Bel Monte 50 Mile 03/26/11

This race report could be filed under the heading, "What the hell was I thinking?"  This 50 mile race boasted over 11,000 feet of elevation change in the 50 mile and just over 7,000 feet for the 50K.  I thought this would be a good way to get some mountain miles in while not dealing with the altitude issues. I was certainly right about that.

Since I was complaining about my last race at Seneca Creek being a 'flat' course-- I had nothing to complain about in this race.  I did the 50 mile race and Bruce did the 50K.  The time limit for the 50 mile was 13 hours (changed the week of the race to 13.5) and the 50K had a 9 hour cut off.  This alone should have been a clue.

The course was the same for 50K and 50 mile people for about 17 miles, but Bruce and I were doing our own thing on race day, so after a quick kiss at the start we were on our way. I started the race with my buddy Casey, but I knew that he would be leaving me soon. (Casey chose this as his 50 mile debut-- what a freaking animal.)  We started out on the top of the dam. We headed out into the woods and I knew from reading the elevation chart that .78 miles in we would hit the first significant climb.  It was definitely significant. I determined that although I had done some other "difficult" races, I would be in for a new experience with this one.

There were times that the hills lasted over 4+ miles.  That is right, 4+ miles of walking straight uphill!  Some of the grades were as much as 7%!  Yikes, this was one tough race.  But the views, my God the views were iincredible-- so worth the effort.  This time, instead of wishing for more walking, I could not wait to get some good downhills going and get a break from walking.  I was amazed after so many miles of trudging up a mountain, that I could start running again and even run at a decent pace!   There were actually times in the later stages of the race that I was keeping a sub 10 minute mile.  I would have been able to keep a better pace if the trail was not so technical. Of all of the trail races that I have completed, I would have to say that this was definitely the most technical.  There were areas where you should have been able to run, but it was not runnable, there were so many rocks.  I learned to tackle some of these technical downhills - I was passing a lot of people on the downhills.  I could not believe it- I am a flat-lander!

The weather was another issue to overcome.  It was very cold in the morning (30s) and it warmed up quite a bit during the day.  I wore tights, a L/S tech shirt and S/S tech shirt, gloves, and a BB hat.  I felt perfectly dressed until much later in the afternoon/evening.  One of the last aid stations was at the top of a mountain.  I had placed a light jacket in my drop bag.  I picked it up on my way to the finish line (7 miles away).  What a great move- it got so cold, then it started sleeting, then it started snowing! Snowing....I decided it was time to kick it in gear and get off of this mountain, so I took off for the finish.

This was my slowest 50 mile finish at 12:19- but I was well within the 13.5 cut off and the 5th female overall. I was happy with my performance- plus this was a training run and I treated it as such.  I was also very happy to see that Bruce was waiting for me at the finish line (with his finisher medal around his neck!).  He finished the 50K in 8:30, which is incredible for the difficulty of the course.  Casey finished strong at 11:45- quite a feat for your first 50.  It was a great day, beautiful course, well-marked course, well-stocked aid stations and well organized. We enjoyed it so much, we are thinking of returning for the 100K in September!

Course: Mountainous, hilly, technical
Weather: Very cold at start, mild in afternoon, very cold in evening
Nutrition: No issues- but did not take in a lot of calories considering the length of the race
Hydration: No issues- but probably dehydrated due to minimal intake of fluid
Aches/Pains/Injuries: none 

Sencea Creek Trail 50K 03/05/11

So, when you are training for the biggest 100 miler of your life, running two 50Ks on back-to-back weekends does not sound like a bad idea.  In fact, it sounds like a pretty darn good idea--- at the time. We headed out for another local race, this time in Damascus, MD.  This is the same trail that I ran the Stone Mill 50 on back in November 2010.  I remember that when I ran Stone Mill people were commenting that the course was flat.  I thought that it was anything but flat.  What a difference a few months make!

I ran the race with Bob the whole time.  All I kept thinking is "WHY is this so flat? Where are the hills? Are we ever going to get to walk?"  This course was killing me.  I think it really is a flat course and there are not a lot of opportunities for walking.  The first time that I did this course, I used a run/walk plan and I do not do that anymore, so it seemed like we were never getting a chance to walk.  Bob and I ran along grumbling as we would switch off leading and following.  We finished in a respectable 6:23.  We were not trying to "race" just going along and chatting.  Casey finished in 5:20; Rob in 6:00 and Sara 6:14.  We stayed around for some after race snacks and headed back to Virginia.

Certainly a different experience than the first time I ran this race, but an enjoyable "training run" none-the-less. No injuries, no hydration or nutrition issues.

Hashawha Hills 50 km Trail Run- 02/25/11

A large contingency of runners- nicknamed "Team Gaylord" left from northern Virginia for the Hashawha Hills 50K in Westminster, MD, in the wee hours of the morning of February 25, 2011.  We had so many runners, that we needed two cars for the car pool to the race.  Rob, Sara, Jen and I met up in Arlington, and Toni, Bob, Denise and Casey met in Burke. We arrived at the race site, parked and headed into the heated Nature Center for the trail briefing. It was a good thing that we attended the briefing, as we learned important aspects of the race. For instance, there was one section that was "out and back"- on the first loop you had to pick up a thick rubber band, on the second loop you needed to get a skinny rubber band.  This ensured that you did the entire course and did not cut off any sections.  Good to know. 

The plan was for me to run with Bob and keep my pace under control.  As soon as we started, I found myself with Denise (we told Casey to go ahead-- and Rob was already gone) a little in front of the others.  Denise and I kept the pace, chatted, laughed, and generally had a good time.  Slowly we pulled ahead of the other group.  I decided that this was an easy pace and it would not negatively alter my race plan.  When we would see Bob, Toni and Sara- we would shout and yell our hellos then get going again.  Denise is a runner much like me in that she runs extremely consistently- we just loped along just living it up.  We did the first loop in 3:15- and headed out for the second. We ran the second at about the same pace as the first.  We finished in 6:40. We headed inside and found Casey and Rob hanging out.  We changed our clothes, ate some chili (even vegetarian for me!) and waited for the others to come in. Bob, Sara and Toni came in and we all sat around sipping cocktails and eating.  Nice run in a different location.

Course:  The course was runnable for the most part, small rolling hills and a couple of very steep ones thrown in.  There was one water crossing (we balanced on a log the first loop and went through it on the second....water was COLD).  There was a lot of ice and snow on some sections. Some sections were boggy and muddy - even more so on the second loop. You ran through the woods, in open fields, through bogs and along a creek. 

PS- I have been strong-armed into signing up for another 50K next Saturday. It is in Damascus, MD- some of the trails that I ran in the Stone Mill 50.  I will be curious to see how "hilly" I perceive it to be this time.

Mountain Run 02/20/11

We headed out to the mountains to run this weekend.  Bob was traveling on Saturday, so we ran on Sunday.   We met at the Rec center at 06:00 AM to drive out to the mountains (about 1 1/2 hours away).  Casey, Toni, Denise and I were treated to a chauffeured drive by Bob- so no driving, just relaxing and giving Bob a hard time.  Skyline drive was closed due to fire danger, so we had to go to an area a little north to start.  Once we hit the trails we went over Knob mountain, ran along the Appalachian Trail and came back over Neighbor mountain.  It was so cold at the start- but what a beautiful day!  The highs were in the 50s and it stayed cool and clear all day.  We had a great run with all of the usual jabs, jest, and smart comments. You have to be tough and witty to make it in this crowd!

The first mountain that we climbed had about 2.5 miles uphill at the very beginning, and we all complained like a bunch of pansies.  It was a tough hike, of course we were treated to an awesome downhill on the other side. We saw a group of hikers when we got to the AT, and they told us that a park ranger had advised them not to enter the park, but they explained that they already had a camp at the park and were allowed to enter.  We also asked about bear sightings, as the running group pointed out that they had spotted 2 bears on the trails last time they were out here.  The hikers said that they did not see any, but heard that someone else did.  We figured it is still too early for them to be out and about (hopefully).   We did not see any bears, but we did get to climb another mountain.  The views were incredible.....made the effort worthwhile.  We treated ourselves to some Spelunker's grub and headed back to the city. 

We noticed in the distance, along Skyline drive, there were (2) forest fires burning.  Later on the news, we learned that the fires had destroyed about 2,000 acres and one home.  Luckily, we were not near where the fires were burning. We ended up with about 21.25 mile for the day- not bad.  In all, a fantastic day in the mountains with friends.   

Back on the Trails in Virginia

Finally!  I am back with my running group in Virginia.  We met for a 20 mile run on Saturday along the Bull Run trail.  It was so great to be back with the gang again and to hear about their running adventures.  Considering that I had a lousy week at work- it was just what the doctor ordered.  Bob, Rob, Stan, Casey, and I started out together.  Stan is returning from an injury, so he fell back and did about 10-12.  On our way back from a 6 mile out and back, we saw Denise and she joined us for the remainder of the run. She has been gone for a while too (but she was skiing).  It was  a great day and the temperatures were warming- Spring is coming!  There were still some areas of the trails that were very icy and treacherous.

We decided to meet up again on Sunday for another 10 miles. I was so happy- I really need to start increasing my mileage, so this works out great for me. The only negative, I was not able to sleep in on the weekend.  No worries, I spent the rest of Sunday hanging out, getting a manicure/pedicure and going to the movies.  Was a great weekend.  I am excited because we have decided to run in the mountains next Sunday (we will skip Saturday run- Bob is out of town).