In awe

Category: running

  • Day472 MmT Tr4 Night Run

    TL:DR; final shake out run before the real thing

    I went out to redeem myself from being kicked after 13 miles on my last training run a month ago. This time, I said I would keep with the pack and avoid the cut-off. This is the last official training (actually bonus training run) for the MMT 100 race. I joined them for 3 of them.

    This one was specifically held at night to give us the feel of the night and final portion of the race. We met at 6 in the evening and I was there a little after 5 in the afternoon. I lie around trying to catch some sleep, knowing I needed it. There were 20-30 people running this, much less than before maybe due to Easter and also it was a night run. Not all of them will be doing the real race in May. Many people have no vested interest to show up in the middle of nowhere for a night run. We started off on time at 7, with about an hour of daylight left. Many only do half of the run so they could go back home and sleep.

    We went into the woods

    I knew my own pace and settled in the back. I passed a couple others I knew who probably would not run the whole thing.

    I recognized Amanda from previous training runs. She and I had about a similar pace. I told her, I would make the cut off this time. She asked what time I think the cut off would be? I took a random guess maybe at midnight, 5 hours (as it was about 5 hours last time, and I was cut). That would be my goal any way to get there before midnight, There being the Visitor Center, our first official aid station. We were spoiled by RD’s wife set up an unofficial aid station at Gap Creek (around mile 6 tonight, I think in the race it would be about mile 70) just before we made the hard climb to Jawbone and Kerns Mountain.

    I was strong  climbing up to Jawbone. I waited for Amanda at the top. She seemed to be having a bit of trouble. Later on she said she had some stomach issue and threw up in the second half, but she did finish. She actually looked stronger this time than when I first met her.

    After reaching Jawbone, we continued on the ridge of Kerns Mountain, which was the hardest section tonight I think. By then the sun had set and the moon rose over the mountain.

    Moon rose over the other side, I think is Duncan Knob, which in the real race was where we would be coming from

    We had a full moon. However, I was having a hard time seeing the trail. Several times I ran off trails unknowingly. Amanda was pretty quick with downhills. I noticed many people were pretty quick with their downhills. I have not built up my trust with my feet to be willing to run downhill. I was a bit rusty. During my first training run, I was going to train on this aspect, but I pulled my hamstring and was out for 8 weeks. Actually, now 12 weeks since, my hamstring is only about 98% healed. There occasionally still is a slight pull or stiffness. Long story short, I haven’t had the opportunity to truly train on the fundamentals for this race. My breathing and muscles are pretty good now after three months, but I could have been better with my foot technique.

    We finished Kerns Mountain by 11:22 pm and we reached the true Aid Station at the Visitor Center before midnight. I was happy to have caught up with the others. They didn’t want to run on the road portion. I love the road and was able to catch up. There were five or six others there, but when they took off I was not able to catch them again.

    The next section was uneventful. We climbed Bird Knob. On the last training, I felt this was a hard accent, but, today, it was not too difficult for me. Amanda was behind me for a little while but then she disappeared (later she told us she was throwing up). Her pacer, Ram, was with her. I was by myself until the road portion. I made all the correct turns. I caught up with another pair of runners, Tracy and John. We climbed the Roaring Run together. They were much faster than me with the descent.  I wouldn’t see them again until I reached the finish.

    The remaining 6 miles were long and boring. It was mostly downhill. I passed someone camping by the trail. It was around 2 am and I hope I didn’t wake the person. I crossed numerous streams. When I ran this section a month ago, I was able to keep my shoes dry, but this time, I stepped into every puddle and crossing. It was hard to see at night, so might as well just walk right through them. I realize what is difficult about night running is you lose your depth perception. The creek might  be an inch deep or a foot deep. They look the same. Same with rocks. Sometimes when I step over rocks instead of on top of them, I might drop down 4-6 inches and it was always a surprise how further down I get. Your mind might tell you it is a little drop and it ended up you being a couple feet down. It can be very scary and easy to lose your balance.

    My hope was to be able to finish by 3:30 am. The time ticked by and that goal became unreacheable. There was just maybe a mile left. It was always so near yet not there. I finally made it back to the start at 4:00 am. Amanda was just 15 minutes behind me.

    —-

    Reflecting on this, I was 15 min late too, if there was a cut-off. When in the actual race, I should aim for 8:30-8:45 for every 25 miles. The race is 102 miles long. We have 35 hours to do it. So I am really on the borderline of being cut since I used 9 hours for 26 miles, meaning 36 hours for 104 miles (you should always add a few miles for a long race for contingency like getting lost/off trail, or inaccurate course measurement). I would be cut at maybe mile 94-96. I realized tonight, I tarried about 30 minutes at the aid stations, otherwise I could have finished by 3:30. I also waited for Amanda for about 15 mins. In theory I could have done it within 8 hours. If I could be quicker on race day at aid stations, I would be fine.

    I compare myself with my fellow runner Amanda because in the last three training runs we were the last to finish. I think on race day, both of us are in danger of being cut. I know I am a tad faster than her, but not by much. She definitely improved dramatically since I first met her. She is my metric. I am thinking of working her into my race day’s strategy. I have not decided yet, whether going out fast, then she will catch up to me at mile 70 and hopefully then we will finish together, using each other for support. Alternatively, I will keep at her pace throughout (but if she screws, I will be as well) at least until mile 70 and then I will break out. This would be ideal. It’s a lot of trust to put my race into someone’s hand. This benefits me from not going out too fast, yet I think I don’t have the patience to be slow on race day.

    Theoretically I have a couple more weeks to fix what needed fixing, however, this is likely it. I plan to go for two more runs to fine tune it but no one can tell what will happen.

  • Day471 BRR volunteering and Easter

    The Bull Run 50 mile Race, took place last weekend. At the last minute, they reopened their registration, however, I already had other plans especially since I signed up to volunteer at one of their aid stations. It would be bad karma to promise to serve and then go back on my words.

    This BROT (Bull Run/Occoquan Trail) 50 Mile Race is the race I have been wanting to run but was never able to catch their sign up. I joined them a couple times on their training runs (BRR #1 and #3) recently. BRR stands for Bull Run Run and is how the training runs are named. BROT is the abbreviation for the trail name and I think it is the official race name.

    When I heard the registration being reopened, I was torn. I needed some longer runs for my 100 mile training. A 50 mile race would be about right. However, being this near to the 100 race, it might not do me any good. I am about a month out from my race.

    I knew I was going to volunteer when they made a call for us. And volunteering was fun. We made a lot of runners happy. Our station was the first stop at about 7 miles into their race. Many faster runners did not need anything from us. The course was an out and back in both directions, with the race starting near the middle (Hemlock Overlook). We were stationed near the Bull Run Park end point, so we saw runners coming toward us and back again for a second time after a turn around at Bull Run. By 9 o clock, all runners had passed us. We then were able to close the station and go our way an hour and half ahead of our scheduled time. There is no official cutoff at our station, but the extremely slow runners knew and was partly encouraged by our station manager to drop from the race if they couldn’t get to our station by 9-ish.

    I brought my running gear with a hope to do my long run right after volunteering. I explored the Bull Run Park end of the trail. Because it had rained the previous night, the park wouldn’t let the race take place in a loop in their park (the usual turn around point for this race). Thus, I think the race was about 2-3 miles short from a true 50 miler, but I don’t think runners mind. The Bull Run’s end was indeed extremely muddy. I ran there out of curiosity to check and did a loop around the park, the part other runners were not allowed in. By the time I finished, I was like 2 hours from the last runner of the race.

    The trail was open to the public. I felt I was far behind from the pack so people wouldn’t confuse me as being in their race.

    I did not have a goal when I first started. I hoped I could get about 20 miles in for my long run day. While on the trail, I felt great and decided I could push for a 50K. I knew running a 50 mile was out of the question since I started late in the day. I planned to push for 10 miles out toward the Fountainhead side where runners were and come back before getting back to my car. I already had about 10 miles in and just needed 20 miles more for a 50K.

    I passed by their finish line (and it was their starting line too) at Hemlock Overlook. It was past noon, but no one had finished yet. I went for a few more miles and saw the first place runner coming in. He was ahead by 3 miles of the 2nd and 3rd place. He cracked a joke saying if I see the second place, to give a shout so that he would know how close the second place is behind. There was no way a second place would be on his tail that day. I did see the second place a long while after. I kept running until I was at the Bull Run Marina, which was another Aid Station. By then I think 5 or 6 runners had passed through on their way back to the finish. Normally, Bull Run Marina is my turn around point.

    It was still early in the afternoon. I had about 15 miles. I still needed a few more miles before turning around since I wouldn’t be going again all the way to Bull Run. So I ran to the next aid station from there. In this section, I saw more runners coming through on their way back. When I reached my turn around point (my mile 19), the midpack runners arrived. These runners walked the hills more often. They are still strong compared to me. They were all fast. All of them passed me. For them it was their mile 40. I haven’t even reached my mile 25 yet. I hustled with them.

    I was pretty tired by the time I got back to the Marina. It was after 5 pm by then, a bit later than I had hoped. I was out of water. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t mind if I asked for some at the station. I forgot to bring my own filter. In the past, when I ran on this trail, I used to be out of water too and had to filter water from the creek. While I was debating to stop for water a fellow volunteer recognized me and called. I, therefore stopped and asked for their water. Of course, they filled me up. Their station would be open for another hour and half.

    I was nervous I might get to my car after dark and the park might tow my car since where I left my car does not allow overnight parking. I had about two hours and at most three hours before sunset. For some reasons, I felt my destination was much farther away and I might not make it.

    At least five or six runners caught up to me in this stretch. Probably 30-40 in total had passed me by then. They were all rushing to the finish. These were the 11 hour finishers (strong runners). About a mile out from their finishes, they were all sprinting. They all knew they were near and there was a bit of a competitive spirit among us. They didn’t know I was not in the race I think. Of course, I couldn’t keep up as I had no reason to. I still had five miles to go before reaching my car, beyond their finish line. I walked by then after I made my turn off toward my trail away from their trail which leads to their finish line. I was hitting my bonk. I was at my mile 27. My water soon ran out again, but I knew I only had a few miles left to go. I had my gels leftover from my last weekend race. They came in handy. I slurped them and after a mile or so, I regained my strength. I reached my car before 7 o clock with the sun still up. The fear of getting there after dark was moot because we have like an hour more daylight.

    As for the race, runners still had an hour left. They had 13 hours to do it. Personally, I don’t know if I could run 50 miles on that trail under 13 hours. I felt I might need 14 hours or more to do it. I only did about 30 miles and it took me about 8 hours. I think another 20 miles might take me longer. However, that was not my race. I was just happy I got my training run in. I reflected on if I were running my 100 mile today, what condition would I be, knowing I still have 60+ miles to go. I should not be this tired yet. I believe my 100 mile is on a harder trail.

    The next day of course, I was still tired. My friend from DC messaged me (the same guy I did the marathon together a week ago) if I want to do a bunny run since it will be Easter coming up. He likes to draw shapes using his runs. He planned to draw a bunny on Strava (gps map) this weekend. He planned the run, and I was there just for the fun. He called up a few others to join in. I asked him how many miles. He said 8. Eight was a reasonable amount I could do after a 50K. Some streets were closed. My bunny turned out OK. It had some extra features/an appendage, because I didn’t want to pause my watch for the road detours. Some of you already saw them on my Strava.

    Bunny Run for Easter Celebration

    I told him, his run was my recovery run. I was happy for my weekend. It was not a race but I got my runs done both the BRR and a little fun run on top. Happy Easter everyone!

  • Day470 Salisbury Marathon (RunSBY)

    After running the Newport News Marathon last month, I came into the Salisbury Marathon, thinking it would be about the same. While it is easy to compare and contrast the two because they were still fresh on mind, but that is not what will do. I enjoyed running them. This race allowed me just to focus on my running and all the logistics and everything else were handled seamlessly. They did a phenomenal job.

    Salibury Marathon occurred on Saturday, so the timeframe for the prerace preparation was much compressed, unlike the Newport News one. I rushed to Salisbury after work. Though I am not easily stressed, but we came close to the point I wouldn’t be able to make it in time to pick up my bib. It is not race org’s fault since they offered a mailing option but I just didn’t pick it. I preferred facing the afterwork traffic. The two hour drive became a four hour one. I left around 3ish in the afternoon but for some reason only known to my gps, I was rerouted into downtown Washington, DC. And there I sat in my car forever until I got out of there. We had to pick up our bibs on Friday because there was no Saturday pickup. If I didn’t make it to the convention, it would mean no race for me. I made it to the convention by closing and got my bib. Then I went to check into my hotel. When all said and done it was around 9-9:30 pm.

    Next was dinner or sleep. Honestly I wasn’t that hungry, but chose food over sleep. There is no shortage of eateries in Salisbury. Many restaurants (outside of downtown) open late, past 11. The downtown was kind of dark and scary (on my first night there), so I avoided it after picking up my bib. There are a bunch of chain restaurants plus some local ones. I stuck to my usual prerace meal, being unwilling to try new stuff. I googled for a cheap chinese buffet. I found one that was pretty good.

    I got back to my hotel late with a full stomach. I was a bit too excited to sleep and didn’t do so until around 2 am. I set my alarm for 5 am. I have done this many times so I was not worried if I would get enough sleep. I am usually fine with 3-4 hours of sleep. I woke up before my alarm went off, feeling great as if I have slept for a full night.

    The race was at 7. I got to the course before 6. The temperature was quite fine around 40 F (5-7 C) and I believed it got up to around 60s (12-15 C). The start line was half a mile away from our car. The start and finish were not at the same place, but they were not too far apart. There was a shuttling option available, but I chose to walk. We parked at the finish and walked to the start as recommended. A few parked at the start. To me, that is the harder option.

    Race starts near the park where we gathered

    We had a beautiful morning and course.

    A friend from DC saw my social media post about the race and so he reached out to me, saying he would see me on the course. He and several of his friends were running it too. We met up at the start. They were much faster than me (1 hr faster). I told them to go ahead. I was able to run at his pace in the past, but today it was obvious I was not able to keep up. I gained much weight during the interim since I last ran with him. I blame it on the Covid weight (Covid 10).

    Also I came into the race with a pulled hamstring that has been bothering me for the past several weeks now. While with each passing week, my condition improved but I wasn’t sure if I can run at my full strength yet. I was judging that I was at 90-95% well. I still felt some slight pulling from the injury, but I was no longer in pain. This was a whole level better than the week before.

    Based on my last official marathon time, I finished at 5:15 and I was healthy at the time. I was hoping to at least be able to match it or somewhere close, but if I get 5:30, 5:45 or even finish by 6:00, I would consider myself lucky. Last weekend, I ran a marathon distance on the trails with a time of over 8 hours, and its time splits were still fresh on my mind. I tried to run like the week before during the race, and was happy I hit each of my mental checkpoint well before the clock, given this week I was running on the road and my injured leg was much better. I was generally feeling pleased. I didn’t compare my feelings during the race, but looking back I was feeling much better than when I was running at Newport News. I didn’t feel stressed by the clock.

    Miles flew by. By mile 4, I met a friendly guy (Alex) and we chatted our way to mile 12. The course was beautiful. He was aiming for a 5:30 finish. So by halfway he dialed back his pace. I thought I was aiming for 5:30 finish pace too but I was running stronger, so I pulled ahead. We knew we were ahead of pace since the 5:00 and 5:30 pacers were still (far) behind us. I was trying to bank on my time. I reviewed my run pacing profile afterward, and it was decaying the way it should.

    There was a woman around us and she snapped over hundreds of photos during her race, and we were in some of them too. We saw a beautiful sunrise. The temperature went up a bit but it was never too hot. I love running through the countryside and seeing farms and horses. At one point we passed a chicken farm and we could smell the chicken poops. Salisbury is known for chicken farms supplying chickens to our Washington area.

    Alex and I were having a good time running (photo taken by a fellow runner Maureen Y.)

    The half marathoners started with us. It was good to have them around until mile 11 when the courses separated. I heard there were a thousand of the half marathoners but only about 300 of us. They went to their finishes and we went the other way for a 13 mile loop before rejoining them again. We had aid stations about every 2 miles. Aid stations all have gels and chewy bars. Unlike the last race, I didn’t have to search for food or gels. I was happy. I had a couple chewy bars. They sure provided the energy needed at halfway. We had mile markers for every mile, even for the full marathon course. Course marking was good, at least for me, but I heard someone almost went the wrong way. There were course marshalls and road signs as well as arrows taped on the ground pointing the direction on all the turns. It is beyond me how anyone could get lost. Security was good. I don’t think it was needed because Salibury is a safe city, but they were out in full force. We had police officers stationed on most intersections. There was plenty of cheering from spectators, so we were not alone running in the middle of a farmland/countryside.

    Pacewise, I ran around a 10-11 min mile pace. I held it steady until 6 miles and then it slowly decayed to a 12 min mile. My pace crashed at around mile 24-25. It was not a hard crash, but definitely it was pretty tough to maintain a steady pace. I walked more in the final two miles. This was exactly how I wanted. I didn’t want a hard crash like hitting the wall as I had on during the Newport News Marathon. I’d rather prefer slowly tapering down. I finished it in under 5 hours. This was better than expected. My hamstring did not bother me a bit.

    In all these we were more than conquerors through him who loved us, from a verse I recalled during the race. I was happy. Sometimes we got sidelined for no reason at all (like me for the last few weeks) and today I felt like a million dollar to be able to run. I was thrilled.

    My friend waited for me at the finish and we went out for lunch afterward. We spent the lazy afternoon kicking back and relaxed with good food. We all had a long drive home. We were talking about visiting the shipping container boat Ever Forward that got strained near the Bay Bridge. Unfortunately, I was too tired and too late in the day to pay a visit, otherwise I could have addd a little national news to my marathon trip and provide a picture! I love things like this. And what with this shipping company Evergreen keep having their boats being stuck around the world?! Wondering if it was piloted by the same captain as the last boat that was stuck? Who knew the Potomac is so shallow.

    The day after, I felt I could still go out to run more. This is a good sign. I didn’t want to finish a marathon and feel exhausted. It should be tired enough but a good sleep would help me recover.

    RunSBY (Salisbury) was a gem to me. My friend joining me was like a cherry on top.

  • Day469 MMT TR3

    TL;DR – A weekend long run on a weak leg.

    What a weekend! It was like taking a cold shower. I have done many kinds of runs and gone on many outdoors trips, but this past weekend was one of the best. It was a training run for my MMT 100 (Massanutten 100 mile trail run). I compare the trip to be like when I ran on the Wild Oak Trail one night, (the post is somewhere on here, maybe one day I find the link and link it), but that was another story. Or it was like the Smoky Mountains trip, except less tiring. I felt refreshed by it.

    Granted the event was just one of the small training runs for MMT, but it felt like a real race. As many as 40 people showed up and they ran it fast, I don’t think they were holding back. The training program was free and was open to all on a first-come-first-serve basis. So many of the runners were using it to train for something else other than the MMT or they just wanted to run it for fun. I had to hold back because of my hamstring injury and also my condition is not good. Even so, the event was so good and it would be many times that when the real race (MMT) comes in May.

    My training for the last several months has not been as great as I would have hoped. For various reasons, and mostly due to various injuries but also being unmotivated, my training hasn’t really been seriously taken off. Luckily, I had a few so called training runs and this was one of them (TR#3).

    All the training runs for the MMT are on the actual course. Each time, I am humbled by it. This time, coming in with a hamstring injury, probably sustained at the last training run a month ago, which was probably stemmed from an injury from even earlier at the Devil Dog 100k in December, I didn’t know if I would be able to do it. The injury seemed to be serious enough for me to not being able to move or walk much for the last two weeks. The big question of course is why I even tried to go and run, right? But I couldn’t just stay home. It was the same reason I ran a 10K race the week before while limping, but now the pain has gone down significantly. Note readers, Don’t do what I do. Instead listen to your body.

    Luckily for me the run was problem-free, but just maybe a tiny bit, which I will tell. I woke up immediately at 3:30 in the morning after my alarm went off, the drive was 2 hours away, so I knew I had to be out of the house by 4 to make it on time. Even with only a couple hours of sleep, I felt refreshed and ready. I rarely felt tired on a run! I had kind of packed my things already the night before, and was just missing a few more things. I planned to camp out too afterward, so I had to gather my tent, sleeping bag, my food bag and some clothes. I had a big loaf of bread (banh-mi) in the car and I ate it for breakfast as I drove to the site. I thought that was enough for the day but a bit later in the morning I was hungry again. I regretted that I didn’t bring along other snacks.

    Originally I was going to leave on Friday night and camp out before the event so I wouldn’t have to make the morning drive but for some laziness in me, after work, I didn’t pack quickly enough and ended up having dinner and after dinner I was a bit too sleepy to do the night drive. My excuse was I didn’t want to look for a camping spot after dark.

    Anyway, I arrived a bit “late”, just 15 min before the event. Ideally, I like to be there an hour before, for any big event. I should have left the house at 3 in the morning instead of 4, but that would cut into my sleep time. Many already were there. Luckily, I got a parking spot. Note, we were trying to fit 40 cars in a small lot that was probably designed to hold 15-20 cars. It was a tight squeeze and I was afraid either someone would dent my car or I to them. This was by the way the same lot we used on the last training run at Stephen’s Trailhead at Camp Roosevelt (and that time, we tried to squeeze 60-65 cars in).

    The temperature of the early morning was nippy cold. The city temperature was 42 F but I think up on the mountain was near 30. It was cold enough to see my breath. Definitely, I was not dressed for the occasion. I didn’t bring gloves or a wool cap. My ears and fingers were burning from the cold. I didn’t check the weather closely before going. It rained just 15 mins before the race.

    I found the race director and signed in. Unknown to me and the race director, there was someone having a similar name as mine and it caused much confusing through out the day. He was also asian. I was using my last name and he was using his first name, and they are the same. So whenever I reported myself arriving at a checkpoint, the volunteers would say, they already cleared me or I came through. I felt someone stole my identity. This also led them to believe I was no longer on the course for having crossed my name off early. Some even said I didn’t show up or not on the list. Nothing wrong with that except I would receive no aid for showing late. By the way, they offered me food. They are one of the nicest people.

    I also decided to add a few more layers on top of my T shirt before starting out. It was a smart move. I carried a rain jacket as well. Guess what! It snowed midway into my run. Unbelieveable that there was still snow at the end of March. It was not too bad, but the wind and temperature was consistently on the cold side.

    We started our run in the dark. I couldn’t remember much of the landmarks and turns we passed by. I was just following the crowd. I ended up being the last one eventually. We crossed several streams and maybe by mile 5, I could no longer keep up with the group. On one hand, I was being careful with my hamstring, stepping gingerly and didn’t want to push it too hard. And I know it would be a long day, and many more miles to cover. On the other hand, my aerobic performance was poor. Little did it occur to me to have a plan B, like how to bail out or take shorter the course in the event if something bad were to happen. Eventually, I did have to take a shorter course, thanks to a lady at an aid station for the trail guidance. It did occur to me at mile 5-6 whether to turn around and go back. I told myself that if I need to turn around it better be sooner rather than later now and before mile 15 when I reach the point of no return.

    The sunrise was amazing as I was climbing the first hard climb. I don’t remember what mountain it was (I think on Duncan Knob) but it was on a blue blazed. Too bad, I was a bit too tired to take a photo. Throughout the day the views were amazing. I recognized a mountain in the distance. I named it Mt Doom because as I know we would be there 25-26 miles later. It was maybe a mile or two from where I was but we would circle back to it. It is a landmark close to the finish for this run as well as the actual 100 miler. As an aside, after checking the map post race, Mt Doom might not be the same Mt Doom I thought I saw, but it is near the finish.

    Mt Doom in the distance

    What so fun about trail running is the significant distance we would be covering on a run. I am surprised each time I run to see landmarks that we eventually get to. Even though we could see it, but it would take us a whole day to get there. Of course, we meandered around several other mountains and valleys to get there. It is something I am very proud of.

    My pace was beyond slow and I know it early on. I thought it would be nice to keep it as if it were a race day. I had no doubt that I would finish regardless. On race day, I would be at 70 miles in with 32 miles to go. normally, I wouldn’t be running much by then. The pace I was doing I felt was not too far off from race day pace for that stretch. I felt my pace was reasonable even though it was slow.

    Little did I know though there was a cut off time for the training run too. Logically, yes, I wouldn’t want everyone waiting for me. I remembered later reading it somewhere before, but while on the course it didn’t occur to me. I was planning to run that course in 12 hours, and didn’t realize we were given at most 11 hours (for 35 miles). This was my fault. If it were race day, I would have built up enough buffer in the first 70 miles to allow me to go slower than the required pace at the end. But today I had no buffer since I just started. What even worse was I was also doing/planning to do a reverse split, which I believe I could, but this was a no-no for a long run, because most cutoffs usually give more lenient toward the end than at the beginning, not the other way around. I was taking it easy and chilling and walking even during most of the down hills and flats, thinking I could always make up in the mid or final section. I also made enough stops to take pictures — at one point I almost took a quarter mile up a side trail to summit a mountain for a picture. I thought I was having fun because I know on the actual race day, I wouldn’t have such free time to do all these side excursions.

    By 10 am, 4 hours into the event, I sensed time was ticking by faster than I wanted and even without any prompt, my spider sense kicked in telling me I need to giddy up. I started running then with the aim to reach the first checkpoint by 10:30 (note, in my mind I thought the checkpoint would stay open until 11). On a normal day, I would have made it, but today was not one of them. My body refused to move. I could hardly even do a 12-13 mins on flat. Every few steps I needed to stop and breathe. It might be the altitude affecting me too. But I knew I was maybe 2-3 miles from the first Aid Station. I came in at 10:45. The last person came in like 20 minutes ago. And the actual cut off was 15 minutes ago. They were wrapping up. The two ladies at the station was surprised to see me. The one who was in charge of the station apologized, they thought everyone had gone through (this was because of the names mixup and they crossed my name off before I even arrived). They felt that they had failed me and I felt bad too like being a bad guest. They offered whatever food they had left. But the hard truth was I had been DQ. They said I shouldn’t (actually couldn’t) continue on the course and they showed me a way to cut off a 10 mile loop to get ahead of other runners and so I could get to the finish in a decent time. Reason being even though I was just 15 minutes behind, they fear, by the end of the run it might increase to an hour or more and they were not wrong about that. They were not wrong.

    Navigation was my biggest concern since I tried to read the trail notes before the event (for the 100 race) with my map several times but each time came away in confusion and feeling sleepy. So I was worried on the actual run I would get lost.

    I was sad because the whole purpose for me to come out to the training run is to know the course. And now only a third way into it, I was kicked from the event and the mission is not achieved. I did not want to jeopardize being banned from future events, so I obeyed.

    With the shortcut, I got in front of many faster runners. It was funny to see the look on their faces, like how did this slow guy get in front of them! Of course the front pack was amazing in their ability to climb and actually ran up the mountain not breaking a sweat and they already have done 26 plus miles while I only had maybe 15 miles and I was struggling as I slowly climbed one step at a time.

    I finished around 2 pm (2:16 as recorded) having done about 24-25 miles that day. It was still a pretty good stat in my opinion of running 24-25 in 8 hours. I was slower than my last training run but it also meant I ran much faster after being cut from the race to make it back to the finish (which was in the same location as the start) in a acceptable time. I know if I had run properly in the first place, I wouldn’t have been cut.

    I was tired after finishing and was actually glad I was being cut. I couldn’t imagine how I would have managed an extra 10 miles if I had gone the full route. I was able to sit around with the faster people as we waited for the rest to finish. We had a fire going and the Race Director was grilling some good burgers for us. It was a free race, so any extra food beyond what we brought to the race was coming from the club fund or RD personal fund. We felt honored for the food and the excellently managed event. Normally, no food was expected.

    I ended up camping out on Saturday night. It is really for another story, but it was nice and cold when the temperature dropped during the night. I did my camping thing. Pretty much the only guy on the whole mountain. The following day, I decided to drive to the 10 mile segment that I missed and ran it on my own. It took me 3 hours to run it. It was much easier than I thought. It was less rocky and it was pretty much runable for the most part. I am glad I did it so as to have an idea for the actual race. People were saying all kinds of stories for this section and I had to see for myself.

    In conclusion, I did what I came to do. I did 35 miles over the weekend. My hamstring held up well and I believed it got stronger due to the event. I am in less pain today afterward (almost pain-free). I think I am at 85% recovered now from the injury. Before the event, I felt I was at 75-80%, so maybe another 10% improvement. It felt stiff still, and I am not at 100% yet, but soon will be. Readers might not know the joy of being able to run again! Physically, I am not ready for the 100 mile race as I would like but I know I can get a bit more ready by the next training. The 100 mile race is scary yet manageable. I believe I said the same thing on the last training run. This time having seen almost the entire course, and I believe I ran on the hardest section of it, laid to rest whether this race is within my capacity. The next training, called Chocolate Bunny (on Easter Sunday), will be a night run on almost the same portion of the race course as this time. I am looking forward to it. It would nail the finishing portion of the course in the actual condition because on race day, most people will be running this last section in the dark or predawn period.

    I am grateful to have run it. All the volunteers made it possible. I was not in peak condition. It was humbling, but I sense that it is so true from scripture that my grace is sufficient and my power is made perfect in weakness. The weaker I am, the more appreciative of the type of runs I could pull off.

  • Day466 Newport News Marathon

    With 77F / 25C, strong winds, I couldn’t have asked for a better running condition. Ideally 40-50F might be better suited for me in breaking any personal records. It was hot by any standard, but I was ready to leave winter behind, the heat was not a problem for me. No more long sleeves and coats. Give me heat and beaches!

    Friday night, I drove down to Newport News. It is about three and half hours away from Washington, DC. I avoided the traffic by leaving late, after dinner, otherwise, I would have sat in the traffic for probably an extra hour or two.

    Preface, I have nothing much to write about this race, I went there, ran it, was happy and went home. You could skip all the way to the end if you like and won’t miss much.

    My original plan was to go down on Saturday, but I found out Friday morning that I booked a hotel for Friday night too. Not sure why I did that knowing myself I want to spend as little money as possible because hotels are expensive. An extra night meant an extra day of fun. I packed quickly in the morning, went to work, then traveled down. Before leaving work, my mom called, hey, come over for dinner. Dinner wasn’t part of my plan but I made a detour for dinner. I just wanted to get there as quickly as possible, didn’t realize you just couldn’t go anywhere on a weekend in our area due to traffic. Dinner saved me the time of sitting in the traffic.

    The drive was quiet and uneventful, since it was late at night after rush hours. I made a second detour to my house, which was kind of on the way, but I didn’t really have to stop. I stopped to use the restroom and pack away some food in the fridge, so they wouldn’t spoil over the weekend. I was in a good spirit. It has been a long time since I last traveled. Afterward, no more stops. I could only describe the trip as a meditative or worshipful time.

    The next day I went to pick up my bib at the race convention. There was nothing much to do there. It was a typical race pickup with a couple shops, some tables, bibs, shirts, beer id check, info desk, a race late signup area, etc. I studied the maps, both for the half and full with other people. No problem to be expected. The course seemed simple. They said it would be well marked and we wouldn’t get lost. Indeed, the course was good. Unlike trail marathons, this one no one could get lost.

    Leaving the convention, I spent the rest of the day at First Landing State Park, where I had my first 50k ultra a few years back. I chose to go there especially to relive my old race. It was satisfying to step back on the course, that was one of the races I don’t mind doing again. I ran about 8 miles, about halfway through the park before getting too tired. When evening came, I went for a chinese buffet restaurant, a tradition for me. Not much to say, except I carb-loaded. By the way, the host hotel offered unlimited spaghetti for $13, but I didn’t take up on their offer. And I was shy, not wanting to meet anyone.

    I was not a bit worried about the race the next day. I ran many marathons and this was just another. Not that it is not special, each one is unique. There are things that I have become familiar with, and you just flow with it.

    On the other hand, I have been anticipating this race. I have waited for the Newport News Marathon for maybe 3 or even 4 years, with the last two years being during the pandemic, and cancellations, and not much racing going on. And I have been checking the race website throughout the pandemic to see when the race registration would open. This year it finally had an in-person race. I believed I signed up in October. Yes, pandemic is over. Wohoo. We were advised to wear masks still, but only a few of us did when we picked up our race packages.

    I was up by 4 and by 4:30 I was out the hotel. The morning was pretty warm already. There were heavy condensation on the roads as if it rained during the night. It was going to get hotter. I went in T-shirt and shorts.

    I went to bed early since I had to be up early. We were going to take the shuttle at the finish line to the start line. It would have been nice to see the course in reverse, but the bus was using a different route than the one we would run on. I believe they might have closed the roads by then. We had an hour for the bus. I slept a bit while on the bus, because the night before I only managed maybe 2 hours of sleep. I blame the hotel. My neighbors from upstairs were making a lot of noise, not sure what they were doing, but it sounded like some HIIT, some people #$#&.

    The shuttle dropped us off at 6 at the start. We waited around until 7, when the race would start. I had no drop bag. Having run ultras, preparing a drop bag for a marathon seems silly. And I am lazy. in other years, I can see why the dropbags would be useful, because you can put your jacket in it before the race and hand it in to the staff to be picked up at the end. This year, the temperature was so mild, it was not necessary.

    The race was like other races I did. There was nothing much stood out. Sorry. Everything was just a blur to me except the start and finish. Mind you I had my glasses on, at least most of the race. We ran was all I remembered. There are some hills, but nothing too bad. I don’t remember much.

    I started slower than in other races. Most people sprinted out the gate, which was expected given the small race size (~350 runners), meaning we have on average faster runners, probably the average finishing time was around 4:00. Unlike many other races, there was no jostling with other runners. I was one of the slower ones and soon I settled into pace. The course was mostly empty around me and would remain like so till the end. I don’t know if I were in the first hundred, maybe it would feel crowded. There were plenty of room where I at for the whole race. I was hoping to catch the half marathoners since they started at the halfway point and an hour later, I was hoping I would be fast enough to have some company maybe at the remaining couple miles. I did that before in other marathons. I used to run marathons where we had a lot of people around. However in the end, I was not able to catch up. In theory, I passed some half marathoners, but during the race, I didn’t notice I caught up to any. I am sure the front runners were able to run into the half marathoners at halfway and it was probably likely they would be in the way. At some races I did, they would keep a small lane open for the marathoners to go through, so that the half marathoners would not block as the marathoners are running through.

    The race was well run and we had good support throughout. It could match any big city race. One thing that bothered me a little bit was no mile markers posted for the first thirteen miles. Not that I needed them. If that is a thing for you, it could be a make-or-break moment. Aid stations kind of served as mile markers because they were roughly spaced at every two miles. This assumes you have studied the course to know where they are to get an accurate timing.

    Having run many ultras, I forgot that the aid stations for marathons only have water and gatorade. This happened to me before. And seeing just water only was a bit disappointing. We had two early stations that had gels (mile 7 and 10 I think). Later, I went from station to station looking for more gels, and didn’t find any. I am spoiled by ultra races. Yes they published what aid stations of what each one had, but I didn’t keep them in mind. I missed the ultra style aid stations (food, real food, plus candies, sodas and all possible good stuff). I know, I should have carried my own goodies.

    At the start, I was trying to gauge which pacing group I should join so as to keep my pace steady. The 4:45 finish was the slowest one available. I had a feeling that 4:30 would be too fast, even though that what the 4:45 pacer recommended me. I know I had run and finished at 4:15 before. However, I did not expect or plan to go for a PR (personal record breaking). I’d be lucky if I could finish under 5. The pacer asked me what is my expected time, and I told her possibly 6 hours. I really had no idea. I felt my body could only run this pace but logically I had run much faster in previous marathons. As the race started, I felt the 4:45 was even a bit rushed for me, so I decided to slow down. It seemed to be fine initially and soon I sped up and passed the 4:45 pace group and was on my way, hoping maybe I might be able to catch up to the 4:30 group as I had many times in other marathons.

    Two miles in, I needed to use the bathroom. I felt I could probably hold it till the end, but then I wouldn’t like running with the constant urge to pee. Exactly why I didn’t go before the race start was beyond me. Runner curse, I tell you. I didn’t need to at the start is my excuse. I stopped at the first potta johns available. Luckily there was no line outside, so no waiting for me. I felt better afterward. Looking back, this little stop might have caused me to miss the 5 hour finish and I missed it by just 2 minutes, exactly the amount of time I used up.

    I struggled by the time I got to the stations that had gels, maybe around mile 6. I carried some juicy fruit packages on me but didn’t bring gels. They were left in my car, because I didn’t think that I would need them. My game plan was off. The rest of the race was slow going. I had two ladies (never met before) as companions. At times I was ahead, but from time to time, they would catch back up. Looking back, my pace was slowing though during the race, I felt I kept it steady. The ladies, though can’t blame them, gave me a false sense that we were moving faster. Originally, the first 4-5 miles, I might have been on track for a 4:30 finish. By halfway, my pace was slipped to 4:45 finish. At the end, it came down to 5:00 finish. One of the two ladies passed me on the last mile. I was mostly walking by then. She was able to shuffle step to finish. I believed she must have finished under 5:00. I had initially thought I was way ahead of her.

    I was not disappointed with my time. I felt grateful. At the start of the race, I had no clue if I could even finish around 5 hours. I felt it might be a 6 hour marathon or longer because two weeks before the race, I went out and did a 26 mile run and it took me 8 hours, granted that was on trails. If any are wondering as to why I did such a long run just before a marathon, I am training for a 100 mile, so we run long. Then after, I had almost two weeks with little to no running due to some personal issue (I think it was one of the side effects from the COVID vaccine, making me to be fatigued all the time). Having finished the race by noon was not bad. I felt like it was a win. Only that it took way more effort out of me to get there than anticipated. Actually it needed all my effort to get to the finish. I originally did not really want to go all out, because I need my body to recover fast for the next event.

    I enjoyed some sightseeing as I ran. There were no skyscrapers or tall monuments (there was some historical stuff), not like in DC. The funny thing is I told my mom I was going to Newport News, and she initially thought I said Virginia Beach (which was nearby). She said she would attend my race if it was at Virginia Beach, since she could walk along the seashore, but Newport News, nope. She did not come. I wouldn’t blame her. There is nothing to see while waiting for me. Also because of her health, it would have worried me had she come along. Personally, I think this location is better than in Virginia Beach (we leave that other race unmentioned until in the future, if I happen to run it next year).

    As for sightseeing, there are the shipbuilding yard and ports. It is just like any other industrial areas – warehouses and parking lots. Concrete. Sleepy town. Newport News is not a place people go for vacation. Some tourist areas I came across are CNU and the Mariner Museum. I like the lion bridge too and I think it is called something else. I like seeing the bay and bridges. That part probably my best portion of the course — granted that I was hitting the wall then, so I slowed down a whole lot to look around. I think it was around mile 15-16.

    Things I liked the most during the race were DQ, Bojangles and McDonalds. Seriously. One volunteer later called me out at the finish and teased me as the guy who wanted a Dairy Queen ice cream. She said she remembered me because during the race I wanted to run into one of the fastfoods and get myself something refreshing, like a slurpy and ice cream. However, I feared though by leaving the course I would be disqualified. Everyone was looking at me, since the course was mostly empty but me. I would make the evening news if I get caught running to a McDonalds in the middle of a marathon. Free promotion, right? But it was not like I could sneak off course and come back. By the way, I did that before in some other marathons and got myself a breakfast (I won’t say which race), and that was before I knew the finer rules of racing. You just don’t run off to do your own thing because it would give the race director a heart attack if one of the runners is “missing”. Trail running are usually less strict in that you could run off (a bit) as long as you get back on where you exited, and without aids (like going to a gas station for food or bathroom is ok, as long as you don’t get in a car etc, though some races don’t allow outside aid or unplanned crew support), but still I shouldn’t do this kind of things.

    We had plenty of crowd support given the small size of the race. It couldn’t be compared to DC or Baltimore or other big marathons. This was not a big city race, even though the stuff, swags, everything were as good or better than a big city race. Most of the time, the course felt empty, but I was a back end runner. Many times there was no one ahead and no one behind. Not many people kept at my pace, even the two companions. They had their own pace and kept to themselves whenever we passed each other. We probably only passed about four times in total. It was subdued and quiet. Roads were closed, and many times the whole one side of the streets was for us. There were no distractions. It felt luxurious. We technically could have run on the sidewalks. They could have reopened the roads after bulk of runners came through.

    The day became hotter and the winds were stronger. Thanks to the winds, I was not overheating. I poured water on me whenever I remembered. At one station, they handed out ice soaked water towels and it was amazing. I wiped away the salt on me. Who knew it would get this hot in March. It was crazy weather, couple weeks ago, we had snow, and now it was summer weather, but I can’t complain. Normally, this time of year we would be running at near freezing temperatures. In fact we are going back to the snow season after (it is forecasted that we would have snow this week). I’d rather run when is hot than in the cold. I know many prefer the other way. If I was going for the record, I would prefer cooler weather.

    We had neighbors coming out and watching the race. It was not much a crowd but enough to feel we were not running alone through empty streets. I felt special they were cheering just for me because I was the only one there at that point in time. Occasionally we passed a school and band students would play for us. Some neighbors set up their own aid stations in front of their yards. I loved them all. It was one buffet to the next. One even had a lazy chair for quitters only! That’s it, I’m staying I said. This was around mile 20. They saved me several times because I was too tired but their stations with fruits, snacks, beer and pepsi gave me a second life. I think they did it specifically for us tail-end runners. Imagine if they set them out earlier, the horde of the half marathoners and most of the marathoners would have cleared the tables and nothing would be left for us. There were at least a thousand runners ahead of me. Good aid stations were the sort of stuff I missed in a race. I was able to pull another mile before hitting the slump again.

    The last couple miles though, no stations could revive me again. They were the hardest miles I had (I always say that in each marathon). A marathon takes everything out of you. Why did I sign up for this again, I asked? My feet were heavy. I passed the permanent street signs marking mile 25 and mile 26. I didn’t expect that. I would if I had remembered others race reports mentioned them. I think that was interesting the town makes it permanent that there will be a marathon here for the foreseeable future. Even though I know there was only a mile left, I was at 47th St and I needed to get to 25th St, the road seemed to go on forever. Someone joked that they didn’t know Newport News is this “long” (or big). Indeed all 26 miles long. A volunteer called to me, that the finish is just at the end of street, round the corner. I’d believe when I see it. At no point was I doubting that I wouldn’t finish but it was hard to will myself onward. That round the corner finish got me good — I didn’t start running again until I saw it, by then it was just a couple steps more.

    Nothing felt better than crossing the finish line. I stayed a couple more hours longer, first to get food and then to watch the race for the 6th hour and 7th hour people. This is one of the races that gave out food. They gave us coupons that we redeemed at the food trucks. I loved everything even though I didn’t feel like eating. A banana is the usual stuff they give you at the finish, but good food is rare. I couldn’t eat much but it was still satisfying. Someone recommended the mac and cheese eggroll, and that was tasty. I’ve never eaten an eggroll filled with mac and cheese! Not a bad fusion.

    I was inspired to see the last few runners came in. After I arrived, there were not many left on the course. Runners came in at an interval of 10-15 minutes apart. Then there was one who ran fast, and I thought it must be weird he came in near at the 7th hour. The announcer explained the guy had a medical emergency earlier and left the course but later he was able to come back and finish it in time. Normally, I believe this was considered to be a DQ (disqualified). He was allowed to continue. He was originally part of the top 5 runners. I was lucky to see how fast he could run.

    When the last runner came in and all the race volunteers and staff lined up at the side of the road waiting and cheering. I think someone had called in ahead so everyone gathered along the road. We waited and I strained my eyes looking a mile down the street. Then I saw the truck convoy. I knew that they were the sweep vehicles, the sag wagon. Then I didn’t see any runners on the road. I though they would let the runners off the sag wagon so they would run the remaining .2 mile, but that wasn’t the case. Then I saw a runner walking on the sidewalk, I guess having the bus following behind her was too intimidating. She reached to chute area and everyone was directing her to walked back onto the road and we cheered. We all walked proudly together to the finish along side of her. It was like a standing ovation. Everyone was happy. I have been to many races and watched a few closings, but none compared to this one. Actually, out of 20 marathon races this was one was the best because I stayed to the very end. It was very moving. I felt the respect of the race organization and all those around paid to runners from the first to the last. It was uplifting. 26.2 miles no matter if it were a 2:20 marathon (race course record) or 7:20, the distance speaks for itself. Got to respect the distance.

    Aftermath. As expected, I could hardly move afterward. Going up and down the stairs was painful. It would mean a few days off running. Originally, I wanted to head to Richmond immediately after the race for some good vietnamese food, my soul food. Because of the soreness, I didn’t want to walk to my car, so that side trip to Richmond was canceled. The drive back was tiring and I wished my car was a self-driving vehicle. The rest of the evening, was to get to bed as quickly as possible. I had a quick dinner, I was still much hungry when I went to bed, but I was too tired to eat more.

    Here am I thinking, what is the point of me doing marathons. I know ultimately I run because I enjoy doing so. What do my readers want to know from me? I can’t tell any secrets or tips I learned from this race. Running is a private affair. Many thoughts went between my head during the race, but they are gone now. I don’t feel bad about that. To me that time alone is like in a state of joy (worship). Even I finished and tired and felt it was time well spent. Countless people and volunteers made it possible. I spent that 5 hours on the course and countless hours months before in training. It’s all worth it. Today, I got something clearer. Sometimes, we do it because we only know to keep one foot ahead of another and that is the only thing we need to do. In a marathon when I don’t want to go on and things are going south, the only way we can get to the finish line is to keep on walking forward. This I think is the lesson I have to relearn.

    Bringing it home, I have been planning a trip for next year and some big goals like walking across the US. Life is many times messier than a marathon. I wrote in the last post, I don’t want to do it any more, but maybe I just need to keep going, who knows how it will turn out. My friend messaged me, asking if I’ll be running the JFK50 this year because the signup has just opened, we will see. I can only take the steps currently in front of me.

  • Day464 MMT TR2

    MMT TR#2 was my first real training run for the Massanutten 100 race (MMT), a race that is named after a ring of mountains where some of them create one side Shenandoah valley. For us locals, I don’t think it is anything extraordinarily beautiful but I did catch occasional glimpses of the famous Shenanoah River while running on the MMT trail, and each time is a reward for being there. Most of the time though, all I see is trees. The course is mostly running the entire ring (in a figure 8 actually, and the start is near the center of the 8). The MMT (trail) is less famous than the Skyline drive, where hordes people from the DC area would go, but it is a playground for us the more adventurous type people – mostly trail runners, mountain bikers, and backpackers/campers/hikers.

    I have been training locally in my neighborhood this winter to get myself ready for the race but nothing compares to stepping on the actual course itself. I had an opportunity to do so last month, but ended up missing the first opportunity to do so at the official training run #1 due to it being conflicted with the Waterfall 50K which I was so hyped up about it, but was eventually canceled due to bad weather. Part of the MMT 100 is also in the Waterfall 50K, hence the reason I wanted to run the Waterfall race. Since that race was canceled, I kind of started my training for the MMT a little later than I wanted.

    When the second MMT training Run got posted by the race organization itself, the Virginia Happy Trail Runners (VHTR), I jumped on it. I say it was a good start for my spring training. Technically, I could go out there and run on my own any time but I prefer to do it as a group. The course is about two hours away from where I live. It is not far but not near either, the four hours total traveling time is something I don’t just willy nilly drive out and do it.

    Another reason for not going out there earlier back in December or January, is that MMT is the hardest race I’m attempting to date. I want some hand holding and let some former runners show me the way. I know it is an excuse. The weather actually was not favorable back then. It is also to show the trail proper respect. I mean it can be dangerous, and having other people around makes it less so, because they can help if there’s an emergency.

    Like almost any big race I do, it has been on my mind forever since I first knew about it, maybe as far back as 5 years ago when I first started running. VHTR is our local running club so naturally any trail runners in the area would know about them and their races. Any club that can host their own races is not too shabby. MMT is their signature race.

    I have been avoiding signing up all theae years because it was too hard for me. In the early days indeed I was not ready or even dare to dream of running on trails myself. I was not a trail runner at the time nor an ultra distance runner. I normally ran 5/10K and marathon distance was the longest I did. Then last year, I met a runner whose father used to be one of the race directors. He recommended me to try it.

    MMT is at a place I passed by many times whenever I go for camping or anywhere far. It is almost unavoidable because of its location. It is at the corner of two interstates (I-66 and I-81). They are the highways we would be driving on in order to get to anywhere out west. MMT is also known for one of the few ski slopes we have in our area (our winter is usually too warm for snow, so it is a treasured place, even if it meant artificial snow). This also shows that the course has some decent elevation. The lure is I know and heard of people who run on those mountains. I would look at the mountains there whenever I pass by and dream of some day that I get to run on them too especially in the MMT race itself.

    After finishing two 100 mile races, I felt more prepared to tackle it. I signed up before I ran the last 100 mile race, so that I can’t back out due to my indecisiveness. You know, usually after doing a 100, you don’t want to sign up for another, so the idea is to sign up for the next one right before the race. Oh by the way I am thinking of the next 100 mile race (three in fact or even four) right now before I even started training for this. Doing one usually opens the door to another.

    The course for the training run was modified this year due to Covid. The training runs in the past was to cover every mile of the actual race course in four training sessions. The second session I assume would be covering from the mile marker 25-50, which would involve shuttling from starting to the finishing.

    But due to Covid, shuttling wasn’t a good idea when everyone is trying to avoid being in close contact. So instead of the normal point to point route, we had a loop course. This means that some portion of the race day course is not covered. I am not complaining. To me any run is just as good. I tell you it was sufficiently hard. I am mostly familiar with the rough terrain our area has to offer, having hiked in the surrounding areas before and I know it is a tough course. Running on it demands extra attention and skill. I have to say, the run was tough though not impossible. This was the first time I am seriously running on it and not just hiking.

    Do I think I can do it? I think after the training running, it is a yes with reservation. I studied the entire course over the weekend before the run. There are significant climbs but the elevation probably is like the Laurel Highlands race I did last summer, which was a 70 mile race, and I did it in 22 hours. In this race I will have a total of 35 hours, meaning 13 more hours to run an additional 30 miles, meaning I have to do 15 miles in 6 or so hours, and that should be feasible (2.5 miles per hour at the last third of the race). It means as long as I stay on my feet, I should be able to finish.

    Laurel Highlands has 12,000 ft (not sure what that means whether gain or total), MMT has 17,000 ft (again I hope I am comparing apple to apple), which both are pretty much the same as having an average of 170 ft gain/lost per mile. Of course there will be some sections where we will be climbing 1000 ft in a mile or so. The finish will on the road and also there is maybe a fourth of the course on relatively flat stretch. My personal goal is trying to get this race under 32 hours, however, I know I should not push myself too hard and jeopardize the entire race. It is a good soft goal to have (as I have finished the last two 100 mile races under 32 hours).

    I did about 25.5 miles in 8 hours during the training run. It was not a fast time, yet not disappointing one either. In theory I should be able to finish the race within 35 hours with this pace. It might be a close call. 8.5x 4 is 34 hours, and I have 1 hour to spare for the slowing down in the second half. Granted that’s not a big margin for me to goof around. Ideally, I would like two hours or more as buffer because I need some time too to be off the trail at the aid stations (we will have 17 aid stations, and if I make each 10 min stop, it can easily use up 3 hours). I need to limit myself to keep my stop under 5 mins. During the training run, I did not go as fast as I could (and there was only one aid station), but I think it was a very good pace if that was my 100 mile run. I am worn out just by doing the 25 miles. I know I need to have better sustain if I am to repeat the feat for three more times in one go. I have to remember not to start out too hard on race day.

    I know what I have to work on for the next two months. Having run on a lot in flat land (my neighborhood), my legs are weak on trails especially ones that require the finer control of foot placement. After the training, my legs were sore in weird places, like the side of my hip, my inner thigh and back of the legs, mostly smaller muscles, and some muscles around my ankles. My major muscle groups are strong. It was a good kind of pain, but during the night while in my sleep my whole legs cramped up and it woke me up, and that was miserable because I couldn’t find a perfect position to get into to ease the cramping. This was telling because it means I over did it during the training. I hope this won’t happen on race day. I need to run on the trail a few more times to develop the needed muscles and I should be good. In terms of speed, I might not be able to improve that much, but I can definitely work being better with the hills and making swift transitions at the aid stations. I know my speed will improve. The thing for me on trails is not so much about the burst speed but about running/hiking efficiently in long hours. Generally the pace is almost a hiking pace, but you need to do it quick and relentlessly. Efficiency is the key. Overall my time will improve if I get the technique down.

    Last story: About 50 of us showed up for the training run. The small parking lot could barely have enough room for all of us. I think we fitted about 20-30 cars. I didn’t know anyone there but Carl who actually introduced me to the MMT trail when I went and ran with him last summer. Most runners were pretty fast. They have long legs. Pretty soon I was the last one. Toward near the end I caught up with a group of five or six people. Some I kind of recognized and I asked them if I have seen them before, they said sure, we ran together at the last few other training runs, such as the BRR#1, BRR#2 and MMT#1. I know I was not at MMT#1, but they have seen me before. I just did not remember meeting them.

    The next training run, MMT#3 will be held at the end of March. I am looking forward to it.

  • Day462 up ahead – some decisions

    I was debating at the beginning of the week if I should sign up for some local races.

    The answer should have been a “quick, sign me up!” I don’t know any more. I am not what I once was. I am less incline to rush into a race even if it is free. By the way, BRR training #2 is scheduled to again. I did BRR#1 two weeks ago. Sign up (for the free training) opened this week, and I am on the fence. It is a race in April I didn’t sign up (and won’t-its full) except for its training runs.

    Back in October, I committed myself to a few bigger races already: One City Marathon, Salisbury Marathon, and Grandma’s Marathon. My other races this year will fall into places accordingly. After locking them, it has been a waiting game and training.

    I’m halfway through on my training for the first race, One City. Time passed surprising fast, the race day approaches, with couple weeks left. I wish I have 12 weeks instead of 8. I didn’t anticipate being injured after Devil Dog Ultra, and that set me back for about 8 weeks. I am not worry. I think I did some decent runs and more or less ready. My body finally recovered after the Devil Dog. I am not in tip top shape but I am sure I can pull off a marathon. My left knee is still acting weird from time to time (I lose balance every so often, like it just drops out on me – might be some ligament issue) but my left forefoot no longer hurts (initially I thought I had a fracture, because I pounded too hard in the race). Basically I can train harder and will be ready by race day, if not the first race, by the second race. There is just so much I want to write when I’m restricting once a week post. I figure I need to focus more on my training now such as working on specific skills – like having a plan and a way to chart my progress. Maybe more on this in a future post, hopefully by the 2nd race.

    This week I also signed up a 10K and a 5K. Yes, by the time the blog is posted, both would have already taken place or will be shortly. Since, I signed up late, the price increased to $60. I paid something around $67 after all the fees added on. Yep. It bothered me to have missed out on the early bird pricing. 5K and 10K races usually have been my bread and butter and they are exactly why I love about running before the pandemic – fast and hard running. Now, I have left so many of them slipped by. I think this will be my 2nd and 3rd local race since the beginning of the pandemic. They no longer attract me like they once did. I prefer now more longer and slower runs and running by myself in some remote places than racing.

    This week I also signed up a 50K in March, The Seneca Greenway. This is one of my favorite since the pandemic and I have been running it last two years in a row. This time would be my third year. It will be held the weekend after the One City Marathon. It will be a rough schedule to run two big races back to back with a week apart. I won’t recover in time but I know I can handle it.

    One City is less than a month away (first weekend of March). I am excited! I have been waiting for it at least for 3 years. Last two years were canceled due to the pandamic. This year is for real. We are doing it. I will write about it more the race arrives. I booked my hotel this week.

    About hotels and flights, things are so much more expensive this year! I tried to find a flight to MSP for the Grandma’s Marathon too and I was surprised by the prices! Hotels and everything are twice from what I paid a year ago granted this time is in high season, summer. The sticker shock is holding me back from booking them at this time. I know it will only get more expensive later but now I’m considering if there a way to reduce the cost. I might have to sleep on the side of the road! About the hotels, there are none left at Duluth, the race city! Apparently I didn’t receive the memo to book the hotel immediately after signing up the race as the race website advises (and by calling in). Now my plan is I would have to wake up in the middle of the night to make the drive from St Paul /Minn. I’m so tempted to go without a hotel and sleep in the car and then fly out as soon as after the race is done and will be a bit stinky as usual after a race.

    Can you believe, I haven’t run a single marathon this year and yet I am planning for next year? What brought this up was I want to travel to Toronto. And the best reason to travel is racing!

    I am thinking of going to Toronto (for either a marathon or ultra) for next year – as long as Covid is under control. I actually want to go this year but Covid means a lot hassle gerting tested to cross the border. This year, Toronto will have an in-person race, but I think it might be very strict crossing the border and back. If by flying, I will need to take the Covid PCR test and take another test to fly back. Hopefully by next year it would be less strict. Already heard on the news about protests and people are tired of covid measures. We Virginians already threw out the mask mandate (a change in the political climate here).

    I am eyeing one of three races in Toronto. I like to do the one in May, but it seems the organization is kind of weak compares to the one in October. The October one is a big downtown marathon with a lot of festivity. I know I will have a lot of crowd support. This used to be what I like, but now a day, I prefer more low key races and less fanfare. The third I am thinking of is at the Niagara Falls (around May or June) and it is an ultra. It is definitely my jam. I think it is on trail. They have various diatances. I don’t mind if it is even 100K. I am up for it. Here is the kicker, I want to do all three but from financial standpoint, I should choose one, so I am now unable to make up my mind. It is still early. It is for next year. I will sleep on it for now.

    I am excited to do an international debut! Ideally it should be a marathon. Hopefully, by next year things will become clearer.

    Also this week I am eyeing to sign up for Ann Arbor Marathon. It will be in October. I could do it this year, but I might be experiencing burn-out like last year by October. It might be wise to move it to 2023. If I do it this year, I would knock out two marathons. Ann Arbor would be my 10th marathon (10th state of 50). I’m still undecided on this race since airfares and hotels are so expensive.

    For the rest of the year, I am waiting for the registration for Iron Mountain Ultra to open. The Devil Dog Ultra also is on my target. I got to redeem myself for the DNF I received last year. I haven’t made up my mind to go for the 100k or go full blown and do the 100 mile. I failed at the 100k last year, so trying the 100k is a safer option. 100 mile is so much more tougher.

    Two other races opened up this past week, the Lake Ridge Ultra and Eastern Divide Ultta (EDU). Lake Ridge, I am like 99% will do. They have 6 hrs, 12 and 24 hours and last year was the first time I ran it. It is interesting to do a race based on time (ends when the time runs out) rather than distance.

    As for the EDU, this was my initiation to trail running and I always want to go back to give it a go a second time, but scheduling has been tough. This year is no different. The race date conflicts with two other races: Richmond Marathon and Stone Mill. I am undecided which one of three will win out.

    Indecision. I have a deferral ticket for the Richmond Marathon, but ultras have a bigger draw. Stone Mill Ultra and EDU conflict with it. Stone Mill is 50 mile. I run Stone Mill every year and would like to do it again. EDU is 50k ish. Stone Mill also costs less and is longer, 50 mi. EDU is not that much more either (maybe around $100 by the time if I decide to sign up).

    Non-race. The Marine Corps Marathon is open for sign up. I have a deferral ticket from last year. After thinking over it, I don’t feel ready to tackle it this year. It is just a 50k but it is a fast 50k. I ran it last time in 6 hours, just barely before their cut. I think I can repeat this but I am nervous too of what if I can’t. I realized I have gotten slower, way slower these last two years. Maybe training for all those ultras slowed me down. I want to say is city racing is no longer a draw to me. I plan to defer it to next year.

    Lastly, I set my eyes on two events for next year. One is Blackbeard 100 mile at Outer Banks and the other is trekking in Annapurna. Next year is the year to do one of my trekking trips. I am hyped for both of these. I have been working for years to do either of them.

    I rambled off about 10 or so races and likely lost all my audience. Racing and going to places is exciting. I don’t like doing the planning/details but they had to be done. This week, I had to plan for these races at least have them on my calendar. I put them on here so as to reinforce the dates into my head. I wrote them down in couple places. As for readers, don’t worry, I will write about them as they come.

    I am still struggling with motivation. Thinking about racing helps a bit. I actually don’t feel like posting this blog because it seems like a lot of speculations and nothing concrete, but ot has been what on my mind these two weeks.

    TL;DR Toronto is on my sight as well as Outer Banks and Annapurna for next year and maybe a couple more races for this year.

  • Day459 BRR Training Run 1

    I wasn’t even signed up for the BRR – Bull Run Run (50K), but I was at their first training run the past weekend.

    In our area there is a famous Civil War battlefield, actually there are a few, but Bull Run is probably more so because it was Confederate first victory and the Union retreated in disarray in our backyard.

    The race is not about a remembrance on the war or its history at least to my knowledge. It is just a run that happened near the famous battlefield. No race is held on the actual battleground itself (I think that is the National Park’s rule across the nation that forbids running or similar activities in a National Park or on a hallowed ground).

    The BRR will take place along the Bull Run Trail starting from Bull Run Park and along the namesake river. And I think it will be an out and back. I am not familiar with the details because I never got a chance to run it. I think that generally the direction.

    As for the trail, I have been training on it since last year for other races because it is the closest trail to my home, maybe about 4 miles away. To my joy, it is one of those trails that is not being “improved” on. All, if not all our urban trails are paved and widened so they are no longer are natural trails any more. I understand doing so allow greater access, but it takes away the joy of those who like the tough terrains. This one Bull Run Trail still has dirt and mud and all the nasty stuff (and feels authentic) and it is quite long (as least long enough for a 50K) and out of the way of development, so it gives the feel of being in the wild. Occasionally, we do see some houses or bridges.

    I have been eyeing and wanting to run the BRR (the race) when I first was interested in ultra/trail running, but the race is usually full by the time I find out about the sign up. As so, this year, I heard it is sold out. I have never gotten a spot. Also, back then I was nervous about doing it too and usually don’t pay a closer attention to the sign up date, because I think it was outside of my ability (I hadn’t run a 50K then). Now, my perspective has changed, after all I could run a 100k or more. I am no longer scared of a 50K. But BRR now has less a draw on me.

    I happened to saw their training run announced on Facebook, and no sign up was necessary. I jumped at the chance to run it with my local runners. A training run is almost like the real deal.

    My scheduling worked out. My other race, the Waterfall 50K was canceled for a 2nd time (a bit of a disappointment) but it opened up my Saturday.

    We had probably one of the coldest day this winter this Saturday. People said it was 16F but I think it was around 9F (-12C) when I started the run. The cold just sucked all the heat from me. I don’t remember if ever I was outside when it is this cold. Luckily it was not windy. I started at the trailhead near my home and ran to the training rally point, about 5 miles downstream. We were to meet at the Hemlock Overlook.

    I overestimated myself and did not arrive to the training place on time. Also initially I thought it was only 4 miles. I was dragging my feet somewhat in getting out the house, due to the cold, and I wanted to make sure I had everything for the day. Luckily another runner was also late. She came from Baltimore and had trouble finding parking. The group had left before she was ready. I ran with her till we caught the tailend of the group. It was good to have a companion.

    She ran at a much faster pace than I could keep up, so by 10 mile in, I needed a break, when we happened to be back at where my car was. Unbeknown to me the aid station was only maybe 3 miles further. I stopped at my car to change out my clothes and pants and lubed up. My shirts were soaked and the sweat on my hair was frozen. It was that cold. I got some rub burn I had to take care of – usually is the case when the clothes are wet. I felt better after changing and I ate some bread I had in the car.

    I caught back up with my new friend since she and her group stopped for a toilet break. On the way back, we stuck with her new group. Later though, one of the ladies was moving much slower, so I slowed down too and stayed with her. I became the group sweeper (meaning being last person). We got back to Hemlock and other people were waiting for us. We somehow took a longer route back (1.5 miles longer).

    My run continued into the afternoon because I wanted to add more miles. The day warmed up to 32. The ice on the ground melted and the trail became slushy and muddy. I finished with 27 miles. I originally intended to do a 50K (31 mi), but toward near the end I was low in energy and since it was not a race, there was no point to grind out another 4 miles to get the bragging right.

    Experience: I would say I enjoyed the training run maybe even more than if I run in the race itself. We had good support. People were nice. Even toward the end of the day, I was still meeting a few stragglers. Some started even later than me. I think it was special to bring out a bunch of ultra runners and it felt like a race day.

    I was not training for BRR since I did not secure a spot in the race. No one minded. The thing is we could just show up and do the training. I felt good to gather with other runners. I noted this is my first social run since the start of the pandemic.

    Note for self. I met an older lady during the BRR-TR who has done the MMT 100. Her advice to me is do all their training runs – especially the Chocolate Bunny (around Easter I think), which is a midnight run on the mountain. I think it is something I’ll be looking forward to do. This is important because from now on, all my trainings will focus toward the MMT.

  • Day457.9 WTF again

    Got to share…and can’t wait till next week or the next day. I just got accepted into the WTF race (waterfall 50K, waterfall is the nickname I think). The race is next weekend.

    Telling you guys, this race is old school. They don’t let you know until almost the day of. But it is free! Nothing beat a free ultra. You just got to be ready to run in any condition and at any time…

    Zippy! lets go…I did some training in the snow and ice today because we had a snow storm of the century the past week.

    I think I am ready to run up and down the 1000 ft frozen waterfall. I was there exactly a year ago when the race was canceled and treaded through ice and freezing river – A scary race. Icy and slippery rocks is no fun. frostbite and wet feet is real…ah let not think about it or else I might back out.

  • Day455 spontaneous

    Training has been hard…hard to get start again.

    Only way to be good at running/anything is to keep on training. The moment we stop training our body and muscles started to decline.

    I know all that.

    For me, there is never a good time to train. There is always something comes up and interferes.

    Only way to do it is to have it the first thing in the day before anything else. It means prioritizing.

    Or if not the first thing, willing to have it be the last thing before going to bed. Willing to do it no matter how tiring.

    Or have it in the planner. Set a time aside to have the run. It means to stick to the schedule. I used to follow the rule: no run means no dinner. This forces me to run early. Becuase we got to eat.

    I am mostly a night time trainerbecause that is when I have time. After all the work and a long day, getting myself out to run no question is hard. I forced myself out the door last week. At least I did it for two nights, Monday and Wednesday. One was near 2 am in the morning.

    It seemed harsh to train in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep, but I find myself feeling most free. There is a joy that I did not want to stop once started.

    It brought back my memory of my 100 mile race. Yes night time was the hardest time in the race, yet also the most peaceful to run. It was just you and the path without any distraction. All the scenery, cloud, tree, and even the path disappear. It is the lacking of sight that makes me really like night running.

    I only ran a total of 9 miles last week but the two evening runs were ones I enjoyed.

    I miss doing spontaneous run! It might have be guilted into it because I haven’t run for so long. Yet, not really feeling guilty once I started running.