Perfect Run

I don't quite know what it was, but today's run was amazing.  After over 8 miles at Trexler last night, I wanted a long run today.  I was shooting for 25 miles.  The problem is that I've done this plenty of times before and usually came up well short, only doing 15 miles or so.  Today, everything just clicked.  It was almost magical.

I went to Jacobsburg for the run.  I wanted to run at the Delaware Water Gap, but it is closed due to the government shutdown.  What actually made the run most amazing was the poor start.  I wanted to be fairly conservative.  After yesterday's run, I wasn't feeling too strong.  I felt kind of tired and sluggish before the run.  I also ate lunch too close to the start.

I headed out and started doing the loop to the open field area.  I figured that this section gets the most sun, so I'd get through it early before it got too hot.  Still, it was quite hot.  Not summer time hot, but October hot for sure.  I headed out with a shirt and that proved to be too much.

I walked the big hill and wasn't feeling bad, but not great either.  I just plodded along.  The sun was bothering me and my shirt was already getting soaked.  Somewhere around 3.5 miles, I was really losing it.  I started getting kind of lightheaded.  Maybe my lunch or electrolyte water just had not kicked in yet.  Whatever the case, I felt awful.

Instead of getting discouraged, as I usually do, I decided to just battle through it and see what happens.  If it was truly going to be an awful run, then I'd just cut it short.  I was hoping maybe it was just a bad patch.

Then, the amazing thing happened.  I don't know if it was just the downhill or what, but my energy started to come around and I felt amazing.  I thought up a phrase, "90% of our limitations are mental."  I said that to myself and it seemed to ring true.

I took the long way around loop back to the parking lot.  I was now having fun.  Going through the ridge section with roots was a blast.  I got back to the car to refuel at just past 5 miles.  My recovery had been amazing.

After a short break, I continued on.  This time, I headed across the street from the main lot and started the big loop.  I dropped my shirt off in the car and being cooler was a big help.  I walked some of the steeper hills, but for the most part, I ran.  Before I knew it, I was at the Sober's Run Loop.

I walked up the powerline section to be cautious.  The pace wasn't fast, but it certainly wasn't slow either.  I really enjoyed the downhills.  They were reenergizing me all day long.

Instead of heading back, I ran the singletrack along the creek.  This is a fun section.  It is easy and not too technical.  I came out and was going to run on the main path.  Then I saw a couple hunters and decided to just turn around.

I was only at 10 miles by now, but yet I knew I'd get the 25 miles in, unless I collapsed big time.  Thinking about how I managed to get through the 50K while being miserable was a huge help.  I just kept trying to stay positive and enjoy the run.  Having the beautiful fall scenery of Jacobsburg as well as the cool weather was a huge help.

I decided again that I didn't want to head back to the car yet.  The more miles I could put in during this second loop, while still feeling good, the better.  There is a fun loop around Sober's Run, so I did that.  It added about two more miles.

I saw some horses in this section, but they didn't get in the way.  There were a lot of people out hiking today.  There was some great energy there too.

I then headed back toward the main lot.  I continued to walk the steep hills.  I took the longer, fun route back again to add distance.  As I hit mile 15, I still felt amazing.  I couldn't believe it.  Usually, I falter by this time.  With each passing mile, I was more confident that I would make it to 25.

When I arrived back at the car, it was almost exactly mile 16.  I ate a little bit of a Clif Bar, but actually didn't take on much nutrition at all today.  Getting water was a must.  That second loop had been nearly 11 miles long.  I had been low on water for some time.  I filled up and threw in a tablet.

Now, I was back at it.  This time, I was doing the long loop again, but heading out the main path rather than heading across the road.  The restarts can often be trouble, but today they weren't too bad.

I continued to be smart and walk some of the decent size hills.  Prior to the stop, my pace was under 11 minutes.  I didn't stop my watch during any of the stops, so the pace now shot up.  I think my running was still consistent.  It was just the stops and walking up hills that threw everything off.

I went through miles 17, 18 and 19 feeling awesome.  Hitting mile 20 and still feeling good was amazing.  After walking up the powerline hill, I knew the downhill would feel great.  It sure did.

I again continued back over toward the parking lot.  There is a steep uphill by the new building and I was still feeling so great that I could've probably ran up it.  Instead, I just continued to walk.  I was never sure if I would just crash suddenly.

The ridge section was fun.  I was a bit more cautious this time, since it was long into the run.  I was now well over the 4 hour mark.  I never ran that long in training before.  The recent 50K was my lone exception.

I got to the water fountain by the parking lot after 23 miles and refilled my water.  I was so close to done that I didn't want to stop at the car.  I had actually thought about running over marathon distance since I felt so good.

I went across the road and ran the long, slight uphill.  The hill did slow me a little.  By now, I was starting to get fatigued.  I knew I'd have a nice downhill finish.  It flattened out for a bit and when I got to mile 24.15, I hit a hill.  I turned around and headed back.

Going downhill was much better.  If I knew of a good downhill or flat section near the start, I might've continued on and run another mile.  I just couldn't take any hills.

I got back to the parking lot and still needed some distance.  I ran a short out and back along the main path.  That was nice and flat and easy.  I turned around at 24.80 and then finished up at mile 25 right at the water fountain.

I was starting to slip by the end, but I still could've ran/walked several more miles.  Maybe I could've even got to 50K distance.  That would've been tough alone though.

I wish I knew why this run went so well.  Maybe my training is really starting to pay off.  It is actually kind of frustrating that this run was so awesome and the 50K race was so terrible.  Obviously the hills did me in in the 50K, but that was just a terrible day.  This was the complete opposite.

I've read a few books of ultra runners who have had this kind of "WOW" run.  Maybe this is a defining moment for me, maybe it isn't.  Who knows.  Regardless, I'll certainly take it.

I wanted to get this long run done since I'm going to cross country meets each of the next two afternoons.  I might bike in the morning and at night each day.  I probably won't run again until Thursday though.  It has been a good start to the week and I sure hope it continues.  

25 miles - 4:42:41 (11:19 pace)

What It's All About

I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I LOVE the running community.  I spend so much of my early years running alone and I actually still do so most of the time, but sharing the running experience with friends makes it so much better.

I had a trifecta of running fun this weekend.  First, I helped my friend Tom out by taking photos of his 5K/10K.  It was good to volunteer.  Then, this morning I headed up to Scranton to cheer on and take photos of 8 of my friends who were running the Steamtown Marathon.  Finally, I ran this evening during dusk/dark at Trexler with a bunch of old friends and new ones.

The 5K and 10K was great and maybe the best part of that was seeing a group of Couch 2 5K runners taking on their first race.  A couple of my friends are coaching and running with them.  It is good to see some future regular runners in the making.  Steamtown was awesome because just about everyone ran well.  A lot of PRs.  Of course I'd enjoy capping the weekend with a loop after dark around Trexler (my favorite place to run).

It is funny how a day can start and end so differently.  After seeing everyone running road marathons and doing it so well and I started getting the itch.  I was thinking that maybe I should push myself again and try to PR there next year.  I may still do that, but the night trail run reminded me of exactly where I really wanted to be.  I just love it out on the trails in nature and the nighttime adds to it.

Flo and Todd invited me to join them on a twilight into darkness Trexler trail run.  Of course I can't turn down a run there that is at any time of the day or night other than the morning.  They were planning on the run and then they were going to do some crazy Spartan training type of stuff.  I'm not into that, so I was thinking of doing a second loop.  I've never gone that far before.

A lot of people were invited to this run, but only 6 of us showed up.  In addition to Flo and Todd, there was a guy Kevin, another guy Mike (who I think I ran with last nighttime Trexler run) and a woman Miranda.  The weather was actually perfect, so I was very happy about that.  I love fall days like this.

Todd and Kevin decided they would hang back.  They were waiting for someone else that might be coming.  Mike and Miranda set the pace and Flo and I ran right behind them.  I was very impressed that I ran up the first big hill without too much trouble.  I haven't been to Trexler since Quadzilla in July.  I guess I'm still in good shape.

I figured that Flo couldn't just hang back for too long and of course I was correct.  It didn't take long before she went by them and I followed.  I felt great, so I figured why not.  I was a little worried though because I thought Flo would destroy me (even though she already ran a half marathon while pacing Tom in the marathon today).

 We cruised along and things seemed to be going well.  I was having no trouble with the hills.  I did start to notice that Flo seemed to be lagging behind just slightly.  Not the usual front running, push hard Flo that I know.  She wasn't getting up the hills as fast as I expected.

I was actually grateful for this because she wasn't killing me.  At some point around mile 2, I realized that I was probably talking too much.  I decided to just shut up and we ran in silence for awhile.

We got to the awesome view around 2.5 miles right around sunset.  It was pretty sweet.  Then all of a sudden it happened, Flo just stopped and started walking.  Not on a hill either, but on a downhill.  I stopped with her and quickly learned that she was having stomach problems because she ate too close to the run.

We walked for some time and this was on flat/downhill parts of the course.  It took longer than I expected, but Mike and Miranda finally passed us.  They walked with us a bit, but then we told them to just go on.  Flo suggested that I just keep running, but there was no way that I was happening.  I'm not going to leave a struggling woman alone on the trail, especially with darkness coming soon.  I might as well just have my man card taken away if that is the case.

I also wanted to stay with her because I knew the shortcut back to the parking lot through the zoo.  I figured that if she was feeling that bad, I could take her back to the car and then maybe do another full loop on my own.

Somewhere near the big hills, it started to get quite dark.  We had to turn on our headlamps.  We thought it was odd that Kevin and Todd had not caught us yet with all the walking.  Then, we saw some headlamps up ahead.  It was was the two of them.  We told them of the situation and Todd had a ginger tablet to help Flo's stomach.  He's done so many endurance events and has a little bit of everything.

They wanted to get some running done, so we told them to go ahead.  We were probably around halfway through at that point.  We followed them for a bit and Flo actually got a little better.  We all went through the creek pretty much together.  It was a very cold crossing.

Around the zoo area, we actually caught right up to Kevin and Todd.  At this point, I was thinking that Flo was back and was going to crush it and probably destroy me now.  I was feeling good, so I was up to the challenge.  She was back to hiking after not too long though.

Although I wasn't getting much of a workout, I was still enjoying the company.  It was also fun trying to help a friend through a tough spot.  It is kind of interesting because Flo's first run of the day was helping Tom out, now here she was needing help herself.  You never know what the day will bring.  She was looking for a tough workout and got one, but not the way she expected.

We heard some animal sounds that were slightly uncomfortable.  Then the weirdest thing we heard were screams.  It sounded like a child or young kid.  At first I was thinking maybe at Kidspeace.  That was a little worrisome since we had to run by there later.  I was also thinking maybe we were somehow near some haunted attraction.  I have no idea.  We were by some houses.

We got to the top of the long hill.  At some point around then, Flo asked how far we had left and I said about a mile.  She then had a second wind and took off.  We ran over the rolling hills.  It was a beautiful night and she commented on exactly that.  I saw some green eyes staring at us in the grass.  I pointed it out to Flo, but I probably shouldn't have.  It was likely just a deer. 

It wasn't too long and we were done.  It was almost 2 hours, but it actually seemed kind of quick (at least for me).  I guess I have the easy pace and good conversation to thank for that.

They decided not to do their Spartan training.  I strongly considered at least starting a second loop, since I had energy left.  This isn't the best place to run alone after dark though and as we stood around, I got pretty cold too.  I didn't have a second shirt to wear either.  I was kind of mad that I didn't try another loop and I almost even stopped by the Nor-Bath Trail for some more miles afterward.  I decided to just call it a night though.

Tonight didn't turn out the way it was planned, but it was fun nonetheless.  I definitely need more company on my runs.  Even just a few days a week would be a big help.  I also have to hand it to Flo, she put in almost 22 miles of running today.  She is one tough cookie too.  If it were me, I probably would've just cut back across through the zoo.  She soldiered on and finished up the run though.

Since I didn't run too much today, I'll look to do a long run tomorrow.  Maybe I'll knock out 20 miles or so.  I have no idea where at yet.  Perhaps at the McDade Trail near the Delaware Water Gap.  I feel like I need to run somewhere different.  After a mere 2 miles of running following the 50K, it is back to big miles and long rides again this week.  I can't wait to get back at it.

8.51 miles - 1:51:53 (13:09 pace)

Short Monocacy Park Recovery Run

I took Monday completely off after the 50K.  On Tuesday, I got on the bike twice.  That was perfect for recovery.  The legs were sore for both of those two days, but felt great today.  The worst was actually that night after I cramped up in both calves and thus they were very sore.

Since I felt good today, I decided I would use a very short and easy run to test out the legs.  If they felt fine, I'd run later in the week.  If I didn't feel good, I would stop the run.

I needed somewhere flat.  I got this trail booklet from Wegman's over the summer.  It had Monocacy Park in it.  I didn't even know they had any trails there.  I hiked there over the summer and saw that it was short and flat.  I decided this would be perfect for today.

The plan was just an easy two miles.  I figured each loop would probably be about a mile long.  This is actually a fun little trail.  It is an in and out singletrack along the creek.  There were a couple fishermen there and I'm sure it's busy there during that time of year.  Sometimes the trail would be very close to the edge of the water.

My left hamstring was a little tight early on, but felt great after a few minutes.  The odd thing during the race and now after it, is that my left calf isn't bothering me anymore.  It had been a minor problem after the marathon and I thought it would be an issue during the race.  I had so many other problems though that I guess I didn't even notice it.

I quickly came to the end of the trail, although I was surprised to be about .75 miles out.  I didn't think the trail would be that long.  I went under a railroad bridge and then ran over what looked like some BMX trails.  I was then onto the main double wide path.

Some people were running with their dogs and the dogs went crazy.  I actually saw two other guys running and a cute young lady.  I was surprised that this area was so busy.  It was a perfect cool, fall day.  I just didn't realize this was a running area.

I ran out until I got to Schoenersville Road.  I thought about crossing the road, but wasn't sure if there was any more trail there.  I was already at one mile out.  I headed back.

This area is kind of cool.  It is flat, but there are giant cliffs near the trail.  The changing colored leaves made it awesome too.  I passed those couple runners mentioned above.

I then went by the section that is part of the high school cross country course.  If I ever want to do some more miles, I could run on there too.  I then had to cross railroad tracks for a second time.  That got me back into the singletrack.  I needed a short out and back to finish up.

It was a nice two miles and I'm feeling good.  I biked in the dark again this evening too.  I'll run one more day this week, either tomorrow or Friday.  It is a light week.  On Sunday night, there is a big group run at Trexler.  I'll probably only do one loop, but I'd love to try two.  That would depend on how I feel after the first one of course.

2 miles - 20:10 (10:05 pace)

Monday Morning Quaterbacking

My first ultra is the books and since it is going to rain all day and I can't ride, I figured it is time for some reflection.  I always say how I love "bad" races.  Of course they suck while you are doing them, but you learn a lot and grow so much more after them.  They certainly can lead to good future races.  They also test your mental toughness, which is a huge reason why I run.

Of course it would've been nice to have a decent first ultra, instead of a terrible one.  At least I didn't DNF though and now I can look back on this race in the future if I'm struggling in an ultra.  I see that my ultra running friends drop out of events from time to time.  I'm sure that will happen to me to.

First, I have to look at my training of course.  I've been running a lot on trails and kept everything to long runs.  I did quite a few back to back 15 mile days and also biked a ton.  I would've liked to have gone over 20 miles a little more often in training, but that was just tough to do when I was running alone and running through the heat of the afternoon in the summer.  Have some long run training partners would certainly be a big help.  I need to connect more with others in this area.  Going beyond the marathon distance isn't really an individual thing.

I always feel like I can do more training.  I'm doing 15 hours of working out a week between biking and running.  In addition to long runs, I want to build my volume first from its current 40 miles of running and 100 miles of biking to 50 miles of running and 125 miles of biking a week.  Then, I want to up it to 60 miles and 150 miles by the spring.  This will require more commitment to running or riding in the morning.  Just being able to get more and more long runs under my belt would be a huge plus.

I definitely need to work hills into my training more.  I thought the heat would kill me yesterday, but it was actually the hills that were the culprit.  I run at Jacobsburg a lot and that is relatively easy, so I can do a lot of miles.  It didn't prepare me at all for this course though.  I guess I need to make more trips out to Blue Marsh Lake since it isn't that far.  That or I need to get some more long runs done at Trexler.  I haven't been there since Quadzilla.  I'd like to run the AT, but it is so rocky and there isn't a lot of elevation change after the intial climb to the top of the ridge.

I think another thing that hurt me yesterday was that I didn't slow down enough through aid stations.  During training runs, I'd often run 5 miles and stop to refuel and rest for 5-10 minutes.  That gave me some recovery.  During this race, I stopped very briefly at the first couple aid stations and didn't eat much.

I don't feel as though I ran too hard at the beginning, but maybe an even slower pace would've helped.  I was under a 10 minute pace after 10 miles.  Granted, that was the easiest section of the race.  I'm not sure if the pace was the problem.  I think it was more of my legs just not being strong on the given day.

Part of the reason my legs failed could've been my taper or lack there of.  I really didn't cut back until a week before.  I was enjoying the nice weather too much and I didn't think this race would be as difficult as it was.

I definitely have to focus more on nutrition in the future.  I don't think that affected me during this race, but it could be a big problem in longer races.  I refilled my bottle at every aid station, but I had no game plan of how and what to eat.  I just kind of grabbed whatever I felt like eating.  I should have more of a plan in the future.

I can say without a doubt that I'll run another 50K and even a 50 miler as well.  It's the first time ever that finishing was actually questionable.  I've struggled in races before, but I was never challenged enough that I actually though about quitting altogether.  During road races, I've found times where I couldn't hold the pace, but I was never debating stopping like I was yesterday.  I was so done by the end that I probably couldn't have even moved much farther than I did.  The challenge of just completing the task is exactly what I was looking for.  I look forward to a future of many more ultras.

Blues Cruise 50K

I've always enjoyed distance.  When I turned 19, I ran 19 miles to celebrate.  That was after no more than 10-12 miles ever run at once.  It was tough, but I got through it.  Of course that meant that I had my eye on marathons.  When I found out that people run even farther, I was intrigued and ultimately knew it was what I wanted to do in the long run.

I've come to really enjoy trail running, so running an ultramarathon on trails was just a no brainer.  I signed up for the Blues Cruise 50K in Reading.  I figured it couldn't be that much more difficult than a marathon, because it wasn't much farther.  Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong.  It ended up easily being the most difficult thing I've ever done.

I got to the start pretty early.  I was enjoying seeing all the long haired and bearded guys (although there actually weren't many of them).  That is always what I picture in ultra runners and quite a few of the top national guys do look like that. 

The weather was supposed to be very hot, but it was nice at the start.  It was actually cloudy. I was happy for nice weather.  I was hoping it would stay that way.  I began the race with my singlet.

I had talked to a guy in the bathroom line and he was doing his first ultra too.  He lined up near me at the start, but I think once he realized how fast I am on roads, that he better begin farther back.

I started off nice and easy.  It was a short distance to the trail.  I didn't run this early part before, but I had done a lot of the first half in training.  The first few miles were nice and slow.  I just hung behind people and let them dictate the pace.

There was a group of chatty women ahead of me.  I didn't want to listen to them for mile after mile and they were going kind of slow, so I ran by them when they walked up a hill.  Of course they passed me late in the race.  At least I didn't have to hear them too much.

The early part had some rolling hills, but for the most part it was pretty easy.  My pace was definitely slower than a usual training run, but not by much.  I thought I was holding back pretty well.

It seemed to take some time until the first aid station.  The nice thing about aid stations in that people often spent some time there so it thinned out the busy trail.  After this aid station, I ran a little faster until I caught up to a pack.  Then I just followed behind and let them dictate the pace again.  I was trying to hold back.  The woman in front of me had on Reebok calf sleeves and after a few miles of staring at the ground I got sick of seeing the word "Reebok."

You have to look right at the ground in front of you on a trail if you are following anyone.  Otherwise, you might miss an object and trip.  This almost bit me later on.

I got to the second aid station somewhere around mile 6.  I actually knew this one because I started from there during my race.  By now, I took my shirt off.  I had to carry it in my pants though because my parents weren't at this aid station.  In the first 2 aid stations, I took water only and a couple pretzels.  I figured that I would eat later.  I thought I would be spending a little more time at the aid stations, but that didn't happen in the beginning.

Again, the trail was clear and I ran a little faster.  Again, I caught up to someone.  This time, it was another woman.  I just followed on her heels for a couple miles.  I'm not one to start conversation and after awhile, she finally did.  She said she used to live in Allentown and now works at UPENN and lives in Philly.  Apparently she lives right near Wissahickon.  I'm jealous, since I used to live in Philly and run there a lot.  It is an awesome trail.

She set a good pace.  This was like 4 miles of almost perfectly flat singletrack.  It was awesome.  Even with less effort, the overall pace was dropping and dropping.  A couple other people caught up to us in this stretch.  I wasn't paying attention and tripped really bad.  Amazingly I caught myself and didn't fall.  I have good balance.  The other people were impressed that I didn't land on my face. 

Finally after some time, I decided to pass her and go ahead.  I wanted to run a little fast.  Not long after that, I ran over a footbridge.  I forgot that it rocks back and forth.

We went on the road over the bridge and it was on to the next aid station.  This time, I grabbed some grilled cheese and took my time.  Trying to eat and run was a little tough.

This was the section that I knew would be tough.  It is a pretty big climb.  I hadn't walked much up to this point, but I knew I'd be walking plenty here.  It was tough and then after that climb, there was another challenging uphill.  I was glad that I was over 10 miles by this point.

Someone told the woman in front of me that she was the 10th place woman.  I didn't realize that I was that far to the front of the field.  I passed her going downhill.  This part was fun.  Of course there was another uphill after that.

When we got to the field section, the woman that I was chatting with earlier passed me.  I decided to follow her again.  She's run quite a few ultras and it showed.  She set a nice pace.  She was in her late 40s too.  I was impressed.  I hung with her for a mile or two, but I was starting to slip.

I was feeling it already around miles 11 and 12.  My legs weren't sharp.  I never imagined that I would start losing it this early.  I figured that I'd at least get to 15 or 20 miles before I'd have trouble.  After dropping off from her, I was on my own.

I reached the half marathon point and couldn't believe how beat my legs were.  I saw my dad for the first time at this point.  I told him I was in trouble.  I wasn't even halfway done.  I knew I'd finish, but honestly had no clue how.

I badly miscalculated this back section of the course.  I assumed that it wouldn't be too hard after the big hills, but I was so wrong.  This course was so frustrating.  It seemed like big hill after big hill.  I was just happy to finally get to the halfway point.

I thought I would meet my dad at mile 17, so I focused on getting there.  I don't think he actually met up with me until mile 19.  He had my bag with stuff, but luckily I didn't need it.  I was surprised I didn't chafe much.  I was sweating the whole run, but luckily it was cloudy most of the day.  That was a big plus because we weren't running under trees as often as I thought.

One guy that I talked to was struggling too.  A lot of people were walking a lot, so that made continuing on much easier.  Misery loves company.  The guy that I was talking to said he thought he was in good shape and that he had run quite a few 50 milers that were easier than this course.

The puzzling thing is that he often walked flats and ran some of the short hills.  At one point, it was kind of annoying because he'd run a very short distance, then walk a short distance and then repeat the pattern.  Basically, since everyone was going so slow, you'd run when the person in front of you ran and walk when they walked.  The guy behind me was doing the same.  Every now and then someone would fly by, but not too often.

Finally the guy got a phone call and was walking for some time.  Me and the guy behind me passed him.  I didn't see him again.  I saw my dad again and told him that it was going awful, but I would finish.  I just ran when I could and walked if I couldn't.

Getting to 20 miles was a big plus.  I thought about starting my second watch at mile 21, so that I'd only have 10 miles left.  However, I was talking at the time and not paying attention.  Therefore, I didn't change watches until mile 22.  That meant 9 miles left to go.  That seemed overwhelming, but at least I was in single digits.

This back part of the course was pretty remote.  The aid stations there were awesome, they were just quite far apart.  I ate an orange had some soup and drank a couple cups of coke too.  The volunteers always took my bottle right from me and filled it.  It was definitely different than road race aid stations.

This course was so brutal.  I actually started to kind of feel good around mile 25.  However, every time I would try to run, I'd come to a hill and have to walk again.  That was probably the most frustrating thing about the course.  Most of the runnable section was the beginning of the race.  Maybe it is better next year when they run the course in the other direction.

I arrived at the last aid station and took my time.  I was walking a lot anyway.  I ate a pierogi and talked with my dad.  I told him that I'd finish, but I'd be going slow.

The course description said this section was very flat and runnable, but of course it wasn't.  I walked and walked and walked some more.  I was just glad to get past 26.2 miles (my longest run distance ever).  I ran here and there, but this was still a lot of uphill.  When the course went back to dirt trail, it wasn't much better.

Around mile 28, I finally was able to do some running.  This guy passed me and I decided to follow him.  It was great to have a pacer on this relatively easy section.  I ran over half a mile straight.  That was rare in the second half of the race.  Finally, I walked at a hill and he took off.

I was glad to have some things to think about when I got to these tough patches.  I thought about my surgery and all the tough post surgery months when I couldn't get out of bed.  My friend Flo struggled with a tough Spartan race last week, but completed the race.  That helped inspire me to keep going too.  I'm glad that she had shared that.

The sun was out by this time and that kind of sucked.  It still wasn't as hot as I thought it might be today.  Going around the dam was tough with no shade and some hills.  Then the trail when onto a road and uphill.  There was no way I was going to run on pavement this late, so I ended up walking about half a mile to a mile.  When the road finally ended, it was a gravel uphill trail.  No way I was running up that either.

I now had about 2 miles left.  Actually, based on what the aid stations were calling themselves, it seemed like the run would be half a mile short.  That was fine with me.  One thing I do is that no matter what mile I'm at, I round down how far I have to go.  So when it I get to 1.97 miles to go for example, I just tell myself only 1 more mile to go (even though it is much more than that).

Most of this final 5K was walking.  I actually tried to run for short stretches, but had to stop because my right calf was close to cramping up.  There were some hills anyway, so I just walked a lot.  A lot of people were passing me toward the end.  They often asked if I was okay.  I said I was, but I was just slow.

When I had a mile left, the section was runnable, so I decided to give it another try.  This time, I did the ultra shuffle.  I barely picked up my feet.  A guy told me that there was only about 500 yards until the finish, so I just kept running.

It wasn't long and we were on to the park road.  I could finally see the finish area.  That was huge.  With the near cramping, I didn't think that I would be able to run this much, but I managed to do so.  I ran through the finish line and it was a huge relief.  I had to stand a long time to avoid cramps.

That still didn't work though.  I cramped up twice in the car ride hope and once as I was writing this.  It could be an interesting night.  At least I didn't chafe much.

It is great that I can now finally call myself an ultrarunner.  The race didn't go as planned and it was frustrating to have to walk so much, but at least I finished it.  I battled and battled and battled.  This was the most I've ever been challenged before.  It was probably 10X harder than a marathon.  Hopefully they will get at least a little easier.

I was considering running a 50 miler in the late fall or early winter.  After this race, that is out the window.  I'll at least wait until spring before doing that.  I definitely need a lot more long runs under my belt.

I noticed that my trail shoes have a hole above one the toes now.  I guess it is time for some new shoes.  I've only been running in cheap outlet store trails shoes.  Since I'm on trails so much, I should probably get some good shoes now.


I doubt I will do anything tomorrow.  I'm not sure though.  My legs don't seem too bad other than the sore muscles that cramped.  I'd like to get back to running later in the week.  That all depends how I recover.  I'm hoping the softness of trail will help me recover more than road running would.

30.63 miles - 6:32:52 (12: 49 pace)

Short and Humid Run

I haven't ran much this week with my 50K coming up.  I only ran once in fact.  Because my regular Garmin won't last the entire race, I decided to get out there an test out the Garmin Forerunner 10.  I plan on using that for part of the race tomorrow.

I decided to get out to the Nor-Bath Trail for a short run.  The plan was just an easy 3 miles.  I wanted to get out with the BCR this morning, but as usual, that didn't happen.  That probably wasn't a bad thing though since they ran on pavement.

I started off at Bicentennial Park.  Instead of starting on the east end of the park, I began on the west end.  The plan was to do an out and back toward Northampton.  That meant one road crossing, but a relatively light one.

It is very hot and humid for October.  It isn't as bad as the summer was, but it was in the 80s by the time I started.  It wasn't too bad in the first mile, but by mile 3, I was soaked.  I signed up for this 50K partly because I figured the weather would be nice.  Instead, it'll be brutal tomorrow.  At least I trained in worse weather most of the summer.  I ran without a shirt today, but even that didn't help.

I zipped across the street in front of a motorcycle at the first road crossing.  Then it was smooth sailing.  There were some people out walking and biking, but as usual it wasn't crowded.  I ran by where they had a race this morning.  It was a race that I finished 2nd overall in last year.

I wanted to run to 1.5 miles, but I didn't want to cross Savage Road, so I wound up turning around at about 1.47 miles.  That was close enough.

The first 2 miles were very consistent.  Each one was run at 8:30.  I guess I was heading downhill on the last one, because it was much faster.  I wasn't running with more effort.  I even had to wait for a few seconds at the road crossing and I still ran that final mile at 8:01.

I was great to be done.  I'm looking forward to the race tomorrow, even though it'll be hot.  I was hoping to race some of it, but with the heat, it will now be very easy and cautious.  I just need to finish my first ultra.  I'm a little worried because my calf continues to be sore.  It bothers me initially and then things get better as I go on.  Hopefully running on trails will help.  I'm sure it will still bother me at the end after a lot of mileage.  I guess I'll know in another day.

3 miles - 25:02 (8:21 pace)

Some Company for a Change

Since I run in the afternoon and most normal people work, it is rare that I run with anyone.  I've been getting tired of running alone.  I've also been running alone so much lately because almost all of my runs have been on trails.

My friend Kelley lives right near the Nor-Bath Trail.  I was there a week or two ago and the surface seems softer than most rail trails, so I figure I can run there a little.  I've been trying to meet up with her for a run for a couple weeks now.  This morning, we finally got together.

I just hate getting up in the morning for runs.  I'm not someone to break commitments though, so I was there at 7:30 to get started.  It actually wasn't too bad because I got to bed at a reasonable time and I was sort of up for about an hour before I actually had to get up.  I had a dream that I overslept, so I guess that got me up earlier.

Normally, I run with the BCR from the east end of the trail, but Kelley was bringing her baby with the jogging stroller and wanted to start from her house, so she didn't have to bring the car.  I met her at the Savage Road lot.

It was good to catch up with her.  We used to run a lot last year, before she had the baby.  I've only seen her once with the BCR since and I didn't run with her then.  We chatted a lot and time flew by.  Before I realized it, we were already midway through the Bicentennial Park section.

We had to be cautious at road crossings, so I suggested we head to Airport Road and turn around before crossing it.  We ended up being the people that annoy me when they take up the whole trail.  There were only two of us though and  at least we were alert enough to get out of the way and listen for the calls of bikers.  There were a few, but the good thing is that most of this trail is empty.

The pace was nice and easy, over 9 minutes.  That was good because with my 50K coming up, I wasn't looking to run hard or far this week.  The planned 7 miles today would be my longest run and maybe my only one of the week.

We turned around at Airport Road, a little after 3 miles.  I guess it is a comfortable ride because the baby slept most of the time.  On the way back, I got a phone call from work.  I stopped to answer it and let Kelley go ahead.  They were telling me that I needed to come in earlier.  I was prepared to go straight there after the run, but I forgot my shoes, so I had to go back home.

Time just flew by.  It felt like we were hardly even running.  That's what I love so much about running with someone.  I wish I could do it more often.  I do have to make an effort to run or bike more before work.  I have a decent little window to do so.  I'd like to up my mileage in the fall to 50 miles of running and 125 miles of biking.  That will definitely require at least a couple days a week of early morning workouts.

We got to 6 miles a little before the parking lot.  We turned around and did a short out and back for the 7th mile (rather than cross the road).  It was a great weather all run, even a bit chilly at the start.  It was a fun run and good to be done. 

Tonight, I might bike another easy 10 miles.  Tomorrow, who knows but it will probably be a rest from running.  I might ride again.  Either way, it is definitely a relaxing week.  Only a couple days until the 50K.

7 miles - 1:05:57 (9:25 pace)