Virginia Happy Trails Running Club Women’s Half Trail Marathon, 9/13/2008

This is Megan's report posted under Michelle's Straggling Irregulars account.

First, the good news:
1) The shirt is pretty nice. It’s a women’s short-sleeve v-neck Race Ready technical shirt in a shade of light greenish-grey. Neither one of us is wearing the shirt in this pre-race photo, but hey, don't we look tough?

2) Despite my best effort to remain unprepared for this race, I somehow finished. You might expect such a dramatic sentence in a race report for a 50-miler or a 100-miler but since I’ve already bronzed my ultra shoes and sworn off the longer distances, I’ve only got the half marathon distance now to show-off my Drama Queen side so get used to it.

3) There was so much ice left over after the Park’s Half race on Sunday, I took some of it home and got a free ice bath out of it.

4) It was great to see so many familiar faces at the race. Among the most notable: Mark McKennett, Volunteer Extraordinaire both Saturday and again on Sunday at the Parks Half. Mark introduced us to his friend Brooke---who must be pumped for more information the next time I see her. Jim Cavanaugh sure knows how to work an aid station. Running the race: Kimberly (2nd in her age group, 14th overall), Susie Kinnecome (1st in her age group, 8th place overall), Michele McLeod, Erica Yuan, Monika Bachmann (2nd in her age group, 9th place overall), Pam Gowen (3rd in her age group).

5) I now know that I can survive a pretty stupid race blunder (or at least I did one time, “past performance is no guarantee of future gains” as they say in the investment world.) Here’s the deal. During the first part of the course, approximately 8 miles including the area called the Do Loop, I convinced myself that I would stop running at the aid station located at the start/finish area. Some people call that quitting. It was really hot and humid, and I wasn’t well trained for even a half marathon. Sure, I kept telling myself “Well at least it’s not as difficult as hiking for 5 and a half hours in Shenandoah with 30 pounds on my back when I was only expecting to hike for about 2 hours max.” You can see I was channeling Mical and Lorrin at that point. So when I got to the aid station, I sat down and was prepared to stop. Again, some people call that quitting. I waited a minute or two for this woman to come in to the aid station. We’d been talking a bit for the last mile or so. She was the mother of a mother-daughter team. She was experiencing some low moments out there, too. Anyway, when she got there, I asked her if she was going to go on and she said yes. So I debated with myself for a few more seconds and agreed to the following: a) If I didn’t finish, I couldn’t wear the shirt. And it is a nice shirt. b) If I did finish, I wouldn’t ever have to run another half for the rest of my life. THAT was a big motivator. And c) I could crawl 5+ miles in 2 hours---the time left before the cut-off.

So, I gathered my wits and took off like a flash. A very slow, sweaty flash. Unfortunately, I failed to refill my water bottle before taking off. I had about 2 inches or so left in the bottle when I left the aid station. Even more unfortunate is the last aid station ran out of water before I got there, so for the last 1 hour 25 minutes, I only had about 4 ounces of water. That was pretty tough, and a good lesson that did not come at too high a price.

Now, the not-so-good news:
Michelle twisted her left ankle (the one that was fractured back in JFK 2 years ago) so she decided to cut her losses after about 8+ miles and start healing in the hope of running at least some part of the Gunpowder Falls 50K on the 20th.

Here's a picture at the finish line. In light of everything, I'm pretty happy simply to have finished.

Shenandoah backpacking trip

I'm sneaking this post in here because I think our 'epic' weekend of hiking with heavy packs needs to be documented, if for no other reason than to keep us from trying this again!

Michelle and Joe had completed 50 miles the previous weekend, I was 28 weeks pregnant, [edit: Lorrin was also pregnant but no one knew it at the time!], and Megan really wanted to make sure she didn't train too much for the Women's Half, so an easy, relaxing backpacking trip was discussed. I found some trails that appeared to lend themselves to a basecamping adventure- that is, hike in a few miles with the heavy packs, set up camp, and go for day hikes for a few days, then hike out.

We started on Thompson Hollow Road and quickly connected to the Overall Run Falls trail. There were a few good camping spots near water within the first hour or so. I believe it was a unanimous decision that it was too early to stop to camp at this point. So we hiked on. And on, and on, and mostly uphill. With the heavy packs (well, not me, Paul was carrying most of my stuff. I was carrying all my weight on the front...). Did I mention it was hot and humid? Anyway, when we all had enough, there wasn't anywhere to camp that was flat enough, didn't have bear poop all over, wasn't bug infested, and had water. So we hiked on some more. Eventually we did find a great spot and set up camp for the night, along Jeremy's Run. There wasn't too much complaining, considering we had hiked 6+ hours, nearly 8 miles, mostly uphill. Dinner tasted great, the guys had some wine and whiskey and we were probably all sleeping by 8pm. No bears visited us. A big one did cross our path about an hour before we had stopped to camp though!

The next morning we considered our options. We were now about 7 miles from the car, via a different route that appeared mostly flat or downhill. We could stay here, do a short day hike, and hike out on Monday, or we could pack up, head towards the car and hope to find a nice spot to camp before we were too tired to go on. We packed up.

So we hiked up to the AT and stopped to stuff our faces at Elkwallow Wayside. That was a nice rest! We continued on toward Overall Run Falls, where we hoped to camp. Of course, there were no good sites to be found. The major-looking stream on the map was bone-dry. We hiked on (sound familiar?). After another 5+ hour day, we found a nice spot by some nice water. It was close quarters for 3 tents but who's complaining at this point? We ate, rested, and finally rolled ourselves into the tents. No bears visited us.

The next morning, we were pretty delighted to find we were only about a mile from the cars! We hiked out, in good spirits because we knew a greasy Apple House breakfast was waiting for us.

Much like ultras, I think it took a few days for everyone to agree that it was a fun (though strenuous) trip. Thanks for coming everyone! Here are my pics and Michelle's pics.

Cheat Mountain Moonshine Madness 50 Miler

Months ago I was intrigued when the WV Mountain Trail Runners decided to debut a new race, a 50 miler in August that would start at 9pm on a Friday night. I hate heat so a night race in August seemed like it would work better for me. Since I've been planning on doing the Mountain Masochist 50 miler in November, I wanted to get another 50 miler in so I knew I could make the distance. I've only done one 50 miler, Bull Run in 2006, and dnf-ed from jfk twice at mile 38, so I was very concerned about doing another one prior to MMTR. One potential conflict was that the race finished on Saturday, Megan's birthday, but she generously agreed to stay up much of the night and go to WV for her b-day!! So all the stars aligned and I sent in my entry.

Pre-race
What a weird feeling starting a race at 9pm! We got out there in good time on Friday afternoon, but then it was just hanging out and waiting. I occupied my time helping out some putting supplies together for the aid stations and chatting with various folks. Finally it was time for the 8pm race briefing and then at long last time to start.

Start to AS1 (mile 5.7, 1:08 split)
It was weird running in the dark. Other than Amanda and Mark, I lost track of other folks I knew pretty quickly. All you could see were glowing headlamps, you really had no idea who was around you. This section was all either paved road or gravel road, it seemed like we made it to the AS in no time. There were a lot of volunteers there to help, this AS was staffed by Kaydra, the RD's wife and their families. They took great care of us and had us out of there in no time.

AS1 to AS2 (mile 12.9, 1:33:11 split/2:41:12 cum)
This is the aid station where Lorrin and Mical were volunteering with Dan Todd so we were really looking forward to getting to this AS to see those guys. But first we had to climb and climb up the gravel road to the top of Cheat Mountain at 4,000 feet. This seemed to take forever. We turned our lights out to check out the stars, they were amazing! The breeze picked up and I was really happy that the weather was working out, I'd guess it was in the 60's at the start and the 50's for much of the race. We continued on the gravel road and finally saw lots of light up ahead. We had arrived at the AS, they had lots of food and really cool lights and were full of encouragement. Lorrin was concerned that Joe wasn't with us, I thought he was ahead of us but it turns out he wasn't. At this point I was still running with Amanda and Mark as well as several other folks, Ashley, Tracy and Dave.

AS2 to AS3 (mile 17.7, 1:34:46 split/4:15:58 cum)
We were finally leaving the road and heading out to single track trail, I was looking forward to this! This is when I discovered it's really hard to appreciate single track like you would in the daylight. You really can't afford to do anything other than focus on the circle of light in front of you while at the same time keeping an eye out for trail markers. Adam really did an amazing job of marking the course, I don't think we ever went off track. But you still had to pay close attention to the trail, there were moss covered rocks and roots and a fair number of short muddy sections. Pretty quickly Joe, Pete and Tim Daly caught up and passed us in this area. Mark took off with them too. Amanda, Tracey and I continued on our way. This section of the course seemed to take forever. I couldn't believe this was really 4.9 miles. We finally hit the gravel road section I was expecting and then that seemed to take forever. At long last we smelled a campfire and guessed we were close. We entered another energetic and totally well stocked aid station. Bradley Mongold greeted us all, Paul, Laura and others filled up our hydration packs and water bottles. We were surprised to see Joe and Mark there, we thought they were long gone! We all ended up leaving the AS pretty much together up the Whitmeadow Trail.

AS3 to AS4 (mile 23.2, 1:28:14 split/5:44:13 cum)
It would be an understatement to say I was nervous about the cut-offs in this race. They were at mile 23.2 at 6 hours and mile 33.3 at 9 hours. This seems generous to some, scary to others like me. I was now very stressed, AS4 was 5.4 miles away and we had about an hour and 40 minutes to get there. The last 4.9 mile section had taken us 1:34, I knew we'd have to push it.

Almost immediately we hit an uphill section and lost sight of Mark and Joe. It was Tracey, Amanda, Dave and me, we passed another guy in short order. We finished the climb and hit runnable trail. Tracey started out pushing us forward. Somewhere in here Amanda had an apparently spectacular fall. I was in front of her so I missed it but Dave said it was pretty amazing. Luckily Amanda hit a soft, rotting log instead of a rock with her knee and was quickly able to recover. We took off again, all pushing it as we were all aware of the cut-off. We hit the gravel road again and turned left toward the AS. The road wasn't flat so we had a number of ups and downs on the top of the ridge before we finally saw the light of the AS and we knew we had made the cut-off. These folks were even more energetic if that's possible! I knew who the volunteers were going to be at all the AS's and it really helped to look forward to seeing each group. And I must say that Bill Potts, Willie Lehmann, Joel and Katie Wolpert did not let me down!! They got us everything we needed, offered words of encouragement, lied about how good we looked, etc. And then we were off...

AS4 to AS5 (mile 27.8, 1:15:14 split/6:59:27 cum)
Still mindful that we now had about 3 hours and 10 minutes to cover the next 10 miles, we still tried to push it. We started out for about a mile on the gravel road and then turned left onto Stonecoal Trail. It was Tracey, Amanda and me again. We passed another woman walking in here. I don't remember much about this section. I think because it was now about 3am, I was totally concentrating on the circle of light from my headlamp and moving as fast as I could. We hit a gravel road finally and I knew we should be close to AS5. And finally we were greeted by the Hooks family as we refilled and refueled. This was a bustling AS, not only were Joe and Mark there but so were Pete and Tim Daly, Ashley and several others. We got in and out quickly and headed out on another section of gravel road.

AS5 to AS6 (mile 33.3, 1:21:13 split/8:20:41 cum)
First gravel road, then we hit the Shavers Trail. Mark and Joe were in the lead, then Amanda and me, then Ashley, Dave and Tracey. The Shavers Trail was an adventure, it was through a tunnel of big mountain laurel, some runnable and some washed out rocky and rooty areas. Then there was an uphill section where I couldn't discern the trail at all it was so rocky and rooty. Somewhere in here it dawned on me that after this trail, we'd be on gravel road the rest of the way. Before the race I had wished there was more single track, now I was relishing the fact we'd be off the single track. My eyes were getting real tired from staring at the patch of light in front of me. I told Amanda I felt like I hadn't blinked in hours. Finally we hit the road and I didn't even care that it was uphill, I was just happy it was a road and I didn't have to concentrate as hard to keep my footing. Amanda and I were on our own at this point, we alternate walking and running, wondering when we'd ever get to the AS. AS6 was the same as AS4 so we were really looking forward to seeing those guys again. And then we were finally there and we had made the cut-off by 40 minutes! And Joe and Mark were there too! Tracey, Ashley and Dave soon arrived. We all fueled up and heading out close to the same time.

AS6 to AS7 (mile 37.1, 55:17 split/9:15:59 cum)
Here's where I had my low point. This section was 3.8 miles and would bring us back to Lorrin, Mical and Dan Todd. But it's like 5:30 in the morning, still pitch black, and I find myself climbing hills again. I guess I had hoped this would be a mostly flat section of road, but no, it was just as hilly as all the rest and it seemed to take forever. Also, I had worked really hard to make the cut-off, made it to mile 33, and I was now ready to be done! After all, I've mostly done 50k's and this is when I would be done. Amanda kept up the encouragement and eventually I rallied, it started to get lighter, and we finally made it to see our friends. Continuing our previous pattern, we found Joe and Mark at the AS. The rest of the folks we had been with had gone on ahead. I figured I'd better get out quick or I'd want to stay and ride the rest of the way in the car with Lorrin and Mical.

AS7 to AS8 (mile 44.3, 1:30:47 split/10:46:46 cum)
Here I tried really hard not to focus on the fact that I still had almost 13 miles to go and that this segment was 7.2 miles. At long last we had been able to ditch our headlamps, that was a glorious feeling. For hours after the race I swear I still felt as if I was wearing it. Daylight helped too. After several miles of rolling road on top of the mountain we finally started to descend in earnest. Although it hurt to run, I had to use gravity while I could. Somewhere in here we passed Dave and then Ashley, we never saw Tracey again. Mark and Joe had taken off and I wasn't sure I'd see them again. Amanda and I ran and ran and ran and we made it to the LAST aid station at long last! Kaydra was still there as were several other folks. I could barely eat or drink anything, I was done. We left for the last 5.7 miles.

AS8 to the finish (mile 50, 1:07:57 split/11:54:43 cum)
I left first, Amanda, Mark and Joe quickly caught up to me and we continued our descent. Down, down off Cheat Mountain we went, we started to pass some houses. Amanda's Garmin had matched exactly with the course info so far and she started to tick off miles to encourage me. We passed two guys walking in here. Amanda said we could break 12 hours but we needed to move it. I was not all that into this idea but tried to rally again. I couldn't have been happier when we saw the 1 mile to go sign. The only downside is that it was now sunny and warming up, but heck, it was still before 9 am so it wasn't that hot! Joe was in the lead and as he crested a hill he yelled back to us that he could see the finish and he wasn't going on without us. Bringing up the rear, I crested the hill myself to join Joe, Mark and Amanda for a short run down the hill, up the driveway and across the finish line.


Reflection
I am so happy that's over with!! It's a big weight off my shoulders to know that I made it. A couple of times during the race I remembered Adam saying this was an "easy" 50 miler. I remember him clarifying that by saying 50milers aren't easy, but compared to some others, this is "easy." I've now confirmed there is not such thing as an easy 50 miler. I almost lost it after the finish, it took so much mental effort to keep myself together those last 17 miles that I just felt like I wanted to cry. Eventually I rallied after a shower and some food.

Thanks to Amanda for keeping me going all those miles. I definitely would not have wanted to run all those miles in the dark alone!! And Mark and Joe, you guys were awesome to run with! Lorrin and Mical - I know you didn't get any sleep but it was sure nice to see you at crucial parts of the run, it definitely helped keep me going. And thanks Megan for agreeing to spend your birthday sleeping briefly on the 4-H floor and getting up at 3:30 am to work the finish line, you rock!

Here are the results. And some pictures from Mical as well as some others.