I had not run this race before as I thought it a bit far to drive for a 50k. Well, I was right -- the toughest time was not the 7 hours completing the race, but the 7 hour drive to Youngstown, then the 7 hour drive back! Seemed like everyone on the road Friday afternoon was in a big hurry to get home or someplace for the weekend. With EVERY Interstate under construction this time of year and unfamiliar roads, it made for some hectic driving at times!
Really though, I enjoyed the event & I'm glad now that I made the trip. Mill Creek Park is a real gem located in what seemed the very middle of Youngstown. Drive just one block out of the urban sprawl and you drop down into a valley and into a different world!
I was pretty tired after the trip, but fortunately got a good night's sleep at a new motel which was nice. In the morning, I arrived about an hour early at the start to sign in & to drive a drop bag over to the covered bridge aid station in the middle of the course that I would visit several times during the race. At sign-in at the log cabin, I ran into Bob Engel from Cincinnati. Bob has run in several races that I have, including Germantown just a few weeks ago. He was doing the early start at 7 am -- I believe just to be done early . . . which I wish I would have done as it was cooler and I wouldn't get caught up in the early pace as I did.
I arrived at the covered bridge aid station about 7:15 am. There was no one there yet, so I left my bag & I was glad to see it was still there when I arrived the 1st time.
Returning to the start, I ran into the only person, other than Bob, that I "knew" at the race: Mike Keller, who also had his daughter along. Actually I only knew Mike from reading his blog & entering his ONE . . . . MORE . . . . MILE and TEN . . . . . MORE . . . . . MILES challenges. Mike had entered the 25k & I had thought that would be the last time I saw him at the start . . . but at about the 21 mile mark, I made a wrong turn after following 2 runners blindly & I ended up on a road . . . and Mike just happened to be driving by just at that instant & got us straightened out!
Very nice & cool start next to the lake:
The course consisted of 2 loops, 7.75 mi & 4 mi, done multiple times but not one right after the other: 1/2 of the large loop (the hilliest portion of the course) was done first, then 2 laps of the smaller (fairly flat) loop, & finally 2 1/2 laps on the large loop again. Feeling pretty good at the start with the cool temps, I got caught up in the pace & ran up a few hills I shouldn't have the 1st few miles. With all the rocks & roots, I was tripping & stumbling along -- I almost fell headlong but caught myself at the last moment and in doing so I twisted my back slightly. It may have been better to just fall into a roll & not cause the shiver up the spine with the twist, but that's hindsight. Fortunately, I was only doing 50k -- any longer & it would have been a factor in the race.
About 90% of the race was within sight of the 3 lakes or the creek as the course wound it's way along the banks in this valley -- a pretty scenic course! Lots & lots of steps too -- steel, wood, stone & natural rock steps and one long boardwalk. The course also passed the 3 dams for the lakes, this is one of them:
After the initial 4 miles, I settled back down into an even pace & stumbled only once or twice afterwards. Then the 2 laps of the small loop were fairly easy & the only problem I had thru here was an unscheduled pit stop (& it wouldn't be the last). I was experimenting this race by trying a liquid (Ensure) diet the day before & it seemed to have the opposite effect I had hoped for.
The covered bridge aid station was also next to Lanterman's Mill & Falls. The volunteers here got to know the runners personally as the 50k runners passed thru here 5 times. They were a very friendly bunch!
I did get off course a couple times. For the most part, the trail was marked very well with streamers & lime dust. Only one 90 degree turn did not have any flagging & I heard from many runners, including veterans, who missed that turn. But with the course following a narrow strip of woods around 3 lakes in the middle of a city, it wasn't long at all before you realized you were off course!
At the halfway point, my time was about 3:13. I knew then breaking 6:30 would not be possible, so I shot for 7 hours & I was able to make that goal.
Next up in less than 3 weeks is the Oil Creek 100 in Titusville, PA. Time to rest up! It's going to be a long drive (9 hours?) & mostly over the same route up thru Ohio as this race. Did I learn something by going to Youngstown? Well IF at anyway possible, I'm going to leave on Thursday (& skip that madhouse Friday traffic) & get a day's rest in after the long drive too!
I don't know why I'm so susceptible to these, but a boil/cyst appeared overnight in a sensitive area (to say the least) & it has put all activities on hold. Hopefully the pain & pressure will subside & it will come to a head soon. As for lancing a boil, I'm too chicken to do it myself! For some reason & for the first time, the Dr. put me on antibiotics & I have a return visit scheduled already. Walking is difficult, so running is out of the question for the near future. YUTC is looking doubtful at the moment.
In training for the upcoming Oil Creek 100 in October, I wanted to get in a good hill run & this IMTR 50 miler in Damascus, VA advertised to have about the same rate of elevation change per mile. I had only one previous race in the Appalachians, Grindstone 100 last year, and I wanted to get more experience with the same terrain. The ascents & descents at both these races go on for mile after mile at a time, but the hills in this race were not near as steep as those at Grindstone. I love new trails & this race fit my schedule just right too.
My biggest concerns coming into this event were the cutoff times & the heat. All week I watched the temps & humidity go up each day. I really hated to waste such unseasonably cool & comfortable summer weather in a taper! Fortunately, it remained dry all week & saved one more cool morning for the race start. The first 5 miles of the course was next to a creek and provided the soothing sound of rushing water -- very scenic thru here! The VA Creeper Trail:
The Creeper Trail portion was an old railway bed with at most a 1% uphill grade for the 5 miles to the 1st aid station. My plans were to take it easy & not get caught up in the pace on this flat section and shoot for no faster than 11 minutes a mile. Checking my GPS after the 1st 2 miles I saw I was running at less than 10 minutes per mile. At this point I was pretty disappointed in my lack of pace discipline even though I was almost at the very back of the pack! Looking back now, I don't feel that "quick" early pace was ultimately a negative factor -- really though, it probably gave me the slack time I had to have for the early cutoffs. Overall, I needed to average 14:24/mi to be an official finisher. As for being at the back, that's where I belonged as for the next 45 miles I didn't pass any 50 milers, other than one gal who I played leap frog with (& lost)!
Part of the course was on the old AT.
After the 1st 5 easy miles, the course went up & up & up for the next 5! I passed a half dozen 16 & 30 milers thru here.
This is the start of the Beech Grove Trail up to the 2nd aid station:
After about a mile or so out of the 2nd aid station, the trail went up on top of a ridge that ran at about 3500 to 4000 in elevation. Quite a few ups & downs thru here & probably the most technical section of the course. It was slow going until the trail dropped down a hill to Skull's Gap. Picture of Skull's Gap on 2nd pass thru:
Leaving the aid station at Skull's Gap, the course went back uphill onto the ridge via a short section of gravel road. After running along the ridgeline for a while, the course then made a big drop (about 1500 feet in about 10 miles) down to Rowlands Creek. I don't care too much for running on gravel roads and there was a long section thru here that just seemed to go on forever! After running downhill for so long though, I was feeling pretty good at the bottom at the Rowlands Creek aid station at about the 29 mile mark.
It had taken about 6 hours up to here & pace wise, I was in good shape --- EXCEPT that the next 4 miles back up to the top of the ridge again was uphill every step of the way! My Garmin 405 was giving me a low battery signal at that time & I continued up 3 of the 4 miles up the hill to the Hurricane Gap aid station -- it took over an hour to walk those 3 miles! I shut the Garmin off then as I didn't want to lose the data up to that time & I had never run the watch over 7 hours before.
The first mile or 2 up this 4 mile hill also went thru a gorge area that was full of large & very tall trees. There were several cascading waterfalls -- the highlight of the course to me. The only thing that detracted from the wonderful sights was that this was a very popular trail for horse riders. The trail was showing alot of wear & tear in areas. It was the first time I noticed any biting insects. There were several deep mudpits, a big change from the mostly rocky course, but since it had not rained for some time, there were still ways to bypass the mud. My feet never got wet this day -- with careful stepping across the streams.
By the time I reached the top of the ridge again, it was late afternoon & I got HOT. I really began to slow down & since it was taking longer to reach each aid station I was running out of drink before each refill. Fortunately, hydration was never a real problem as I learned a little from my last race. From the top of this ridge & thru the gaps in the trees, I could see hazy, "bluish" Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance -- neat!
One thing which put me on edge a couple times during this day was the course marking. With such a small 50 miler field (16 starters), once the 30 milers broke off, it was pretty sparse out there -- I did not see another runner for 4 hours! I was relying on the written course description as the website didn't have a course map posted and I was also relying heavily on the ribbons along the trails. There was always extra flagging at the turns, no problems there, and what I call "confidence" or intermediate ribbons were placed 1/4 mile (up to 1/2 mile?) or so apart -- that's where I had a little trouble as I wasn't used to that. I would be going along & suddenly think . . . it's been some time since I noticed a ribbon, am I still on course? Keeping an eye on the tricky footing while trying not to miss a single flag took a determined effort. So, when I got that "lost" feeling, I would then start looking in earnest for the next flag. Sometimes 5 minutes would pass, or 10 minutes with a little panic setting in. . . & think: I must've been daydreaming & missed a turnoff! Then I would see a most comforting flag! Whew!!!!
At the last aid station, I figured I had over 2 hours to run the last 7 miles to be an official finisher. Since most of the course was on a big downhill from here, my concern switched from finish time to remaining upright! I stumbled several times thru the day, but never fell -- if I do fall on any trail, it's almost always on a downhill. So I took care those last few miles, especially where the trail resembled a dried up or washed out creek bed. Back in Damascus, I made it under the 12 hour cutoff & was next-to-last of the 11 official finishers.
Overall, I'm happy with having reached my goal & glad to have made the trip & the effort -- it was very enjoyable! Maybe I've seen the last 80+ degree race weather this year too!
Next up is the Youngstown Ultra Trail - Classic (YUTC) 50k in Ohio. Last year at this time, I chose the 60k Hocking Hills Indian Run over YUTC mostly because the drive was 2 hours shorter. A big difference in these races is that the 60k race at Hocking Hills is an add-on to the primary races, the 5k, 10k & the 20k. Everything there was geared more to the shorter races, although I expected & prepared for that going in. Looking forward to Youngstown this year!
After a 3 hour drive, I arrived in Germantown under cloudy skies and cool temps . . . 62 degrees and low humidity! I figured this would be my only chance to run this race without the normal heat & humidity this time of year. There was a good turnout, about twice as many runners as when I ran this race in the Fall of 2006 & 2007.
At the start, I heard 2 runners say "I'm freezing!" and some people were wearing jackets! Of course, I loved the temps (for August) and did not wear a shirt. Feeling so cool, I did not drink much thru the 1st 15 miles (shouldn't I know better by now?) and I would pay for this oversight later. The light breeze was keeping me mostly dry & I didn't realize I was sweating as much as I was. The sun did come out briefly a few times -- it was intense! I could tell by just those few minutes that I could not have finished this race if it was sunny, even with cool temps. There were many areas on this course that were exposed: paved roads & bike paths and what I call "XC type" trails (mowed paths thru overgrown fields). There were several hills of the 75 to 150 foot variety on this course, but for the most part, this was a flat course in comparison to other trail 50k's. The previous multi-lap course years back was hillier, but this race provided a much wider variety of scenery & trail surfaces which was nice.
I was running at an average of 11 minutes per mile (fast for me) for the 1st half, yet figured I was still in the back third of the pack as that's where I started & I wasn't passing very many runners. If someone wanted to set a PR for a trail 50k, this would be a good race to make that attempt -- as long as the weather cooperated like this day!
At about the 20 mile mark I began to get real thirsty -- this was not a good sign as that usually means I'm running a deficit of at least 60 oz. I also should have known there was a problem as I never really had to pee. Rather than try to quench my thirst all at one time & cause sloshing & side pains, I decided to drink what I normally should take in plus only a little extra amount. Getting very thirsty not long after finishing off my water bottle after each aid station did dampen some of the fun this day, but it did serve as a good kick in the pants (to remember next time)! I did end up drinking a half gallon right after the finish & more on the drive home before my bladder would respond! Which reminds me, Wes Fenton, RD & most of the time a fellow participating ultrarunner, had fresh pizza delivered at staggered times for the finishers -- very nice! However, I was bloated and nothing would have been appetizing to me . . .
Other than the hydration problem, I had one other thing happen that I brought onto myself which very easily could have been prevented: On the day before the race, I read Jeffro's race report of last year and it gave me insight to the event & the course. I read about his missed turn at the dam -- and I went right out & did the same thing on race day!! This turn is at the last aid station at about 26 miles that's located on the left side (inbound) of the spillway near the top of the dam. Leaving the aid station I continued on the wide spillway that banked into a curve off to the left & down to the base of the dam. The actual course dropped off the top RIGHT side of the spillway. Very easy to miss since the aid station was on the far left side in the 1st place & quenching my thirst was foremost on my mind! I immediately realized my mistake when I came to a trail junction & there were no markings. I had a good laugh as I walked back up the dam hill!
I'm beginning to look for another "toy" as my Garmin 405 has some shortfalls & it's not giving me everything I'd like to have during a race -- on non-race days it's been OK. The rechargeable battery life is advertised to be 8 hours. At 6 hours (or less), a low battery message comes up & obliterates most of the screen & on this past race day, it rendered the timer & reset buttons useless. Only after unlocking the bezel could I get the watch to stop. I don't like to unlock the bezel once a race has started as it's very sensitive to the touch (by anything!) and can change the modes to where it's difficult to get back to the timer screen. Since my finger coordination is not very good once I get tired, it's best (for me) not to try to change modes or make any adjustments to the watch using the bezel. Also, one time I did not lock the bezel and my sweaty arm shorted it out and the screens on the watch just went beserk. Next up is the Iron Mountain Trail Run. This course was initially designed & race directed by Eric Grossman, who moved to VA from KY after he had designed & directed the 1st 2 Louisville's Lovin' the Hills. Although Germantown was not the best hill training course, it did give me a confidence boost in hopes of finishing 50 miles in Damascus, VA, within the 12 hour time limit.
I can't complain about the hot weather, like I usually do every summer. I'd say it's been the "coolest" (& wetest) summer that I can remember here in Louisville. With global warming upon us, I didn't think it would be possible! However, even with the mild summer, my mid summer plan of "short" races was "short-lived". I did get in a few speed works & a few more early morning trail runs than usual, but there always seemed to be other priorities to pop up when that planned short race came up each week. In fact, I ran only one of those 5k's since the Yost 10k July 11 and the 5k I was going to run in just yesterday evening happened to be the first one too hot to attempt (90 degree heat index). On a positive note, I was able to volunteer 51 hours as a Trail Ranger in July in the Jefferson Memorial Forest.
Looking ahead to the Iron Mountain Trail Run on Labor Day weekend, I get the feeling it's going to be a huge step up from my "summer vacation" --- right into a hilly 50 mile race right off the bat, plus I've never run such a long race in early September because of the lack of summer training. So I'm desperately in need of getting a long, good quality tempo run in this weekend . . . Lo & behold, the forecast for this weekend is for much cooler weather!! AND, just last night I remembered the Germantown 50k was this Saturday -- a race which I completely wrote off when they moved the race date up from October last year. Sooooo ...... why not use the race as a tuneup for IMTR 50M? I've decided to send in my entry today & am hoping the forecast holds true. Not sure what to expect as the course has been completely changed from the multi-lap course I ran 2 and 3 years ago in the Fall.
My recovery from the leg injury at Mohican took longer than expected & taxed my patience! I missed out on some unseasonably cool weather -- just my luck! Finally getting back into training on the trails after the cool spell though, it seemed I kept that same very slow pace of my last few races. So I went to the track to do some intervals. I wasn't surprised -- I was shocked at how slow I was! I had been neglecting speed works for too long & it showed in my race performances the last few months. So I've got a plan for this hot summer: no BR100 and shorter trail runs with regular track workouts (or 5k - 10k's). And it so happened that Jim Ball with The Trail Store had a 10k trail race set up for Saturday. I had not run a trail race this short before, so it sounded like a good challenge & a quick start to my plan:
Yost 10k
I arrived at the start (less than 5 minutes from the house!) at about 7:40 a.m. It was warmer than forecast (naturally) and very humid. The course consisted of the Yost (Yellow) loop of the Jefferson Memorial Forest plus a short piece on the road added at the start to space out the runners. This is the same loop as the trail portion of the 2nd section of the Louisville's Lovin' the Hills (LLTH) 50K/15M that's in February, but this race is run clockwise around the loop instead. I guess the direction was changed to keep the race from starting with the biggest hill on the course. Running in this direction, the last half mile to the finish is downhill & it sure was nice to look forward to!
At the starting line, after a show of hands, it appeared about 20% had not run a trail race before. I started midpack among the 50 or so runners who toed the line. Apparently that's where I belonged as only 3 runners passed me that I wouldn't pass back the entire race and I passed very few. The course was very familiar, yet so different running in this direction for the 1st time. I had run this loop many a time in the other direction training for & running the LLTH 50k each year. During LLTH, I run (jog) up most of the hills this loop, but not during this 10k race -- of course temps were about 30 to 60 degrees warmer than at any LLTH & I was certainly not in the same shape! My legs were up to the task this race, my breathing was not as I was gasping to catch my breath. Which only confirmed this is where I need to do more training!!
I finally took the time to upload my GPS data to BIMactive.com (Bones In Motion website). It was recommended as a site to obtain a more accurate representation of the elevation data obtained from Garmin's GPS watches. After looking at the graph, I totally agree! The graph looks very much like what I remember the course to be -- absolutely nothing like the graph I get directly from the watch. Plus the watch says 2437' of elevation gain . . . the bimactive.com graph shows 1627' which I believe is much more representative. One thing, however, which is not changed when uploading to the bimactive.com site is the distance measurement. It uses the watch measurements -- which I found my Garmin 405 to be inaccurate on hilly, forested courses. I wheeled the Yost loop last winter & it measured 5.85 miles. With the added road segment at the start, this race should be close to 6.00 miles, not the 5.56 miles shown by the watch (& on bimactive.com).
Short version: DNF @ 75 miles (0 for 2 for this event)
Very long version:
Although the forecast changed daily the week of the Mohican 100, it appeared it would not be so hot as to keep me from my second attempt at finishing the race, so I packed my bags with much anticipation. However, there were a couple events during this week that gave me bad vibes -- which I really hate coming into a big race:
1st bad vibe: was a last second message from the RD stating that ZipLoc bags would have to be used as your drop bags!!!!! I look forward to packing my small "cooler" drop bags with what I think I need to finish the race -- I have no crew & I rely on them very heavily. I had noted earlier that since last year the RD had cut the number of aid stations where you could have drop bags, so I was prepared for that -- not for this last second bag change. I also wanted to bring a couple more pairs of shoes this year since I had problems with the wet feet & blisters last year.
However, after the outcry from runners after his initial announcement, the RD had a change of heart -- now saying it was actually a "request" and not a "requirement"!! So I packed my usual bags as lightly as possible knowing one of the reasons the ZipLoc bags were requested was that they were not as heavy for the volunteers to move around. I did NOT pack that extra pair of shoes in the drop bag at the Covered Bridge (CB) aid station as I had originally planned -- this may have indirectly caused my DNF, but I'll never know for sure & I'll just have to live with it -- Grrrrrr . . . . .
2nd bad vibe: a severe thunderstorm rumbled thru Louisville Thursday, knocking out my electric. One of the pitfalls of living in a heavily forested area is that all the trees love to fall on the powerlines with ANY kind of storm. I had power knocked out just before a couple other races in the last 9 months & they were both a (bad) sign of things to come race wise. So with the power out, my pre-race routine was totally disrupted again (my meal & sleep plans especially). I really dislike to leave on a trip not knowing when power would be restored to the house either.
I arrived in Loudonville, OH, Friday afternoon. It was only 80 degrees at the time, but the dew point had to be in the 70's as it was difficult to breathe! I thought if the race had conditions like this, I might as well turn around! Fortunately, a rain storm (hail & all) came thru and cleared the air somewhat later in the evening. Although the rain would make for a muddy course, I was better prepared for that than heat & high humidity. At packet pickup, I ran into a few familiar faces: Brad C., Ellen E., Dave C., Al E., Rosie E., Kyle F. & Kenneth S. are ones that I can remember. Always great to catch up with how everyone's doing!
Race day:
5 a.m. race morning was damp & misty with temps in the 70's. As pre-race instructions were being given out, I began to prep my Garmin 405. For some reason, maybe the humidity and/or low elevation, but the GPS watch could not get a fix on enough satellites to work! The watch finally was able to pick up satellites after leaving the Mohican River Valley. The battery started to go dead though after about 5 1/2 hours, right on schedule.
The humidity was up, but once we reached the top of the 1st big hill from the start, there was a breeze which lasted all day. That was a savior as much as I sweat -- my shorts remained soaked the entire day anyway. I had a hydration problem last year & I came prepared with an extra water bottle this time & it worked out just right.
Time at the RP aid station at 10 miles was about 2:06, a little slower than last year, but I was happy as I felt OK. I saw Roy Heger in front of me -- maybe I'm going out too fast? Roy would end up finishing in 24 hrs & change. As I continued behind him, everything was fine & dandy till halfway to the next aid station. My legs started to feel like they were full of lactic acid. The back of my right leg was hurting too. What in the world is going on I thought? If I felt this way now, there would be no way I could even finish 20 miles, let alone 100. I started to walk continuously as I tried to figure out what I did & hopefully get my legs back. Maybe I was having a reaction to the insect patches I put on -- 1st time I have ever used them (they didn't work). I did think I strained a muscle in my right leg from trying to jump over the 1st stream to keep my feet from getting wet (because I didn't have that extra change of shoes waiting!!) I did regain some of my legs back by the Fire Tower aid station, but my right leg continued to hurt. I could just tolerate the pain, so I decided to continue with the race but at a much reduced pace.
After a quick stop for a drink refill only at the CB aid station at 18.6 miles, I headed out on the 4 mile Purple Loop. A change from last year was this segment was done before the Orange Loop -- meaning the road section on this loop, mostly a big hill, would be done in the morning shadows instead of the afternoon sun -- that would be an improvement. With the heavy rainstorm the evening before however, these trails that were marked with lime dust were no longer marked!!! Also, the runners I was with had not run the course before (I had, but apparently didn't pay enough attention to the numerous trail junctions and turn offs). We found some lime "after" the 1st trail junction in question, but the second unmarked junction that came to a T really threw us. 2 of us went one way & 2 the other and we were to shout back if we saw a marker or some other convincing evidence. Everyone returned to the junction with no success & now there were 8, then 10, then 12 runners all stacked up wondering what to do!! There seemed to be a few more foot prints to the left so most decided to go that way -- some went to the right. I went left because the Purple Loop went counterclockwise & if you continued to make nothing but left (CC) turns, you would eventually hit the trail you came in on at the least . . . . or go in a circle if you didn't watch it! Well, anyway, there were several more unmarked trail junctions encountered as our group wandered thru the forest. Eventually we ran into familiar territory -- yeah -- got my cold "shower" at Lyons Falls afterall. Somewhere in that maze, we ran into Lucas Hardbarger -- one of the runners who helped me last year -- he said he had done the Purple Loop twice!
Back at the CB aid station, I drank 20 oz and carried 40 oz for the next 5 mile leg -- I would do this for the next 3 aid stations as it was in the heat of the day & I needed every bit of it! As I was starting the Orange trail, I ran into 2 lost runners who apparently went "right" instead of "left" at the dam on the Purple loop & had been completely off course for the last 2 miles and ended up on the wrong side of the river!
From the CB aid station I continued my shuffle at a 16 to 20 minute pace. That's pretty much what I had on my mind for the next 40 miles -- I only had to average 18-20 minute miles to finish within the 30 hour time limit.
I tried to enjoy the run as much as possible, taking in what I could -- noting the wildlife & scenery. I always love to see deer, as long as they didn't jump out & scare me! Running wise, it was pretty much uneventful from here on till the end -- most of the remaining trails I knew from last year -- the only things different were that it was muddy on a few trails & the horse/deer flies were much worse than last year. Since I ran without a shirt and moving so slow, I was an easy target -- other runners who passed me said they didn't notice ANY flies!!!! The bike trails were nice, the horse trails -- not so nice. The aid stations came up periodically -- I motored on . . . 40 . . . 50 . . . 60 miles, very slow but steady. It became dark at the Fire Tower aid station & I picked up 2 lights. At the HR aid station at 68.8 miles, I was still almost an hour ahead of the cutoff pace (18 minute miles). I had over 10 hours to do the last 50k -- I really felt I was going to finish!! This 6.7 mile segment of the Orange Trail coming up next to the GM aid station is where my back gave way last year -- @ 73 miles, 2 miles short of the aid station. I don't know what it is about this segment (I think it's mostly downhill thru here), but my legs started to give out & my right leg pain was beginning to be intolerable near the 73 mile mark!! I went to the continuous walk mode again. By the time I got to the Grist Mill aid station at 75 miles, my legs had not improved & my right one was hurting as much as when I walked as when I ran. So I sat down at the aid station -- I knew it was a mistake, but at that point I was beginning not to care. I only had 25 miles to go, the last 10 of those on gravel/paved (but hilly) roads. The longer I sat, the more I felt I could not mentally tough it out the remaining hours nor risk more chances that my body/legs could completely shut down. And I knew from experience, on the trail alone in the middle of the night was not the place to be in that condition -- so the decision was to DNF.
I didn't realize it till I after I decided to DNF, but I felt the back of my right leg & there was a knot there about half the size of my fist (just above the knee on the back of my leg)! Some ice got most of the swelling down, but it's still red & a little painful after 3 days. I've strained leg muscles before, but never ran 60+ miles afterward!
I'm very disappointed with my race of course, but mostly puzzled at how tired my legs felt after only 12 or 13 miles -- I had not gone out too fast as I've done training runs farther & faster than that. So my running plans for this summer are on hold, if not canceled at this point.
I was pretty tired after the trip, but fortunately got a good night's sleep at a new motel which was nice. In the morning, I arrived about an hour early at the start to sign in & to drive a drop bag over to the covered bridge aid station in the middle of the course that I would visit several times during the race. At sign-in at the log cabin, I ran into Bob Engel from Cincinnati. Bob has run in several races that I have, including Germantown just a few weeks ago. He was doing the early start at 7 am -- I believe just to be done early . . . which I wish I would have done as it was cooler and I wouldn't get caught up in the early pace as I did.
I arrived at the covered bridge aid station about 7:15 am. There was no one there yet, so I left my bag & I was glad to see it was still there when I arrived the 1st time.
Returning to the start, I ran into the only person, other than Bob, that I "knew" at the race: Mike Keller, who also had his daughter along. Actually I only knew Mike from reading his blog & entering his ONE . . . . MORE . . . . MILE and TEN . . . . . MORE . . . . . MILES challenges. Mike had entered the 25k & I had thought that would be the last time I saw him at the start . . . but at about the 21 mile mark, I made a wrong turn after following 2 runners blindly & I ended up on a road . . . and Mike just happened to be driving by just at that instant & got us straightened out!
The course consisted of 2 loops, 7.75 mi & 4 mi, done multiple times but not one right after the other: 1/2 of the large loop (the hilliest portion of the course) was done first, then 2 laps of the smaller (fairly flat) loop, & finally 2 1/2 laps on the large loop again. Feeling pretty good at the start with the cool temps, I got caught up in the pace & ran up a few hills I shouldn't have the 1st few miles. With all the rocks & roots, I was tripping & stumbling along -- I almost fell headlong but caught myself at the last moment and in doing so I twisted my back slightly. It may have been better to just fall into a roll & not cause the shiver up the spine with the twist, but that's hindsight. Fortunately, I was only doing 50k -- any longer & it would have been a factor in the race.
About 90% of the race was within sight of the 3 lakes or the creek as the course wound it's way along the banks in this valley -- a pretty scenic course! Lots & lots of steps too -- steel, wood, stone & natural rock steps and one long boardwalk. The course also passed the 3 dams for the lakes, this is one of them:
After the initial 4 miles, I settled back down into an even pace & stumbled only once or twice afterwards. Then the 2 laps of the small loop were fairly easy & the only problem I had thru here was an unscheduled pit stop (& it wouldn't be the last). I was experimenting this race by trying a liquid (Ensure) diet the day before & it seemed to have the opposite effect I had hoped for.
The covered bridge aid station was also next to Lanterman's Mill & Falls. The volunteers here got to know the runners personally as the 50k runners passed thru here 5 times. They were a very friendly bunch!
I did get off course a couple times. For the most part, the trail was marked very well with streamers & lime dust. Only one 90 degree turn did not have any flagging & I heard from many runners, including veterans, who missed that turn. But with the course following a narrow strip of woods around 3 lakes in the middle of a city, it wasn't long at all before you realized you were off course!
