MIND THE DUCKS 12 HOUR RACE
Rochester, NY May 14, 2011
I took Friday off of work to travel out to Rochester for the Mind the Ducks race. Emma had it off as well, so we woke up, had breakfast and headed out around 10am for Rochester. It was a long car ride, close to 4.5 hours, 5 if you count rest stops. We took my car because the RAV still smells like dead mice. Hoping the smell goes away soon.
We got to the hotel (Extended Stay America in Greece) and checked in, and then went and met up with the rest of the family. Mom, Harry, and Jonn all came out from Galway and Su and Rocco have just moved up to Rochester from Orlando. Went over and went out with Su to a place called Magnolia’s for a late lunch. Absolutely amazing! Su ran into someone she knew from Cortland as well from freshman year. A small world. After getting fueled up we went and drove around RIT’s campus because Harry is in college search mode. Then popped over to check out the Mind the Ducks race course.
I was anxious about the race and it was a nice evening out. A bit hot and hazy, but a lot of people out at the pond. I’ve essentially memorized the race course (not that it is that hard since it is a loop course), but I walked a lap with Mom and everyone else to get a feel for it. It’s really a beautiful spot. Trout Lake is right past the Rochester Zoo. Lots of goose poop on the trail. I joked that it could turn into some nice sloppy running if it rained. Su thought I was being gross, but I was completely serious.
By this time it hadn’t really hit me yet. I think BPAC was still fresh in my mind. Less then a month ago I became an ultramarathoner and here I was getting ready for a race that was going to eclipse that run. If anything I was a bit nervous as my training since BPAC on April 17th has waned significantly. In the last three weeks I’ve run maybe 45 miles or so. Oh well though. All the training I’ve done all winter and spring was in the bag so I could draw on it when it mattered.
Went back to Su’s apartment and we made some pasta for dinner. After we all ate our fill we went on a 2 mile walk through Rochester, though my feet started to hurt as I was wearing flip flop sandals. Said good night to everyone and got back to the hotel around 10:30ish. 4:45 wake up call was just around the corner.
RACE DAY
4:45 am - Wake up call. Got up and made a cup of coffee in the coffeepot in our room. Changed into my race shorts and put on a long sleeve red shirt. Looked outside and it was overcast and gloomy looking. I figured I would keep the red shirt on seeing as how I always sweat the most in the first couple hours. Got out the Bodyglide and nipguards and prepped for what would become an epic adventure.
At about 530 we headed out from the hotel over to pick up Mom and Harry who were also running but were staying at Su and Rocco’s apartment. Jonny was there but he and Su were planning on going to a parade and would come over later. Picked them up and got a move on towards Seneca Park. Got there and it was already hopping. I always love race days. All the energy just seems to help calm my nerves and sustain me until the race gets underway.
As soon as we got there and were scoping out a site for the tent, Mary DaSilva came up and introduced herself. I’ve had many a FB message exchange with her in the last few months as we’ve been training. She is so nice! Her niece came over as well. They were both running it. Mary is a true champ. She set the women’s veteran record last year at 43+ miles and was hoping for more this year. Was so nice to see a friendly face.
A few others came up and said hi, and of course I saw Shelley and Jim Viggiano, two of the nicest runners you’ll ever meet. Shelley was the RD again this year and I was excited when I saw all the great support she had drummed up.
We got our timing chip bands and bib numbers and went back over to set up our tent. Less then 25 minutes until go time. The park filled in quickly and before we knew it after a quick stop at the bathrooms, finalizing all potential chaffing issues, and securing all belongings from rain, we made our way to the starting line.
As we went to the starting line, it seemed to be a race to see who could line up farthest back from the starting line. My intention was to start dead last and move up from there, but obviously others had the same idea. Shelley yelled for us all to push up so we could hear last minute instructions. Gave Harry a high five, and before we knew it, we were off!
THE RACE
Forecast for the day was chance of showers primarily in the afternoon with temps in the mid to upper 60s.
Harry, Emma and I ran together for the first hour or so. We were just clicking the laps away. It was so nice to hear people saying “Oh no! There goes the Griffin gang!” or “Keep it up Griffins!”. The running community is truly a really nice one.
Mom’s goal was to walk 50 laps for her 50th birthday coming up in a few months. She just plugged away, power walking and looking pretty darn good!
Emma and I ran together and every couple laps we’d stop and walk a lap with Harry. I am proud of him too for getting in there and doing the best he could. He’s getting ready for a week long hike in the Adirondacks this summer and is working on yet another merit badge. He is counting MTD for his 20 miler. I wonder if I can convince him next year to run even more!
Going into the race I was nervous about my left knee. I was not sure how it would hold up, especially as I have been favoring it for a few weeks and also with the 10.5 mile hiking excursion we did the other weekend.
For the first few hours I kept to the 25 minutes of jogging and 5 minutes of walking routine. What I found though is that this depletes your energy. What might be more proper for an ultra like MTD is a 5:1 ratio. It will break it up and save your legs for later.
About the three hour mark I made sure to keep drinking bottles. I was sweating like crazy. I shed my cotton shirt for a short sleeve technical shirt. The amazing thing about Mind the Ducks is that Shelley knows runners because she is a long distance runner herself. She staffed the aid tent with some of the most helpful people I’ve ever seen at a race. Not to mention there was also upbeat music playing, and even when the rain started, it didn’t keep them down. “Ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride” oh no! “I got to keep on movin’!”. They had a table you could drop your bottle at if you needed it refilled or didn’t want to carry it, and they had so many kinds of snacks and energy foods it was amazing! Fig Newtons, cookies, gummy worms, bananas, oranges, M&Ms, and then later salted potatoes, pb&j, turkey sandwiches, and the best : hot pizza! It was worth the entry fee just for the food and cool MTD hat alone!
As we got near the 6-7 hour mark Su and Jonny showed up to wish us well. I was still plugging along. I had hit a really rough spot about 4 hours into the race and wondered how I was going to get out of it. Hitting the wall at only mile 18? gulp! It was a rough two miles, but I pushed through and felt good as new. By this time the rain was coming down. Jonn and Su had kettlecorn and Dunkin Donuts coffee. I greedily gulped and slurped some nourishment down and continued around the counter-clockwise loops.
I like running in the rain. It cools me and I seem to enjoy it more then most. I was amazed at how many times some folks were changing their shoes and socks. I didn’t even change my socks or shoes until about hour 9. Maybe that explains why I finished in 28th place and not higher though! It was so nice having the short .49 mile loop. You never went more then a half hour without seeing everyone passing you or vice versa. Jesse Scott was pounding away the laps in his flats and shorts and it was truly astounding. So was Rebecca Shaeffer. I knew they were the young ones in the race last year, but this year they showed up and looked like trained vets.
Another plus with Mind the Ducks is they put up a leaderboard for men and women and update it every hour. I liked coming around and seeing how everyone was doing, and especially how Mary DaSilva was working here way up the board. She was holding steady at 10th overall, but then in the closing hours moved up to 9th, then 7th, and finally up to 6th! She was great. She was really flying at some points too! Very inspiring. Next year I want to be like Mary!
The last few hours were the lonely hours. Emm had stopped to stretch a bit and ended up taking a nap. Harry left with Su and Jonny at hour 7 after fulfilling his 20 miles. Mom stopped at 27 miles. She had finished her marathon and then some. I kept plodding away, though by this time the little rise at the far end of the pond had turned into a mountain. I power walked the uphill and then jogged the rest of the lap. I was moving faster then many of the others which was reassuring. Some were content to just traipse along in their Vibrams, sandals, shoes, or sans footwear. But we were all moving and having a great time. About hour 9 or so the music player stopped working. Luckily next to our tent a guy had an acoustic guitar and two guys started singing. It was so neat. You could hear them across the pond. It was like our own personal concert. Really great singers too!
While Emm was taking a nap I was number crunching. I realized that hitting 50 miles might very well be within reach. I wanted to push hard though in case for some reason I felt like I couldn’t continue, I’d have a buffer. It worked out so that I had an hour to cover 2.9 miles at the end. I knew then that I’d make it. I kept walking when I couldn’t jog and jogging when I couldn’t walk. It’s funny that at some point I realized that jogging actually hurt less then walking! I asked the gentleman how many laps I needed to break 50, and he figured out it was 102. That was my goal. I made it to the end of the lap and still had about 9 minutes left, plenty of time for one more lap, but I had hit the 50 mile mark and was content with it. There is always next year! I collected my wooden MTD medal from Shelley, shook hands with Jim V. and hugged my mom. I was spent! But I was happy! I cheered in Emm as she came around for her lap and she went out and did yet another! What a trooper! She must have banged out 3.5 miles in the last half hour. She was booking!
Once we had finished we were so exhausted. All we could think of was a shower, food, and sleep. We showered, tried to hit up Old Country Buffet, only to find they closed in half an hour. Not nearly enough time to mow some yummy food. We found an Applebee’s and Rocco got out of work so was able to join us. We got some yummy chicken wings and I ordered a salad and a sandwich. Eyes were a bit bigger then my stomach. Hung out for a while and then we said goodbye and headed back towards the hotel.
RECOVERY
Waking up the next morning, I was excruciatingly sore, but primarily in my quads. I think it took me a good three or four minutes to get up off the bed and to get in/out of the car. Even now, two days later I have a hard time moving and bending down/lifting forget it! But at the same time I am taking it in stride as a badge of honor, a symbol that yes, even if I am undertrained and underprepared I can persevere and meet my goals. I was amazed to beat my goal by 10 miles and log 50.184 miles. Who knows what next year may hold. Maybe even 55 miles?!
All I know is that there are 363 days left until the next MTD 12 hour race. I better get to training!
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