That was hard.
That's probably the best way to describe yesterday's
Great Eastern Endurance Run held near Charlottesville, VA in the George Washington National Forest. At 100 kilometers (62.53 miles) in length, the race was 12 miles longer that any of my previous efforts. But the distance wasn't the kicker, the climbing was. With over 15,000 feet of climb, it roughly tripled the most I had previously done in a single event.
I woke up, unintentionally, shortly after 2 a.m on Saturday morning. After finally giving up on falling back to sleep, I watched Sportscenter and some coverage of Friday's debate. At 4 a.m. I had my standard pre-race meal of oatmeal and two bottles of Ensure. After getting into my running gear, I headed outside at 4:50 a.m. to pick up my ride to the start (Fortunately for everyone, I had found another runner staying in the same resort. Instead of having to drive me to the start at that godforsaken hour, Adrienne and June got to sleep blissfully).
I've mentioned before that I like running in the rain, but I really dislike
starting a run in the rain. When my ride picked me up, it was a downpour. A tad bit discouraging, but by the time we got to the starting area some 15 minutes away, the downpour had become a light mist.
We started along our way at 6 a.m. After a mile on a road inside the Sherando Lake Recreation Area, we turned onto a trail that went straight up for a mile. The terrain was very rocky and wet, which was a very good preview of what was to come. By the time I reached the first aid station, Slacks Overlook, nearly six miles into the race, the sun had come up and I no longer needed my headlamp. I had a drop bag waiting for me there, so I put away away my headlamp for later (I would return to this aid station twice more).
From there I headed back onto the trails before arriving at a two mile stretch along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The course then took me down a gravel road for well over four miles. That's a long ways down, and when I reached the aid station at the bottom, I had to turn around and go back up. The incline was just gradual enough that I was able to run most of the way to the top. At the top, I went back along the Blue Ridge Parkway and eventually returned to the same aid station where I had dropped my headlamp. My race crew, Adrienne and June, were there waiting for me.
22.9 down, 39.6 to go
Adrienne and June went on their way, and I went on mine. We wouldn't see each other again for ten hours (Adrienne will hopefully post the details of their day. Just to whet your appetite, their day included apple slingshots and "oom-pah" music).
At this point, I was 22.9 miles into the race and in third place. I was feeling good, but I knew my pace was going to slow significantly over the remainder of the race.
Back onto the trails I went, and it wasn't long before the terrain and inclination became less conducive to running. After reaching the Bald Mountain Summit aid station at the 25.4 mile mark, the rocky trail went downhill for nearly six miles to the Kennedy Ridge aid station. I had just completed the first 50k in exactly six hours; the second 50k wouldn't be nearly so fast.
Out from that aid station, I took a left turn down the undulating, gravel Coal Mountain Road for three miles until I reached the Stony Run Trail aid station. From there I had to run 7.5 miles back up to the Bald Mountain Summit. In the pre-race meeting, they said it would likely be the "longest 7.5 miles of your life," and they weren't kidding. It took me 2 hours and 15 minutes to finally make it to the top. It was brutal. Rocky and relentless. To add insult to injury, near the top where the trail had an occasional flat spot, there were huge, shin deep puddles that covered the width of the trail. The ice cold water, however, felt surprisingly good on my tired feet.
From the Bald Mountain Summit aid station, I took a different trail back down the mountain. Through a series of switchbacks, the trail plunged to the valley floor and wound along Mills Creek. The terrain in this section was just rocky enough that I had to keep a continuous eye on the trail, but it was flat and runnable - a nice change. The creek was beautiful, and I crossed through it several times. Seven miles later I reached the next aid station.
From there I once again turned left and went three miles down a different portion of Coal Mountain Road. Nearly 51 miles into the race, I found myself back at the Kennedy Ridge Trail aid station. This time I would have to go 5.8 miles up the same trail that I had descended 25 miles ago. Again, it was a rocky and relentless climb, but not nearly as torturous as the trip up the mountain from the Stony Ridge aid station. I had no doubts that I would eventually reach the Bald Mountain aid station, but I was becoming very concerned that I wouldn't get there before it was totally dark (I won't confuse you with the details, but my headlamp was now waiting for me at the Bald Mountain aid station). I reached the summit with about five minutes of twilight to spare.
Another 2.3 miles from the summit and only 4 miles from the finish, I arrived back at Slacks Overlook for the third and final time. And once again, my tireless race crew was there to greet me. Seeing them gave me an incredible boost. I was excited to spend more time with them at the finish, so I only stayed there for a minute or two before heading back onto the trail.
cold potatoes. 58.8 miles down, 3.7 to go
At this point, I wasn't that tired of running per se, I was just tired of running
on rocks. With that in mind, the last 3.7 mile section was a nice treat. Of course I was slowed by the darkness, but the gradual decent and not-so-rocky terrain was great. Eventually the trail took me back onto a road inside the Sherando Lake Recreation Area. I got a little choked up about a 30 seconds from the finish but kept myself together. Adrienne and June were there waiting for me. It was nearly two hours past Junie's bed time, but she was in fine spirits. For anyone with kids, you understand what a heroic effort Adrienne made to keep an almost-two-year-old from melting down, let alone smiley and happy, during the course of such a hectic day.
clock says 15:15:55, but the
official results say 15:17:33.
10th place overall and age 30-39 age group winner.
Junie modeling her well deserved finisher's medal.
Enjoying some post-race lasagna.
I carried very little with me during the race: just two bottles of Cytomax that I replenished several times via my drop bags. I think I did a great job with hydration and caloric intake, as I had no stomach problems whatsoever and a relatively clear head throughout the race. In hindsight, the combination of items I digested during the race sounds rather nauseating. For your pleasure:
Boiled Potatoes
Potato Chips
Gummy Bears
Candied ginger
Pretzels
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Ham and cheese sandwich (half)
Turkey and cheese sandwich (half)
Grilled cheese sandwich (one and a half)
Mini Snickers bars
Snickers Marathon bar
Gatorade
Cytomax
Water
Overall, it was a great race. I don't think I could have prepared any better (my weekly stair-climbing sessions in Duke's football stadium were very helpful) . It was undoubtedly the toughest physical challenge I've ever done. Except for two very small blisters, I have no injuries to speak of. I'm able to walk around today but not very gracefully.
And as I wobbled pathetically down the sidewalk today, Adrienne said to June, "Your father did this to himself."
...because I think it's really funny. Can you tell that June is in a manic state, wide awake 2 hours past bedtime and running on no nap? Can you tell that I feel like I've just completed a sort of endurance event of my own? By 9:30 at night Junie was spinning like a top and full of erratic, purposeless energy. It was, actually, slightly terrifying. She's back on schedule now, well-rested, and mostly purposeful in her energy again (although tonight she was making phone calls from her toy calculator and called up someone she called orange juice. So you be the judge).
I don't remember Lloyd looking like that, but somehow I snapped a photo of it. It was taken just moments before the one of him putting away some potatoes, so just know that he really did look remarkably, inappropriately fresh after 58 miles and 14 hours. So, if you want to consider the psychology of why I then chose to post this crazy looking picture of him, please be my guest.
