Catoctin 50k: A hot one!

HOT, hot, hot...that was the story of the day! Temps climbed into the upper 90s, so it was more of an exercise in survival than a race. As far as the Catoctin course, it can be described as rocky and hilly, but that doesn't really do it justice- if you've been out there, you understand!

It took me about 30-40 minutes to get into a groove, and then I was feeling pretty good. I ran with Pam and Angelo for a little while, and we were pretty close to the back of the pack. I was only running about 15-20 minutes ahead of the cut-offs, and the first half (the way out to the Manor turn-around) was uneventful- I left Manor at 4 hours (12:00 pm). They had ice cold sponges at Manor, and that was a great pick-up. I hiked up after the turn-around still feeling OK (the RD arranged to have another water stop about 2.5 miles up the hill from the turn since it was such a hot day). Plus, I dipped my bandana into water every chance I had to try to keep cool. I ended up running with a guy from Cumberland off and on for about the next 10 miles, and he kept us going at a nice pace, plus after being alone for quite awhile, it was nice to have someone to chat with! He also picked up my cool lizard bandana that I lost, when I was much too tired to add any bonus miles to go back and try to find it.

Coming into Delauter at mile 22, it was great to see Michelle, Sunny, Ed and others- plus I ate 2 popsicles there!! The stretch to Hamburg seemed never-ending, as always, and I really thought I could finish feeling OK with only 6 miles to go. But those 6 "Catoctin miles" really gave me some trouble! Even fueled by green tea from the Hamburg aid station, I had a tough time especially in the last 4 miles, and started to worry about over-heating if I pushed too hard up the final hills. It was probably more of a mental game than a physical one, though. The heat really made it tough. I was never so happy to see that parking lot and know I only had 10 minutes to go up to the Tea Room. And, I almost caught the girl I had been leap-frogging with for the whole race! I finished running, and the awesome volunteers wrapped me with an icy cold towel!

Finish time was 8:34 (about 9 minutes faster than last year!). Got my Cat card, a burger, some Hop Devil from Michelle, an ice cream sandwich, and we sat at the Tea Room for a little while til everyone finished. That last 4 miles may have really been the worst I've ever felt in a race, but I'm happy I could hold it together and finish.

Splits (I was inconsistent in when I hit the split, but this is what I remember):
arrive at Hamburg: 1:35
leave Delauter: :48
leave Manor: 1:34
arrive Delauter: 1:55
arrive Hamburg: :53
arrive Finish: 1:49
I think this is a race that will continue to suck me in, once the pain has a few days to wear off!

Michelle took these pictures and said she would have taken more "but it interfered with my iced towel distribution duties!" The volunteers at Catoctin were incredible, and I don't think many of us would have been able to finish without them!