Salem Lake Frosty 50k 2013: a Recap.

Author's note: for some reason, I am unable to upload photos on this blog currently.  To read this recap with photos, go here.

My goal for this year’s Frosty 50k was to beat 4 hours.  More specifically, I was trying to take an hour off my previous 50k PR (4:57:59) which was set at the same race last year.  A 4 hour 50k calls for a 7:43 minute/mile pace over the course of 31.1 miles.  Given my average marathon pace for the most recent couple of 26.2’s was in the low-7’s, I figured the pace would not be the problem.  Not bonking on the last few miles was my main concern.

With the Frosty races (50k, 25k, and 50k relay options) being so close to home, many of my running friends often make it out to get in a nice ultra to start the year, or try their hand—er, feet—at tackling the ultra distance for the very first time, much as I did last year.  So it was a very social event, albeit freezing at the start.  Running the 25k were Dave Munger, Chris Joakim, John Richards, and Garry Fee.  Running the relay were Allen Strickland, Laura Gray, Chris Lamperski, and one of their running friends.  Running the 50k were veteran marathoner Bobby Aswell, Katie and Jason Rose (who met each other at this race two years earlier), veteran ultra-runners David Moore and Chad Randolph, ultra-newbies Kara Vincent and Johane Hirshfield (both of whom Chad was pacing), Mike Vance, and Emily Hansen, who had been running a heck of a season already with several marathons and halves within just a few months.  Bobby had hoped to run a 4:00-4:05 today, so we informally planned to run together.  Dave, who was out to get a good run in but not necessarily race all out, figured he would run at about our pace as well.

It was very cold at the start, hovering around freezing with some cool air coming off of the lake.  I was ready with my layers.  I did some pre-hab drills with my running jacket on and shed it atop my drop bag a few minutes before the start.  We would not feel the cold for very long.  At the start, it took almost no time to settle into my mid-7’s pace.  My tapered legs felt great, and the pre-ordained race pace was about the same as my regular easy-run training pace as of late, so I took off on auto-pilot for the first few miles.  Bobby locked in with me, and Dave gradually pulled ahead. 
Four hours is a long time when viewing it from the start of the race, so I just focused on setting a routine.  Cut the tangents, keep drinking water, and eat a gel every 22 minutes.  Since I was carrying my own water, I breezed through all of the aid stations, and Bobby only slowed down briefly to grab water cups on the go, so we maintained a 7:30 pace +/- 5 seconds for the entire first leg (12.5k, 7.75mi).  Our split at the first leg was 58:11, nearly two minutes faster than a 4-hour pace.  We maintained the same, consistent pace throughout the rest of the first half, save for a slightly slower mile 9 due to a switchbacked climb on the greenway.  After passing through the Linville Road aid station at the far eastern side of the lake, I spied Dave ahead and within reach.  He evidently had backed off of his low-7’s pace from the first few miles.  We caught up with Dave at about mile 13, and he confirmed that it was taking some time for him to feel 100% after a recent running hiatus. 
I pushed ahead (with Bobby not far behind) in order to bank a little time for a brief transition at the halfway point, which was the Start/Finish area for all of the races.  The race clock showed 1:56 and change for the first 25k, so I had banked a good bit of time.  I ran through the chute and immediately bee-lined for the facilities, after which I shed my gear vest and tech shirt, grabbed a fresh bottle from my drop bag, and hit the trail for round two.  The race clock read exactly 2 hours as I started the second half.  There goes all the banked time…

Bobby had continued on ahead while I made my stop, so I was accountable for my own pace now.  The third leg went by much the same as the first, with continued even splits, and more ground made up on those ahead of me.  With the 25k racers coming in to finish, the field ahead of me began to thin out.  At about the 21-mile mark, I saw the 50k leader on his final inbound leg.  With only about 6 miles to go, and looking as good as he was, I reckoned he was on his way to a potential course record.  [Edit: Ethan Coffey did in fact set a new course record with a smoking time of 3:00:10!]  He was dozens of minutes ahead of the next 50k racer.  At the final turnaround, I saw that I was no longer that far behind Bobby.  Allen, whose team had just handed off the baton to anchorman Lamperski, cheered us on, and then more subtly urged me to catch Bobby!  We’ll see…

Starting my final leg, I cruised along the greenway keeping Bobby in sight, and gaining inches on him here and there.  Dave was near the spillway at the 22/24 mile mark to cheer us on.  Bobby was 100 feet ahead of me.  “I’ll catch him,” I informed Dave.  Climbing the switchbacked hill on the greenway, I made my way up to Bobby, and we ran a couple more miles together as before.  At five miles from the finish, I glanced at my watch.  So far I had run a marathon distance in 3:20 and still had gas in the tank.  I figured that anything faster than 8 minute miles at this point was money in the bank.  Nearing the last aid station at Linville Road (3.5 miles out), I started to pull away once more.  I was feeling a bit worn down from 3 ½ hours of hard running, but I wasn’t bonking.  Whenever I spotted Bobby across the fingers of the lake trail, I cheered him on.  I passed a few more 50k’ers in the final few miles and low-geared my way up the final hill.  From there, the last mile was an exercise in maintaining pace and finishing strong.  I ran the last 200 at full stride and finished with a gun time of 3:56:43.  Goal accomplished. 

Bobby came in shortly after with a 3:58:11, also ahead of his goal.  At the time I am writing this recap, the official results are yet to be posted online, but I’m fairly certain that both Bobby and I made the top ten finishers for 50k, and Bobby’s time is likely in the top three for course records in the grand masters’ division.  [Edit: According to the results, I was 7th overall and Bobby was 8th overall among 156 50k racers.]

Shortly after Dave snapped some photos for us, I started to get hypothermic, so I layered up and started drinking hot chicken broth, which did the trick. I stuck around to cheer on all the other DART finishers, especially Kara and Johane, who were now officially ultra-marathoners, and Katie Rose, who set a 15+ minute PR with a sub-4:25 50k.  It was a great day at Salem Lake.  Now I have a respectable 50k PR to try and break next month at the Charlotte Ultra-Run.

What worked:

Shoes: La Sportiva Vertical K: Low profile, and great traction and surprising cushion for a lightweight trail shoe.

Socks: Smartwool full-length compression with Balega crew layered over.  This worked at the NYE Half five days earlier, so I went with the same formula to repeated success.

Race clothing/layers: RaceReady compression shorts with pockets full of gels, Reckless Running Singlet, Umstead Marathon tech shirt, Manzella ear warmers, cotton gloves with chemical hand-warmers inside, Nathan arm warmers, and Nathan HPL 28 gear vest, also full of gels.  I ditched the tech shirt, chem hand-warmers, and the Nathan vest at the half.

Hand-held hydration: I carried an Ultimate Direction 20oz handheld water bottle so I could breeze by the aid stations without stopping and take gels whenever I needed.  I had a second bottle in my drop bag so I could switch out at the half and not have to worry about refilling. 

Nutrition: I’m fairly confident that I carb-loaded appropriately for this race, but what likely made the difference was the 10 gels I consumed at regular 22 minute intervals throughout the entire run.  Honestly, I’m surprised I did not get sick.  I went with a mix of Clif and GU, with about half of the gels being caffeinated.

Freedom Park New Years Eve Half: Round and Round...

Happy New Year, everyone!  I capped off 2012 with a bang.  As I said in my last post, my goal for 12/31 was to break 90 minutes for Half Marathon at Freedom Park New Years Half-Marathon.  Everything went down more or less according to plan.  Well a little bit faster than planned.
In planning my race strategy, I knew I would be running roughly 13.3 laps of the Freedom Park Greenway, so my intended 6:40 pace would translate to a 6:34 for one full lap (1:59 for the first 0.3).  Here are my actual splits:
Lap time     (Lap Pace according to Garmin*)
1:50             (6:11)
6:30             (6:32)
6:30             (6:32)
6:29             (6:31)
6:30             (6:33)
6:34             (6:37)
6:40             (6:41)
6:36             (6:39)
6:32             (6:32)
6:28             (6:31)
6:30             (6:32)
6:34             (6:34)
6:34             (6:34)
6:16             (6:16)
*My Garmin recorded all of the laps as 0.99 or 1.00 miles, but the certified distance for each lap is 0.98 miles, so the average 6:32 pace in inaccurate.  According to the certified course measurements, my average pace for 13.1 would have been 6:36, which still is faster than I ran at Lungstrong 15k.
Running fast on a lap style course was an exercise in cutting tangents.  There were a handful of S-curves along the greenway, and hugging the tangents allowed me to run a fairly straight line through them much of the time.  Also, there were a couple of very modest hills along the course, but climbing each of them 13 times at race pace got old after a while. 

Start.

Finish.

It was great to see fellow DURT team members Stan Austin and Bobby Aswell, Jr. at the event.  Stan ran the Full option (3:39:xx) and Bobby ran the Half with me (1:33:xx).  Also present was Richard Heffner, who ran a 1:38:58 for the Half, only 3 seconds behind his time from the previous year.  Running the 24-Hour ultra were a couple of familiar elite ultra-running faces, namely Anne Riddle Lunblad (last year's winner with 140+ miles) and Jonathan Savage.  My time of 1:26:37, aside from being a massive 5-minute PR, was good enough for 3rd place overall in the Half.  This earned me a hearty handshake from RD David Lee.  Like all of Lee Timing's events, the volunteers were wonderful and the spread for the participants was fantastic.  I'd like to come back next year and try my hand...er...feet at the 24-hour option.  Now on to Frosty 50k!
What worked:
Shoes: New Balance MRC1600.  While not protective enough for 26.2, these shoes did prove to be great 13.1 racers.
Layers: I wore two pairs of socks (ironic for the Sockless Runner), and I had two long-sleeve tech shirts and a pair of arm sleeves on over my singlet.  It was cold!  By the end of the race, I was down to my singlet.  That's the advantage of a lap style race: you can leave your clothes wherever!
By the way, here is my Garmin data for the race.

Running Out of 2012

OK, so it's December 21st, 2012, the final day of the Mayan long count calendar, and the prophesied date end of the world.  However, we are still here, and my race calendar goes far beyond today.  2012 has been a very busy year.  By the time the year is done, I will have raced eight 5k's, two 8k's, three 10k's, a 15k, a 4-mile race, a 13-mile race, a 30k, two half-marathons, three marathons, two 50k's, 42.5 miles of a 210-mile relay, and a 50-miler.  I have set thirteen different PR's, including at least one PR for every distance.  I will have run over 2700 miles for the year, with nearly 400 of those being race miles.  2013, by contrast, will have far fewer races, but they all will be noteworthy.
My focus race for the foreseeable future is Umstead 100-mile Endurance Run on April 6-7.  100 miles is way beyond any of the challenges for which I have trained.  But, as I always do, I'm just going to figure it out as I go.  Volume...yes...I will need to maintain a high volume, but my focus will be not on just more miles, but more quality miles.  For Umstead, it will do me no good to do 16x400 on the track at vVO2max.  In order to prepare for the daunting undertaking of tackling 100 miles on foot, I will need to get plenty of practice doing just that...being on foot.  I will have to force myself to devote some training days just to walking.  I will have to rack up weekends of back-to-back long runs (B2Bs) where I am downright irritable by the last ten miles of the weekend.  I need to run through the night and in the rain and snow.  And I need to stay healthy.  Needless to say, such a grueling undertaking requires a lot of focus and positive energy, so I have supplemented my plans with other "shorter" ultras.  Frosty 50k (which was my first ultra) on January 5th and the Charlotte Ultra Run 50k (February 2nd) are a couple of "B" races that I will enjoy putting some focus into.  Both are flat and fast, and both present the possibility of a sub-4 hour time.  I most certainly will crush my old 50k PR of 4:57:59.  Later in the year, I anticipate doing one or two 50-milers.  Mountain Masochist sounds tempting, and I may want to see what the Boogie is all about.  Of course, the thought had occurred to me of returning to Prince William Forrest Park for the second annual OSS/CIA 50-mile Night Run...
But that's all far away.  Well, not exactly.  Frosty is only two weeks away and I'm already tapering for it.  Anyway, closer at hand--and still barely within the 2012 calendar year is the Freedom Park New Years Ultra Run 24hr, 12hr, 6hr, Marathon, and Half-Marathon, for which I won a free entry to the race of my choice in a random drawing.  Being that the Freedom Park event takes place a scant five days before Frosty 50k, I opted for the Half-Marathon.  Of all the goals I've set for 2012, the only one left unaccomplished is to run a sub-90 minute Half.  Now, on the last day of the year, I have a chance to do it!  Here's how it's gonna go down:
All of the races will take place on a certified 0.9859 mile loop.  The loop is relatively flat and smoothly paved.  In order to keep the same finish line for both the Half and the Marathon, the Halfers will start 0.2976 miles behind the start of the first full loop and then complete thirteen laps to reach the certified 13.1094 mile distance.  Yes, I am using an unnecessary amount of SigFigs in my preparation, but no one can say I'm not thorough.  I plan on maintaining a 6:40 pace for the race (1:27:24 projected finish), which works out to 1 minute, 59 seconds for the first partial loop to the lap finish line and then 6:34 for every subsequent full lap.  Therefore, I will be keeping an eye on my lap pace, but marking my laps on the same finish line every time to give me real-time +/- data VS my intended 0.9859 mile splits.
On another note, my current Half Marathon PR--which is from a VERY hilly course--would have me finishing two minutes before last year's overall winner.  This year, there are more participants, including one or two fellow contenders for the win, so a secondary goal for the race would be a podium finish.  I have taken the overall win in 5k's and 10k's before, and I have had several top three finishes (including one 3rd place 50k finish), but I have never outright won anything as long as a Half or longer.
We'll see...

Until then, Marry Christmas, a belated Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Solstice.  I hope we make it through the day and prove those Mayans wrong.

Here We Go Again...Recap of Anthem Richmond Marathon

Those that know me are aware that I keep a pretty regular two-month training cycle between big races.  I nearly doubled that training period for Ridge-To-Bridge, but having already signed up for Anthem Marathon in Richmond--a brief fourteen days after R2B, I was not about to let a perfectly good registration go to waste.  So this race was an experiment in quick recovery/quick preparation, and seeing what effect two close marathons might have on my body.  I've been racing and writing a lot lately, so I will keep the recap brief and then go on to what worked and what didn't. 
It was a beautiful Autumn day in Richmond.  The starting race temperature hovered around 40 degrees, and the leaves were in peak color change.  My two-week recovery/taper had me feeling good and fit, but not necessarily fit enough to shoot for another sub-3:05 or sub-3:10.  However, when I saw fellow DARTer Brian Helfrich at the start and he affirmed his goal of 3:05, I figured I might as well try and hang with that pace and see what happens.  I lost Brian halfway through the first mile, but I latched on to the official 3:05 pacer.  Miles 2-6 were positively beautiful.  A long stretch on Monument Avenue surely was the backdrop of many of the event's promotional photographs.  Shortly after the 10k timing mat, I had to drop out of the 3:05 pace group to use the restroom. 
A sustained downhill allowed me to make up some lost time and bank a couple more quick splits.  We crossed the James River on the traffic-free Huguenot Memorial Bridge and looped around onto Riverside Drive.  Here lay the setting for the rest of the promo photos.  Riverside was serenely shaded by trees and detached from the urban backdrop of Richmond.  I made conversation with a couple other runners: Butch, a teen running his first marathon; and Scott, a wiry Jesus look-alike running his seventy-sixth marathon.  On a residential uphill leading away from the banks of the river, Scott fell behind and Butch pulled away.  It would not be the last I would see of either of them.
I crossed the timing mat at the 13.1 mark on pace for a 3:07 finish, but I knew that the second half of the course was bound to be more challenging.  I figured 3:10 was possible, but I wasn't going to kill myself to reach for it.  At mile marker 15, I really started to feel the effects of having run a hard marathon two weeks before.  It was as if all of the post-race soreness from R2B suddenly awakened.  To exacerbate the situation, I was feeling as if my fuel stores were running low at a very early and inopportune point in the race.  More on that later.
After mile marker 16, the course brought us back to the North side of the James River via the Lee Bridge.  As I had been told to expect, the entire length of the bridge was a gentle climb that was fully exposed to the wind.  It was not the worst hill or bridge I had run, but I certainly wanted to be across it.  I gained the North side of the river, made another necessary pit stop, passed the ever-freindly Scott again, and tried to split some more miles in the mid-low 7 minute pace.  3:10 was looking unlikely.  Does anybody have 3:15? 
Miles 18-22 were just plain not fun.  The day was heating up quickly, and Broad Street was not nearly as scenic as some of the more photogenic stretches of the course.  In fact, it was reminiscent of the second half of Thunder Road, when you're just ready to be done.  Butch was having harder day than me.  He was seated on the curb at mile marker 20, shaking his head in exasperation.  At mile marker 22, I asked myself, "What the hell are you doing?  Aren't you supposed to be having fun?"  So, I walked a hundred yards and caught my breath. 
I picked up my running pace again just in time to jump into the 3:15 pace group.  It was easier to run in a group, so I figured I would hang on to these folks for a while.  The next couple of miles went by quickly but not easily.  I allowed myself another short walk break at mile marker 24 and then resolved to run the remainder of the flat/downhill end of the course.  As I navigated the last few turns through downtown Richmond, I tried to kick into a hard pace for the last half mile.  Bad idea.  I immediately felt my chest shut everything down, so I settled back into a jog and waited for the finish line to approach.  The last 0.2 miles of South Fifth Street lead straight downhill to the river, and I found my kick in time to muster a sprint for the finish.  I threw my arms out to the side and screamed, doing my best Mo Farrah impression.  I can't wait to see how that photo comes out!  Final time: 3:15:50.  Hey, I'll take it!
Mile splits:
7:11, 7:07, 7:04, 6:53, 7:04, 7:03, 7:50 (potty break #1), 6:49, 7:09, 6:55, 7:04, 7:19, 7:10
First half: 1:33:29
7:11, 7:10, 7:13, 7:31, 8:58 (potty break #2), 7:30, 7:27, 7:49, 7:54, 8:50 (walk break #1), 7:17, 8:40 (walk break #2), 8:01, 0.2 mile in 1:28 (6:25 pace)
Second half: 1:42:21
Total: 3:15:50
Things that worked:
Socks: Feetures Elite.  Not.  One.  Single.  Blister.  Period.
Compression:  Zensah calf sleeves and Nathan Reflective Arm Sleeves.  The Nathans fit better than any arm sleeve I worn so far, they have grippy bands on the upper cuff to hold them in place, and one of them has a little gel-sized pocket.  Nice.
Gels: I went back to GU for this marathon.  I still prefer the taste of Clif, but GU tends to work just as well for me.  Also, even though GU is a bit thick for my liking, I find that if I hold the gel packet in my warm hand for a minute or two before shooting it, the gel softens up to a nice, thin consistency.
Pace Teams:  I don't do a lot of big city marathons, so I don't often have the luxury of latching on to official pacers.  I hung around a few pacers for a couple of times during this race.  The pace team leaders at Richmond were spot-on accurate with their splits and very supportive to their followers, especially in the late stages of the race.
Walk-breaks:  All in all, I did not lose a whole bunch of time to my walk breaks.  I walked quickly, maintaining a 15-minute pace or better, and I saved a lot of energy in the process.  On my second walk break, I actually passed a couple of people.  Never underestimated the benefits of walking!
"Gangam Style:"  I heard this song THREE TIMES during the race, and it pumped me up each time.  Hooray for Korean hip hop!
Things that did not work:
Shoes:  New Balance MRC 1600.  Don't get me wrong.  I love these shoes, and they're a great, go-fast racing flat...for a Half.  During the last 10 or so miles of the marathon, I found myself wishing for a little more underfoot protection.  I ought to have stuck with the Brooks Green Silences that carried me through R2B.
Pre-race Nutrition:  As with most races, I have my final three days before go-time scheduled out meal-by-meal, and almost calorie-by-calorie.  However, while hastily packing my gear into the car before going to work on Friday morning (from whence I was headed straight to Richmond), I accidentally left my lunch bag at home, and it contained many of my snacks and such that would continue my scheduled carbo-loading in the 4.5 hour drive North.  Therefore, I had to substitute my pre-ordained feeding plans with pretzels, bagels, and other high-carb treats I could get from gas stations and convenience stores along the way.  I had no reliable way to monitor my caloric intake or carbohydrate ratio.  I don't know if I overfed, underfed, or just ate the wrong stuff, but I did not go into the race feeling effectively fueled.  A couple of necessary potty breaks during the race also were indicators of a less-than-optimal nutritional plan, and they probably cost me a couple of minutes altogether.  Lesson learned: As Treebeard would say, "Don't be hasty!"

No Room for Error: a Recap of Ridge To Bridge Marathon 2012

Lately, I've made no effort to keep secret the fact that Ridge To Bridge Marathon (R2B) was to be my first honest attempt at qualifying for Boston.  Up until now, all of my goals, while lofty, have been reasonably within my ability level.  Either they were to finish a given ultra-distance (OSS/CIA 50-miler), or to break a fast time milestone for a shorter distance (LKN Rotary 10K, Charity Chase Half-Marathon).  For R2B, I would be racing "fast" for a longer time than ever before.  Breaking a 3:05 for BQ was--I thought--just beyond my ability range, or at the very edge of it.  3:05 works out to a 7:03 minute/mile pace.  I planned on keeping a 7:01 overall pace to allow a little wiggle room.  Any more wiggle room and I would run the risk of burning out my energy too quickly.  There was almost no margin for error.  To put the daunting nature of this goal into perspective, 7:00 was my mile repeat pace a year ago.  This would be my toughest running challenge thus far.
I drove up to the host hotel--Quality Inn, Morganton--the evening before the marathon and met up with Mike Smith, Bryan Massingayle, and Bryan's friends Brad and Pam.  Pam was making her 26.2 debut at R2B while Bryan and Mike were seeking sub-3:10 BQs.  I was happy to have the camaraderie of my fellow marathoners and the leisure of packing in a van and hopping over to the bus shuttle in Lenoir, rather than having to get up before 4am, drive 1.5 hours the morning of the race just to catch another half hour of riding in a bus.  Mike and I shared a room, spent a little time talking equipment and strategy, watched the first and best scene of Gladiator on hotel cable, and fell asleep before 9pm.  I don't know about Mike, but I slept like a baby.
Everyone was in good spirits as Bryan drove us to the bus pick-up at the finish area.  R2B is a point-to-point course starting in Jonas Ridge and ending in Lenoir, so most of the racers were leaving their cars and gear at the finish and catching the charter buses to take them up the mountain to the start.  That's right, charter buses; David Lee spared no expense for the participants in his race!  The temperature was in the low 40s at the starting area--perfect for running--and the foliage was peaking in Autumnal colors.  It was shaping up to be a fantastic day for a marathon.  Good.  I would need everything to work in my favor.  No room for error! 

Bobby Aswell, me, and Bryan Massingale before the start.

Miles: 1-6: REFRAIN!
After some nerve-settling warm-ups, a gathering around the starting mats, and a recognition of the national anthem, we were off.  As per my race strategy outlined in my recap of Lungstrong 15K earlier this month, I relaxed into an easier-than-goal pace in the mid-low 7s for the first couple of miles.  Bryan anticipated the same strategy and backed himself off as he came beside me.  "Discipline," I reminded us both.  He acknowledged.  Mike smiled knowingly in agreement as he slowly passed us.  Shortly after the first mile, I could see the first and second place runners on the opposite side of a hooking bend in the road, already very far ahead.  I did my best to only pay attention to my own watch.  It was not a race yet.  I caught Mike near mile 2, and he remarked that he thought the course would be more rolling.  I was hesitant to agree just yet.  I noticed friend and fellow Charlotte-area runner Emily Hansen at the aid station cheering us on.  Emily was a veteran of this race, and I definitely took her anecdotes into account when devising my own strategy. 
The next 3+ miles were a rolling out-and-back along the ridge.  I spied a beautiful gorge around mile 3.5 that was filled with morning fog.  It looked to me like a bowl of fluffy mashed potatoes.  Beautiful.  The turnaround gave me a clue how far ahead the leaders were, and how many people were ahead of me.  In second place was Shannon Scott, who had run a few miles alongside me toward the end of Salem Lake 30K a month earlier.  I also saw Clint Siemers making good time and Bobby Aswell, Jr. not too far ahead of me.  I caught up with Bobby about halfway through the 5th mile.  He greeted me and let me go.  The next mile was the longest...ahem..."climb" of the race: about 2% grade for just under 7 minutes.  I gave myself permission to work the hill a little to start negatively splitting my miles and to make sure the legs were awake for the romp down the mountain.  Aid station 2 was the same location as aid station 1, so I hailed Emily and passed my arm sleeves, gloves, and ear warmers off to her before starting my descent.  Off we go...
Splits for miles 1-6: 7:28, 7:21, 7:15, 7:04, 7:09, 7:20
Miles 7-15: RESTRAIN!
Over the next 9 miles--save for about a half mile of small but surprising uphill in the middle--the elevation dropped a staggering 2000 feet.  The course literally ran us down a mountain.  This is really what makes R2B famous--a monumental downhill that made for fast splits and potential blow-ups.  Naturally, I had to make up some time for a conservative first 10K, but in doing so, I had to bank some time for the fatigued back end of the race.  No problem, all I had to do was run a few seconds below pace for this stretch, right?  It was more complicated than that.  Firstly, I was a little too conservative on top of the ridge, and I started the drop about a minute behind goal pace, twice the gap with which I was comfortable.  Secondly, one does not just trot down this mountain dirt road.  The grade was steep a lot of the time, steeper at other spots, and downright recklessly steep for some stretches. 
The many switchbacks made for interesting scenery and precarious footing.  I easily was in the top 10% of a strung out field, so I saw and passed other runners intermittently.  The surface was a fine gravel dirt road with some larger rocks here and there, but it was more forgiving than asphalt and far more runnable than any trail.  On the numerous hairpin turns, I had to choose between cutting the tangents and treading on more rutted footing or taking the turns widely, more smoothly, and sacrificing a second or two in the process.  Over a dozen or so such turns, those seconds add up, and today there was no room for error! 

Flying downhill at the half.

I focused on maintaining cadence and form, and let the hill carry me away.  Weeeeee!  Thankfully, my mile splits were coming down very quickly...maybe too quickly.  When I saw a sub-6 minute split at mile marker 11, I thought I might be getting a little too reckless.  By the time I reached the halfway aid station, I read 1:31:35 on my watch, on pace for 3:03.  I had made up all of my time from the ridge and I still had a lot of downhill to go.  I listened to my legs.  the quads were already starting to feel a bit rubbery.  Uh oh.  That's the first sign of them eventually giving out all together.  Hopefully, they would just stay rubbery for the rest of the race and the soreness (oh yes, the soreness was in the mail) would wait until later in the day.  By the time I got to the bottom of the hill, I had written my check, and now my legs had to cash it.
Splits for miles 7-15: 6:54, 6:50, 6:55, 7:07, 6:38, 5:59(!), 6:57, [13.1 mile split: 1:31:35],6:44, 6:49
Miles 16-22: SUSTAIN!
To paraphrase Bobby Aswell, one's ability to succeed at R2B depends on his or her ability to run the last 10 miles.  If the long downhill of the mountain makes this race famous, the 10+ miles of sobering flat on the back end make it infamous.  As soon as the slope leveled off and the gravel road turned into smooth, hard asphalt, I instantly felt the fatigue of my legs.  The first flat mile after the mountain was an out-and-back during which I got to sneak a peek at much of the field ahead and behind me.  Clint stilled looked good and was pulling ahead.  After I turned around, I came upon Bobby, Bryan, fellow DARTer and BQ-seeker Tommy Wagoner, and Mike all in order.  They appeared to be trying to wake up their legs much as I was.  It took me that whole mile to get recalibrated.  Then, I found my pace again, hard as it was.  I pushed to hold my splits as close to 7s as possible.  I had to.  With the weather heating up and my energy stores only getting lower, there was no room for error.
After every mile marker, I re-did the math in my head, affirming the pace I needed to keep, wishing there was just a little more of a time cushion.  "No dice, Chas," I told myself, "you gotta earn it with every step!"  The scattered runners ahead of me were fewer and farther between.  I passed the first place female runner at mile 20, and she encouraged me, making no attempt to retaliate.  10K left, and 43 minutes in order to finish 3:03-something.  Yep, I still had to hold a 7:00 pace.  It was starting to get old, but at least the miles were ticking away.  I just had to keep talking myself through it.
Splits for miles 16-22: 7:14, 6:57, 6:55, 7:02, 7:07
Miles 23-26.2; PAIN!
In the final miles of the race, I suffered what I can only describe as a slow bonk.  My legs were hurting and felt like bricks, but this had started miles ago.  The agony slowly made its way up my body, and all of my muscles just wanted a break, even just to ease back on the pace for a few seconds.  What made it worse was that I was practically alone for most of these final miles.  I admonished myself to ignore the agony and keep pushing.  Quoth the inner monologue:
"You've hurt worse than this!  Suck it up!"
"Forget the rest of the race, THIS is what you trained for!"
"Almost there...no room for error...dig, dig, DIG!"
The asphalt gave way to perfectly hard-packed dirt road in the final couple of miles.  I think I passed a couple more people here, but I honestly don't remember.  After mile marker 25, I started counting the minutes and the fractions of a mile on my GPS watch.  All I had to do was endure a little more pain.  Half a mile from the finish, I ran alongside the destination at Brown Mountain Beach Resort and heard the noisemakers of the crowd as one or two other finishers crossed the line.  I heard someone cheering my name, but I could not recognize the voice.  I ran down one last little hill and into a final, too-long loop around the gravel parking lot.  I passed one more runner in this stretch, and he appeared not to have a kick left in him.  As I rounded the last corner for the final quarter mile, I saw that Tommy had been my cheerleader.  Tommy had dropped out of the race at mile 20 with a seized-up hamstring.  Disappointing as it was, he was still there to cheer me on, take pictures, and run ahead of me towards the finish arch. 

Mile 26 and still pushing.

There was a tiny but sadistic little uphill in the final yards leading to the finish line.  I had to beat 3:05.  I saw 3:04:xx on the gun clock.  No room for error.  I did not--could not--sprint to the finish.  It was all I could do just to maintain my pace through the final inches of the race distance.  As soon as I was sure I had cleared the timing mats, I stopped running.  A volunteer draped a thermal space blanket on me, and I ripped the timing chip from my shoe.  I was taking no chances having that thing go off accidentally and negating my time.  Official chip time: 3:04:07.  I was lucky 13th place overall, and I had placed 3rd in my age group.  More than that, I was a Boston Qualifier.

Finished...and done.

Third age group.  Nice little pottery award.

Splits for miles 23-26.2: 7:17, 7:05, 7:00, 7:19, [final 0.2 mile in 1:24], [second half: 1:32:32], [chip time: 3:04:07]
The potential for a fast downhill at R2B was the lure of many BQ hopefuls on this day.  Clint fared best out of all of us with a 2:57:xx, nearly 18 minutes ahead of his qualifying time.  That was also good enough for 6th place overall.  Fellow DARTer Dean King also qualified with a 3:23:xx.  Bobby Aswell completed his 182nd marathon with a 3:13:xx and a 3rd place age group award.  Bryan, Mike, and a few other familiar faces came short of their goals, but still finished with respectable times.  Like any R2B veteran will attest, this was adeceivingly difficult course. 
Only in the past couple of days has it registered with me...six months ago, I never would have said I had a chance to qualify for Boston.  I worked my ass off for four months and accomplished several other running goals that I thought were well beyond my reach.  All of that effort and obsession paid off...with a margin of just 53 seconds.  Truly, there was no room for error. 
In emulation of ultra-running guru/blogger Jonathan Savage, here's what worked:
Shoes: Brooks Green Silence with YANKZ quick laces.  A high performance racing flat with a socklike upper and a surprising amout of cushion underneath.  Why is Brooks discontinuing this shoe?
Compression: RaceReady LD compression shorts and 2XU calf sleeves. 
Gels: Clif Shots.  In my opinion, they taste better than GU, and that's important in a long race.  However, they do have a higher sugar/maltodextrin ratio, so they do need to be chased with water in order to clear properly.

Musings: Post-Lungstrong and Pre-Ridge to Bridge

This has been an exciting Fall for racing.  After the memorable but humbling milestone of completing my first honest-to-goodness 50-miler in June, I shifted my focus away from ultras and trail running for a four-month immersion into intensive marathon training.  I originally signed up for the Anthem Marathon in Richmond with the hopes of acquiring a respectable marathon PR that was representative of my ability.  However, after jumping through a rapidly closing registration window and getting on the roster for Ridge to Bridge Marathon at the end of October, I started to get that itch that some of my faster marathoning friends have gotten as well.  All of my intermediate-long distance races and training runs have alluded to the possibility of me qualifying for Boston—a goal I never had considered possible until recently.  With R2B being a downhill, potentially fast (albeit at a price) course, I figured…what the hell?

Fast forward.  For the past few months, I have been in full-tilt training.  I have upped my weekly mileage base to an average of about 60 miles/week, I maximized the number of quality long runs in the 18-23 mile range, and I included regimented and diversified speed work in my plan twice weekly.  The work done in the hot, humid Summer has paid off in seemingly effortlessly faster paces in the crisp Fall air.  Every race up until now has been a tune-up to my culminating BQ attempt on October 27^th.

While Salem Lake 30K was the peak training race, Lungstrong 15K was the last of these tune-up races.  Being exactly two weeks out from R2B, the Saturday of the event was supposed to be a tapered long-run day of 12-14 miles.  I figured the 9.3-mile race, plus warm-up and cool-down would be just right to bring me to the prescribed mileage for the day.  Also, the race would serve as a final extended threshold workout and confidence builder before I go into the “maintain-refrain-keep-sane” final days of my taper.

Had Lungstrong been a focus race, I would have attempted to go sub-60 minutes, which would have been the logical progression from my previously achieved goals of sub-20 (and sub-19) 5K and sub-40 (and sub-39) 10K.  However, since I had run the course before and found it to be a touch long and fairly rolling, I thought it more prudent to set a pace goal of a 6:40 minute/mile average for the duration, which would translate to a 1:02 finish.  The number was not arbitrary; 6:40 was smack dab in the middle of my 10K pace and my half-marathon pace.  Also, the ever dubious McMillan Pace Calculator prognosticated a 1:02 time for 15K based on my most recent races.  So naturally, like John Henry VS the Steam Drill, I wanted to beat the pace generator.

It could not have been a more beautiful morning for racing.  I arrived at the start early, even though I live five minutes from the location, and I got my warm-up miles in while dressed in layers to fend off the chill.  My trusted friend and chiropractor, Dr. Matty Zimmerman was just finishing setting up his booth and offered his ever encouraging words.  He also asked if I wanted him to check on my talus (one of 26 foot bones) before the race.  When your chiropractor offers you a tune-up before a big event, you say “yes, please.”  After checking my alignment, rotating my tires, and topping off the air pressure, Matty waved me on and I was good to go.

There aren’t too many exciting details that stick out about the race itself.  It was more just a reminder of proper racing strategy.  First, don’t go out too fast.  This, I did pretty well with for once.  I did not jump off the line like I would do in a 5K.  I gave myself at least a half mile to settle into my intended pace.  This surprised a lot of nearby friends who expected me to shoot past them in the first 100 yards.  It felt good to slowly amble through the low gears first.  Also, in a 5K, if I go out to fast, I might hurt a little more on the last mile; but for 15K, mistakes like that get amplified exponentially as I get into the 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th miles.  Not today.

Second, maintain equal effort.  I dialed in my pace on the first real flat section of the race, the 200 meters of Jetton Road before our left turn into Jetton Park.  The detour into the park allowed an easy downhill where my perceived 6:40 effort yielded a 6:20 downhill coast, and a 7:00 climb on the way back up.  So far, so good.  I found myself looking at the Garmin less and less and going more by feel.

Third, run my own race.  I love running in a group, and I especially love racing in a group.  Competition brings out the best in my running, and it allows me to set and reach for spontaneous mini-goals in the middle of a race like “I’m gonna catch that guy,” or “now if I could just hold her off…”  For this race though, my pace was my primary concern, so I had to do a lot of ignoring.  I should note here that after the cacophonous clearing of the starting blocks, no single runner passed me for the duration of the race.  I did not keep count of the several ones I passed, but I never attacked anyone as I often do.  I just let my goal pace slowly reel them in.  It helps that I achieved a subtle but notable negative split from start to finish.  Broken up into 3-mile blocks, I ran miles 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9 with respective splits of 20:05, 19:55, and 19:48.  The final partial mile was at a 6:20ish pace.  Qualitatively, the pace throughout felt comfortably hard, and in retrospect I believe I could have pushed a little harder, but there was no need to run myself into the ground for this last tune-up race.  I finished with an official chip time of 1:01:32 (6:37 pace).  Take that, McMillan Pace Calculator!

As a test of fitness, Lungstrong was very encouraging, but perhaps more encouraging was my newfound faith in my ability to monitor pace.  As I approach R2B (and any possible subsequent BQ attempts), I will not have a lot of room for error with regards to maintaining pace.  One mistake in the early miles or treacherous downhill could derail my plans before I even have a chance to bonk.  So here is the strategy I must program into my head.  For the first rolling 6 miles of R2B, I plan at running at BQ pace +5 seconds (7:06-7:08, including a conservative first mile).  For the following 9ish miles that contain more than 2,000 feet of quad-burning descent, I must focus on shortening my stride and keeping my turnover consistent, while hopefully letting gravity propel me to a BQ-10 second pace (6:50-6:52).  For the final 11 miles—a false flat that gradually trends downhill—I plan on holding on to BQ pace for dear life.  Many R2B veterans, and the RD himself, recommend adopting this template for a race plan.  As far as my running fitness, the hay is already in the barn.  The critical challenge that determines BQ or crash-and-burn will be the discipline of pace-making on the downhill.  I’m perhaps more excited and nervous than I was before my first marathon!  We’ll know in ten days.  Stay tuned!

A Trial...Run: Salem Lake 30K

The late September week leading up to Salem Lake 30K was beautiful.  The early morning running weather was in the low fifties with clear, starry skies, and I was able to get in some high quality training runs, including a 13.1 mile marathon pace workout at 7:01 pace, an 8 mile speed workout the following day with some hard, long intervals mixed in, after which I ran another 5 miles in the evening to make 26.2 for two days.  I tapered and carbo-loaded as the week drew on to prepare for an 18.6 mile marathon simulation that I would be running at Salem Lake 30K in Winston-Salem on Saturday. 
The weather did not exactly cooperate.  The evening before and the day of the race, a combination of warmer air and rain storms descended upon the Piedmont.  Race day was bound to be muggy and wet.  In addition, 70 percent of the race would be on fine gravel/dirt road trails, so the footing would be gritty, which is somewhere between muddy and crunchy. 
No matter.  Much of Ridge To Bridge Marathon (my upcoming attempt at qualifying for Boston) would be on unpaved roads, and I had to be prepared for any conditions.  I had anticipated running in my Brooks Green Silence--a racing flat that offers some squishy cushion for marathons--but the conditions favored the Montrail Rogue Fly and its superior traction.  I also opted for knee-length RaceReady LD compression shorts, which had the same mesh pockets as the regular RaceReady LD running shorts, but with added compression to stabilize my quads and hamstrings.  After meeting fellow DARTers Todd Mayes, Clint Seimers, and Tommy Wagoner--all of whom were using this race as a marathon tune-up like me--I found my place near the front of the pack and waited for the start.
From the beginning, the race felt like exactly what it was: a strange intermediary in the large gap between a marathon and a half-marathon.  At 18.6 miles, one is tempted to race at threshold speed as if it were a heavy half, but the distance is just long enough to flirt with the stamina depleting properties of a marathon.  Since my goal was to stay as close as possible to my intended marathon pace of 7:01, I felt I should be working hard the whole time without bonking at the very end. Todd shot out ahead and out of view in the first quarter mile.  Tommy took a starting spot behind me and intended to set a more conservative pace.  Clint was near me at the start and overtook me in the first half mile.
As far as trails go, Salem Lake Park is very hospitable, even in the rain.  The wide dirt road is well maintained and never rutted--somewhere between the consistency of Umstead State Park and the Davidson College Cross Country Trails in footing.  Having run most of this course during the Frosty 50K ten months earlier, I was familiar with the two notable hills at mile 1.5 and mile 6.5; both of which I would revisit at mile 12 and mile 17.  The rest of the course is seemingly flat when compared to marathons or halves like Thunder Road or Run For Green.  What I forgot about were the nearly unnoticeable changes in elevation throughout the course that could not even be described as rollers.  These little micro-hills would add up after a while, especially on slightly uneven footing. 
The first 6 miles had the racers circumnavigate the lake going counter-clockwise.  One of the funny things about running at Salem Lake is that no matter what side of the lake you are on, you always wish you were on the other side.  Clint, who claimed to be setting the same goal finishing time as me (2:10) was nearly a furlong ahead of me at this point and was pulling away, so I ignored him and focused on another runner next to me named Nate.  Atop the hill at 6.5, the surface changed to the smooth asphalt of the Salem Creek Greenway, and Nate and I sailed down the course's longest downhill and settled into a nice conversation.  Nate's watch had died earlier in the week, so I happily provided him with mile splits as he was aiming for a 7 minute pace as well.  The conversation made the 3 miles to the 15K turnaround go by in no time.  Frankly, I was surprised I could hold a conversation while trying to maintain that pace for so long.  I saw Todd on his return leg a few minutes before I hit the halfway point.  Clint was a couple minutes behind and looking strong, and I was about a minute behind Clint.  My split at the 15K turnaround was 1:05:20, almost right on target for my goal, but I would have to keep pushing the pace to stay near my intended time. 
After the turnaround, I spotted Tommy still on his outbound leg but not more than two minutes behind me.  He was making good time and appeared to be in good spirits.  The 3 miles of greenway seemed to go by more quickly than they did on my own outbound leg.  Near the hill that led to the lakeside trail, I saw Todd on the sideline cheering me on and making sure I didn't need any more gels.  I checked my watch and saw 1:24 and change.  "I'm done," he assured me.  Still, it took me a moment to realize "done" meant "withdrawn," and not "across the finish line."  I was worried that Todd might be injured, but I later found out that he just was still in recovery after his win at a hard-run Run For Green Half Marathon.  I low-geared my way up the winding asphalt of the hill that joined the greenway to the lake trail and settled in to my 7ish pace for the hard 10K that remained.
Nate stayed stride-for-stride with me for the entire middle third of the race, even though we were pacing ourselves for a finish that was several minutes faster than his PR for this particular course.  He must have been having a good day, because he pulled away from me for a long kick with 4.5 miles left to go.  I affirmed that he was speeding up (rather than me slowing down), and let him go.  Even though he was in my age group, and thus direct competition for me, this was not my focus race of the season, and assessing my ability to hold a 7 minute pace was the main goal for today. 
Just as it had been at Frosty 50, traveling around the many fingers of the lake was getting a little old.  Even at a fast pace, you crave to see a landmark ahead of you that is not another blind curve.  After reaching the East tip of the lake and finally angling myself in the general direction of the finish, I knew I only had 3.5 miles to go, and I would have to do it in nearly 24 minutes to meet my goal.  That's not too far off of my 8K/10K pace, but with 15 miles under my belt (and a 1.5 mile warm-up), I didn't feel comfortable trying to squeeze out that kind of pace for that long.  I dug and dug, trying to be vigilantly consistent with my 7:0x pace, all while playing Math games in my head to predict what my actual finishing time would be.  2:10...not likely.  Certainly under 2:12.  2:11...hmmm.  New goal: go sub-2:11.  Going 2:10:xx was almost as good as going 2:10:00, right? 
I passed eight or ten other runners in my final miles.  For the final hill at mile 17, I slipped into low-gear and slowed my pace, but I overtook two other runners in the process.  I have finally come to realize that sacrificing a few seconds in a conservative climbing pace pays off in dividends when it comes to late-race energy.  My watch showed a race time of 2:04 seconds before I reached the marker indicating one mile to finish.  Alright, if I was going to go sub-2:11, I had to bust out a sub-7 mile for my final kick.  I toggled my watch's view screen to my "current lap" screen; the final mile was the only data I wanted to see from here on out.  I visualized the track where I do a lot of my intervals and went to town.  Six minutes and a few more runners later, I made the final turn toward the finish and spied the digital time counter.  It was going to be close, so as is always the case, I had no choice but to sprint.  Final time: 2:10:56.  Not bad.  Clint destroyed his goal and finished with a smoking fast 2:07:50.  Tommy also came in under his outside goal of 2:20 and finished with 2:19:24, kicking strongly for the last quarter mile.  Todd got in a nice 12+ miles worth of workout, but he was the overall winner in Krispy Kreme donut consumption at the finish line.

From left: Tommy, Todd, Clint, and me.  Can you tell Todd didn't exactly just finish an 18.6 mile run?

A 7:00 pace over 30K would result in a finishing time of 2:10:24, and my finishing time indicated a pace of 7:02, which is still withing the pace I would need to hold in order to qualify for Boston in one of my upcoming marathons (7:03 for a sub-3:05 finish).  Given the wet, muggy conditions, I would consider this marathon simulation a success.  I crossed the finish line feeling worked, but not bonked, and the following day, I felt as if I had run a hard half instead of a full marathon.  This implies that I had a good deal left in the tank after 18.6 miles at race pace.  At Ridge To Bridge Marathon, if I played the downhill conservatively, I might be able to save a little energy while maintaining pace and elongating the distance between me and the wall.  Whether I qualify for Boston at R2B, Richmond, or not at all, I'll be back to Salem Lake in January for the Frosty 50 once again, hoping to break 4 hours for a 50K.