Buzzards Marathon

Well this past weekend was supposed to be a really long one for me. I had all intentions of making it a double. With EFA 50k on saturday and Buzzards on sunday.

Well my training lately has not been the best of what I would really like it to be. So I was a little unsure of how the whole weekend would pan out. So friday was spent getting things ready and put together. I knew it would be a long one too. I was not looking foward to the long drive down to VA and the run. So I set my alarm clock and hit the pillows.

3am came quickly and I awoke and just layed there. For some reason I just did not feel right. So I layed there and thought about the run and tough it would be and that it would be a long day. And before I knew it I had talked myself out of making the drive down to VA. I was pretty disapointed that I did not get down there. But for some reason I thought it was a good idea. Sometimes things are just meant to happen.

So there went the long weekend. And now I deff thought I had to make the drive up to PA and the normal meeting spot with my running buddies the Trail Dawgs. I had to make up for missing the saturday run and get my lazy but up to PA for what I knew would be a tough run.

So now that I did not make the saturday run I was even more prepared for sunday. So once again I set my alarm clock and this time wake up get ready and off I go. The ride up to Avondale PA is about 1:30 to 2 hours and is usually a pretty nice drive. I say usually because the weather is usually nice. Although this time just around Baltimore it starts raining and I think to myself oh great this is really going to suck. And the thought does cross my mind about turning around and going back home. I get up to the gas station and mall parking lot with about 30 min to spare. So I get ready and wait for everyone to arrive. And right now time everybody shows up. All 10 or so of us pile into 2 cars and make our way up to north of Hershey PA I think it was. On the drive up to the race it is still sprinkling which is not so bad but still not good. And then 20 min or so before we get there it starts to snow. I thought I was done with snow for the year.

We finally get to the parking lot and there is a pretty good size group milling around waiting for the word to go. I am getting pretty excited to get going by now. Now before the race even started and in the car I was getting all the skinny on the race itself. I knew I would probally be in for a long day when everyone tells me that there are 5 pretty good climbs on the course. And I am like oh great climbing. I know it's not one of my strongest points. But I know I need it and it's always good training for most of the runs I do.

So after last minute prep and I recheck to make sure everything is ready and we get our race briefing, we then get the word GO. And off we go down a little hill. I thought to myself this is not too bad. But that was only short lived because the first of the 5 climbs is next. And I thought to myself as we are climbing " oh boy this really sucks". The first climb is finally over and then we can actually run. After the second really tough climb I start to notice a pattern going. We would have a super tough climb followed by some flat running and then a pretty big down hill. Then some flat running and then yet another another tough climb. After the 3rd tough climb of the day we get our down hill into the aid station around mile 15. This last down hill I hear is actually part of the AT. But to me it does not seem like the normal AT I am used too.



This is a picture of Bridgette (TrailDawg) and myself at the wonderful makeshift aid station. Can't you tell I am trying to feed my face.

While at the aid station, bridgette and myself get the word that the 4th climb is coming up in about a mile or two and it's probally the toughest one. And of course I am like not again. Well before I had time to talk myself out of the second half of the run I stuff my pockets and head back out. It was nice to have bridgette there to talk too and enjoy the run with. So we are running along and about a mile or two we take a left turn and start heading up. And I ask bridgette is this the start of the climb. And she say yep it is. And I know it is going to suck but up up and up we go. About halfway up this tough climb I turn around and and see a guy litteraly flying up the hill like we were standing still. He tells us as he is going by that he is in some kind of relay and brigette just yells at him "you show off". He just smiles and off he goes. On our way up the hill we both mention to each other that this is really kicking our asses.

Once we get to the top and onto some flat sections its hard for me to start running again. I have to catch my breath and motivate myself to start running again I yell to bridgette. A few minutes later I start running again and it feels great. After the normal mile or so of this flat running we get to what would be our longest decent on the course. The long gravel road seems to go on forever. And I start to think when is this going to and and we can start climbing again.

Well the end finally does come and we take a right back into the woods. Now before the race they did tell us that we would get our feet wet. The forgot to tell us that not only would I get my feet wet but my legs too and almost up to my hips as well. We get to the water crossing and pace back and forth for a bit trying to find an easy way across or how we can get across without getting too wet. After we figure out there is no way around it I say what the heck and go right in. The water is pretty cold at this point but deff feels pretty good. We finally get across and start walking again not running hehehehe. Then we hit a good patch of mud and more water. But I say hell we are already wet we might as well go right through it. After this little section and I look up and see what would be our last climb of the day. And I ask bridgette are we supposed to climb that. And she looks at me and says YEP. This climb looks pretty serious from where we were.

This climb would be the longest of the 5 and felt the toughest because we were already tired. So I motored up this last long hill and pulled away from bridgette. On the downhill after the long up hill I really fly down it thinking we would be done. And I was wrong once again.

After the down hill we take a left and then a right and run some more. But sooner or later I think we have to finish. And I look down at my watch and had hopes of finishing under 6 but that was not going to happen. Before I knew it I could hear cheering and the sounds of runners having a good ol time. So I knew I was close. I get to the bottom of a little hill and realize I have to run back up the hill that we ran down at the beginning. So thinking to myself, I figure I can't walk up this last hill infront of everyone so I give it all I got and fly up the hill.

Finally I am done and hit the stop button on my watch and it reads 6"06. And I thought hey that's a pretty good time on a pretty tough course. And given that my training is not the best I am pretty happy with my time and how I felt. Everyone is congratulating me and telling me great job. But all I really want to do is find some mountain dew and get out of the mudding shoes and cloths I was wearing.

We wait around for the rest of the dogs to finish so we can take these wonderful finish pictures.

So finally we are all here and take our pics and head back to Avondale. Overall this was a great run that I would suggest we all do next year. Although its tough it still is a great training run for the up hills and down hills as well. And I think it will help me with the Terrapin Mountain Marathon next weekend. I hope I did not bore you all with the long post once again hehehe. But once I get started sometimes it's hard to stop. So good reading and see you all out on the trails again soon

More Seneca Creek

The lady behind Paul is thinking, 'Hey, save some for us.' Joe is like, "Are these the fair-trade organic peeps made with honey?"

Seneca Creek Marathon & 50k

Dictated by Joe:
Prelude: Friday night we marked the course from Riffleford to the Lake aid station. It was really neat walking this section slowly; we saw a raccoon and a lot of deer. We also discovered a beaver dam and a funny tree where the beaver had chewed through the trunk, only to have the tree catch on trees instead of falling and remained upright, chewed through the trunk again, and the tree stayed upright again.

Race Day: Woke up feeling like I had a long day ahead of me, just knowing I would have to attack it piece by piece. Lorrin said weather.com said it would be freezing cold all day, but the temp outside was around 40. I piled on the layers, ignored my creaky hip, and set off to go. On the bus ride to Damascus, Paul and I made a pact to run the marathon only, and not let our ambitions get the best of us. By the time we got to Damascus, the wind was really bitter and cold, but I could tell within the first few miles the weather would be much warmer than expected.

Paul and I ran together as the ladies took off. Paul had finished the tough Black Mountain marathon just last weekend and was taking it slow with me. The course was nice, the ground was not too muddy, and it was a very pleasant morning. Aside from the extra pounds of unnecessary layers, I had little to complain about. I thought about ditching my extra clothes at the road crossing and picking them up later but memories of Bull Run '06 made me keep them.

We were a little surprised there was no food at Brink. I had already eaten half a Clif bar waiting for the race to start, and I was glad I brought a pack-full of snacks, always thinking that I might need to be self-sufficient. (This is just a training run for bigger runs, isn't it?) Paul & I leapfrogged with Bob Yarchoan for a while. I replaced my missing half of a Clif bar at 355 and we pressed on.

Past 355, I noticed immediately how the trail markings became scarce and those that were there were surprising ill-tied and had fallen to the ground. I almost wandered into the woods lost a few times. But thankfully Paul, who with Mical had marked the course the prior evening, was there to guide me along. We went underneath the historic stone bridge and through the tulip poplar stand near the Isaac Walton league, a part of the course that always cheers me up. I also enjoy the laurel patch after the powerline on the way to Clopper lake.

At the lake we met Phil and Kim. I unloaded all my unnecessary clothing on Phil (Thanks Phil!) My pack felt 10 pounds lighter. They mentioned that Mical and Cathy were just 3 minutes ahead of us going around the lake. Paul got the grandiose idea of catching them, passing them, and winning the race. I said, 'Paul, you're crazy! We had a pact!' This went on for a minute or two and I finally talked him back to reality, saying 'You'll thank me!' as we started toward Riffleford.

The next section we could overhear fellow runners remarking on how well marked this section was, how each flagging was strategically positioned and well-tied. And it's true, never once did I feel at all concerned about my whereabouts. Paul called it a waste of ribbon, but he just doesn't get it. I pointed out the beaverdam and interesting tree to Paul.

We railed the Riffleford to 118 section, because I usually consider this one of the toughest sections we decided to just get it done with and kept up an almost unbroken pace to Germantown Road. The brisk running on flat ground made me feel the first chinks in the armor - my right hop flexor started to feel worn but I just kept going, hoping for some rest on the varied terrain after 118. Hope I don't pay for that later, I thought.

The next section we just kept going, up and down, resting on the uphills, doing what we could on the downhills, and trying our best to ignore the increasing quantity of peep signs. I guess my humor fails as my pain increases. On and on we went, past the mill, through the nice pines, and up to the fields. I love that section.

At 28 I filled up a little of water, felt a mad rush of people behind me, and someone shoved a peep under my nose that I tried to politely decline. I left Paul to decide his own peep-fate and walked away to eat some of the nut mix I was carrying. Took some salted honey potion and prepared for the next section. This part, like the Riffleford section, is a long and grueling test. Started out strong, I tried to visualize each part because I always leave a section out and it makes it seem unbelievably long. Thankfully I did this twice in the training runs, so it was relatively fresh in my mind.

About a third of the way through, Paul and I were treated to a sight that made Paul later remark 'I didn't expect to see a full moon on this trip.' ... let's just say, people should try to get further off the trail if they need to expurgate their bowels.

Then about half-way through this section, the wheels were starting to shake loose and I took more honey and a nub of my Clif bar which kept me going a few more minutes. But the feeling kept coming back, stronger and stronger. Even the lovely cedar sections on the trail reroute were hard to appreciate. A dizzy, unco-ordinated feeling crept in. Finally we got to the field leading up to Berryville and I decided I needed something or I would not make it to the finish. So I took a salt pill and stumbled down to the Berryville aid station where I slumped in a chair, Hans-Dieter style. (but kept my pants on.)

Katie was there with encouraging words and gave me a cup of mountain dew and filled up my camelbak with just the right amount of water to get me to the end. With great effort I rose from the chair, said farewell, and walked toward the wall. I think Paul was with me, but I had tunnel vision, still in my daze so I couldn't be sure. Somehow I made it across the precarious stream crossing and felt my feet get wet. Feeling awful, I crept up the hill and heard Paul's annoyingly cheerful voice saying 'You can do it' or some nonsense, and he actually pushed me up a few steps. And that, I have to say, was my worst moment. Thanks Paul, for helping me through it.

At the top of the hill, my legs came back to me, just enough to start running again. We felt able to keep a good pace, the salt pill must have kicked in right around there and I was feeling good again, smelling the barn. The prospect of finishing for the first time became real, it was just a matter of time. We passed a mysterious empty growler tied to a tree. As we went toward River Road, some nice guy from Arlington tried to strike up a conversation but I didn't have it in me. We came to River Road, said hi to the cars, and started the home stretch. We crossed the finish in 5:47 - Paul was nice to let me go first.

From Route 28 on I had dreams of crossing the finish and collapsing onto my camelbak as a pillow, but when I crossed the line, I stumbled into a pile of horse manure and decided I could walk to a fallen tree and sit down instead. Talked to Mark Radan, Monica Bachman, and a few others and eventually made our way to the picnic.

Within 20 minutes, I dropped my hotdog when I saw Lorrin sauntering over with a crushing time of 6:05 for the 50k. Mark had a great 6:22 and Cathy, who had planned to do the marathon, stepped up to the 50k and finished with Mical at 6:32. But the surprise of the day was Angelo's return to distance running - he claimed he was going to quit even as early as 355 due to no training, but dug deep and finished the marathon in 7:17. Great job, everyone! And thanks to Mical & Paul for hosting a fun post-race pizza party.

Results are up on MCRRC