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HI Sports Fans!
Saturday I ran my first really long trail race. I have run a couple of 10K trail runs in the past. I started running when I met Linda a little over a year ago. Two years ago I couldn't run a mile without giving out. Saturday I ran 34 miles in 8 hours and 13 minutes. This run crosses the Blue Ridge mountains twice for a total of 16,000 feet in elevation change. I was nearly totally exhausted when I reached the finish line. I made the mistake of laying down in my tent with some ice packs. I think every muscle in my legs proceeded to cramp up, charley horse and generally really hurt! Linda kept sayiing "You have to get up and walk around" but every time I tried to get up the pain was too great and I collapsed in agony. Great Fun huh! When I finaly did get up and walk around I did feel much better. Besides I had to walk back to the Finish line and recieve my reward of a pair of running shorts. Everyone who completed the race in under the Ten Hour limit recieved a nice pair of Patagonia ultra shorts. A nice return on the $60.00 entry fee for this race. :-) Friday the night before the race we set up camp at the Promise Land Youth Camp, a grassy field and a sheltered picnic area about 16 miles from Bedford, VA. Dinner was A couple of slices of pizza and some four cheese tortillini with Prego ultra mushroom sauce. It helped to settle my pre race jittery stomache. I slept fairly well going to bed at dark as is usual for me. The field now looked like trail days with a couple hundered tents set up. The beer drinking did end very early though and no stench of tobacco smoke in the air :-) UP at 4:00 am which is my usual riseing time to arive at work by 5:00. Trying to choke down some pizza and a muffin with coffee and orange juice at 4:00 is like eating dirt when you have pre-race jitters. I have a problem with keeping my sugar level up anyway because of my high metabolism. I packed 14 gels for the race. I only used half of them. I was not sure what would be available at the 8 aid stations that I would pass in route. Also I had good advice to not try anything new on race day. I did find that I enjoyed a couple of cups full of Moutain Dew and a slice of orange at most aid stations. I also carried my 20 oz water bottle which I refilled at each aid station. I had already scoped out creeks along the way that I could drink from if I ran short of water. 5:30 am The Race Begins. 267 entrants start up the winding road that leads 3 miles to the first aid station. With all the flashlights and headlights the crowd looks like a large Glow Worm making its way up the mountain. The road gets steeper by the mile. I am very thankfull for the 50* temperature and steady breeze. The elite runners are screaming up the mountain. The mass of us are power walking up the road. This is where I find that my thousands of miles of backpacking paid off. I was able to pass many faster runners on the steep uphills. Of course later on they passed me on the down hills. This went on all day. At the first aid station I left my headlight and longsleeved silk weight Patigonia top. Now just in shorts and t-shirt. I kept my silk weight balaclava looped over my horizontal water bottle carrier, just incase I need a little extra warmth later on. After the first aid station the route turned on to some single track trail for a few miles but still going uphill I was able to pass a couple of runners. Finally we reached the wide grassy horse trail with mostly gentle hills. In this 6 miles to Aid Station #2 many passed me on the level and down hills and I in turned passed some of them on the up hills. At Reed Creek the aid station was out of water. But there is a good creek right there, although many were afraid to drink from it. It is only 3 miles to the next Aid Station at Sunset Field on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Only three miles to Sunset Field but a pretty good climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We crossed at the old Bedford Air Force Base and ran the gravel road to Sunset Field parking area. One of the crew refilled my water bottle for me while I down two cups of mountain dew. The run down The Apple Orchard Trail requires lots of attention to the treadway. This is a steep rock path with lots of chances to trip or roll and ankle. A face plant or head concussion could never be good. We crossed the Appalachian Trail and continued down taking a left on the Cornilius Creek/ Apple Orchard Falls Loop Trail. A crew member was there to make sure every one headed off in the right direction. Hours later we would be coming back up from the Falls trail ahead of us, but now we went to the left. This is a hilly grassy road that eventually descends beside Cornilious Creek. Aid station #4 is at the end of North Creek Road where Cornilious and Apple orchard creeks meet. After running a big loop we would return to this Aid staion via the Apple Orchard trail and then head up the very steep Apple Orchard Trail. Some of the elite runners are already coming in to this station for the second time. They are hours ahead of me. Seems to me its 4 hours into the race. For now its a long run down a gravel road and eventually some running on pavement. Next we turn off onto the White Tail trail a single track trail that eventually dumps us onto Colon Hollow road and aid station #5. Proceeding up the gated fire road from there we finally come to the gravel road which leads down to North Creek road. We take a left and uphill of course for about a half mile then turn right onto another gated road. There are several marshy creek areas to cross and I take extra care to keep my feet dry. Maybe I strained something jumping one of these creeks. My right knee started to get stiff. I finally reached Aid station #6 which was actually the same as #4 we just approaced it from a different direction. This is the 23.9 mile mark and eight hour cutoff. If you are not here in eight hours you are out of the race. I made it in six hours and was greatly relieved. Now I felt like I could walk the rest of the way and still finish in the Ten hour time limit. Heading up the Apple Orchard trail I felt like I may very well have to walk the rest of the way. My right knee was so stiff I had to hobble along. To add to that injury my left quad was cramping up into a knot. After 1/4 mile or so my legs loosened up and I continued up the ever more verticle trail towards the Falls. Amazingly I was able to pass a few runners that had blew past me earlyer. The water falls where very beautifull but I did not pause to enjoy them. I knew that my knee would hurt again if I stopped and besides there are about 150 steep steps in front of me to negoitiate. This reminds me of mount Moosilaki and all the steps I climbed last year. Again I passed a couple of more folks going up these steps. With great relief I reached the intersection (where we turned left before) and a sign that says .3 miles to the Parkway and aid station # 7 which was aid staion #3. I was really feeling exhausted and would be so happy to reach the Parkway again. It is mostly down hill to the finish from there. Upon reaching Sunset field a crew member refilled my water bottle. They were out of soda or anything else I wanted so I turned and there was Linda. Linda had dropped out at the 20 mile mark. She injured her ankle a week ago and was icing it the night before the race. It is tough to do the right thing sometimes. She could have probably finished but how much more damage would she do to her foot. Better to stop and run again another day. She had nothing to prove having done this race two years ago. I could barely walk as I crossed the Parkway and entered the mostly down hill section towards completion.I on the other hand was determined to crawl if I had to. LOL I hobbled along and finally my legs loosed up to the point that I could jog along some. Any attempt to speed up resulted into very painfull disableing cramps in my quads and inner thigh muscels. Lots of folks passed me and inqured if I was ok. Some offered to give me a gel if I though it would help. By the time I reached the final aid station (which was #1) I was able to move along about 4 miles per hour when the trail was smooth. Now starts the most agonizing part, 3 miles down a steep rocky gravel road. Any attempt at speed caused a complete stop and lock up of my legs and associated verbal outcry. I just had to ease along. When the finish line was in sight I was able to bound along at a good clip and so ended the most wonderful experience I have every had in just over eight hours. It is probably the hardest thing I have ever done. The joy of finishing I could compare to finishing the AT the first time. And so begins the recovery mode. Pacing around the camp, eating a hamburger and some baked beans. I am glad Linda was there to drive me home. Lots of eating, resting, hot baths, stretching, yoga, tv hehe. Things to do next time. Train more, actually run the time, distance and race a few times in training. Stay in the motel 16 miles away, before and after the race. Add more sports lube to more places that might rub rash and gauld. http://chase.bimjournals.com interactive map I like the topo http://www.bimactive.com/ba/ui/route_detail.php?f_routeID=7693&m1=route&m2=findroute Even though I can hardly walk across the room. Life if Great!
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