bottle with the distance to each aid station.  However I was mixed up here and thought this was the 3.1 mile section we had just finished.  After a long time without seeing any runners coming the other way, I was more confused.  I had figured when I would see the Phillipina runner coming back, I would know I was near the turn around.  Eventually I looked again at the list of aid stations and distances and realized which section of the course I was on.  At the highest point on the loop part of the lollipop was an orienteering punch which we were to use on our bib to prove we reached that spot.  And then it would be downhill running to the aid station. 

A couple of guys were sitting along the trail in a sunny, grassy spot.  They were dressed for running but had stopped for some reason.  They said there was nothing wrong.  Along the road back to the aid station, a young lady named Bethany caught up to me and we ran together chatting about how things were going.  She was concerned about her fingers swelling; my challenge was that my climbing muscles were about used up.  In spite of these issues we had a nice cheery mile or so.  As we came to the aid station I realized I was overdue on eating a gel. 

From this point there should be 9 miles to the finish.  We left the aid station at the same time and continued chatting as we went on.  This section started with the toughest climb of the race on a steep single track trail to the summit of Terrapin Mountain.  Bethany power hiked ahead of me and I huffed and puffed to keep close enough to continue the conversation.  After about 20 minutes of tough uphill hiking we reached the top and made the turn toward Terrapin Rock.  There was another punch here and quite a view of the valley below.  Bethany enjoyed the view longer than me and I went on alone.

  

Terrapin Rock

The course turned back for about 100 yards then continued on to a rock formation known as Fat Man's Misery.  Here we had to drop down 3 or 4 feet into a narrow passage between two sloping rock faces and then creep along for about 20 feet to the exit.  One more bib punch was required to show we had been through there.  



Entering Fat Man's Misery, hoping the rocks don't shift



Looking back into FMM



Then the course continued as single track trail along the ridge and eventually downhill through rhododendron thickets.  Some of this was quite steep and rocky, steep enough to grab trees to help slow the descent.   I passed 4 or 5 runners on the downhill and came out onto a service road that led to the final aid station.  My aid station list indicated five and a half miles to go.  I had about an hour and 15 minutes to finish in less than 7 hours.  It seemed like I had a good chance for that since I thought it would be mainly downhill from there.

           

At this aid station I saw the Phillipina lady again.  She was talking about her quads cramping and was rubbing on some menthol smelling stuff.  I refilled my bottle, grabbed some cookies and chips and hiked uphill with her to the next turn.  I must have been taking the downhill too fast because my quads began cramping here too.  And so I stopped in order to get out some Bio-Freeze gel and rubbing that in.  Soon the lady was out ahead of me and then out was of sight until after I finished.  I was wrong about it being all downhill, as the trail worked its way up in rolling fashion for 2 or 3 miles before turning downhill. I mostly walked the uphills.  There were about 3 more stream crossings in this section. 



Final stream crossing

Near the higher part of this section I could see into the valley and make out Sedalia Center where the finish line was.  I guessed it might be 2 miles in a straight line, but the trail was turning away and following the hillside, so I couldn't really guess what distance remained ahead of me.  The last stream crossing was a bigger one and it seemed I should soon be out on the road we started on.  Happily that was true, but what was not so nice was the steeper downhill that aggravated my sore quads.  I felt sure the distance to the finish was less than 2 miles from here, but I decided to wait for the 'one mile to go' sign before making up my mind.  Finally I saw the sign and my watch showed 6:41:19.  I was sure that was enough time to finish under the 7 hour mark and I now could finally stop saving my energy for whatever unknowns lay ahead.  I saw two runners ahead of me and one more in front of them but didn't know if I could catch anyone.  I was able to push my pace some and gradually passed the 2 running together in the last few hundred yards.  This last mile was at about 8:30 pace.

My finish time was 6:49:53.  My finish position was 162 of 269 finishers, with 3 DNFs.  There had been 291 registered.

Holiday Lake 50k 2013

My prior experiences at Holiday Lake 50K were fun trips with friends from my local training group.  In those years I was training for a spring marathon and this race was more for fun. This year I travelled alone and didn't know anyone personally who was there.  Somehow this time seemed more serious for me as a race.  I did meet Kathryn who posts in a forum I follow at RunningAhead.com so that was a friendly aspect for me.  I also had a support / encouragement package with notes and fun things from my 2 most frequent training partners to remind me they were thinking of me.

I felt some pressure to 'live up to' my bib number 92.  Last year to be in the top 100 men meant a finish time of 5:20 or better.  My previous best here was 5:58.  I moved forward in the start to avoid some of the bottle neck a half mile from the start when going from the road to the trail.  And I ran all the way up the hill to the trail rather than walking some as in prior years.  This meant that I started too fast, and I mainly stayed at the common pace around me to the stream crossing at around 7 miles.  I had been evaluating the fast start and decided I would walk more of the uphills and ease my pace some.

My watch gave me trouble from the start too.  About 20-some minutes into the race someone's watch beeped for what I supposed was mile 2 and I checked my watch to see how quickly we reached that point.  I saw zeros.  No problem I thought - start time was 6:30, I could use time of day.  My watch apparently reset and was showing Monday 12 am.  Oh well, I would run by feel.  I started the chrono anyway.  Approaching the second aid station I got the time from another runner and used that to figure how much time to add to what my watch showed.  We had gotten to the 8 mile mark in 1:16, about 15 minutes faster than I had done before.  (Eventually at the turnaround I confirmed the difference on the race clock - 27 minutes.)

The too fast start was already wearing on me in the second half of this loop and I tried to think about taking care of nutrition and just run comfortably. I carried a homemade honey energy gel and I ate cookies, chips, PBJs from aid stations.  It seemed I was taking too much time at the aid stations, but made sure I got what thought I needed.  After aid station three I began thinking of when I would see the race leaders coming back on lap two.  Eventually the leader appeared and the pack following him was several minutes behind.  Near the end of the first lap I was feeling pushed by runners behind me, but they never took opportunity to pass.  I think I speeded up even though I tried not to do that.

My legs were tired and my right foot and ankle were aching - a PF flareup like I have had the last number of weeks.  Shinsplints were coming on.  I planned to take some tylenol from my drop bag.  I would also refill my bottle with my own sport drink and change from a fleece hat to a ball cap style hat.  Again a slow in and out at the aid station and I forgot my tylenol.  I walked out, eating the things I picked up.  The race clock was at 2:43.   After a bit I was running and thinking about how well the second half could go since I was already tired and sore. 

I had chosen a Bible verse for my 'mantra' for the race and returned to that.  "Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous; do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  While I continued with this on my mind, my mood did not brighten.  I had a long mostly dark period from about mile 17-30, gradually fading.  I mostly had my eyes on the ground, seldom greeting other runners or giving or returning encouragement to anyone.  I did pass a few people who were fading worse than me.  In spite of the down mood, all my moving parts were working, so I continued if only so that it could get over with.  I then remembered that at the beginning of the day I had offered the day to the Lord, so I recommitted to use what I still had in me and finish the race.  I also remembered what Dr Horton says about things not always getting worse.

So I was running the flats and downhills, hiking the uphills.  I had surrendered any idea of a PR or finishing ahead of my bib number.  I also considered pulling out of the other LUS races I had already signed up for.  All but a few of the runners I saw were passing me.  Sometimes I would count my steps walking no more than 100 at a time.

For part of the section leading to the halfway aid station on this lap I was running beside/with a lady who has a long list of ultra finishes and we chatted some about races we had done.  Eventually she stopped for a potty break and I was alone again.  (She would pass me back and finish ahead of me.)  But chatting had taken my mind off my troubles for a while.  As I approached the aid station I tried to do the math for how long the last 8 miles might take.  It was about 4 hours into the race.  I made some errors there and somehow thought I had gotten that far in 2 hours on the first lap.  And since I was moving slower, even a 6 hour finish would be impossible.  I asked about tylenol at the aid station, but they had nothing like that.  My stomach was feeling bloated and 'off', meaning I didn't feel like eating.  All I took there was get a water refill.

Soon I was at the stream crossing and took my time going through, hoping the cold water would help my sore ankle.  In the prior year I had thought the next section was easier running, but it didn't seem so this time.  After a while I rechecked my math and realized I had gotten it wrong, deciding to recalc with 4 miles to go at the upcoming aid station.  As I approached the final aid station, I took that last of my homemade energy gel.  I looked for and drank some ginger ale at the aid station, hoping it would help my stomach.  I asked for tylenol, they had ibuprofin and I reluctantly took 2 of those. Soon after leaving the aid station I took a powerbar gel.

And things began to improve.  I was able to run easier and was willing to even run most of the uphills.  Maybe I had finally caught up on calories, maybe it was the good news of only 4 miles remaining.  Or God with me was pushing away the discouragement.  Or ginger ale or ibuprofin...  I caught and  passed a runner, then another.  With about 2 miles to go I was recovered.  Still more runners appeared ahead of me and soon were behind me.  And then the 1 mile to go mark.  According to my watch and calculations I had 20 minutes to cover the last mile, including the downhill half mile on the road.  I felt like a chance to PR had been given back to me.

And then I came out onto the road and gradually picked up the pace.  My shoes made a lot of noise on the road.  My feet seemed to be slapping the pavement due to my shin splits.  I passed probably 5 more runners before the finish line, nearly sprinting at the end.  No one seemed to mind or resist being passed.  The clock ticked to 5:49:59 as I crossed the line and was greeted by Dr Horton.

Lessons:
Starting too fast is bad and if it feels too fast in the first fourth of a race, slow down.
Thinking about keeping up with nutrition should be accompanied by doing it.  I didn't take enough calories.
Running well is largely mental.  Even when not feeling good I should act like it - smile, encourage others, etc.  Find things to be glad for even when it is tougher than expected.
Be patient with pacing, with how things are going.  It doesn't always keep getting worse.

Snow Angels

It seems most of my training runs lately are by myself, so I need to find a way to make it interesting and fun.  Winter weather sometimes means snow and nothing seems more fun than playing in the snow.  So while I like the bragging rights to say that I ran in the snow, making snow angels is more fun.

On two of my recent morning runs - under the cover of darkness I have gone to friends' homes and made snow angels in new snow.

random internet snow angel

The first time, almost 2 weeks ago I made a snow angel visit to a family from church and then followed up with one at our church.  Just as I got into position in the friends' driveway, the garage door across the street started to open!  I made my mark quickly and headed down the street before anyone was visible in the garage.  Soon after that a vehicle came down the street behind me and I had to wonder how much snow was visible on me from behind.  That morning was fun for me and talking about it later with them it seemed they liked the surprise of finding a snow angel in their driveway.

Yesterday morning's new snow provided another opportunity and I had a bigger plan.  I had about 90 minutes available for running and planned to tag the driveways of as many runner friends as possible.  I made a trial angel in our own driveway (and swept out a heart shape on our deck for my own angel) before heading off on my angel run.  Denise's house showed lights on when I got to her driveway and went to work.  I even tried to make a halo on her angel.  Then I mostly retraced the half mile between our houses and went to visit Troy and Jennine.  Lights were on there too and while I was flapping my wings on the ground a car pulled out from across the street and the headlights swept across me as I got up and resumed running.

It was about two miles to Amy and Mike's house which was dark as I tried for a good angel mark with a halo.  I turn my headlamp off as I approach the target home and then back on once I am running again.  From there I tried to picture the map so I could take the shortest route to Ralph and Heidi's house, maybe 2 or 3 miles away.  I decided on a route that went past a house where Rose and I lived for about 20 years and then up a street that is sometimes our 'hill workout' street.  This street is also where some church friends live, so I ran to their house first.  The snow in front was already cleared and I saw the kitchen light on as I went through the alley toward their garage.  I picked a place there that was not cleared and made an angel where both Bob and Marjorie should see it. 

A few minutes later I was approaching Ralph and Heidi's home and passed someone outside clearing off a vehicle in the prior block.  Lights were on as I marked the driveway behind Heidi's van and as I tried to sneak away it seemed there was movement inside the front door.  That was the end of my snow angel plan.  I would follow the rails-to-trails path through downtown and go by the YMCA on my way home.



Heidi posted this pic

As I approached the railtrail next to the creek I saw 2 people approaching so I rounded off my approach to give them more room.  This was a little past 6:30 am and only halfway light outside.  As I reached the path one of the men called out and asked if I had a cell phone.  He was smaller than me but the other man was bigger with a long dark coat.  Both looked to be dressed to be outside in the weather.  My first impression was they might be homeless and I was on guard against possible trouble.  I stopped about 20 feet away to ask what they needed.  "My truck won't start, I need to call someone to pick me up for a doctor appointment".  I kept my distance and said I would call for him.  I remembered a recent talk about personal safety and awareness so I looked around behind me in case of someone approaching, but the parking lot was empty.  It turns out I misunderstood the phone number and reached the wrong person on the first call.  I got the number right on the second try and the person I spoke to agreed to the request to pick up the man whose truck wouldn't start.  The man with vehicle trouble thanked me, We exchanged names and I headed on my way.

The remaining ten minutes or so until I got home went quickly as I reviewed my pre-dawn adventure and thought about what my workday would hold.

All that remained of our snow angel at noon - after being run over twice.