How Much Discomfort Can I Tolerate?!

One of my best speed workouts of the year. Quads felt fully recovered from the 50 mile race 2 weeks ago, so I was able to put in a solid effort of 10 x 1000m hard loops around Busey Woods. #'s 9 and 10 I was feeling gassed, but still was able to hold on to finish strong. 

Followed up my best speed session of the year with my best hill session - 3 hours 15 minutes running up and down the arboretum hill. Felt good the whole way, although I got some hot spots on my feet from the new spikes. At least I know not to wear the new spikes at Farmdale, I will use the slightly heavier spikes which I wore at the 50 mile race.

My confidence is high for the Farmdale 32 miler on the 17th. My speed is coming around, and my endurance is growing to ever greater heights. Keep it rollin.....

I had a lower back spasm at work this morning. I don't lift heavy objects for my job, instead I was looking though a payroll binder and had my left arm lifted for a few seconds, and this caused the injury. I have a history of lower back spasms starting from when I was 23, so this is nothing new. It will either slowly  improve and be better within a week or two, or get progressively worse until I am unable to walk. I will hope for the former.

Fortunately, running has always helped the spasms, so I set out in a cool (low 50's) rain and made my way to Busey Woods. Once there I set into my usual routine of hard 1000m loops. My back had loosened up sufficiently on the 2 mile warmup to the woods, so it did not hinder my form too much. Other than the back, I felt strong - lungs were taking in air better than usual, and my legs were ready to rumble. Did 6 hard ones in mud and slop, it was a blast.

There was a group of 12-15 students studying trees on a segment of my loop, so I passed them 6 times, they must have thought I was crazy. They were under umbrellas, and each time I passed them I had more slime and mud on my legs and shorts. I even had some blood on my arm from getting ripped by a thorn bush.

1 week to Farmdale. If I can get my back in order I feel I can run a good race. Last year I averaged a 10:59 mile pace. I am hoping to run it this year in 10:00 pace, so that would give me about a 5:20 finish time. That is probably the best I could do, if anything goes wrong I will probably finish in around 5:40-50.

Next up, hard sprints on Saturday....

I have been getting into faster type workouts when tapering for an ultra, so today I decided to go to the track and do hard 200's with a 100m resting jog. This is a tough one for me, but beneficial, as I usually feel stronger in subsequent workouts.

Last year I would hit the 200's at max pace, and within 15-20 minutes would have to stop from exhaustion. Today I wanted to last longer so I hit the 200's at 80% max and was able to hold steady for about 30-40 minutes. 

Next up, hard 400's on dirt roads.....

Running to the arboretum my legs were springy and I was running faster than normal. This must be from the 200's I did at the track a couple of days ago. 

When I got to the arboretum I prepared myself for my hardest test yet for speed, hard 400's along the dirt road rectangle. The 2 long sections are approx 400m, and the short segements 250m. I planned to treat each 400 as if it was the final stretch of a 7 mile trail race - a 100% all out effort. I planned to walk the 250m segment after each burst.

I was able to do 8 x 400m and still feel fairly fresh after. Had this not been a taper week I may have been able to push to 12-14 reps. 8 was just right though, enough to tax my body, yet not too much where I am feeling wasted.

The training weeks leading up to Farmdale have been super, my confidence is high, and I am ready to give a 100% effort this Saturday.

My back spasms from a few days ago have gotten better, so that is good news.

Just one more workout - a 200m hard/100m easy session tomorrow, then rest until Saturday.

I planned to do some 200m reps followed by 100m rest, but when I arrived at the arboretum I felt like being spontaneous, so I ran as hard as I could for as long as possible (100-600m), then slowed to a jog for a short recovery, and started running fast again.

After a mile and a half of hard running I felt an odd cramp in my upper left side/back, right under the armpit. I had to slow down, and then realized the cramp brought on a bit of asthma, so I could not fully recover in a reasonable time. I kept breathing hard so I walked about 200m, then tried running hard, but it was difficult to do so because I could not get enough air. I walked to the monkey bars and did some strength exercises, by then the asthma had disappeared, so I ran home, alternating fast and slow. 

Other than the strange cramp and asthma, everything felt good. My legs were strong and fresh, which is a good sign for Farmdale. If I was running a 5k this Saturday I would skip it, as I can't sustain 6:15 pace during my allergy season (Sept-Nov). But since I won't be running any faster than 8:00 pace during the 32 miler, my lungs should be able to hold up.

I did feel a slight knee weakness when I got home, but it felt better the next morning. I believe the knee is slowly getting better, but high intensity efforts still irritate it, which is probably why I sometimes feel a bit of pain during a race. Even in the longer races where the pace is slow, I am pushing harder than I normally would in training, and this causes the knee to act up. So I am expecting the knee to be a bit bothersome this Saturday, but hopefully like the 50 miler, it will not slow me down or make me quit the race.

I decided that my first 100 mile race will be at McNaughton Park on April 10-11, 2010. I most likely won't finish the whole distance due to the difficulty of the course (lots of mud and hills), but I am looking forward to running as many 10 mile loops as I can.

As the Farmdale race approached, I was completing some strong training sessions – 3 hours of hills 11 days prior, and lots of speed running to balance the endurance. Feeling confident, I decided to switch my usual goal for an ultra race. Instead of just trying to cross the finish line in one piece, I wanted to try and achieve a specific pace.

Thinking back to last year’s race, which was my first one longer than 26.2 miles, I saw some areas where I could improve, such as getting out of aid stations faster. I also started conservatively and slowly worked the pace up, finishing the last few miles with a quick (albeit painful) pace. I averaged 10:59 per mile, so I decided this year, having more experience and finally starting to work some speed into my training, to try and reach 10:00 pace.

During the 2 hour drive to Farmdale I formulated a strategy for how I could accomplish this ambitious goal. Remembering back to the Lake Mingo 7.1 mile trail race earlier in the summer, where I ran a hard effort, and then, 15 minutes later, ran the course 2 more times to turn the day into a long run, I decided I would break the Farmdale race into 4 segments, to match the 4 x 8 mile loops I would have to complete. The 1st loop I would run at a hard pace, followed by a relaxed 2nd  loop to recover. The 3rd loop I would run hard, and the 4th loop I would  try to hang on.

There had been a lot of rain during the week leading to the race, and when I arrived at farmdale I saw that the grassy start/finish area was sloppy and drenched. The race director informed us that most of the course, however, was in good condition, so that was good news.

The 8 mile racers lined up with the 32 milers, and the race director decided to send the 8 milers off 10 minutes before the ultra gang. Standing around in shorts with the temp in the mid 30’s, I decided to do some push ups to keep myself warm. As I pushed myself up and down I heard a man say “would you like me to sit on your back to make it more challenging?”. I looked up and smiled, and then saw a woman taking my picture, then another person said, “you’re the man!”. After doing the pushups I walked over to the camp fire and warmed my hands and legs.

When the time clock read 10:00 we began the adventure and I found myself feeling fresh and  ready. I started off quickly, and was actually within sight of the leaders during the first mile. Last year I was dead last after 400m, so it was a new experience for me to be pushing the pace right at the start.

Even though I was running at a fast ultra pace (8:30-9:00), my breathing was easy, so I knew I wasn’t pushing myself too hard. After crossing the ankle deep water on the spillway at mile 3, an Asian man came motoring past me and I decided to push the pace downward and followed him until we reached the one and only aid station on the course at mile 5. I then let him go and backed off the pace a bit. I started passing a few of the 8 mile racers during the final 2 miles of the  loop, and when I reached the end the clock read 1:24, which meant I had run the loop in 1:14, for a 9:15 pace.

As I refueled at my car I still felt fresh and strong, so I knew I hadn’t pushed too hard. And I was happy that I could now back off and run comfortably slow during the 2nd  loop, to help me recover for a hard 3rd  loop.

Having uncharacteristically started quickly, I knew that slowing in the 2nd loop meant I was going to be passed by a few racers. During the 2nd mile three runners came quickly upon me so I moved off the single track to let them pass. As the 3rd one passed I started running again, but after 10 steps he pulled off the trail to let me pass. He told me I was faster than him, but I doubted that as he was the one who had caught up to me. After a mile I decided to stop and stretch, and he re-passed me. I soon caught up to him and followed him for a bit. He told me his hip was hurting, I passed, and never saw him again.

I had a hard time deciding which shoes to wear for this race. I knew my cross country spikes would work well, but I was intrigued by my newly purchased long distance spikes, which were 2 ounces lighter (6 oz) and had a longer, sharper spike. I wore the LDS during my recent 3 hour hill run and they had started to rub my feet raw by run's end. I therefore knew that the max I could wear these was 3 hours. I finally decided to start off with the LDS and then switch over to the cross shoe once my feet started to hurt. The course was a bit muddy in spots, and in addition to the ankle deep spillway crossing, there were 3-4 tiny creek crossings which would re-soak the shoe. This meant that after mile 3, I would run the rest of the race in wet, muddy shoes and socks. I was curious to know if my feet would blister from the moisture, but thus far, about 10 miles into the race, my feet appeared to be in good shape.

About this time I also realized that creating a time goal for an ultra made it more difficult for me to achieve the desired trance state of running which makes these super long runs so enjoyable. My mind was focusing on what needed to be done to achieve an optimum future time score, rather than concentrating on the present state of affairs. While the run thus far was flowing smoothly, I was concerned that the mental strain of trying to achieve a difficult time goal would eventually wear me down. I tried to create a balance in my head between the present and the future, but I will admit that this type of running is not only more difficult, but also not as enjoyable.

Having to run 5 miles to get to the only aid station out on the course, I was beginning to feel that my calorie intake was not sufficient. I had made the mistake of not bringing gels, because at the ultras I had run this year, all of them had gels as part of their food offering. I was also relying on my favorite energy food, boiled potatoes dipped in salt. Unfortunately the pickings were slim at Farmdale's aid table - cookies, candy, grapes, pbj's. I chose to eat the pbj's and the grapes, but I felt this was not enough, and as the race wore on I began to feel my energy dwindling toward empty.

When I reached the end of loop 2 the clock read 2:44, which meant 2:34. It seemed hard to believe that I ran the 2nd loop only 6 minutes slower than the first. I decided that the clock must have been reset to reflect the actual ultra race, so I was now running an accumulated 10:15 pace. I knew by now that my goal of 10:00 would not be achieved, because I doubted I could negative split the race. This was somewhat of a relief to me, because I could now focus more on getting into a running trance.

At my car I refueled as best I could, but I missed the quick energy lift potatoes and gels could furnish. My feet, although feeling stifled in wet socks and shoes, were surprisingly in good shape, so I decided to continue wearing the LDS spikes. I loved how the shoe, even when soaked and covered in mud, still felt light on my feet. I recalled last year running the race in a high heeled cushion shoe, and with each step I could feel my feet sinking into the soaked softness, the squishy heaviness making for a miserable effect. Because the LDS has no cushioning and a minimal amount of material, there was no feeling of extra weight or squishiness.

Starting out on the third loop my legs still felt fresh and strong, so I started to run with more of a purpose. The first 5 miles were somewhat slow going, and also a bit lonely, as I did not see a another runner out on the course. I surprisingly was not being passed, but I also wasn't passing anyone either. Having started out quickly, I had already passed all of the slower runners during the first mile, and I was not going to pass any of the speedsters. I was in a place where I truly belonged, behind the top 20%.

At the aid station I caught up to one of the runners who had passed me during the beginning of the 2nd loop, and another runner was catching up to me, so I now had company. I let them go as we left the station, but soon after I caught a nice boost in energy and my pace quickened. I caught up with both runners and we ran single file down the narrow trail. My plan was to string along until the end of the loop. The leading runner seemed irritated that we were following him so he started blasting the downhill portions of the trail, and our tight line spread out, with me trailing far behind. Whenever the course flattened I would catch up to the two others, as my pace was quicker on the flats. Then another downhill would come and I would lose contact once again. A mile before the end of the loop the lead runner's pace dramatically slowed, and the other runner and I passed, and we ran together until the end of the loop.

As we approached the clock, which read 4:09 (10:22 overall pace), I wished him luck, and ran off to my car to refuel. I was starting to feel spent because of calorie deficiency. I ate a cliff bar, a kiwi, drank a V8, but I was sorely craving salted boiled potatoes.  Expecting my feet to be in pain at this point in the race, they were instead still strong and stable, so I decided to run the final loop without changing shoes or socks.

Before starting off I stopped into the port-o-john and peed for the first time, then walked about 200m before finally starting to find a running rhythm. As usual, I was slow in getting out onto the course, and I had seen both runners from the 3rd loop start before me.

After a mile I caught up with the runner who had  pounded the downhills, but instead of passing him, I slowed my pace and started eating a 2nd cliff bar and drank some fruit juice from my bottle. I was falling into deep energy depletion, and was starting to feel desperate for calories.

During the 5 miles leading to the aid station, I felt myself getting slower. Somehow I was keeping up with the other runner- passing him, only to be passed by him a little later, and then he would slow and I would re-pass. We pretty much stayed together until the mile 5 aid station, which meant only 3 miles remained. I was hoping to arise from the dead but after eating a pbj slice and some grapes, I felt it wasn't the right type of food to do it. I was falling deeper into despair, and contemplated what would be better, finishing the race or laying on the side of the trail and falling asleep.

For the first 29 miles I had run all of the hills, but now I was forced to walk some of the steeper inclines, out of necessity. I just did not have the energy to get my legs going. I decided I was in a state of semi-bonk, the only thing missing was the awful feeling that 1 mile feels like 2, and 3 miles may as well be 10. When I was able to run I was going at a decent enough pace, probably 10:30-11:00. My leg muscles felt great, no quad soreness, but I did notice that my calves were feeling tight - I will choose tight calves over sore quads any time. I am guessing that the flat heeled spikes were the cause of this.

I was still hanging with the other runner. I surprisingly had passed 2 female runners during this loop, but it was possible that I was looping them. I kept expecting to get passed by the runners who were not bonking - I felt like I was moving so slow - but nobody arrived, so I just kept moving forward the best I could.

With 1.5 miles to go I passed the guy who I had spent so much time with, and I saw he was hurting worse than me, as he was doing what appeared to be the bonk shuffle. We wished each other luck and even though I was feeling pretty bad, I started to run faster, sensing how close the finish line was. When I got to the 400m gravel road dam crossing I knew I had less than 1 mile left, so I sucked up my pain and tried to run with my normal form. I ran about 10:00 pace to the finish, and ran into the chute at 5:45, for a 10:48 overall pace. I had slowed considerably during the last loop, which took me about 1:30 once I started to run, which is 11:15 pace.

After I stopped running I felt the need to vomit, so I bent over, but nothing came out. I stood up, walked to my car, ate a kiwi, a few potato chips, and drank some water. I walked around for 15 minutes, and knowing I had to get the rental car back by 4:30, I soon started the 2 hour drive back to Urbana.

While I fell far short of my time goal of 10:00 pace, I enjoyed the challenge of the day, and setting up such a difficult goal for myself forced me to change my running style and made things interesting. While I prefer not running against the clock, sometimes there is a place for it, if only to break myself out of a comfortable routine.

I learned that I can't rely on all races to provide gels and potatoes, and so I need to bring my own. I think the semi bonk I experienced during the final 5 miles was caused more by lack of calories than pushing too hard prior to the energy loss.

My feet were in surprisingly great shape at race's end, with only 2 small blisters on the tip of two toes, which caused no discomfort.

Having raced 4 ultras in 4 months, it is now time to take a break from racing and get into my winter training routine - long runs out on the South Farms in nasty weather - I can't wait :)

My body must be adapting to the strain of long distance racing, because after a couple of days of leg soreness, mostly in the calves, I felt better today, and decided to run a barefoot mile at the arboretum. But when I got home from work Rachel wanted to go to Kickapoo with Maggie the dog and hike, so I brought along my running spikes, just in case I could run a bit.

After hiking in the autumn woods for a half mile, I decided to try a slow jog, and was surprised to find that I had little leg soreness, and actually felt quite strong. I ended up running the out and back loop, along with the #6 mountain bike connector, and even ran a hard final mile. I am pleased that after running a 100% effort 32 mile race on Saturday, I am already back to running just a few days later.

I was thinking about how I am going to train for the April 100 mile race, and decided that maybe I should run a few ultramarathons during the winter. Since I am going to be doing long runs anyway, I may as well throw in a few races and have some fun. These long races definitely make me feel good, and they are my true race calling - I should run as many as I can!

Wow, running lately has been too good to be true - being in 21 year old shape at 43 makes me happy! Can't fathom having fully recovered from the 32 mile race already, but there I was, doing 6 x 1000m hard loops at Busey Woods. It was raining the whole time, which was great, 60 degrees, and the trees were at the height of autumn color, the dominant hue being fire yellow. Legs felt strong, ran fast and did not get tired. Wanted to do more loops, but 6 is enough for now.

I am feeling too good to switch to winter training mode, so I am looking for another ultra to run in the next month or two. Last year Greg wrote about his 100k adventure in Chatanooga, TN, I keep remembering his struggles climbing a mountain at midnight, took like an hour to go 1 mile. That's the kind of challenge I love, so maybe I will run that race, although it is 2 months away. Maybe I can find one in November to take advantage of how good I presently feel.

I keep upping the ante for my training sessions because I have been feeling stronger as each week goes by. Maybe it is because I am running every other day because my knee seems to like that better. I have tried the running everyday routine, and while there is something to be said for it, maybe my body is better suited to running with day long breaks. On the off day I walk 4-5 miles and do strength exercises, and I can feel my running energy building, and when the next day finally arrives my leg strength and passion for the run is higher than it would be had I run an easy 3 miles the day before. So the knee injury was good for something after all.

I ran my best speed training session of the year, I have been saying that a lot lately, but today at Busey Woods I ran 12 x 1000m hard loops with a 400m easy jog for the rest. Even on #'s 11-12 I was holding it together and ran just as hard as the middle reps.

Feeling so good I registered today for the 1st annual McNotAgain 30 miler on Oct. 31 (next Saturday). I plan on giving a hard effort, and I also get a chance to see what McNaughton Park is like. If all goes well in my winter training I will be there for my 1st 100 miler next April. It is a tough course with lots of mud and hills - I can't wait to run 3 x 10 mile loops next Saturday.

Ran 2 miles to the arboretum, then an easy mile in the grass to get over to the dirt road rectangle. I stretched out the muscles and then planned to run the long sections (400m) of the road at sprinting speed. I did this workout a couple of weeks ago so I was wondering if I would show any improvement in speed endurance.

400m sprints are difficult for me because it is hard to find the right speed for the first 200m. If I run at max heart rate I will die before finishing, so I usually take it one or two notches below top speed for the first 100m, then I slowly crank up the pace.

I know it is possible to reach optimum endurance and run 100% top speed for the full 400m, I jut have to work up to it. I remember 7 or 8 years ago I was doing an 800m workout at the cemetery which entailed going all out from the start and sprint until I drop. During the first session I stopped after 200m. By the 5th or 6th session I was able to make it the full 800m at top speed, I can't remember my time, but it was the fastest I have ever run 800m. I felt proud that day.

I was happy with today's session, I was pushing myself sufficiently hard so that after each rep I wanted to quit, which is a sign that I am not dogging it. After #2 I thought, "no more!", but then realized how lame 2 reps is, so I started a 3rd, and this is how it goes in these types of workouts - just one more leads to just one more leads to just one more.....

So I got my 8 reps in, the final one was the best, I was able to hold top speed for the final 250m. I felt I could have reached 10 reps, but with the 30 miler coming up this weekend, 8 seemed like a good place to stop.

It is funny, the hardest part of the reps today were the 5 seconds before each one started. Just knowing what lay ahead.... best not to think too hard about it. It reminded me of a dentist visit, the worst part is sitting in the chair during the moments just preceeding all the action.

Ran to the arboretum and did a fartlek session. Lots of fun running fast in the wet and muddy grass and dirt roads. Just like a couple of weeks ago when I did this same workout I had a bit of asthma to contend with. It makes running fast more of a challenge, I like to see how far I can push myself on limited oxygen, kind of like running at altitude. 

Race is in just a few days, legs are feeling good, along with everything else. I am looking forward to putting in a good effort.

The night before the race I cubed 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes and boiled them for 10 minutes, placed the soft tubers in a bowl, covered them lavishly with salt and rosemary, and was then content to get some sleep, knowing I was going to be able to eat my racing super food when things started to get rough.

During the 2 hour drive to Pekin I thought about how my racing plan at Farmdale probably wasn't optimum. I kind of knew it then, but still wanted to try it for the sake of experimentation. It is too easy to accept the current running dogmas spouted in books, but it is best to doubt the veracity of everything and everybody, including myself. For this race I decided to push into my top pace right from the start, back off one pip, then try and hold that pace the whole race. I was hoping that the one pip of less intensity off my top pace would save not only my legs, but also from bonking during the later stages of the race.

I arrived at 6:15am and it was still dark. After registering I sat in my warm car and tried imagining running in the dark woods which surrounded me. It seemed disconcerting, lonely, and a bit frightening. But knowing that lots of other runners were bopping along in the night woods would probably make it seem not as bad as it appeared. As the sun began to rise my nocturnal running fantasy waned and I set up my food supplies in the back seat of the car, stripped down to my shorts and running shirts, and headed to the start line.

It was about 35 degrees and windy, so I was looking forward to running hard right off so I could warm up. I had to use the port-o-potty but the line was long and the race was starting in a few minutes, so I decided I would wait 10 miles.

With the sound of a gun we were off.  After making a hard left after 20m in the still somewhat dark shadows of early morning, I found myself running on a steep 300m downhill of uneven mud and slop. My shoes sometimes sank ankle deep, and at least I no longer had to worry about keeping my feet dry. When we reached the bottom of the hill I saw a large rectangular meadow, and we ran around the perimeter until seeing a sign which directed us onto a narrow, muddy path which went straight up. We soon got off the muddy path and ran across a big grassy field which lead us back near the starting line. I saw the port-o-potties, no line now, and I decided to run 150m off course so that I wouldn't have to wait 9 more miles. I lost about 3-4 minutes here, and was surprised that when I got back on course there were still runners behind me. I had started out quickly, was probably near the lead, and now I was near the back of the pack.

Getting off the grassy field, we entered the muddy woods and I got into a nice rhythm, passing a few runners when the trail was wide enough to do so. I saw Chris M., who directs the Clinton Lake race in the spring, and said hello as I passed. He asked in a surprised voice if I was running the 10 miler (this race offered either a 10 miler or a 30 miler). I turned back as I sped away and replied that I was running 30. "Your going too fast for 30!" he yelled; I laughed, and said, "I will find that out in loop 3." I guess I had a quick pace going, but it seemed easy, and I then knew that my speed fitness was beginning to catch up with all the endurance work I have done in the past year. Most of my training during the past month or two has been run at below 7:00 pace for the 1000m loops, and below 6:00 pace for shorter intervals. I thought about the hard 8 x 400m sprints I did earlier in the week, how they crushed my lungs and tested my will - as I merrily ran through the mud and hills I could feel the physical and mental strength gained.

Bill from 2nd Wind called out to me when I passed him, I had never spoken to him, but his training partner works with my wife at the library, so we talked a little about the course and he gave me some info on what to expect. At some point in our conversation we started running up a steep muddy hill and when I got to the top I didn't hear Bill, I turned around and he was a ways back. I continued along, feeling a little awkward because I didn't get a chance to say goodbye.

I had read a lot about McNaughton Park, the race reports from previous years were filled with graphic descriptions of the mud and hills. So far the course was not a disappointment, with all the rain we have had the past few weeks, the trails were a sloppy, thick stew, and the hills were frequent, mostly short and steep.

I caught up with a strong looking female runner and decided to follow along at her pace. We talked a bit, and I discovered that she had run this course a number of times. It was about this time that I realized getting around the course was not simple. While most turn offs were clearly marked with a yellow/green ribbon, some sections were difficult to determine how to proceed. Even though the female runner I was with had a knowledge of the course, we somehow got off trail and wandered around lost for a few hundred meters, wondering where we had gone wrong. We eventually found our way back to the correct trail, and I was glad to be with her, because I was beginning to feel disoriented.

We came to the first creek crossing, and the word "creek" does not do it justice. It was about 8m wide, thigh deep, and had a strong current. Before entering the frigid water a volunteer warned us that the middle of the creek contained a drop off. Even with this knowledge, I still  lost my balance when I stepped into the hole, and was lucky not to fall into the water face first. I managed to get across without getting carried away downstream, and I soon left the female runner and struck off on my own.

About a mile later I came to a very steep downhill. I stopped myself and wondered if I was going the correct way. I saw that there were footmarks and skids in the mud, so I decided I was not lost, and started my way down. I immediately lost my footing and slid down the hill sideways, once again my luck held and I managed not to fall. When I got to the bottom I ran for 30m and then the trail disappeared. I looked around in all directions and there was no way to proceed but back up the hill. I kept my humor, laughed, and started my way back up the muddy incline. I inserted my fingers into the mud, pulling myself up step by step. I slid down a couple of times, readjusted, and finally made it back to where I had started from. I looked around trying to determine where to go. I decided to wait for another runner, and stood around for a minute. I soon saw a group of 3 men making their way up a hill toward me. When they got to the top they stopped, then made a sharp left down an adjacent hill - I had missed the turn off arrow - so I started running after them.

I quickly caught up with the men and decided to slow my pace down and hang with them. I felt like I was going to get lost if I struck off on my own, so I relaxed and enjoyed the scenery as I loped along at a comfortable pace. Even though I had traversed a number of steep, muddy hills, my legs were still strong and fresh, and I hoped this feeling would last as long as possible.

Soon we arrived at Golf Hill, the infamous hill with a rope running along the side. On this day there was no rope, so I dug my fingers into the mud to assist my ascent. Having already skied down and climbed back up a steep muddy hill when I got off course, this one actually seemed a little easier, so there was something positive to be said for getting lost. As I was half way up this beast I thought of Kickstand Pam's excellent description :

The single track got very narrow in spots. There was just a step or two before it would just drop off. I started to fall again. To make it worse the song Falling Slowly started in my head and I couldn't get rid of it. UGH!!! What am I doing here? We reached the rope climb. Did I mention there's a part of the run that is so steep that you have to pull yourself up by a rope? The first two times I felt good. The last loop I was tiring and was shocked when I was feeling my arms give. A group of experienced trail guys were making their way up when we reached it. Everyone went one at a time. Caroline then took her turn. Then I went. As I was climbing I saw a man from the corner of my eye get on all fours and scale the mud. My concentration was blown. I lost my footing and I smashed into the ravine. I was mad, my ego was completely blown to pieces and this monkey man passes me and all I can say is wow. When I'm thinking I was to say, Um do you mind, can you see I'm in front of you, wait your TURN!!! Then he has the absolute nerve to snap at me - what did you say? All I could say was - I said wow. Oh, thanks he says and keeps going as I'm now swinging from side to side. I wanted to just go home.

Getting to the top I felt great, and decided that I was going to have to take my chances, so I passed the group and began running alone. I galloped along for 2 or 3 miles, weaving in and out of woods and  fields. As I ran along the perimeter of one of the fields I saw a man coming toward me. I knew I must be lost again. We both stopped and questioned each other about where we were going. We decided that we would continue going in the direction we already were running. About 1 minute later I hear a loud yell coming from the direction of where the guy must be by now. I decided he was trying to tell me I was going the wrong way, so I turned around and ran to where an arrow pointed me in the direction I was going before. I wasn't sure what to do, as the arrow on the plate clearly told me to go where I had just come from. Soon I see the same group of guys who had rescued me before. When they reached the arrow they immediately went into the woods! I had missed the entry path into the woods, I felt a bit foolish, but that's ok, I was still feeling great. One of the guys made a crack about me being a nice guy and waiting for them to catch up, I just laughed and got my revenge by passing them and starting out boldly on my own again.

A mile later I caught up with a guy named Paul who was running a decent pace so I slowed down and ran with him. We talked some, and then we got to the 2nd creek crossing. This one was also thigh high, but it lacked the strong current and the hole in the middle, so it was a piece of cake to cross.  A few times we both stop mid trail, look around, and say "are we lost?" We eventually see the start/finish area 200m away. We run quickly through the grassy field and I wish Paul luck as we run across the clock line. I had finished the first 10 mile loop in 1:55.

Considering the 3-4 minute time loss in the port-o-potty, getting lost twice, the extra distance thus added, and the mud and hills, I considered this to be a good time. My plan was to try to duplicate this pace 2 more times.

I ran to my car to refuel on potatoes, lemonade mixed with chia seeds, a table spoon of honey, 6 ounces of V8, sweet peanuts, and half a banana. At Farmdale 2 weeks ago I had hurt my left wrist from carrying my waterbottle, and it was still sore when I bent it, so for this race I decided not to carry my water, just run free and easy with no baggage. Because it was cool and breezy, I figured I would not sweat much, and hoped hydrating every 5 miles would be sufficient. I had gotten a few comments during the first loop, asking if I was a 10 mile runner. I wondered why they were asking me this, but thinking about it now I realize that my somewhat quick pace and the fact I was not carrying a bottle and had no fuel belt probably made them wonder if I was being stupid.

Loop 2

Unlike Farmdale, I was not ready to crank down the pace during the 2nd loop. Holding my pace one pip below max kept me from feeling tired and worn out, and I started the 2nd  loop feeling just as good as the 1st. 

As I got onto the initial downhill mudslide, I saw two runners at the bottom of the hill, and when I got to the bottom I noticed one not far behind. In the field the runner caught up to me and I picked up my pace a bit and followed him until we reached the other two. The 4 of us started our climb into the woods, and when we got into the open grass field they slowed to a walk. The field was uphill for about 200m, but not very steep, and I wondered why they were walking, but I decided to walk also, as I thought it would be good idea to stick with some runners for a bit.  

When we got back into the woods and started confronting the hills I noticed that the 3 guys ahead of me would slow to a walk, and once on the downhill the leader would run all out, getting far away from me, as I was taking my time on the downhills because of the risk of slipping on the mud. It reminded me of Farmdale when the lead runner of our 3 man group was crushing the downhills at full intensity, but after a mile of this had to slow to a walk due to exhaustion. I wondered if the same thing was going to happen today, and about a mile later the lead runner pulled off the trail and let us pass him. I wondered about the logic behind running hard on the downhills if one cannot keep a steady pace after.

To my surprise the group started to slow after 3 miles so I decided to push ahead, more confident now that I was seeing the trail for the second time. I was running close to the pace of the first loop, which pleased me, and nothing out of the ordinary happened as the miles passed under my feet.

At about mile 8 I caught up with a runner who I had earlier seen fall on one of the wood bridges. I asked how he was feeling and he said the fall had done no harm. He told me this was his first trail race and that he found it amusing that it took him almost 2 hours to run 10 miles because on flat pavement he could run 10 in 1:15.  A runner behind us said, “keep running trail races and you will find that to be common.”

As we neared the finish of loop 2 I thought about my time and wondered if it was close to the 1st loop. When the clock came into view it read 3:55, and since I had started the 2^nd loop at 2:00 (5 minutes to refuel at my car), it was another 1:55. Since I did not get lost and had no potty breaks I had slowed by 5 minutes. When I got to my car to eat and drink I realized my legs were still in good shape, so after eating 5 potato chunks, more honey and lemonade/chia, the other half of the banana, and a kiwi, I set off for the final loop.

Loop 3 

The first mile of the 3^rd loop I saw the two runners I had finished the 2^nd loop with, but I soon passed them and when I entered the woods at mile 2 I did not see another runner for 6 miles. I was running strong, ran most of the hills, and kept a steady pace. I started to push hard after the 5 mile aid station. My quads were starting to get stiff, but it wasn’t hindering my pace or energy level. I was surprised how quickly I was reaching all of the landmarks – the creek crossings, golf hill, etc. It appeared that I was going to hold out with a steady pace until the end of the race.

At mile 8 I saw a female runner dressed as a butterfly. I told her she had a nice costume as I passed, and she mentioned something about being looped. I respected her tenacity and endurance, knowing she was going to be running for another 3 hours.

After the final creek crossing I started to push the pace, and fought hard to the finish. I crossed the line in 5:50, having run the final loop in 1:50 (started the loop at 4:00). It was a success to run an even pace throughout, and although the average pace was 11:40, the same as the 50 miler in September, I still thought I ran fast enough considering the difficulty of the course. My legs held up on the hills, and I am hoping to have a fast recovery so that I can continue my speed training and racing.