In awe

Tag: race report

  • IMTR, so close [Day574]

    This might be a long addentum to my last post. A week before, I was thinking of skipping the Iron Mountain 50 mile race and instead to go on a backpacking trip.

    In the end I chose the run because the other trip did not pan out. The friend who invited me never got back to me with the details (5w 1h).

    I might have gotten cold feet about the run because I was not confident I could finish the 50 mile under 12 hours. In the end, I just had to show up and do my best.

    If the title is any hint, I did not finish in time but I did finish. It was not close at all unlike last year. But it was so close that I could have made it. In the end It took me 13 hours. I was hoping originally to at least have a repeat of last year of 12:15.

    I knew the race would be a nail-bittingly close for me to finish under 12 hours. I have done 50 mile under 12 (JFK), but this was on trail and significantly harder. Last year I came in 12:15, I knew I could cut down those 15 minutes over the course of the race. I was trying to run differently.

    First off, last year I started the first 5 miles very slowly. I think I was the last guy. I learned in ultras you have to go slow. I was patient and mostly took my time the first 8-13 miles. Not this year. I started the road section with more of my 5K speed. I was determined to run fast but not out of breath fast on the road portion. I thought I did fairly well. I was mid pack in the 40-milers. As for the 50 milers, I was probably at the tail end. Both the 40 milers and 50 milers had 12 hours to finish. For the 40 milers, they could walk (fast) and finish.

    Then there was a mile-ish climb. I was going up pretty well. I am usually a strong uphill hiker. No one passed me except a 40 miler, Andy from Durham. He was strong, and much stronger hiker than me (he finished the 40-mile in 10 hours). After the climb, we had maybe 4-5 miles of more gradual uphills. I wish I could have pushed on this section harder. I did chase some 40 milers. Passed one of them.

    The 30 mile runners who started maybe half hour later caught up to me. I knew in the past, it normally took them more time to catch up to me (like 8 mile in). But today, they seemed to reach me a mile or two sooner than I was expected. Usually they did not show up until I get to the FS 90 aid station. It was this section to the second aid station, I was a bit slower.

    I think I reached the FS90 aid station by 9 am. I was still in the game. It was two hours after the start. It was about the same time as last year. We were maybe 8 miles in. Averaging 15 mins a mile is not bad. I could go a bit faster. (We needed to maintain 14:24 min mile pace to finish under 12)

    However, the next segment to Skulls Gap at mile 16-ish, I was a bit much slower (note they say it is 4 (correction: 6) miles, I think it should be 4, but it is the 30 mile turn around point, so could be 8 miles). It took me two hours. Same on the way back. I was not as aggresive as I used to in attacking the hills. This section has steeper rolling hills. I was slow on the uphills and just as slow too on the downhills. Still I think was maintaining a 15 mins mile pace but that was a bit too slow to make the 12 hours cutoff. I was hoping the 7-mile road section at later on (mile 20-27), I could make up the time.

    I arrived at Skulls Gap at 11 am (right at the cut off). I think I was behind the soft cutoff of 10:50. My goal was to get there by 10:30. Last year I was there around 10:40-10:45. Last year, I spent more time at the aid station changing shoes and socks, so this year, I was hoping to cut down on my time at the aid stations to give me that 15 mins needed to finish on time. But this year, I was 15 mins slower, so I would have to make up that 30 mins. Hurricane Gap would have the hard cut off.

    From Skulls Gap to Hurricane Gap was about 5 miles, with one steep climb and then mostly a downhill run. Again I was not as aggressive with my run. Last year, I went a bit faster and was able to catch up to several other runners, but not this year. I was the last runner. There was no one to catch, not even the 40 milers. Last year I caught a bunch of 40 milers. I expected to be cut when I arrived at Hurricane Gap, but I made it with 5 mins to spare at 12:15. So I decided to continue on. It was going to be tough to make the next cut.

    The next section was also mostly downhill and on road – the infamous quad ripping 7 miles of downhill run and then a hard climb back. This is what makes Iron Mountain so hard. It requires fast running on the road as well as on the trail. The downhills just destroy the legs.

    Barton Gap had about a mile of trail, maybe half mile of uphill and half mile of downhill, but it seemed like 2 miles to me. Unlike last year, I could not run at all going uphill. The road was fine, occasionally, I could break out into a fast jog/run. I tried to keep an even pace. I walked some. It was a mental game. I tried to count mile. I got to the Rowland Aid Station by 2 pm. Happy to get there. The aid station people treated me like king, because I was their last customer!

    I then had a four mile climb to get back to Hurricane Gap by 3. (I did not know the cut off was 2:45, and the aid station workers did not pull me from the race). They said I could make it but I had to work on the flat sections before the 1000 ft climb. I did not think I could. This year though there were not much mud so this section was ok to run on. It was a bit rocky. The uphill was not as steep as I remembered it but still about a mile of decent grade climb. It was not long until I reached the top. I surprised I made the cut off by 10 mins. I did not think I was that fast, but I was faster than last year.

    The next section would be to go back to Skulls Gap on the road with two miles of trail on the Iron Mountain. This is supposed to be an easy section. I know from last year this section was long. I have an hour to get to Skulls Gap by 4 pm, amd felt like a 5 mile long. I arrived at 4:03. (The actual hard cut off was at 3:45, and I was 20 mins late. I did not know at the time.) I had a sinking feeling it would be hard to make the cut. I know if only I could hustle a bit in that 4-5 ish miles, I would have made the cut. My race technically ended here.

    I was now at mile 37. There were 13 miles left. I would try to get back to the finish by 7 pm. 3 hours for 13 miles is doable. I did not feel that tired.

    The sweeper offered me her car to give back but I refused. Usually, it is somewhat a difficulty for runners to find a ride back to the start after having dropped from the race. Here she was so excited saying you got to drive my car back as if I won the lottery. It was good news but I had already decided to run back, like last year. I needed the long hard run.

    One reason, was after 37 miles of running, I was not ready for a drive. It was kind of her, but no way I would be driving. I prefer to run back. She stayed for maybe a bit more to find another driver to take her car back to the start before begining her sweep. I was trying to get as fast away from her. It is never fun to be chased by a sweeper. (By the way, the sweeper duties were to make sure no other runners on the trail, and to take down the course markings).

    It was supposed to be 4 miles (correction: 6 miles) to the next aid station at FS90. I know they would be closed at 5 and last year, I reached there by 5:15. The situation was about the same. Last year, I left the aid station at 3:50-3:55. This year I left at 4:08. Still I should not be too far off. If not by 5:15, then 5:30 would have been acceptable to me. I felt I was running better than last year, but because the pressure was off from having to make the cut off, I did not arrive at FS 90 until 6 pm. I guess I was walking more than I should. By then the sweeper had caught up to me. I also caught up to a 40-mile runner, Dave Lance (apparently that was a fake name) from central West Virginia. It was the first time I caught up with anybody this late in the race. He was timed out by now being close to 6 pm. Later I learned he refused to be pulled from the earlier aid stations after being cut and so was disqualified. He was not moving that fast. The sweeper was pulling the course markings. Unless he knew the way, he was not allowed to be on the trail. I just he was being stubborn. Night fall was in an hour ish and he did not have a headlamp. They tried to convince him to take a ride back to the start. Finally, he gave in. The sweeper was not having it and so did not wait on him.

    I had 9 miles to go. Last year, it took me two hours to get off the mountain. Because the last section where there were supposed to be only 4 miles took me over 2 hours, it might take me 3-4 hours to do the final 9 miles.

    Now the sweeper was chasing me again and she passed me like 10 mins later and it was me chasing her. It was impossible. She was fresh and super fast, looked to me running a 9 min pace or faster. Still I did not want to be on the mountain after dark. Apparently, now after 12 hours, I finally found my running strides. I made longer strides and lept over rocks and stuffs. I was amazing flying down the trail. I was not that fast per se like the sweeper but I was moving much faster than any other time in the whole race. If I had moved like that during earlier, the race would have been well within reach. I reached the finish before 8 pm. I was faster coming off the mountain this year than last year. One thing I noticed, the final rocky section was not as rocky as I remembered it to be. I was able to run on it.

    How to do better next year: I really need to practice hill run both going up and coming down. This year unlike last year, I just didn’t have the energy to run until the final 12th hour. Not sure what is wrong. How did I hold up onto my reserve until the final hour does not make sense to me.

    The 4-mile section from Skulls Gap to FS90 really hampered me both on the outbound and inbounding. If not for that extra slowness on this stretch, the race would have been in the bag. Outbounding caused me being cut at Skulls Gap later on (3 mins over). Inbounding, I was 45 mins over my expected time.

    I did well on the Rowland (mile 27-31). I did especially well on the final 9 mile descend (under 2 hours). This was on tired feet.

    Thank you for all volunteers and aid stations. My friends waited for me at the end. Adrien, Scott, Eileen, and others. They gave me a lot of goodies, left over aid station food, sodas, pops. It was another unforgetable year. Adrien was the last to finish and how I wish I could have caught up to him.

    [updated for some corrections]

  • Catoctin 50k [Day565]

    I did not finish it in time. The race was 9 hours but it took me almost 11 hours. I am not too upset about compare to the devil dog or MMT. It is what it is. I have accepted DNF as the fact of life. Over all, I am quite pleased with the race. I like a hard race.

    I ran the Catoctin 50K. It was my third time. First time was a 25K (by mistake), last year was the full 50K and this year was the full. It is a race I signed up on January 1st or a little after. I have been doing this the last few years. It is a race I look toward year after year.

    50K doesn’t sound hard, but this one is. It is not tremendously hard like the MMT, but there were enough hills and technical sections to make running on it hard.

    I think my failure to finish was a combination of things. I started way slower than I wanted. I thought I could catch up later on, but the surge never came.

    One of the thing was I never knew I was way behind time during the first half. I was with a bunch of people who were hiking it. I guess I picked the wrong group. That was what I did last year too. But last year I was power hiking up hills. This year I kind of took my time. The flat section, I was not going very fast, since I did not want to pass anyone. I had problem with downhills, somehow I was afraid to run downhill. Last year I was flying downhill. I became tired even halfway in, so I couldn’t make the cutoff.

    At the first Aid Station, Delauter Rd, (mile 7) I had on 15 mins until cut off. I arrived about 10 am. It had taken me 2 hours to get there. Yes, it was way too slow.

    At Hamburg Road Aid Station, (mile 10) I was 5 mins from the cut off. I arrived just before 11 am. It has taken me an hour to do 3 miles. Though these three miles were rocky. I knew I wanted to get to High Knob by noon-ish. By then I knew it might be hard to reach, with 1 hour to cover 6 miles. I remembered last year, I took off here. I was hoping for the same. This year I couldn’t dial up my speed much. Some people caught up to me. I figured I could get there still by 12:30, and was hoping to make the cutoff there.

    I did not arrived at High Knob (midway point in the race, mile 16) until 12:40. By then, I had missed the cut off.

    I decided to hike back to the start to my car, 16 miles away. Actually I did not start off until closer to 1 pm since I was going to do it with Caroline, the sweeper (who is my friend). They were held up, so I started without them.

    A fellow runner and friend also decided to run back, but he was going to use the road instead of the trail. That was probably a smart move. However, I wanted some hard training in.

    Some incident: Another runner who misses the cut off also decided to hike back to the car. Carly started before me, and about two miles in, she tripped and fell and hit her head on a rock. I arrived about 40 minutes later. The outbound sweepers (Ram, also a friend and couple other people) were helping her. There were some bleeding. They tried to get her to the road so someone could pick her up. I was debating whether to give up on my hike and be with them.

    I continued on to hike to Hamburg Aid Station, which was maybe 4 miles away. I caught up with a runner, bib 250, Fred. We were maybe couple miles from the station, I slow down to match his pace and hiked with him in. He had run out of water, so his pace was very slow. Unfortunately we arrived at the station an hour late, and the station had closed and left. The aid station captain was still there. He had half a pitcher of water, and I guess it was for himself or the sweepers that would be coming. I knew the sweepers were at least an hour behind me since they were held up. I had my pack filled up to 1 L mark. It was not much because we wanted to leave some water for the sweepers. Also Fred had a cup of water to relieve his thirst. He then waited for someone to pick him up. I would prefer to have a full pack of water but I know the sweepers need their water, so I headed out the final 10 miles with just 1L. I knew I would run dry soon, but I hope I could stretch it for at least 5 miles. We were at the hottest time of the day.

    It was 3:30 by then. I hope to make it to Delauter. I hope its aid captain would still be there, even though by now it was very late. But I was hoping they would wait for the sweepers to come through. I might get some water or food from them. I know it was a fool’s hope, but this hope kept me on.

    I arrived back at Delauter, with no one insight. I was a bit disappointed though I knew it. The sweepers might have left was what I was thinking. I know my water was running low, I hope I could stretch it for another hour until 5:30. It was about 4:30. The station might have closed since 3 pm. It was too much to hope that they would still be there. I set up a new goal to catch up to the last runner maybe by 5:30.

    I still had 7 more miles to go. I remember passing a road post showing 8.5 miles earlier to Manor (the parking where we started). That was actually a motivation because nowhere on the trail has mile markers and this was the only place I knew how far I still had to go. Then I made couple wrong turns just after Delauter but I realized early enough to back track. I lost maybe 10-15 minutes and no more than 30 mins. It was the reason I felt the sweepers must have leapfrogged me. Time seemed to stand still. I was not rushing to finish and I knew I would get back eventually. I then reached another mile post, 4 miles to Manor. This was a surprise since I did not remember seeing this on the way out. This was a relieve because I knew I could do 4 miles even without water. By then I drank my last drop of water. My body temperature was getting hot and I could not run. I was thinking to drink out of a creek or pond if need be. The time was about 5 pm. I knew by then the race has ended. There was not or should not be anyone on the trail. I had kind of wish someone would come out to search for me. Maybe bringing me some water. Deep down though, I knew I brought myself into this situation and I had to perservere to get myself out.

    I hope to get to White Rock because I knew I would be safe. It is about a mile or so from White Rock to the Manor’s Parking. I could literally hear the highway. I hope to get reach White Rock by 6 and aim to finish by 7 pm.

    As I entered the Road that separate White Rock, Caroline texted me asking if I was still on the trail. I said yes. I was relieved that she got back, since the trail was too hard for her in my opinion. Later, I learned that she had bailed out and had someone to pick her up. I told her I was descending from White Rock. I was guessing I had 2-3 miles to go. Maybe 1 to 2.5. I was probably hiking around 2.5 miles per hour so I told her I will be down by 7. I tried to run. She had got my hope up again.

    Not long later, I reached another road crossing. I saw a house and knew I was back. After the road crossing was a creek. Someone was bathing/swimming in it. And after the creek was the visitor center and parking lot. I arrived around 6:40. I was completely exhausted. The race already closed since 5 and most people left. A few friends and volunteers stayed to wait for me and the other sweeper. They asked me if I have seen anyone out on the course. I said no.

    Fred was the last guy I saw and they drove him back already. Apparently they missed a runner and not sure where he went. I stayed until 7:30. The runner came in a little after 7. I celebrated his finish. We took some pictures and I shared with him some of the food I had. They were nothing much, just some fruit cups.

    The sweeper was still out on the course. I assume the sweeper would not make it back until 8 pm. Caroline who was one of the sweepers bailed early because she was cramping up. I glad she did not do the whole 16 miles. I was worried about her since she did not carry much water and aid stations had closed. She had enough sense to call it quit early. During the whole run I was worried about her, knowing she was behind me. I was quite capable runner and was suffering, she would be much so.

    Again, I have been a sweeper myself before, I felt how the race was doing sweeping is a bit unconventional. The race should not leave the sweeper unsupported for a 16 mile stetch when it takes 6-7 hours to do on a hot day with no water. Most sweeping duty should usually be 8 miles. Aid station should not close before the sweeper comes through. Sweeper should have followed the last runner, meaning once the last runner left the aid station, they should be able to set out. There was no point in sweeping when they were starting two to three hours behind the last official runner. Anyway, I felt the race left the sweepers high and dry.

    It took me 6 hours to get back to the finish/starting area. Outbound took 5 hours. In bound took 6.

    The run was harder than I had expected. It might have to due to the heat. Also on the way back, the aid stations were closed already, so I ran without the course support. I had to conserve my 2 L of water for 16 miles back (and I finished half of that by first 4 miles), by taking small sips I had to stretch it out for the final 10 miles with less than 1L. My water ran out at the last four miles. Note, I am not criticising the race, I knew after being cut, I was on the trail at my risk without supports. There were multiple locations I could have stopped and could have asked for a ride back. However, I knew I could finish the run. I anticipated running out of water.

    I had trouble breathing during most of the race. The air was heavy. I felt my chest was heavy. I could not get into a good running pace, so I ended up walking most of the race.

    If any fault to blame, it was my slacking off with my training after the MMT. So for two months, I was floundering. Also, I was not used to the heat. The temperature was 89F and humidity was around 60%. Note, I like running in hot weather because I like being down and dirty. I felt it really bringing the best out of me, except this time I was not ready.

    My ankle also was not happy with me. It was hurting most of the way. I did not have a strong ankle support. It has been an ongoing issue since the Devil Dog. It was ok during the MMT, but since couple months that I had not run much, the ankle issue returned. It is not in great pain, but minor pain like the funny bone being hit. Also there were a lot of popping noices coming from it during the run. Something definitely was not right. So I hike most of the way than running.

    It was just a 50K, but it was a hard 50K. I am a bit disappointed. Yet it was a good training. It reminded me how high the bar is. Last few months having completed some very hard races I have been complacent. This reminds me that I have to continue to train for hard races. I got to be able to run these kinds of trails.

  • OSS/CIA 50 [Day563]

    I got back on a normal training schedule, Tuesday/Thursday and Saturday run. Plus I had a race this week.

    A race is always good for me to catch up with my running friends once again.

    I did not expect to see the people I ran with at the MMT to show up, since this was kind of a small local race.

    A bit of background, OSS/CIA 50, takes place in Prince William Forest, Triangle Virginia, just maybe 14 miles outside of DC (oh and it took me 90 minutes to get there on a Saturday afternoon, due to traffic, my goodness).

    It is a night race, starting at 6:00 evening and ending the next morning 8:30. We have 14 and half hours to run this.

    Why it is called OSS/CIA because Prince William Forest was a place used as training camp for OSS officers/agents back in the early days (post WW2). OSS was the former name for the CIA. Barracks/cabins used are still around

    I ran in the park a few times, three times for the Devil Dog, and once for the Redeye 50K, and once with the same organization for an 8 hour night run. I am familiar with the course, though I still get lost in this park because there are just a lot of trails.

    I have heard of OSS/CIA 50 a few years back and did not run it back then because I saw the cutoffs and many people who could not finish (usually around 50% would DNF). Plus it is a night run, which is tougher in many ways. I was not ready for it back then.

    However, having done a few 100 milers, the race does not put much a fear in me any more.

    I signed up this year after I could not get into the Highland Sky 40, which is a much preferred run for its scenic route and many of my local friends run in it. Truth to be told, I did get off the waitlist for Highland Sky a week ago, but I already signed up for the OSS/CIA. I was on the 40-50th place and thought my chance was not that great to get in for the Highland Sky when I signed up.

    I think I tried OSS/CIA last year too but it was full. My friend said, I could have emailed Alex the race director and he would have let me in. Well I did not know Alex well back then.

    I only started to know various people in “high positions” recently after having done some of our local hard races such as the MMT and Devil Dog.

    Note, I am not a fast runner, but I guess I am making splashes with people because of my DNFs in both races and that I went back to redeem them. I guess that is one way to make aquantance with the local race officials and get my name out there.

    As mentioned some of the MMT runners were there. Many went to Highland Sky either to run or volunteers. Those that did not, showed up at this race. Jana was there helping out as well as running in it (she took first place in the marathon distance). She is in many running podcasts. She is our local heroes. We trained and ran in the MMT. Everyone knows Jana.

    My friends Wayne and Charlie from the MMT also showed up. I told Wayne about my Grindstone race in September, and he promises to pace me. He will have the UTMB (100) in September too, but he said he could pace me for 50 miles!

    No doubt Wayne is an impressive runner and having him pacing me at the Grindstone would be an honor. I asked if Charlie would crew me, but he has his kid’s event (soccer I think) to go to. Anyway, having someone to promise to pace already is very good. Crew could be found later.

    My other friends John H and Charleen were there. John is planning to run the Shenandoah 100 (a self fatass event). I volunteer to crew John. So more to come about this event in a couple weeks.

    Plus I made a new friend Lynn. I met Lynn at the MMT too, and she recognized me at the OSS/CIA and said she will be doing Grindstone too. I took down her contact in case we might go to course to train together. I did not know at the time that she is from upstate NY. It seems though she comes to the DC area a lot. The more people I have for Grindstone the better. It will be a hard race, but do-able. I have heard it is comparable to the MMT. I plan to meet up Lyyn.

    There are people once you meet, you know they will be a good friend. All these people, I met at OSS are amazing. I think Lynn is one of them.

    I am on a quest to do 50 states and 100 of 100 mile races. So knowing people like Lynn from out of my state is helpful to me! I don’t go out of my way to make friends or with an agenda in mind. It is just their interest matches mine.

    I already looked up races Lynn has done and will be going, and I want to pick her brain about the 100 miles she has done.

    Lynn has done the Burning River 100 last year. She told me to get the Fairfield Hotel for the cheap price and close to the race. Sharaton already sold out and costing $500 a night is just too much for my budget. I will have to get back with Lynn about the run though. She finished it in 29 hours, so that is some confident builder for me since I am about her pace.

    I met Orico too. I met Orico on the second loop just before halfway maybe around mile 32-33. She seemed to running fine according me when I was chasing her from behind. I had run with Wayne most of the night but at that point in time Wayne took off from me and disappeared. I came across Orico thinking it was Wayne. By the time I caught up, it was definite not Wayne because Orico is much smaller (and female).

    Orico was breathing heavily. I could heard her from behind. In my mind, this is an ultra and not a 5K run. We were little over halfway and still many miles (hours) left. Runners should not run like they are out of breath.

    True, we have high level of pollens in our area and the Canadian smoke from their fires is back in the area. So people who have asthma were having tougher time breathing.

    I called out to her, that it is OK to walk in an ultra. However, she did not respond back to me. In ultras, we love talking since there are not many of us out on the course and we would be spending a significant of time running together (sometimes hours and days).

    It was strange yet not so strange she did not answer back. As I mentioned in previous posts, DC area has a lot of runners who come off as unfriendly and this is due to the culture here where no one says hello or look at people in the eyes in public.

    I was afraid I might be scaring her and as well as pushing her to run faster. In a race, if somone is following me, it tends to push me on running faster. As a young runner, I fell for that a lot. As I now become more experienced, I know to run my own race.

    I told her that, she was not in my way. If I wanted to pass, I would announce it. This is the trail ettique. Since we are a single trail, it is hard to pass. Usually we wait for a place where the trail widens, unless the runner in front would stop to step to the side, to let the runner from behind to pass.

    She also did not say anything back. In my mind, I was in no rush. She was running a decent pace though I was catching up to her. Then she took a wrong turn and I used that time to pass her, since I took the correct turn. Taking a wrong turn usually means she was panicking or distracted. After I passed her, I did not see her catching back up. I think she started walking from then on. Her pace/groove was broken.

    Later at the finish I found out this was her first 50 mile race. It explained a lot. In our race there were 10-12 first time ultra runners. It is good to have new people joining. It makes the race so much more special. It is like initiation. I always remember my first 50. In my opinion OSS/CIA is a hard first time 50 miler, due to night run and trail condition.

    About the course, we had a dry course, even though it rained the nighr before, but still it was technical course for first time runners. For me, now, the trail is smooth and buttery and very runnable. I remember my first DNF there and every rock was hard. Every stone and every hills I struggled in my first DNF I could still recall as reran on the same course that evening.

    In fact, my first 5-10 miles that night was hard. My feet forgot how to run on the trail and I had to stare intensely at where my feet were stepping to avoid tripping. Later though, they gained back the natural ability to run without looking. Having a brighter flashlight on the second loop helped too.

    My run was pretty uneventful. When I first arrived and saw Wayne and Charlie. I pulled up in my car right behind Wayne. We were both “late” 15 mins before the registration was to be closed. There were no more parking spots left. A volunteer (Jana) told us to pull to side to go for the check-in first before looking for parking. I think we were the last few to arrived. Then we drove to the back lot (ball park), where luckily there were enough spaces for us. It was not too far a walk to get back to the starting line.

    I started out running with Wayne and Charlie since they are both good friends of mine and our paces are pretty much the same.

    Not having run seriously for over a month since the MMT, I was a bit rusty. Soon Wayne and Charlie pulled away. Everyone was running a fast click, I think it got to be around 10 min pace (fast for ultras). My goal was to do about 15 mins, though at the time I was probably running about 12 mins.

    Lynn passed me and gave me encouraging words. We passed each other a few times through out the first loop. There were several out and back sections, so we got to see those who were a bit ahead and those who were behind.

    I then slowed down to the pace of that of John Hord was running. I met John from MMT training since John and Charleen were doing aid stations. I remember seeing John at the second and third training run. John was great at giving me encouraging words at the Chocolate Bunny and at MMT since he was crewing for Charleen that night.

    Tracy C was about our pace too. We were running together. I got to kept pace with Tracy until near first half on the first loop (13 ish mile). Tracy has her own story.

    My first MMT’s racing strategy kind of build around her. She is known in our club for DNF-ing too. You know you can be famous either you are the first place runner or the last place. Tracy is not slow! She is faster than me on many of the runs but she is still chasing for her buckle for the MMT. She is a bit sensitive about it, and I would too. She was saying people should tone it down. I apologized for using her as the person to beat at the MMT. She is commended of being brave to still sign up for races. I have been there after running my first MMT and didn’t finish, and I was thinking to myself if I still get what it takes to finish a 100 mile. It takes courage to show up and run. I felt I know Tracy a bit better that evening when she shared how she felt about the MMT race.

    At the first Aid Station, I caught back with Wayne and Charlie. Wayne loves to take his time at the station, I think 10-15 minutes each time. It allowed me to catch up. We basically ran together for the rest of the night. Wayne did not wait for me, but I would catch up from time to time. I ran my own race. I did not wait for Wayne either, at the aid station, if I finish first, I took off, knowing both Wayne and Charlie could catch up to me.

    We finished the first loop after midnight. 25/26 miles in the book. It is 25 miles but some people’s gps watch was reporting a mile more. It didn’t matter to me. I was treating it as 26 miles because it felt like a marathon length.

    At midnight the marathon (25 mile) event took off. We saw many runners coming out.

    I saw Tracy and John coming in from their first loop. Also Lynn came in. The cut off was at 1 am. I saw Lynn around 12:30 which was not too bad. We had until 8:30 (I didn’t know at the time) but that was plenty of time for a second loop.

    Lynn said the course has way more double track trails (gravel roads) than she expected and was tired of running on them. I think about 5-6 miles of them. It was demotivating to run on gravel roads. One loop was enough for Lynn. As for me, I love roads and gravel because I could run faster on them than on trails.

    Also Charlie did not go back out for his second loop. Wayne believed he might have some stomach issue like at the MMT. I had a 10 minute head start over Wayne on the second loop but he was quick to catch back to me and by mile 10 and passed me to get to aid station first. He took off when I arrived at Oak Ridge.

    However, the next three miles, and it was 4 am by then, Wayne was exhausted. His running was the pace of my walking. I caught up to him just by walking/hiking.

    We arrived back at Oak Ridge aid station the second time on our second loop. I told him to eat and he did. However, I could not wait for him to finish eating because I was getting cold. When a runner headed out, I followed. The runner in front of me was fast and disappeared. I must have sometimes passed Travis, another friend. Travis is fast. But as the night grinded on, I was passing people. Travis was the aid station captain at the Old Dominion Race (couple weeks ago), and I got to know him there.

    The time was 4:30 ish then. Morning should arrived soon. The RD told us, tonight is the shortest night (summer soltice is couple days away). Initially I wanted to finish under 12 hours if possible. Meaning less than 2 hours left. At this time, I was willing to compromise for 8 am (14 hours). Still I felt I was behind schedule to finish by 8 am. We had 13 miles left to do.

    I got to the next water point (Burma Road), around 6 am. Morning has dawned. From then I caught up maybe 10 runners. On the out and back I saw Wayne was only two places behind me maybe about 5 minutes behind. It is not bad and I thought he would surely catch up.

    I had about 2 hours to do remaining 8 miles. Normally it should be fine, 15 mins a mile. 4 miles an hour. I felt though my pace was slipping. I thought 8 am was the final cut off since 8 am is the marathon cut off time. It was natural to assume the ultra would have the same cut off too.

    In my mind, I believed I had only 6 miles left since the first time arriving at the Burma aid station is 4 miles. The out and back on Burma road was at least two miles, which gave 6 miles remaining. I asked the radio guy at the Burma station how many miles are left, and his reply was 8. So eight it is for me even though I was sure there should be 6 miles left.

    My goal was to get to swinging bridge by 7 am. This would give me three miles (2.5 miles) for the final section. The laurel trail is about a mile long. The start/finish trail is less than a mile. It was about half mile to get to the Laurel Trail from the swinging bridge. So about 2-ish total.

    I finished at 7:28. I had many people cheering me as I came in. Total 13:28 h.

    We had breakfast and then the award ceremony. It was good to catch up with everyone. Marty (another friend) who always give me words of encouragement out on the trail, was there. He was pacing Adeline, who was only 10 minutes ahead of me. I was chasing her all night. I knew she had maybe a mile ahead. I see her in many of my races too.

    Wayne came in 15 minutes after me. He made it before 8. We talked on many things. He will be running the Eastern States and Iron Stone 100K. I unfortunately already signed up for the Catoctin. I might go to see him after Catoctin since Iron Stone starts at 2 pm. I believe, I might get there by evening and then hang out with the Pennsylvania runners. This will be in couple weeks. I am excited for that.

    Conclusion: I like running, because it gets me to run some more. This race is kind of help me get my act together for my summer races. Also many plans were made.

    By the way, my Saturday was jammed packed. I had Catoctin training that morning with Billy C. I had a tea time with my other running group (Siri) in DC at 2 pm. Then the race was at 6. It took me almost two hours to get into DC and almost 2 hours to come back out. The traffic almost killed me that afternoon. Luckily I got all my fun in. I was with three different running groups that day. Yep. I was so tired the next day and Monday. Luckily, Monday was a holiday and I could recover. It was exactly how I like it.

  • MMT report [Day557]

    This is one of the more difficult race reports to write. It is harder than last year when I didn’t finish the race. Basically then I said I couldn’t finish and here are the reasons why. But when things went well, what is there to say?

    This time, I finished. I am pleased. I am happy. I am smiling and clutching my buckle in my sleep. It was a perfect race. I could not ask for more. Yes there are rooms for improvement, etc. However, whatever I set off to do in this race was done and I hit each check point as expected. Everything was smooth and easy to allow me to finish the race.

    I did not want to bored my readers. I really have nothing to say but also have so much to say about the race.

    I didn’t have many pictures during the race since I am usually too anxious and focused. My phone died by the next day. I so wanted to take a photo at Q view. Here is the sunrise after Moreland Gap. Maybe 5 miles into the race. We had beautiful weather for running. I was with Mike at the time. He is a dear friend who helped me at the Devil dog. I met him at Stone Mill training run last year and he impromptu crewed me at the Devil Dog at the final 10 miles. This time I got to run with him!

    Apologize in advance that this report won’t be my usual report. It might be I need more time for everything to sink in for me to make sense what I did. It was two years of intense training! I wanted this race so bad. Now I had it.

    Race HQ and assembly area. My friends from PA running club were also running in this race. Seeing them here was a surprise. They asked if I am going to World Ends this year!
    First AS, Mooreland Gap. water only. There were 15 AS plus 1 unofficial AS before Camp Roosevelt (someone hauled 20 1 Gal water jugs up on the mountain). It saved me.
    My splits: I am not a data guy, but I was pretty much on my planned pace almost exactly like last year. Only thing different was I get off Kern Mountain faster, from AS 11-AS12 (1hr ahead of last year). It earned an extra hour of buffer time. It guaranteed I would finish. The stress was off once I reached Visitor Center. I knew even if I walk, I have enough time to do it. I had 10 hours to walk 22 miles. (note, I just notice my pace chart final time cut off is wrong, it should be 17:00 (5pm) not 16:00 (4pm).

    My whole plan was trying keep my time of 9 hours every 25 miles. I knew I would be tired later on, so in the beginning, I was doing between 7.5 hours to 8 hours marathon.

    I did not have the time for the 25.8 mi stop. I reached Indian Grave, mi 50.1 (halfway point) at 20:15, in 15.25 hours, so roughly on target for 31 hour finish.

    It was a bit slower (45 mins) than last year. It was fine with me. I was aiming to make up time at the aid stations. Last year Habron, I used up a lot of time fixing my feet, this time I was aiming to be quicker at each station while making sure I had everything. This made a big difference. Always do things with a purpose!

    The fun of the race really began after dark! Sunset while I was making my way to Habron. It had rained earlier around 3 pm. I did switch to a dry shirt once the rain stopped. My shoes and my shorts and underpants though were wet. I had rub burns/chafing in various places. It was nothing too severe but definitely not comfortable. I did not do anything at the time, hoping I could dry out and got some cream once I reached the aid station.

    At Habron, I met Amanda. She had been ahead of me whole day. We trained together. I thought she would be struggling in this race, but she was doing very well. In training we were about at the same pace. We were targeted about 31 hour finishes. It was a relief to see she was ahead and doing well. I had throughout the day wondering where she was, whether she was behind me or in the front.

    This year, I hit my pace perfectly so I did not pass many runners nor many runners passing me. There were more than 200 runners, but I came across probably about 50 people, of the bottom half. We were together in this group pretty much for the whole race.

    I did see Tracy and other fellow runners whom I used for gauging my pace. I passed her very early on. I was hoping she would be around the next morning. I ran with another runner, who said she reached mile 88 before running out of time last year. She said she would finish with the extra hour given. I was too tired to see if she made it in. I was too expecting to be with her for a long time, but we separated as we were near mile 33. She said the heat is making her go slower. I was also with Jeff, whom I trained with. He finished around 35 hours. You kind of have to know those who run around your pace.

    Stuart too is another story. I trained with him. Stuart is over 70 year old. I ran with his son last weekend. And my original race plan was to be with Stuart for the first half then pick up my pace the second half. However, I think at around mile 10, Stuart felt he was moving too slow (he took a tumble). He basically asked me to go ahead. I did because I did not want him to be uncomfortable having the pressure of pacing me. Stuart met me at the finish!

    So without Stuart, my race plan changed. I would try to run like last year. The key point would the middle of the night whether I could save time. As it have it, I lost my pace sheet. It felt from my pocket. I was having a little runner fog at the time. I was losing things left and right. I lost my chocolate milk, unopened. It also felt off from my pocket. I lost my rain cap. Also fell off. Exactly how and when was beyond me. I lost my garmin watch, thought it fell off too but found it later after the race in my hydration pack. It was what is up with me. I decided not to put anything in that particular pocket.

    I later then caught up to Charlie and Costi at mile 25. These trio were whom I met on the first training run. They were saying just like the first training run, we are together again. They snapped a picture of three of us running (only Stuart was missing this time). I stayed with Costi until Shaw Gap. I felt I couldn’t keep their pace. I rather run at my own pace (sometimes slower and sometimes faster). Because I like to run up hills and run down hills. Costi is a very steady pace guy. I felt either I bumped into him for going too fast or being left way behind. During at one of the aid stations, I got all I needed, but Charlie was still needing more time, I set off alone leaving Costi and Charlie. Costi later (next day) at mile 88 caught back up to me. He paced me up over the final climb to Scothorn and to the final aid station at Gap Creek. Charlie dropped at Habron (we haven’t heard from him except that he was ok).

    The night was indeed fun for me. I was moving slower but none of the climbs were difficult. I got up from Habron Gap alright. A lot of people said that was a killer. It was the beginning of my unraveling last year. So this year, I was extra careful. Jim and Jamie both were knocked out by the climb. Jim was a guy whom I ran with at the Devil Dog. He has great patience. He is normally Jamie’s pacer but this year he was signed up to be a runner. I was shock to hear Jim got sick and dropped out at Roosevelt/Gap Creek. Jim was suffering from hypothermia and heat exhaustion. We had temperature around 45-55 F, plus the rain, yup, it would put one out. Jamie later recovered (next morning) and finished in 34 hours! I felt so bad if she had to drop too, but she hung on. Ram took over to pace both Jamie and Amanda. I offered to take Jamie but only found out that Jamie was sick and she politely turned down my offer fearing she might slow me down.

    I took a bit more time than last year getting off from Habron to Roosevelt. It was fine. I was not in a rush as last year. The key part would be going from Gap Creek to Kern Mountain and to the Visitor Center.

    At Roosevelt, I kept my break short, remembering I overstayed here last year. I did stock up on food. The night got cold. I had a short sleeve shirt but regretted I did not pack a long sleeve here. I took it along to double up, but found wearing two layers was too warm for me.

    Duncan Hollow/Gap Creek was as muddy as the previous year. I knew I had a new pair to change into at the Aid Station. I hated my new shoes.

    This probably could have been the breaking point of the race. They say don’t do anything new on race day. I went and brought two new pair shoes and used for this race. I wore a good shoes from mile start to mile 33. Then swapped out to a new pair from mile 33-64, and the moment I wore it I knew and asked myself what had I got myself into. Mile 64-70 I had a good pair. 70 to the finish I had the bad pair, but they were new! They both were unacceptable for trail run. They were as bad as they can be. I leave the brand/model unnamed. It is not the shoes but me who picked the wrong kind.

    So I finished Gap Creek, I had a decision to make, switch into a pair of shoes that I hate or kept the muddy shoes I like a lot. Both would give me blisters except which one would give me more than the other. I chose to go with the new pair.

    I could not run or hike with the new pair. It does not protect my toes nor my heels. It slided around. I felt every rocks. It did not have traction inside or on the outside. I had the most difficult time with them. There was nothing I could do about it. The next option was to go barefoot. From the ordeal, I learned about shoes. My previous sets of shoes (and they were all road shoes) had stronger/tougher sides and back of the heel. Also the top were tougher. There wouldn’t be any rocks poking me. These new pairs are so squishable. You could roll them into a ball. Now I know, how to choose shoes. Pick the hard ones.

    I survived the night to say the least. Morning was glorious. Many runners became faster. 15-20 so runners picked up their paces and passed me. They were miserable at night when I passed them. Now they were running. I wish I could join them.

    I could run too but my shoes limited my mobility. Walking was what I could do.

    Bird Knob was easy. Many said that was a hard climb, not me. Last year I fainted (blacked out) on here. I got up there in no time at all this year. I was surprised when I reached the top expecting to have a few more hundred of feet to climb. I got to the Picnic Area by 11. There I picked up Wang (Sheng). Wang is an interesting guy. He picked up running a year ago and he is hooked. He is running a 100 mile race every month.

    I only needed 5 minutes at the aid station, but Wang was tired and we stayed forever (20 mins plus). I did not mind. Volunters reminded me several times to leave. Finally Jim kicked us out (jokingly of course). Jim is a friend of Wang. Costi came and took off. I actually wanted to stay ahead of Costi because he was ‘slow’ at the time. However, I already said I would keep Wang company.

    Wang started running. I could kind of follow with a fast walk. We caught up to Costi at the Rt211 parking lot, 2 miles later. Last year I was struggling at this two miles. This year, my pace was flying. There Me, Wang, Costi, and Costi’s Wife (pacer), together tackled the last 6 mile climb (it was probably 3 miles, but trust me, it felt like 6). It was noon like last year. Sun was hot, like last year.

    Last year, that was my bonking point. This year, I was stronger. I felt it was impolite to pass the group, so I followed them.

    It was a long climb. Costi was moving slowly. No one complained. I felt I could have run up this climb. We passed couple runners. Once we reached the top, Wang took off. He was pretty fast going down hill. So did Costi. They finished about an hour ahead. I had bad shoes so couldn’t run. I did not want to risk breaking my ankle at this point in the race. I slowly made my way down. The last 4.8 miles were tougher, since it was on pavement. I got to give it to Costi and Wang. They ran in. I in theory could and should run. However, I started bonking. Costi too, at Gap Creek II, he seemed to suffer from heat exhaustion and was a mess. I left him, but 10 mins later, he caught up. He ran. Walking was all I could muster. My feet hated the pavement. I slowly in two hours made the final 5 miles. The last mile was back on trail, but it was bad trail. I arrived by 3:37 pm, ahead of 35 hours of last year cut off. This year, the race allowed for 36 hours, so we had a bonus hour. That was what I set off to do to use last year 35 hour cutoff as my goal.

    Sleep deprivation. I had a bit of sleep deprivation around midnight, but then Amanda and Ram showed up and they kept me awake until we reached Camp Roosevelt where I had a cup of coffee. There was no more issue until the afternoon. The second time I had sleep trouble was around 3 pm on the final stretch to the finish. I saw trees turning into people who were taking pictures of me but when I took a second look to smile and wave, they turned back into trees again. I felt stupid. Who knows they might have been people. My mind was pretty loopy at the time. I did make it to the finish. I slept not long after. I wanted to wait for all my slower friends to come in, but the body was too much. Amanda came in about 15 mins after me. I got to see her. I heard that Jeff came in too. He was struggling. Jeff (60+ year old) on the training run, ran faster than me.

    What went well: food. drop bags were pretty much on key. I had that system worked out at the Devil Dog and the Black Beard 100. Pacing was generally good. I could in theory go a bit faster. We had both the rain and cold and the heat, but I survived them all.

    Shoes: Get better shoes for trails. No more soft shoes.

    Also I learned to carry lotion on me later in the race. I was applying lotion constantly and that kept the chafing at bay. The most important thing I learned from this race is to heal yourself while out on the course, and rely less on coming into the aid station.

    I did have fun. I was more relaxed when there was no cut off to worry about. My average pace was around 22 mins the second half. It was a relaxing pace.

    The end was anticlimatic. Since 7 am after I got off Kern I knew I would finish. Unlike last year. Last year at 7 AM, I was struggling with cut-offs until 2 pm when I was no longer able to make it. It was stressful to race from one station to the next, but this year, I had two hours to spare. It was not even nail-biting. I was kind of floating in. Thus I struggle to say, is that all?

    Many friends congratulated me. I was happy having DNF’d last year and to overcome it this time. I knew many could not make it this year even with the extra time. It humbled me. It helped me made so many friends. They all knew how crushed I was last year. Training did help. I saw myself being transformed since Training Run #1, when I was out of shape. But by race day, I was ready for all the climbing. My body shape is still the same. I am still feeling “not fit” but at least I could “walk” a 100 mile under 35 hours.

  • Toronto Marathon [Day554]

    It was an exciting trip and a big race for me. I like it just because Toronto is a great city. Granted I didn’t explore much but just the area near my hotel, the place seems orderly and unlike many places in the US. It has been many years, might have been like 24 years since I have been to Toronto, or at least 10 years. Has it changed much? Not much. It is just as hip as back then. I felt honor to finally run in it.

    For most marathons, I would fly in, run, and then fly out. I could have done the same too for the Toronto Marathon, but for traveling this far and not spending more time in the city seems like a waste.

    My mom and aunt wanted to come along, so I made it into a 5-day road trip. There certainly could have been a 7 or 8 days trip. It was a bit rush with 5 days.

    We arrived in Toronto on Friday afternoon having stayed the previous night at Niagara Falls. We stayed near a chinese center, Time Square in Richmond Hill/Markham. There were a lot of good chinese food to eat, which is mostly what I want to do in Toronto other than running.

    On Saturday, I went to check out the starting line at Yonge and Sheppard to get a sense how far the drive would be from our hotel. The race goes from North York and finishes at the water front at the BMO Field (about 13 miles away).

    At the same time, I was searching and was able to purchase a temporary Canadian phone plan. Most major US phone companies have data coverage allowance for Canada but my phone plan did not, so I had to purchase a SIM card to use cellular service and data in Canada. With a data plan, I was finally free from teethering to a wifi. It allowed me to contact my family to pick me up after my race. Wifi isn’t hard to find, since almost everywhere provide free wifi, but still having a phone data plan is kind of a must.

    The Toronto Marathon is a point to point race for the full and half marathon. Logistically, it is a challenge because either you need to know two separate locations – a drop off at the start and/or a pickup at the end of the race. It is kind of hard to tell your family where to pick you up at the end. They would have to find their way there. The race provided optional shuttle buses to transport runners to the start from the finish innthe morning. We could park at the finish and then take the bus. However, then our family members would have to wait there until I finish since the bus ride was not for them. So, as for me, I was dropped off and picked up by my family. I did not use the bus.

    The course being a point to point was one of the reasons I picked this race. I like to feel the distance I covered in a race and to see it on a map. I love to run across the city (actually any city). I like to feel I was going somewhere instead of running around in a loop as many marathons tend to do.

    It was an inconvenience for the whole city because the course caused road closures to a big section of the city, effectively dividing it north/south and east and west. Many city drivers were not happy about us running on the roads (and took their outrage to social media). I think many did not expect the duration of the closure to be long and also there was a lack of communication from the race organization and alternative routes being provided. Having just a map of the closure on their website is not enough. Some were upset they were blocked up to an hour. Some cars went on the course (probably illegally) and was driving among the runners — it was caught on video. Yes, wtf.

    My family too was having trouble going around the closures trying to find their way to pick me up post-race. The race website did poorly to direct where to park for post-race runner pickup. They mentioned a parking lot, but we being from out-of-town were not able to find the lot. My family circled around the area several times before contacting me to set a mutual meeting place that worked for both of us. I am sure locals have less a trouble with the post-race runner pickup. I ended up walking to them.

    The race recommendation was to use public transportation. Yes, sure. I will do that next time. (Note, trains didn’t run before the marathon started).

    Race day. Everything worked out exactly for me. I arrived 1.5 hrs early. I had my bib mailed to me ahead of time so I did not have to attend the convention to pick it up. There were issues for some runners receiving incorrect bibs or not receiving a bib at all before the race. Some runner’s bibs were not being recorded during the race either, which was a runner’s nightmare. Mine was working correctly.

    We arrived at the Yonge-Sheppard Centre by 6 am. It was not my first rodeo, so I knew to arrive early. We got a parking spot. Other runners also arrived. They closed the roads by 6:30 and began setting up. It felt late. I have been to races where the starting chute was set up during the middle of the night. There was a slight delay of getting the race start on time (5 minutes late — not bad but it was a shame they could not start exactly on the dot. Certainly some runners also couldn’t make it to the race before the start due to traffic.

    We lined up on the street. The race feels empty. There were supposed to be 3000 of us but it felt like 500-600 runners. It did not feel like a big city mega race. I had expected it for more runners, like 50 thousands. There was an announcer at the starting line. His voice did not carry to the back and, we who were lining up in the back could not hear much of what was said.

    I wish they had place some loud speakers toward the rear so we were feel the festive too.

    I am sure the announcer was giving out last minute instructions since there would be two other events happening. The half marathon started half hour after us. However, I think some half marathoners seemed to be mistakening joined us (I think unintentionally) and did the full.

    Some of the half marathon – walkers (walkathon) intended to walk the course, they started 15 minutes after us. They might have joined the full unintentionally. There were certainly some confusions that morning. I think also lack of signages at the start advising the half marathoners to wait or where to wait created some confusion.

    There were also runners without bibs — I don’t think they were race bandits, but likely their bibs did not arrive in time. Again, I think communication could have been better to resolve this. They mentioned they would have race officials to pull runners without a bib off the course. When I was reading over the postings on social media, there were some confusions out there.

    There were supposed to have different waves (corrals) to separate out the fast and slower runners but I think because they did not have time to set it up or volunteers to enforce the separations, it became one giant wave start.

    Some faster runners complained about the disorganization. I believe the slower runners must have gotten in the way of the faster runners and crowded the faster runners. For me, as a slow runner, I stayed to the right and let people pass on the left. I also lined up in the back instead of the front of the pack.

    Also other big marathons have restrictions that dropbags to be of a certain size (and a clear plastic bag). Here too they did, but the rule doesn’t seem to be enforced or followed. I saw many people brought all kind of suitcases, backpacks, and handbags. I did not use a dropbag myself because I carried everything on me like in a trail race, but I found it was comical that people did not follow the rules/or that the race organization did not provide those clear plastic drop bags for runners. Of course, there bound to be someone who missed the drop-off time (7:00 am). The bag drop-off closed 30 minutes before the race start. Not sure why, since they could have kept it open for the half marathoners too. Anyway, rules are rules.

    We had a lot of first timers and the race did not explain well what a bib is or what to put in a drop bag or generally what to expect. Some did not know they need to pick up their bibs un order to run. Some thought they could pick up their bibs on the race day (and they could with exceptions, for those who chose mailing but didn’t yet receive a bib).

    What went well: I am not complaining, with a big race like this, something would go wrong. Social media just amplified it more. However, I felt a lot of these could have handled and communicated better.

    As for myself, my race was a success. Everything pretty much in line to my expectation.

    The weather was good. We had a week of bad weather leading up to the race weekend and a week of bad weather after we left. I felt pretty lucky on race day, we had dry, calm, and warm weather.

    I started off with a good pace. I tried to keep a 7 min per 1 km pace (probably around 10-11 min-mile pace). There were a lot of people around me. Many could and did run faster. Slowly I made my way forward. I was not in a rush. I started in the back so there were a lot of room once the race started. The course was measured in KM and I adjusted in my head to KM. I counted my pace using mins per km. It was easier than I thought.

    There were some pleasant runners around me. At one point, the first km, I did it in 7 mins and I was saying what 7 times 4. The runner beside me answered 28 when I could not say it out the answer. hahaha. I was struggling with math. She said I am having runner’s brain already. True. I was actually calculating my finishing time of 7 times 42 in my head (7x4x10+14), which is 294 minutes or about 5 hours. Complicated math for running. I was stuck on the first part of 4×7.

    I know the course is 6 hours. I was not sure if I could do it under 5, or that I will need the full 6 hours. The first km allowed me to get a good projection of my finishing time. Note that I had not run fast for a long time, so I was not sure if I could do it in 4h30.

    I did enjoy the course. It had couple big hills. I ran up on all of them. Those around me also run up, unlike many marathons I did where most people would walk the hills. I was impressed with the Canadians.

    The crowd support outside the city was tame but I did not mind. Most runners were quiet too. No one talked much. It did not get boisterous until we merged back with the half marathoners and we arrived in downtown.

    Generally, I like to run with a pace group but this time, I ran by myself because they did not have a 5 hour pacer. I did not wear a smart watch (I lost/misplaced mine somewhere since my last race) and so I kept my own pace based on feel and an old watch. I did not caught up to the 4:45 pacer until couple hours later into the race. I think it would have been helpful for first timer to have a later finish pacers. I wish I had volunteered for the 5:00 group.

    Once we reached halfway (over 21 km), I saw a lot of runners went down from going out too fast. A lot of them needed medical services for cramping. They all sat down either in the middle of the course on the side. Medical personels would go to them and wheel them off the course. I felt bad that many of them could not finish their races. I wish I had stopped to help some of them. In races in the US, only serious injuries would require medical attention, as for cramps, I was told to walk it off, and I would tell others the same. I mean each runner would have to judge for themselves if they could still finish or they need medical aid. I was surprised so many called for help.

    It could be that the temperature was a bit hot. It was in the 60 F. For me it was perfect, but many prefer to be cooler say 45-50s.

    We were given plenty of water like at every 2 km except at the finish line. Some complained with a race this size not providing water or gels at the finish and it was a bit of a disappointment. It did not bother me, because as a trail runner, I learned to take care of myself. I brought my own gels.

    The last 10K was on a bike trail. Some faster runners complained that the path was not wide enough to have runners running in both directions. They said they almost crashed into runners going in the other direction. I (4:33 finisher) did not have that problem. Everyone mostly stayed in their own lane. I guess, they just need to educate runners to “slow down” and stay in their lanes. Some might have taken the race too seriously.

    Some also said not all the roads were closed off. The police/security people were letting cars to cross, and some runners said they did not feel safe having cars sharing the same road. Again I did not have that problem. I think it might be the very front of the race or the very back of the race where they let cars crossing the course or onto the course. Some runners said they were stopped by the police to let cars cross and they felt that was not right because they were held up from having a PB or BQ (personal best, boston qualified). Some said they were almost ran over (because they didn’t yield). I did stop twice to let an ambulance through and another time was to let the police to go through. Those two stops might have costed me the 4:30 finish. However, I didn’t mind, but you could imagine if someone was chasing a BQ and they had to stop for couple minutes.

    There were a lot of course marshals on the course, but I almost missed a turn during the final half-full marathon split. The half were making a right turn to the finish but the full marathoners were supposed to go to the left.

    They did say, know the course. However, somehow I missed this turn during my course study. It is on me but I wish they had made a mention on the course map, put a star or something to draw attention to the split. Also I wish they had several course marshals there to separate the full from the half. The race signage was kind of lacking. Their signs were small and easy to miss. I have done many marathons where they would use giant banners/flags to warn of turns. The signages here were like a 5k race instead a major city marathon. Not complaining. My race was saved when a spectator shouted out to me to make the left turn after I went the wrong way. I was forever grateful to him otherwise my race would come to an end at the turn.

    Running the marathon distance was not a problem for me. By 32 km, I was getting tired. The turn around point for the full marathon was a bit later maybe at 35 km. It seemed an eternity. I carried some gels on me, so I ate my gel. Then I picked up my pace, running a 9m30 (per mile) pace. It started to rain. I was one of a few who could still run at the time. Many were walking or slow jogging. I was able to pass many people. I finished at 4h33. It is a good finish time for me.

    At a turn around point, I met a friend was also running the full marathon. I was good seeing her. I was kind of searching for her during the race, knowing she flew in for this. However, we were not able to meet up beforehand. I tried to catch up to her but her pace was too fast for me. She finished 15 minutes before me. I did not have a chance to see her again at the finish. Maybe because of the rain.

    Ice: The weather was warm. Around 37 km, someone had a small bag of ice (maybe 5-6 lbs or so) and she was giving them out ice to runners. So I stopped and received a handful from her. Ice was so good on a hot day. I ate them. It was one of the reasons I could pick up my pace toward the end.

    The post-race was a bit disorganized. They guided the runners out of the finishing chute. We were then left on our own. Runners did not receive their medals or water nor were we directed into the Elizabeth where we could pick up our finisher’s swag. Some went home without picking up a medal!

    There were no signs or instructions where to go. Many met their family there at the end of the exit. So it was crowded. The Elizabeth building was right in front of us. Many people were crowding around there trying to get in but that was the exit. They would not allow runners to enter. The other entrance we could enter into the Elizabeth building was on the side. There were also a crowd there because they were handing out the medals at the doorway. I think it was not a good idea, say a stampede condition in the making. I waited around a bit for the crowd to clear but it started to rain harder, so I joined in and entered the building.

    Inside the building was not crowded as I expected. Some were saying there were no one handing out medals earlier, but I got my medal from a volunteer.

    There were food tables. They were handing out electrolytes. They were out of water. Likely the 5k/10k runners took them all.

    I also drank energy drink instead. They had bananas and muffins for us. Many runners grabbed a big box and filled up their boxes with food and drinks. There was no limit how much we can take. I think it is ridiculous people carrying boxes of food. It was not likely they would eat a whole carton of of waffles or drink cartons of 24 cans of energy drinks. People were extremely greedy and grabbed as much as they could carry.

    Late runners were out of milk and a lot of good stuff. I saw the earlier finishers had a lot of good food. Runners also discarded boxes and trashes all over (when they decided to leave behind after couldn’t finish them or the stuff they took was not good).

    There were volunteers cleaning up as quickly as they could but they could not keep up with thousands of runners throwing away their trashes onto the floor. To me, it showed the lack or anyone in charge inside the Elizabeth building and people were doing whatever they wanted. There should have been a one way direction to guide runner through the food tables and then exit the building and then to their ride pickup location. Runners were like a mob there, robbing the place. Some described it being like a refuge camp. I think refugee camps have more order than here. Yes, it is a shame.

    My family came to pick me a bit later. It took them an hour to circle around all the road closures to get near the building where I was. This was unavoidable. However, I wish the race had mentioned or provided a place for “kiss-and-ride”, a pick up area for family, taxis, and ride-share. They probably did, but I did not know about it. I stayed and watched how others were being picked up and did the same. We waited near the fire house, it seemed easy enough for our drivers to find us.

    I had runners asking me about whether shuttle was available to take runners back to the hotel or the start area. I doubt there was any race provided shuttling back. Again there was a lack of signs or communication post race of where to go especially for those who were from out of town. The website mentioned we can take a city bus to various points in the city. Those places were like greek to me.

    Personally, I enjoyed the race. The race could improve a few things. When runners pointed out the deficiencies on its social site, however, their comments were deleted. I understand it is to creat a positive experience but it was seen as stopping negative press. The race only wants positive reviews but not the negative comments.

    There will always be people complaining but if the race went out of its ways to antagonize both the residences and runners, the race would not last long. Some were calling to boycott this race. Before I ran this race, I had some hints that the organization would not be as top notch as the city’s other marathon races. I still picked it for the point to point course. Also it fitted my race schedule.

    I was lucky the race was good for me and my time during my stay in the city was also good. There were runners who ran this race every year. If I am near, I would run it again but since it is so far, it is a once and done for me. They do have a few bad sides but the goods certainly outweigh the bads.

  • Roanoke Double Marathon [Day551]

    It was a novelty when I ran the Blue Ridge Marathon in 2019. It was known as America hardest road marathon, the footlevelers, with 7000 ft of total elevation (gain and lost). I finished in 4:45 and I thought I was slow because I had expected myself to finish under 4:30 or less. Now four years later, I had a chance to redo it and up the game to run it twice in one day also known as doing the Double.

    Blue Ridge Footlevelers is one of the few marathons (might be the only one) that has an event where you could run the course twice and receive a time and an award for it.

    I became aware of the double marathon during my first time there when I saw the doublers finishing their first lap of their marathon as we were about to start our race. They would be then joining us on their second lap. It was beyond my imagination those days of anyone capable of running a marathon twice.

    Now fast forward to November that year, I ran the JFK 50, my first 50 mile race. I probably knew I was going to do a 50 miler since I usually plan things a year in advance, but still since I hadn’t run it at the time, it was a wonder for me that there were people out there capable of running two marathon distance on the same day.

    By February 2021, I ran my first 100 mile race. The rest is history, because I ended up doing several more by 2022 and 2023. I was just a matter of when I would to go back to Roanoke to do a double marathon.

    By then the challenge was no longer that hard to me, since I could run a 100 mile on trails.

    MMT has way more elevation gains than Roanoke of 17 or 18 thousand feet of elevation change meaning 32000 feet of total elevation (about 4 to almost 5 times as many), so 7000 feet at Roanoke seems minor. I did the MMT last year, well 95% of it at least.

    Note most races are measured by elevation change instead of total elevation gain and lost.

    Spoiler: Before reading further though I didn’t finish the double marathon. Not because it was too hard for me but because the race was canceled halfway due to a storm. I only finished the first lap, and had a time of 6:22:00 for my first lap. Compared to my 2019 time of 4:45, over 6 hours finishing is slow. Not that I would mind. I am pointing it out my understanding of slow also has changed.

    I was at least 6 miles in on the second lap before the race was called. I had a good time nonetheless.

    I drove down to Roanoke after work on Friday. The drive was long. It was about 200 miles away. It normally takes about 3.5 hours. I ran into some afternoon rush hour traffic and it was over 4 hours before I arrived. My eyes had glazed over. We runners joked about couldn’t drive more than an hour but don’t mind running 6 or more hours out there. Indeed, I don’t like driving that far.

    I arrived around 6-7:00 pm and made it to the expo, which closed at 8 pm. There were some people still around, but not a lot. There was a free concert happening at the amphitheater. I brought two pairs of new shoes at the expo, Altra Rivera 3 and Estalante 3. I feel comfortable in them. The volunteer asked me if I would wear both of them the next day since it was obvious I was running the double marathon because I was holding my bib and race shirt in hand. Hell no, because rain was forecasted. I don’t wear new pair of shoes in the rain. Rain ruins good shoes.

    The forecast had 100% of rain for race day. So I chose to go with my beat up trainer pair. I had two old pairs with me but I know if my feet feel fine, I would not even have to change shoes midway.

    My hotel Econo Lodge was only a mile from the start. I decided to rest early that night. I brought a Subway sandwich from next door. Price has gone up and my dinner cost me nearly $20 and I was grumbling about my footlong and drink being expensive since I could get a chinese buffet of an all you can eat at around that price (Hibachi Grill I think was under $20, same for a large bowl of Pho and drink, $16). Traditionally, I go for a buffet the night before a race and Pho afterward. They are my comfort food.

    I did not want a buffet this time because I did not want to go bed with a heavy stomach. After eating, I tried to sleep early since I know my double marathon event start in the middle of the night at 1 am, but I was unable to fall asleep until closer to 11 pm.

    I don’t know when I felt asleep, it might have been 10 or closer to 11 but I slept like a baby with the light on and my clothes unchanged. I had my REM sleep, which was great because that all I needed to have energy for the run.

    The race, my first lap was going to start at 1 am. We had a choice to either start at 1 am or 2 am depending how fast we think we were going to run. The rule was we could not finish before 5:30 am or after 7:30 am. I chose 1 am and was planning to need a 6 hour to do this for my pace. 7 am finish.

    I set the alarm to wake up past midnight at 12:01 to be sure I get the AM/PM thing not be mixed up. Somehow I slept through the alarm or I might have messed up with the am/pm setting. It has happened before (at my MMT race when I overslept).

    It wasn’t until 12:45 I was shock awake. I was having a real nice dream of running in some race. I was happily laughing in my dream. I remember in the dream I was running yet I was late to the event. I was running around trying to find to the start. It seemed stressful but I was having a happy dream somehow. That was when I woke up, and realized my dream had become my reality and you bet I was not laughing. I was about to be late in my real marathon. Thank to the dream I woke up, because I could easily have slept till morning and I could even have missed the morning marathon.

    I already packed everything and had my bib on and water pack filled beforehand. So grabbing those, I put on a longer sleeve short, feeling it might be a cold night. I grabbed my rain jacket too and food bag, I got into my car and drove to the start. There was no time to lose. It should not take long for to drive a mile, maybe couple minutes, and at most 5 minutes.

    However unfortunately, I drove down on Orange Avenue thinking the start was on Orange, due to my half awake state. I did not realize I had to make a turn on what was like the main street of Roanoke. I drove on for maybe 5-6 miles before realizing my mistake. Then I put on google map to help me get me back. By then the race had started.

    I arrived to the race parking lot past 1 am. I put on my headlamp, my reflective jacket, and my flashing lights and walked to the start. Luckily they had a volunteer still there to check me in. I unofficially started my run at 1:12 am. I told the volunteer, I wouldn’t mind if she recorded me starting at 1 am, to make the math easier when they had to combine my time for the first lap with the second lap.

    I didn’t remember to start my garmin watch until I reached Walnut Street’s bridge crossing. It was about maybe 5 minutes later. So my watched recorded my whole race time as 6:15:00. My official time for the first lap was 6:22:00. About 7 minutes more and half mile shorter of 28.5 miles.

    It was a quiet night. About 40 other runners started ahead of me. They were now at least a mile ahead. I, having done the race before, the roads seemed familiar to me. Originally, I was worried and wanted to run with someone who knew the course. However, now having to run by myself, I just had to make it work. I did have the turnsheet/map in my hand. I also had the running app telling me where to turn but unfortunately, once I was up on the mountain, the app stopped working since it had no cell signal. I think I had the battery saver mode on, so it was interfering with the app. If I didn’t have that on, it would have drained my battery before the end of the race. Those running phone apps is kind of a catch-22. The newer Garmin watches can give turn directions and avoided this issue. You bet I want one of those.

    The first 6 miles was pretty easy. It was just one straight road up to Mill Mountain and then to Roanoke mountain. There were check points along the way, where volunteers checked us in as we passed them. They also served as race marshalls, to ensure we were on course, plus also served as aid stations, with water for us to refill our bottles. Many of them had waffles for us. Cheers to them for staying up all night for us.

    By mile 6, the fast people already reached the turn around point and were coming back down the mountain. I was able to see many of them as they passed me.

    By mile 7 I was able to catch up to some of the slow runners, like about the last 4-5 runners slower runners.

    Unfortunately on the way down from Roanoke Mountain, I did not pay attention and missed a turn at getting off of Blue Ridge Parkway. I added like 3.5 miles onto my run on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Later, I found out people did try to chase me to let me know I went the wrong way, but they just couldn’t catch me.

    I was again about 20 minutes behind everyone. It was now around 3 am and 13 miles in (my watch distance, the race distance was much less, maybe at 10 mile). Runners who started 2 am caught up to me as they came down the mountain. They were very fast and an enthusiastic bunch. There were not many of them, maybe 5-8. They gave me encouragements. I couldn’t keep their pace though and soon I was alone again after they passed me. I noted that the first crowd of runners I passed were subdue and didn’t cheer but the second crowd (2 am people), they were as excited as I was and it was fun. The 1 AM runners were too serious in their run.

    By mile 13, I caught up to the tail end again of the 1 am starters. I still knew I was about 15 minutes behind the race pace. Lucky there were no sweeps for the night run. Even though I was behind on my pace, I was not in danger of being pulled from the race. I got to Mill Mountain, it was all downhill from there so I could run much faster to make up the time.

    It had a very nice view at the Mill Mountain, looking out onto the city below from the Roanoke Star. It was one beautiful sight. I did not take a picture because it was night time.

    Location of my unofficial start (from garmin pov) Walnut St Bridge. Crossing this bridge would begin the climb to Roanoke Mountain. A lonely night
    It looks something like this on top of the mountain. This is at the turn around point at mile 7. I know it doesn’t look quite impressive, but the idea was while they sleep we run.

    The rest of the night was uneventful. Once I got back down from the mountain, it was easier. We were in the city around 4 am. There were already some occasional traffic on the roads. The signs for turns were easier to spot and there were street lights. The terrain was flatter. I followed the road markings.

    5 am. I think I was passing the hospital where the finish line was around the corner. Yet I still had maybe 8 miles to go. I had to get back to finish by 7:30 to start the second lap (2nd marathon). I remembered someone was passing me. I told the person, 40 more minutes before the finish line opens. we couldn’t finish before 5:30 am because the finish line was not ready yet. I think we had somewhere between 8-10 miles to go, likely 8 ish. I said he could finish before 5:30 (doing 5 min per mile), while I need two more hours for this. I was half joking of course. I was jealous of the fast people taking way less time than me.

    Climbing Peak Hill was hard. I had to walk. The volunteer said I was not that far behind the runner ahead. I was estimating maybe 10 mins behind the pace. I hoped to close the gap.

    By mile 20~ish, I passed the second to last runner. The sky was dawning. The time was around 6 am. I knew by then I could make it back in time. People were waking up and walking their dogs. The street was not so lonely any more.

    A beautiful morning. Looking back up at the hill I ran down from earlier during the night. We were at the foot of the Roanoke Star. Rain clouds proved later of spoiling our race.

    The final few miles I was able to see some runners at another out and back segment. I caught up to race pace of 16:20. They were couple miles ahead of me. They cheered me and I cheered them back. I am a loud and boisterous runner. I passed a few slower runners. My feet were still fresh. Catherine, I found out ran the course virtually a week prior and the year before, she finished with an hour to spare at the transition. Not this time. She came in just as the 2nd marathon was about to start.

    Less than two miles from the finish, they had police blocking the traffic for us. I felt like a king as I was only single runner at the time running on a wide road. They allow us to use the road now. People who were running in the morning race were also arriving. Some cheered me. I started having the runner’s high and crowd support motivated me to run even harder. I made it to the finish line by 7:22 am crossing the finish. At least for the first marathon is done.

    I had maybe 10 minutes to get to the car and freshen up before the start of the second race. I refilled up my water. I took my food bag with me. This would be my breakfast. I didn’t get to use the transition area they had for us. I used my car as an aid station instead.

    The food was originally for my first lap but I didn’t bring it with me, and now I took it. I did not have time to change shoes or shirt. My feet felt great and had no blisters or hot spots. I kept the same shoes on then. I didn’t have to change socks or lube up. Though when the rain came later, I regretted of not having put on some lube because my shorts were cutting into my private area.

    I got back to the start with about 5 minutes left. I missed the national anthem. There I met Iris, who was in my running club. I didn’t know she was running this race. We were excited and caught up on stories. Iris was one of my crew for the Devil Dog. It was good to finally see her again. Roanoke was her first marathon 10 years ago, she told me. This was her second time running it. She is a friend of Catherine. She said several members from my runner club was there that day. One was 4th female overall before the race was canceled.

    For second lap, I planned to go slower. Having Iris as my companion helped. I kept at her pace. The second lap we had 7.5 hrs to run it. It was an hour more than our first lap. However, we had to reach mile 20 by a certain time, which means we had to maintain 16:20 pace for the first 20 miles. We were doing like 15-16 min mi pace, so we were a bit ahead.

    6 miles in, it started raining. Then thunders and lightning started happening around us. It got very cold. I had my jacket on but I was still shivering. They called off the race around 9 am, about an hour and half into the race. We had to turn around and headed back. They reopened the roads. Police officers were telling us if we run, we run at our own risk.

    I understand their policy because for the safety of the volunteers and runners, the event had to be canceled. However, I agreed too with many runners that we were left unsupported midway through the race and there were confusion as to what to do. Most of us turned around and headed back to the start/finish area. I was not sure if there were buses coming to pick us up. My motto was, I can walk back on my own power.

    I wish they had closed the race in stages instead. I know there were no optimal solutions. With a canceled race, they were going get complaints. Some chose to continue on their own and were surprised no water or food served since the volunteers also had left their stations. Again the roads had reopened. I didn’t think that was safe but I think they wanted to send the message to us that we should not continue the run.

    The rain lasted only about 15-30 minutes. In hindsight, the race could have continued. Many (ultra) runners said they had been through much worse and dangerous or exposed situations before. What they experience that day was nothing. Hindsight always is perfect 20/20.

    As for me, I did not continue on. It was obvious we wouldn’t have the aid support. I had my water pack so in theory I could run a marathon unsupported. I was also having some rub burn issue so as soon as I could get to the finish area the better. I checked with Iris, she also wanted to get back quickly. It took us maybe an hour to get halfway down the mountain. We got to mile 12 and 13, where the buses made their way up. We got on the buses. We were overjoy that the buses came for us. I knew I could make it back to the start by walking or running (we were probably at most only 3 miles away) but having the bus take us back was way better than walking in our wet clothes. The bus waited until it was fully packed before heading off. There were maybe 50-60 of us on a bus. We arrived back at 10:30.

    The finish line was a busy place. They were serving food and drinks still. I did not mind grabbing myself a slice of pizza. Those that did not take the bus were coming in. I guess they were the 3 hours finishers (half marathoners/marathoners). They were still handing out medals. The volunteers though received words that the race closed at 9, but had remained for last hour and half serving finishers. They were understaffed because majority of the volunteers had left. It was a shoestring operation! I did not stay for long because as more buses arrived, it was going to get more chaotic.

    It was a hard call to whether continue the run or give up for a lot of people. There is a bit of shame of giving up on a race. RD made the call, so in a sense the RD took on the blame. The drama is still going on the social media. All runners who did not finish were converted to a virtual race. We could submit our time and get a medal. There were questions how many miles do we now run, since the race was shutdown halfway, whether we had to redo from the beginning and or how to combine the two timings and courses for the upload. Technically, I think you have to redo the course from the beginning, the whole 26.2 miles. But it is a virtual event now. Who cares. RD just wants everyone to be happy and go on until next year event. Some were calling boycotting the next year event. Some were asking for a discount or refund. Basically I think do whatever they want since it is a virtual race. The race would not count for anything. This got people upset.

    FYI I took a medal and a finisher picture and I even cross the finish line (don’t tell anyone 🤫) and I rode on the bus back! People who rode with me on the bus, asked you could do that? sure! why not! Sorry for those who did continue the race in their own power and ran to the finish without the aid station supports. They were beasts. But you know I will do the full 52.4 mile run on my own, right (I will just use part of the upcoming 100 mile race as my time👍)?

    My action somewhat took away their honor, but to me since the race was over by 9, anyone who came in after that would not be recorded. We made the finish celebration to mean whatever we wanted it to mean by then. Hence there were a lot of dramas happening and complaints on Facebook going on. People were discontent that they didn’t get the proper recognition or for some was the opportunity to continue. I don’t really care by then. You go out there and have fun and deal with what was given. Stop giving people a hard time. Having the race canceled is part of the journey. Iris told me in her years of running never once was a race canceled on her midway.

    There was no DQ-ing for those came in after 9 o clock (or technically we all DQ-ed) and that was why people were upset.

    For me I think, we received no words from race organization on what to do and there was a general of confusion! I mean we clearly understood the race was canceled. It was like what’s next then. None of us wanted to go home. For me it was a successful fun run finishing with a group of friends and we celebrated we survived the ordeal being three hours out on the course. It was for our friends and family also because they wanted to see that is the end of the trip and all the training. So we took photos at the finish line. Our group promised we will be back next year to do it properly.

  • Bull Run Run 50 [Day548]

    I wanted to run Bull Run Run 50 Miler for many years, possibly since 2018 and maybe as early as 2017 when I found out about the Virginia Trail Running Club, my local area running club.

    However, back then I did not know how hard trail running was or the distance and when I did, I backed out from signing up. It took all these years to get up the courage, to sign up. A few times I tried to sign up but the race was full or the registration had not yet opened.

    It was not until a friend encouraged me to run the MMT 100 about three years ago that I started to involve myself in the club. Covid also helped since less people sign up for group events and the lottery selection was not needed.

    If it was my first time running the MMT 100, I wouldn’t dare tackle the BRR 50. You know, one slight accident on the BRR course would derail the 100 miler that is a month out. Many who are doing the MMT signed up BRR, for the same reason as me.

    Long story short, this year I finally got a spot in the famous Bull Run Run 50 miler (BRR50). By now I am a much stronger runner. I can handle a 50 miler with confident.

    I still put in the work. I attended one of their training runs. They had three sessions this year but two of them I had scheduling conflict due to my racing or other training runs. I trained for it last year too even though I did not get in. I was sufficiently ready this time.

    We had a warm day. Hot in fact compared with 30 F we had recently. Thursday before we had 85 degrees (29-30C). I forced myself to go out and had a hot run for heat training and that was definitely very helpful in preparing for this.

    Note too just the previous weekend, I ran in near 30 F temperature. So the swing from near freezing to the extreme heat was difficult for a lot of people to adjust to. I almost thought I couldn’t handle it either. The heat in Virginia is not like the dry heat out west, here when it is hot it is also very humid. For runners, it means our bodies can’t be easily cool down.

    I ran for 7 miles Thursday. Friday I did not run. The temperature was a bit cooler around mid 70s. Saturday morning, I woke up around 4 AM, and it was already “hot” around 70s. I knew we were going have a hot day. The air was humid. Rain and thunderstorms were forecasted but did not come. So the humidity unofficially were near 100%. The air was thick.

    I arrived at the race site around 5:30 in the morning. Everyone were up and about. Some people camped there. Traditionally, you could stay in a cabin overnight. It is a lot of fun, like a runner camping trip.

    I was not early. Parking was an issue we were warned. They asked people to carpool if possible and the incentive was getting a closer parking spot. For the rest who didn’t carpool, we parked like half a mile away and walked to the start.

    The race started at 6:30. I met up with a few good friends. Charlie and Stuart and a few others. I had coffee from the dinning hall. That was cool they opened it and we could have a small breakfast and socialize with other runners.

    People saw how relaxed and confident I was thought I had run the race many times. They (the first time runners) were asking me various things because they thought I knew. I said I only ran a few training runs and am familiar with the trails. I love this race and the people. It is true VHTRC races have the best aid stations.

    The staging area was big and everything seemed well placed and well organized. I placed two drop bags, one to be taken to Foundtainhead (mile 30 and 37) and one to be remain at Hemlock (mile 17 and 50), which we’d pass by at mile 17. The course is a double out and back with the finish at Hemlock which is about “halfway” point from the north and south, in Clifton, near where I live. We were to run to Bull Run Park and back and then run to Fountainhead and back.

    I was sweating profusely immediately once we started running. I ran slowly and was not in an hurry. This helped with the breathing. I was not fighting for position with anyone. I learned from my experience during my few training runs there of not starting too fast.

    Slowly I reeled in people. I drank from time to time. My footing was good unlike during training in February when I rolled my ankle on this course. My feet just knew where to step without me being too focus on where to step. It was as if a second nature. I was happy and comfortable.

    During the training run, I was too focused on where to step. I had to pick each single step because a single misstep would mean tumbling or rolling my ankle. But today, I had the flow. I run in my natural gait and it didn’t matter where I landed as long as it is not loose underneath, I could find my balance. This was a big difference!

    In the past, I adjusted my steps and it messed up my gait but now I just learned to balance better no matter if I landed even on an uneven surface, I just have to balance on it. I found it was easy. Just run normally. During the training I got tired after half an hour on this trail but today I felt refreshed.

    The race was uneventful. The course was dry. Those who remember, a few times I did this trail, it was always muddy. I told myself, run a boring pace. No need to rush for anything. No surprises.

    I started in the back almost the last one out and so was not fighting for position on a single trail. Those I passed usually would be too weak to pass me back. Over time the separation of the fast and slow runners became bigger and it got easier for me to pass some of the “faster” people in the front because by the time I reached them, they were no longer fast and they were more willing to let me pass. I was not the only one using this strategy. There were a few others.

    I got to Bull Run Park and did the Blue Bell Loop. Amanda was there offering water. Amanda is my friend whom I ran with the previous week at the MMT night training. It was good seeing her again. I was a bit disappointed she did not sign up to run this one. I am sure it would have been a good training. But she might be struggling with the cutoffs and thus did not want to put her through the stress. Amanda will be doing the MMT.

    I was running with a group about my pace. Somehow after Bull Run, the pack spreaded out and I found the next pack. I was behind an older man, we were still in a pack when he tripped over a root and fell as I were thinking about to pass him. The pack ran on without pause but I stopped for him. So I walked with him for a bit to make sure he was alright. I got him to the Centreville Road Aid Station. Not sure if he later finished, his pace was slowing down after the fall. He seemed to be shaken up.

    There were a few people I saw with bloody elbows or shins who took a fall in the Centreville section. I actually don’t know why because this is the easier and flatter section compared to later sections of the race.

    The race slowed down a bit for me too because I was a bit bored and was by myself. There was a long stretch without seeing anyone since I walked earlier with the guy and my pace got behind a bit.

    The section going back to Hemlock was more hilly. I was familiar with this section because it is closer to where I live. I could run these hills since I was still pretty strong, however, I had to hold back on my pace. Two women (navy) were behind me and they were pushing the pace a bit earlier but somehow kept dropping back because they walked the hills. At times I let them passed me. One time during the passing, they almost collided with runners coming from the other direction. They were a bit of a rush and didn’t see. I didn’t like that. I don’t know if they finished either because I did not see them again. They also settled down in their pace after one of them tripped and fell. They stopped a few times for bathroom breaks. We were only 10 miles in.

    Next, we passed a team of three. They had an older man probably in his 60s of his first 50 miler part of their team. This race had a team competition. The younger people could probably run faster but they ran with the man. I think this team was one that passed us on the final 8 miles of the race. They were fast (after the older gentleman had dropped from the race I am guess). I knew they were fast. I stayed with them for a time and chatting with the guys. The lead of the pack almost fell too when he tripped over a root. We were all laughing at him since he seemed to be so good and shouldn’t be tripping.

    After passing them now, I encountered a few more guys. One seemed to be cramping up because he was kind of limping. We were closed to Hemlock. So I rushed on ahead. I was surprised people were struggling so earlier on and throughout the race, I saw a lot of the same, because fast people already ran on ahead and I did not get to see them. Those I came across were not doing well. I was not particularly fast but I was running and passing people. In my head I did the time and pace calculation, and I felt I was within an acceptable pace.

    As I rushed up to Hemlock I came across Alma (that wasn’t her name, but I assigned names to people) and I thought her name was Tracy during the whole race, because I ran with Tracy earlier but somehow I lost her and I thought I caught up to Tracy again. Later as I was writing this, I found out they were different people. I am one of those who think everyone’s faces look the same 🙈. Alma will be volunteering at the MMT.

    Anyway, Alma also took a fall earlier and bruished her shin. It was bleeding, swollen and looked bad. Later at the aid station a dear friend Charleen taped her up. She was moving but seemed to be struggling. She wanted to quit at mile 17 but Charleen got her back out.

    We were only at mile 17, not yet halfway. I said I will pace her to the end if she wants to because I figured I need a slow pace like I will be doing for MMT in a month time. I want to practice the slow steady pace on the 50 miler, aiming to finish by 7-7:30. I was sure I could do this race under 12 hours, but I wanted to run and not exhaust myself. I spent a lot time walking and talking with people to hear their stories. Some of course, did not look like willing to talk and I left them alone.

    By the way I came across Jeff friend’s from Eddingburg, whom I wrote about in a previous MMT training. Dylan was running in this race and Jeff was supporting.

    Alma said you are going to pace me for the next 35 miles? I said yes.

    I went for my dropbag. The guy who was limping earlier came into the station vomiting. I think he had heat related issues or could be food poisoning. You know runners grabbing food at the food stations, or they didn’t wipe their hands after using the restroom. Any of those could get a runner sick during a race.

    His wife was trying to help him. They had salt tablets available at the aid station but his wife heard me said to give him salt, so she found the whole can of salt and brought that to him. I said no, get the salt tablets. It was a OMG that was too much salt, she was going to kill the guy by pouring that much into his small cup. This remind me to put a big-big cup in my drop bag iny next ultra event. Looking back it was kind of funny to see the inexperience crew and a runner struggling. This is why you want crews who also are runners.

    The guy was probably having brain fog. His wife was not helping. I suggested give the guys some ice to cool him off. But my time was up and I left the station. I wish I know what happened to them. Not sure if the guy went on out after me or stayed. I wish I could help him but at the same time I did not want to interfere. If he had gone on out, he might have fainted because the day was going to get hotter and the trail harder still. He looked pretty beat up at that point and this was only mile 17 about 9:30 or 10 in the morning. I didn’t want to encourage him, so I quickly left. I felt torn to tell the guy not to go back out.

    I forgot all about Alma too and left without her. I didn’t see her again until 12-13 miles later. I don’t remember much of my run out from Hemlock to the Bull Run Marina. I was able to adjusted to the heat by now. My sweat was evaporating. They had ice at all aid stations and that was a life-saver. I had ice poured into my hydration pak. It kept my back cool. The oppressive low pressure storm system seemed to be lifted. Humidity seemed to be better. I could feel the breezes. I caught up to the race pack, those that seemed to be able to finish the race at that point in time. I passed anyone who walked.

    From Bull Run Marina to Wolf Run Shoals and then Fountainhead was uneventful as well. There I caught up to Jamie. I ran with Jamie in the past. She is quite famous due to her cheery personality. Everyone knows Jamie. She is usually faster than me. Today she was with her team of four and one of the women was struggling probably due to the heat, so their pace had slowed a bit, doing run walk. The woman couldn’t eat. They were offering her various solution. I think ultimately she was dropped from the race maybe at the second Fountainhead. I was with them for a few miles. No harm in following Jamie. Seeing her was a relief because I know I could finish by 6 pm at her pace. Jamie finished around 12.5 hours.

    I was thinking, I had not done the next section the Do-Loop that was coming up. I heard a lot of people had gotten lost in there before and so I wanted to follow Jamie, thinking she might have done this section in the past and we would not get lost.

    Jamie and her team was moving too slow for me so I passed them. I got to Wolf Run Shoals before them and then pushed onto Fountainhead. On my way there, I passed several people. Most were walking by now since it was past noon and we passed the 25 mile point. People were spent. They had a grim look and I stayed away from them and only shouted “you are doing great” as I passed by.

    There was this Asian guy. I was a bit sympathetic because he looked like me. I walked with him maybe for a mile and started talking. He was receptive. He said he couldn’t do this any more. I said, we still have 6-7 hours how come it is not possible to finish. Surely even by walking we could put in 20 miles in 6 or 7 hours. Surely his pace would pick back up. We ran ultras and so we knew, you have cycles of highs and lows.

    He said he has done this race 9-10 times. He knows that at his pace he wouldn’t finish. He said to make it he would need to get to Fountainhead by 1:15. And we were still couple miles out. Likely he would be arriving at the station’s cut off. The guy’s past strategy was to run very fast to fountainhead at first half of the race and then walk the rest of the way and would still finish under 10 hours, which is quite a feat. I ran 50 milers never gotten under 10 hours. I didn’t see him again.

    His plan did not work today. I think it was because of the heat. I said goodbye to him and ran to Fountainhead and arrived by 1:15. The station cutoff was not until 1:45. We had to finish the Do Loop and arrived back at Fountainhead by 4:15. Two and half hours to do 9 miles. To me that was a lot of time because I could run 4-5 miles an hour.

    There were a lot of asians that day, because the MARRC (Montgomery Asian Road Runner Club) were represented there. They had their separate aid stations. They all wear their club shirt.

    As I was filling up my water, Jamie and her team arrived. Alma also arrived. I apologized to her for not waiting earlier. Apparently she was fast enough to catch up to me. She said she was concerning about cutoffs, but to me, it should not be an issue, we had at least 30 minutes to burn. If we keep our current pace, we wouldn’t have to dip into our buffer. I would pace her in earnest. If I get a DNF (did not finish) because of the slow pace, so be it. I at least had my training for the MMT done.

    Somehow around this time Alma lost her phone. She thinks it might have fallen off while she was bending over for her drop bag. She did not realize it until we left the station. It was too late to go back for it. It was either to give up the race to look for the phone or continue on. I offered to check for it on find-my-phone app/something. But we were a bit tight on time, so we hurried on.

    Compounding that once we left the station about quarter mile in, we got lost. Granted we were with Jamie and her team too plus 5-6 other people around us. Our whole group of 10+ people all got lost together because everyone was following the person in front of them and not doing their own homework.

    Some people cursed and became angry as if it was our fault since we were nearer to the front and because they were following us. We went down this steep hill and the lead person said they no longer see the course ribbons and thinks we are on the wrong trail. We could either go back or continue.

    I went back immediately while the group stayed around still debating if to go forward or backwark. We were at a three-way cross trail without ribbons guiding us which way to turn.

    My spider sense told me we were off and backtracking was the right thing to do. I ran back up the hill and came to the last guy who just was coming down and he said this was the right way. He seemed sure.

    However, I did not go a little further back to double check on his words and I trusted him completely. Of course he was wrong. I am mad at him just like other people was mad at me. I ran back down the hill with his false info saying we had confirmation from an runner that we are on the right trail.

    The group was still standing there debating. A few of us then ran on ahead to see if we could see any flagging. We saw some runners came down on a parallel trail and there were blue ribbons on that path but not ours, thus confirming we were indeed not where we were supposed to be but we were not too far off course either. We could take a short cut to get back on the right trail from there but that would be a violation of the race rules. We had to return to where we got off course. So I led the group backtracking up onto the hill where we came down of. Some people already left it us once they heard the word to go back.

    From the map, they could also cut the course short because the trail was curvy but that would be in violation too. Alma’s GPS watch was indicating we were backtracking on the present trail thus, going the wrong way, and luckily we ignored that. Her GPS was wrong at the time. She blamed herself of not downloading the GPX file onto her watch before the race. I didn’t blame her. No need to cry over spilled milk. I did the map study before the race. I like some adventures like this.

    Once we got back on where we got off course, there was another argument whether to go left or right. We got off course on curve section of the course. No one remember where we came off from. Some said we came from that way, but some said the other way. Both ways looked the same. The earlier group that got there first of the group chose one way. Their reasoning was we were walking straight at the time and didn’t make any turns and believed we came from the left because that seemed to match our memory of going straight. By the time Jamie group came up, a few of us caught a glimpse of some runners (those that did not get lost with us) in a distance in the forest, so turning left seemed to get us there, and we picked to go to the left and luckily that was the correct way. My gut feeling also said to go that way based on the terrain and the parallel trail I saw earlier. We had no idea what happened to the few that took the other way because we never saw them again. They would have arrived back at the aid station. They could cheat and said they did the loop or they could give up, or they could go back in and do the loop all over. We were pretty much at the last position from that point on till the end of the race. No other people passed us until way later.

    Our little side trip costed us maybe 15-20 minutes in total, but it could have been a race ending event, thus many who were with us cursed in anguish. I did not let that affect me. In my mind, we were still in the game. Alma didn’t say anything either. We had to keep our emotion in check.

    Jamie and her team said we now had to run and they ran and disappeared. They have been mostly walking earlier for the sake of their weakest runner. I was left with Alma and an older gentleman (I don’t remember if the same gentleman who gave me the wrong direction).

    We soon left the older guy behind too maybe after a mile or so since he couldn’t keep the pace. Alma and I ended up doing the Do-Loop by ourselves. Alma put in a good pace of not too fast nor too slow. We passed a few people we saw earlier of those who didn’t get lost and that gave us confident we were back on track or on the pace we were originally doing. We passed a Jamie’s teammate, one who was having stomach issue. She later did not make the time cut-off.

    This was my third time passing many of the same runners. I felt like covering the same ground and I hoped that it would be the last time. Everyone we passed, were pretty tired and their pace couldn’t be trusted either. We knew and we did the math. Indeed, later many of them didn’t make the cut.

    Also as we entered the Do Loop (blue horse trail) a lot of earlier runners were exiting it, meaning they had completed the loop already, and we had wasted too much time with getting lost. Those people were at where we should be at if we did not have a little detour. I think at the this point we came across the real Tracy, who is a friend to Alma.

    I did not let the feeling of self pity messed up our mentality. I know we were a bit behind on pace. We got to the actual Do-Loop entrance, which is just a 2 mile loop. The critical point is to enter and exit it correctly. There were runners in times past who did this loop more than once by accident and we would not want that today. It is sort of a running joke. I enjoyed the loop. It was hilly but not any more so than other hills we encountered earlier.

    Funny thing was when we left the Do Loop, there were runners still entering it. Alma asked me if I think those people could finish. I doubted they could but did not want to discourage those runners or ourselves. I said I believe they have a chance otherwise they would have been cut earlier. If they have a chance so would we. Always believe. Those runners too were cheerful, giving us encouragements.

    Alma told me a lot of things in the interval. Of her races. She had attempted Eastern States in 2017, maybe after two years of trail running. She is a brave person. I ran for 7 years and did not think I got what it takes to run the Eastern States. She did The Wild Oak Trail, the Cold Trot during Feb 2018, and got it done in 47 hours? The TROT race director encouraged me to sign up for next year. Doing that race is an impressive feat. I did one loop of TROT, 25 miles and it took me 12.5 hours. Indeed 48 hours was anything but torture for her. Since then she attempted Grayson Highlands. She ran Stonemill and JFK, races I also ran before.

    She was not flexing. She didn’t tell me her results but later when I looked them up, yes she had impressive finishes, way faster time than me. She told me the time she ran out of water and there was 8 miles to go to the next aid station and she had to drink out of a creek and that got her sick. She was vomiting blood. She got to mile 68-70 before tapping out that time. That was some runner experiences I did not have and hope never will. We were not yet at that stage of desperation. I asked if she wrote race reports. She did not. I agree with her that race reports on races one didn’t finish is more important than ones we did finish.

    I knew from her stories she has the persistency to finish the race today. Even before her stories I knew she was a mentally strong runner based on the way she ran. She was running all the uphills within reason, which was a good thing. In the racing world one of the mantras is to walk uphill and run down hill. However, this usually applies to marathons, once you have done a lot of ultras the reverse is usually true, you run up on hills you can run and walk on the downhill, of those you can’t. Doing this will save the legs (quads). I knew I was not dealing with a newbie runner.

    Alma’s pace decayed a little by little during the Do Loop, which was normal. I was pray it would not decay too quickly to a point where she was too slow to continue. I’ve been through that before. She had the relentless forward mentality. She was saying we were doing 17 min mile and we were moving 15 min mile before. I think the course pace was 16 min mile. She was still pretty much in control of her pace.

    At every subsequent aid station we were losing couple minutes here and there. Our initial 15 minutes buffer from the cut off was down to 10 minutes by the time we arrived at Fountainhead after the Do Loop. We left at 4:06 pm (cut off was at 4:15 pm). We lost a bit more time at Wolf Run Shoals. No cut off at here. The next one was 6:00 pm at the Bull Run Marina. We got to the Marina by 5:52 pm. They said we only have 8 minutes left. That was kind of scary really.

    As we were pressing toward the Marina and there were a bit too much hills. Alma was slowing down a lot at every hill at this point. I could walk up on hills normally but she couldn’t keep up with me. She was breathing intensely each time. From the back of my head I knew we would make it but I was still afraid we wouldn’t. I had to take a deep breath from time to time to remind myself it is okay. If we get cut, we get cut. I did not want to stress her or showed being frustrated. I had to imagine that I was not in a race and felt calm again. From the Marina we had 5.4 miles to the finish and we had until 7:30 to be within 13 hours of the race final cutoff. She urged me to go ahead of her to get to the finish.

    We didn’t talk much after the Marina. I sat down at the aid station trying to clean my shoes because rocks were getting it and it creating a blister on the right foot’s heel, but then my quads started to cramp up. It was not good. I asked the volunteer for some banana pieces and drank some gatorade. It helped with the cramp. Alma said she would walk on ahead while I could catch up later. Smart of her. Yes, the ultra mantra is “avoid the chair!”

    The last section, people from the rear were passing us. Maybe 5-6 of them. They formed a train pack and ran on together. It was amazing I did not recognize these people before. Normally I’d recognize all the people I passed earlier. They looked tough and strong and absolutely fresh. What were they doing in the back I asked myself. They were booking it. I believe they might have been in a team and once their slowest team member dropped, they were free to run and they did. They were doing 9-10 min pace rushing to the finish. I wanted to join and run with them, yet I felt I should stay with Alma. I know we would able to finish but the cutoff was just tantalizing.

    6:45. We were nearer to the finish. I sense we were still two miles out and maybe three. We got to the rockiest section of the trail. I used to have trouble with this, but today it was easy. With a lot of practice at MMT, I could run on this section. It was fun for me. Compared to Kerns Mountain last weekend, this quarter mile or rocks was nothing. We caught up to a few people who were walking. Alma could still run on the flat section!

    7:15. We climbed the last hill. There was 15 minutes left on the clock. Unless the finish line were still a mile away there was no way we would not finish on time. Alma said lets run it in. Sure. I got in with 5-10 minutes to spare. We were the last six to finish the race. Actually there were a few who came in behind us, but I was probably looking away and was getting food. One guy who ran this 14 times from Alabama finished with 20 seconds to spare. We all cheered him and gave him a standing ovation. He sprinted in. It was heartfelt. We saw him earlier on the trail. When I first saw him, I told myself this guy will finish. He did. Somehow, we all liked the last guy finishing. I like how even we were the last to finish there were still a bunch of people there cheering us.

    One of the sweepers, Marty my friend, said I would finish when we were at the Marina. He said, don’t let him catch me. The race RD commented that this was the fastest sweep they had. The sweepers came in just under two minutes after the closing. We all cheered the sweepers too. We had stayed ahead of the sweeps. I told him I was running like he did at the Red Eye 50K at the beginning of the year (he and I ran together that time to make it under the cutoff). We did it. Marty is a fast runner (faster than me) and he is older. I joked with him that I ran like he did.

    Leasons: There were many. Aid stations saved the day, especially the ice and popsicles. I was quicked to make adjustments mid race. It saved my foot. I didn’t mention that I bandaged my foot at mile 17 when I started to feel hotspot on the back of my heel. The pace was right. Celebration good. I had fun.

    We stayed until 8:30 when it started to get dark. I wish I had finished earlier so to eat all they had to offer. Someone did metion they found a phone but they didn’t know what happened to it. I was not sure if that was Alma’s or if Alma was able to retrieve it at the end. I forgot to ask when we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. I stayed to eat some more. My other friend finished but he could not walk to the food table. I was sitting on the bench watching other runners coming in. I shared my food with him. I kind of laugh that was how I used to be in other races, couldn’t move. Later I found him standing by the food tent eating. Avoid the chair! This time I finished and still was relatively fresh. The next day though was a different story (I stayed in bed the whole day).

    This was the end of my weekend adventure. If not for a race, I would not be able to will myself to run 50 miles on my own. I was happy with the new friends I made on the trail. Sometimes, running is not about time but the community.

    Up next, of course will be the MMT itself. I will have couple smaller events before it. I spoke with Larry, RD from MMT first training run, after the BRR (I think he ran the BRR that day, but he already looked clean and fresh), he said I should be careful of not overtrained for the MMT. Indeed. This is the same Larry that will be doing the Western States this summer. I felt honor he looked me up and talked to me. Everyone know that I am going back to the MMT and every race is a stepping stone including the BRR.

  • snow! [Day539]

    Maybe it was the last snow this winter. Nothing sticked but was still exciting. It snowed in the middle of the night.

    Some snow dusting at Sky Meadow where I hiked the following day / it really has nothing to do with the race, just a pic for the blog. Cold day

    I was afraid the next day our 50K run would be canceled. Last year, in similar condition, the race was canceled for fear our runners would ruin the trail.

    Every year since the pandemic I have been running this 50k trail race, the Seneca Creek Greenway. I probably could find old reports and maybe I should. I love to reread the old race write-ups and see how they differed from this year.

    It was an ‘easy’ 50k, similar to Holiday Lake I ran couple weeks ago. We have some hills maybe like couple hundred feet ups and downs. Most of them are small hills. It was fun to run on them.

    Yet it is quite tiring too. This year I started slow. I took my time through the Seneca State Park, to Riffleford, for about first couple miles. I remembered the first time I ran this, I went out full blast and gave everything before even getting to the Riffleford road crossing.

    Once we were on the Greenway Tr, I stayed with my pack of about 4-5. After couple miles, the pack kind of disolved. The fast people ran ahead and the slower people dropped back one by one, I was left with with just a runner in front and he was walking.

    Interesting, this runner was not slow. He walked from time to time but just by the look, I knew he was a fast runner. He was just humoring us by walking. Actually I have no idea why he even walked. For the next hour, I was following sometimes far back, other times within arm length.

    We passed a mill. And finally the guy took off. I had a hard time trailing him. The trail by now cleared up. I still trailed him all the way to mile 7 or 8 at Rt 28 aid station. We crossed over to the otherside of the road to enter onto Seneca Bluff trail.

    It was uneventful all the way to mile 15 ish where we headed back north using the Greenway trail again. We crossed a creek about halfway. I remembered in former races, this was a choke point where everyone would stop and we would cross it one by one. This year, there was no one around. The creek was kind of flooded. I couldn’t hop across rocks there but waded through the stream.

    By mile 15, I came across Sergio, whom I stayed with him maybe for a mile or so. Sergio said he has a bad knee. He ran this race before but today he was not feeling well. He hadn’t been eating or drinking much. Not long after he was saying that, his hamstring cramped up and he felt over on the trail.

    I helped him up and hoped that by walking it off he would be fine. A runner came by and offered him salt tablets. Together, we walked to the aid station. Once there, I knew he should be fine. We separated. I knew if Sergio chooses to continue, it would be a long day for him.

    We were about 3 hours in. I expected the second half would be a bit longer. I was hoping I could finish earlier than former races. Though I felt like more a straggler this year. Former years, I usually see a lot of people walking in the second half. This year, I rarely saw anyone.

    I caught up a few people who had gone out a bit too fast. The second half, my pace degraded a bit and several runners passed me. That is the natural of racing. Even at the last mile, I thought I was in a comfortable position, then someone passed me running quite strong and it was impossible for me to keep up.

    Anyway, I finished at 7:39:00. It was much longer than I thought. Sergio said he recorded 33 miles on his watch. The trail is maybe a bit long but it is the same distance every year. We know it is trail racing neither our watch is accurate nor the ‘official distance’ is accurate. Trail racing always is measured with an estimated-ish distance.

    • comparisons:
    • 2020: 6:30:36 (report)
    • 2021: 7:14:17 (report)
    • last week, Cowtown 50k, road, 6:03.
    • two weeks ago, Holiday Lake 50K, 7:07

    I was much slower this year. time of 7h and 40 mins, so it seems about 30 mins to an hour slower than former years, depending which year or race to compare to. And wow I ran 6:30 the first year. Not sure why I am so much slower. I think probably doing three 50K back to back, kind of took away time for me to recover.

    Anyway, time was not too important to me. I want to run faster of course, but not meeting a prior year’s time was fine to me. My goal this year was to have some the time on the trail. Because it would build me up for a bigger race that will take place in May (the MMT 100).

    Weather-wise, the day was cold around 40F but with strong winds making the wind chill at time feels like 30F. I wore double layer and a windbreaker over. Gloves and cap were a must to keep fingers and ears from freezing. The race opened for 9:30 hours. I stayed there pretty much until closing.

    Food was adaquate. They had warm food for us. I drank a cup of warm coffee and that was the best thing that warmed me up. There were plenty of volunteers. I think the race was well supported, which is a reason for me to go back year after year.

    My memorable moment after getting all the food I needed, was when I went back to my car to put on warmer clothes so I could stay out to watch runners finishing. A family there was waiting for Sergio. I did not know Sergio’s name at the time. I started talking to the family and they said, that is probably Sergio. I was curious to see if indeed they were waiting for the runner I met on the trail. Sergio came in a bit after 9 hours. He did the full 50K. After having the cramp in his leg, he had to walk. I knew it would be a slow race for him. He said it was very tempting to quit halfway but he found a fellow companion and they walked all the way and did the full 50k.

    The heroic thing for Sergio about this race is near the finish at mile 27.5, you could make a decision to cut ‘short’ the race by finish as a marathon or you could add 5 more miles to get the 50K finish. Sergio could have finished a bit earlier (maybe couple hours earlier) as a marathon (and many people did). We were tracking Sergio on the phone and saw he took the other path and we knew he was aiming for 50K. So we waited. It was worth it to get 50K distance.

    As for me, it was a decent race. I havr another race next week (and I will report on that when I did it). The week after will be my 100 miler (OBX, or Blackbeard’s Revenge). And so forth. This week, I did some planning for my Toronto trip (and I am excited). I will write more when the time comes. There are races stacked up until end of May.

    Seneca Park’s Clopper Lake maybe only two miles from the finish. We had to run around this lake. It is bigger than what is shown.

  • Day536 Cowtown Marathon / 50K

    I flew into Dallas/Fort Worth last week. I was primarily there to run the Cowtown Marathon. This trip was in planning over a year. I had my eyes to cross out Texas as one of the 50 states marathon. I have been to Texas in 2021, doing the Rocky Raccoon 100. I do not believe it would replace a marathon, so I decided to go back to run a proper marathon.

    Texas is one of the states (like California or Florida) where you have many choices to choose. I considered Austin Marathon, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston Marathon. Cowtown won out for me. I wanted to go to an interesting place, and Fort Worth was pretty cool.

    I arrived late Friday night. Did not do much but checked in at the hotel and had a good night rest. Fort Worth was as cold as Virginia when I landed. All I wanted was to snuggle under a blanket.

    On Saturday, I attended the convention. They had two 5k events and a 10k event that morning. Traffic was bad. Google Map kept directing me to turn into closed streets. I think I circled the area for an hour before finding a place to park. There were no signage that the university parking lots were available for convention goers. In the end, I parked on one of the side streets. Not complaining. The race was staged at an university, where parking was plenty but all were restricted. Better signage might help.

    I got to say, I have done some big marathons, like Duluth and Marine Corps. The organization for this one was amazing. We had corrals and each one was fenced off. I think there were 20,000 people. The race kicked off at 7:00 am Sunday.

    I was there like at 4:30 am, to take a free parking spot. I don’t know how the rest of the people get parking. There were paid parking decks. I didn’t want to pay for parking. By 6:00, our lot was full. I slept in the car until it was near start time. I followed the people out to the main plaza.

    Most people went toward the covention hall. It is a big place. They had a morning worship. This was the first marathon I attended where a worship service was held. Texans love their Faith.

    Temperature for the morning was fine around 50 F (maybe like 10-12C). It was a perfect temperature for running. I would like to have a light jacket on, but I went with a t-shirt and shorts. I was a bit cold though I could stand it. Huddling in the convention hall was good, till they told us to get to our corrals.

    I was assigned to Corral 6 but after getting there and checking around, I felt I should be in one higher (Corral 7), for the slower people. My pacers were in Corral 7 too.

    We joked around saying we are like cows being herd together. Indeed, this was Cowtown and they do herd livestocks through their city.

    The race got underway. We were mixed in with the half marathoners and the full marathoners. There were only about 200 runners running the ultra (50k). I originally wanted to sign up for the full marathon, but finding out they offered an ultra, I couldn’t resist of not running it as an ultra runner.

    The half marathoners were a pretty slow crowd in our corral, running at 2:40 finishing time or slower. The marathon pace was about average at 5:05 finishing, and we, doing the ultra, were aiming for a 6 hour finishing, which was a little bit under 12 min pace. It was well done, at least at my pace, we were not too packed together, unlike at the Marine Corps Marathon. The pace was just right. I did not pass too many people and not too many passed me. Of course, we doing the ultra had to run a bit faster because we had more distance to cover.

    The first 5k was uneventful. I felt fresh and it was easy. It was on a downhill. We would be coming back on this. What I feared at the time was mile 9 because from previous day, I met a runner who warned me of the steep climb at mile 9.

    Soon we arrived at mile 9, where we entered into downtown. The climb was on an overpass/bridge. To me and our ultra group, it was nothing. I chewed it. There were my many other people walking up. I think we offended some people for being maybe a bit too loud. A lady gave me a disgusted look and said, not everyone can run at your pace.

    OK. We upset some people. But pretty soon, I think at mile 11 the half marathoners went off toward their finishing stretch. We, with the marathoners continued on. We quickly noticed we no longer had the whole road to run on. Aid stations, while still plentiful became farther apart. And there are less crowd cheering. This was where the real running began.

    A fellow runner started peeling off. I slowed down and ran with him for a bit. It was his first time doing a 50K. His goal was to just finish. He asked if it was my first time. I told him it was probably my 4th or 5th at a 50k. My longest training run was last weekend when I ran 32 miles. I ran even longer distances and told him my 100 miles. But I said, this is different, being a road race is many times faster and so, it is harder. When my friend began to go slower still, I left him, and told him I will see him at the finish.

    Many were running a 50k the first time. And our pace was unsustainable to them. After each aid station, there were fewer of us and fewer runners left that were able to keep pace with the pacers. Even I eventually couldn’t keep up by around mile 20.

    I got to say, near mile twenty, a private home offered a good aid stop, with fruits, chips, candies, and everything you might find in an ultra. Our official ultra aid station where they offered real food besides water and gels, was not available until at mile 27 (serving freshly grilled burgers), of course by then, we were half dead.

    The Marathoners separated from us after mile 24. We had an out-and-back section before joining back in at the same location.

    I have done a 50K with the Marine Corps Marathon. I believe Fort Worth did it better by putting the 50K split near the end of the marathon course instead of the beginning. This way, when the 50K runners merge back onto the course, we do not feel overwhelmed or crowded by the marathoners. When I ran the Marine Corps 50K, the split and merge back was at the beginning of the marathon course, and by the time we merged back, we were put in the rear (1 hour behind) the general marathon crowds it felt like running into a wall against the slower crowd. And we had to fight our way up front. It was very hectic to squeeze through the crowd because the average pace for 50K runers was generally faster than the marathoners at the merge point (it was very tricky for the race organization to plan the pace of two groups of runners merging in). Fort Worth did it better. While, we were faster, but there was only a mile to run before the finish, and most marathoners already done, so there were not many runners we encountered after the merge in.

    I reached mile 26 in 5 hours (we were with the 5:05 marathon pacer throughout the run.) We had about a 2 mile of out and back, turning around at mile 27. I stopped for a cheeseburger. The service was excellent, except as mentioned I was bonking hard by then. I could only take a bite or so before continueing on my run. If I did not care about time, I would have stopped to eat my fill. We had four miles left. I love the intention of giving us good food, however, being a race, we couldn’t stay for long to enjoy.

    Mile 29 was the hardest for me. I was glad to join back with the marathoners after the out and back section. These now were the 6 hour marathoners. They went at a much slower pace, which was perfect for me. I needed their encouragement to get the moving again. There were a group of 4-5 older runners. They were doing run-walk as I joined back into the course. Their first run-walk got me to mile 30.

    By then I got my groove back and I was able to run away from them. This was an unhill portion. I was not sure if the course is long, in my mind I planned for running a 32 mile 50k (expecting a longer course). I kept on hammering at my pace and caught up to a fellow ultra runner. We pushed each other onward, not letting either of us to slow to a walk. I told him the finish line is just up ahead. He asked where. I kind of lied to him, and said see, we reached the spectators section. They had lined the street with metal fences, so that the crowd would not interfere with runners. But now the spectators were gone, there were a few people left, but it was no longer a crowd. I think the crowd had cleared out couple hours ago, probwbly at the 4 hour finishes. The runner next to me surged on ahead. He had the kick. We still had quarter mile to go. I reminded him, quarter mile is still a long way off. But we were close.

    We made a turn and now truly the finishing arch was in sight. We ran. I had no strength left to sprint it in as I usually do. I kept my steady pace and was able to cross the finishing line with a time of 6:03:36.

    A fellow runner, whom I met around mile 10 said he would utilized the full course time available of 7:29:59. He came in at 7:28 (race clock, technically he still had 30-ish minutes more with bib time, since our group started 30 mins after gun time). Good for him. I waited until he crossed the finish line before heading home.

    Race overall was great. I had a good pace group. The two pacers at first were a bit annoying, but they became extremely helpful to me. They were incredible, having run the Austin Marathon a week before and will run the San Antonio Marathon the following weekend. They are doing 3 marathons back to back.

    The woman who paced 5:05 group, she fell 3-4 times, face first on the concrete, but she got back up each time and continued on. There was a loud sound of her smacking on the pavement. She scraped her knees pretty bad. She gave us quite a scare. Our group went and helped her. Some ran on ahead to get first aid. Some medical teams were running on the course as well, so aid were never too far away. I believe she did finish her race.

    I did not fall during the race. I did trip over a curb after finishing. It was embarrasing. I with my ultra trail running skill was able to keep my balance, but both of my calf musles freezed up and started cramping due to the sudden movement. Also various muscles too started contracting, going haywired. The only safe position was to drop to the ground.

    Three guys ran toward me to help. One was a random stranger, he started helping me do calf stretch while I was still on the ground and it helped tremendously. He pushed my foot in and that stretched the calf while I was on my back. The two others who came to my aid were my pacers. They used their cold drinks to cool the muscles. One then got out his Bio Freeze gel and rub it on the back of my legs. First time I have bio freeze in real life. I read about them before and saw them used in sports, like soccer or football. Another offered me couple of salt tablets. That helped. I needed some salt to reduce the cramping. This reminded me to buy some and keep them for my next long races.

    I would say, by now marathons have gotten easier. I enjoy the traveling. Unfortunately while in Fort Worth, I didn’t try their angus steaks. I sought out my soul food, pho. I ate plenty there. There were so many Vietnamese restaurants.

    Did I do anything else? I was feeling lazy on Saturday, so after the convention, I went back to my hotel. I slept early around 8 ish, which was pretty early. Sunday was the race. There were very little time to sight-see. The race kind of took us to all the important places. Unlike previous trips, I did not try to run on my own while I was there to explore some of local trails.

    starting corrals before they were filled with runners. Most people were still in the convention hall
    The course map. I did not do much map study before the race. A runner got lost (ended in the spectator section) and blamed the race of not having enough signs. I did not have that problem
    The Stock Exchange – I finally made the connection why there’s a bull statue outside the stock exchange. This was probably the only city in the US still have live animals. Must be a sight to see when cows are auctioned off.

    Oh finally stuff about the race, these are not what I seek in a good marathon race, but some people value these a lot. Swag: There were plenty. You could buy all kinds of merchandise at the convention. We received a race t-shirt, plus a finisher shirt. The medal was ok. Aid stations were plentiful, at about one per mile. Finishing food was ok (biscuits, fruit cups, ice cream, and two pints of beer). I like the beer and ice cream. The acid from the preservatives in the fruit cups kind of hurt my tongue so I couldn’t eat them.

    The rest of the day was spent getting to the airport. My flight was in the evening. I was pleased with the race. There were a lot of friendly people. Even at the parking lot, people was asking how my race went, etc. People were more chill and friendly in Texas. If I count this 50k as a marathon, it would be my 12th state of 50 states marathon quest.

  • Day520 Devil Dog RP

    Race Report – Devil Dog, a 100 mile trail race, took place December 3-4, 2022, just outside of DC in Triangle, Virginia. I finished in 31 hours. Originally, I was hoping to do it in 28-29 hours. For comparison, the first place winner finished in around 20:08 hours. (Tara Dower from Virginia Beach broke the women’s record, as well as took home the overall prize).

    Last bridge crossing and up a big hill to the finish. photo credit: Ram

    Meta – I retold this in two different ways, so it might seem a bit weird. One was for myself and one was for others and because I wrote it at two different times, one was right after the race when my brain was scattered by many things and the other was almost a week later after I was able to have clearer thoughts and is more coherent.

    This race meant so much for me and I felt relief to have done it. I am a bit lost for words of how to write this report. At first, I wanted to put it aside for a few weeks before attempting to write, but then I know I got to move on. There is no telling what I will be doing in the next few weeks and I might not be able to find the time to get to this. So, here goes, strike the iron while it’s hot.

    I. A bit of a background, I ran this course last year doing the 100K, however, I did not finish (DNF). It was a heartbreak because it was unexpected. I ended up with a knee injury and a back injury and that set me back for this entire year. In truth, it affected my MMT training, and partly too why I did not finish the MMT 100. MMT is another epic race comparable to the Devil Dog. Devil Dog is the goofy version of it.

    I wanted to redo the Devil Dog to redeem myself. Not just because I couldn’t finish it last year but to prove to myself I could still do a 100 mile race (because I DNF’d at the MMT race earlier in the year).

    The question is what am I doing differently this year for the Devil Dog? I wrote out a bunch of tips in my last year race report. I followed most of them. (here is my last year race RP)

    More importantly, I am a much stronger runner this year and also gain more experience as a runner, having gone through the trial by fire at the MMT and Iron Mountain. Nothing get my attention quicker than being whooped, a good whooping I admit.

    As readers know, I kept Devil Dog quiet, both because it was a scary race to me and I did not want to think about it, and second, there were other races I was focusing just before the Devil Dog, and there was no time to specifically train for the Devil Dog. Once bitten, you kind of have a respect for the puppy. Though looking back, I was more prepared this time around, but before the race, I was still doubtful if I have what it take or would it be another DNF to close the year.

    The weather prediction leading up to the race did not help. We were looking at temperature that could be as low as 26 F (~4 C) at night, and during the day would be raining. Wet plus cold means a very cold run, and a dnf kind of situation. This race is known for many not finishing it (based on the last few years finishing rates). This year finishing rate was 65% (45% did not make it). Mostly because many underestimated the course.

    Luckily, we got a break by race day. The night before the race, the temperature warmed up to around 50-60 F (at night!). We had fall weather once again and to me it means running in a shirt and shorts. I have been breaking all kind of records in this season and it was at the temperatures I am doing well in. I like running in warmer temperatures. The race morning was warm. They said we had the full 4 seasons because it got cold at night (but I don’t remember much). The rain was light enough and lasted only “briefly” for 3 hours of the entire 32 hour race. Rain came early and that was good. We were not affected much by it other than the trail was wet and slippery. More on this later.

    My two friends heard about me running this race came out to support me, more specifically to be my crew. David (one whom I ran the JFK with) took the day shift, and he was there when I was halfway through my first loop around 9 AM and he came back around 5 pm at the end of my second loop. (I will explain the course soon, yes it is a loop course). Iris, a friend I met at the BRR (Bull Run Run) came for the night shift, from midnight to six in the morning. Finally, I was surprised by two other friends, Dan and Mike, whom I met in previous races (StoneMill, Cat, MMT), who helped me on my final loop on the following morning and at the finish. I am forever in debt to them. I believe they were crucial in helping me crossing the finish. A good crew can make or break a race when doing it without them.

    About the course, I ran this before, so it was not a surprise. In early April I signed for a 12 hour night race (AEQ race), there to train for the course. This year the course was slightly different because there was a new trail added and another (rocky) trail removed. The course is described as having generally rolling hills, some double tracks, but it was mostly on single track trails. People said it is deceptively easy but is not. Now having done it, I think it was not too hard. But that was one reason I underestimated the course last year to my own detriment.

    limping into the finishing chute. Photo credit: either Ram or Mike

    I believe most of the elevation comes at the beginning of the loop. It was not much but had couple hundred feet of climbing. Comparing to MMT this was nothing, though after we ran it 5 times, the hills worn us down. First loop was a few miles longer (23 miles total) by added an extra section and subsequent loops were 19 miles. There were just many little hills and they tired you out. I mentioned this in my last year report.

    We have three manned aid stations (Remi, Gunny, and Toofy), and 3 unmanned stations (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie). Unmanned ones were alternated with manned ones. My strategy was run from station to station. For me, they were set about an hour from one another. A loop took an average 6 hours (for me). Of course, those who could run fast could do it easily in about 3 hours.

    I stored my supplies at Gunny, Toofy and Remi. It means I was usually an hour or two away from my supplies (such as food or clean clothing) and not 5-6 hours like last year. Remi was the start and finish point. I liked the section from Remi to Gunny the best, even though there were some serious climbs, but I felt there were no hidden tricks.

    From Gunny to Toofy, usually I felt it was a bit too long. It was probably the longest segment. It was long enough for me to sub divide it into two parts. It also had a lot of climbing, though still runnable.

    From Toofy to back to Remi was the hardest section for me. This part is more rocky and has a lot of ups and downs. And generally not as runable. This segment was my downfall the previous year. I kind of hated it. Though this year, I did not have any troubles. I mentioned last year, that I am usually good with a long hard climb, but not with a bunch of smaller ups and downs. The constant changes of directions put a lot of strains on the knees and finer muscles. The third section felt like a roller coaster ride.

    The first few loops were relatively easy for me. I started off easy because I knew the battle would be during the last two loops. I was not in a hurry unlike last year. Last year, I went out expecting to do a loop like 3-4 hours because that was how fast I could run in a marathon. However, one has to be patience in a 100 miler. It is more like a cat and mouse game. The slower is the better. I was fine with finishing a loop in 6 hours this year. I was able to run it in 5.5 hours the first few loops and banked those extra minutes. I expected the final loop to take 7 hours. I ended up doing 7 hours on the last two loops.

    I was able to team up with another runner (bib 48, Jim), who has done this race before and has done many 100 miles. He was not rushed. I wasn’t either. We were okay with the whole field of runners passed us. Many those runners later could not finish.

    We met up with many other runners, such as Sam. I haven’t met Sam personally but I knew of her name from various races. Jim was an outgoing guy. He was calling out people when he encountered them. He was pacing someone also. Throughout the race, he was always pacing some runners. When a runner dropped out, he would find another set of runners around him. Another woman who was doing a 100k also joined with us for a while. Jim was talking about various things. I just listened.

    Even though I was with Jim, but when he started picking up the pace, I dropped back. I learned to run at my own pace this year. Jim, I suspected was doing a reverse split. That guy could easily run a sub 24 hour for this race, but he likes spending time with us slower runners. He finished in a decent time. He didn’t get exhausted like me on the final lap (and I think he did it in four hours).

    Most of the Saturday was like that. I was in it for a treat (to enjoy). I just did not think much on anything and ran. I passed my friend Fernando. I met Fernando before the start at Camp Remi. We chatted, since he set up his dropbag next to mine. Fernando was not doing well because he started walking.

    We got to a section of the course from Camp Toofy to Remi and in this section we were on a newly created trail, which just finished a week before. It did not have any gravels on it yet. It was just hard pack clay. With the rain, the trail became slick. Fernando and I could not even walk on it because we started sliding off from the trail. The trail was not flat but curved down (a reverse banking turn, you know on a race track, the track is curve down on the inside turn, so you could go faster on the outside, but this trail curves the other way, downward on the cliff edge). Quite dangerous. Frenando said what the hell is this. He was not having a good time. I had to grab on a tree to prevent going off the hill. I did not get to see Frenando again. He did not fall. He got to mile 75 the next day but was cut.

    The next person I came across was John on my second loop at Camp Gunny. John was walking. I asked what was going on with him. John said his knees were bothering him. This was John’s 4th Devil Dog. He dnf’ed all previous attempts. I felt sorry for John because to me, it was likely John would not finish again this year. He seemed like limping at the time. There were still four more laps and it was going to be a long time to the finish.

    To finish one needs to be persistent as well as being efficient in not waste too much time, yet not go out too fast. It means finding that sweet spot and adjusting it from time to time. It is sometimes hard to find that perfect balance. This was my sixth or 7th hundred mile race, but I had only successfully finished two. This time I was able to pull together all the prior experiences to finish this race. It is a reason I am so pleased with it. However, I am having a hard time how to describe that perfect pace. Actually there might not be one single pace, but you got to adjust from time to time in a 100. Mentioning this, because that what John got.

    I saw John again at the beginning on my last loop. John caught up to me from behind. I was surprised. It was a WTF moment for me. The tortoise had caught up to the hare. John has perservered and he told me this was the farest he had ever been on this course (and I think on any hundred miles). I thought I was fast and John who was just walking all this time, was now about to pass me.

    I was not doing well. I lasted through the night and on the last loop, doubts crept in whether I could finish. Logically, I had enough time to do it, but physically, I was tired. Seeing John renewed the determination. If John could do it, I must push harder and do better than John because my feet were healthier than his.

    I got to Camp Toofy for the last time. The cut off was at 11:30 and I was there around 10:45 (not sure), I think, they were packing things up. My friends Ram and Mike helped me. They fed me and suggested if I wanted to leave my hydration pack behind (note, this could have been a ground for DQ for this race, you have to have a hydration pack or a bottle), since I was using a water bottle now. I found handheld water bottle is quicker to refill than with a hydration vest. They helped repin the bib on me. My two friends reassured that I could finish. I went back out with renewed determination. There were only 6 miles left and three hours to do them.

    John passed me again the third time when I came out of Camp Toofy. I could not keep up with his pace this time around. Doubts again crept in. This final section was my Waterloo the year before. It took me more than four hours to get through this section last year. Today, we only had three hours.

    I told myself I had to keep John in my sight. As best as I could, tried to get my walking pace up again to match John. Soon strength returned. I started over taking John on downhill sections. John was having trouble going downhills. I felt sorry for him, because he struggled so hard.

    We both reached the finish line by 1 pm with a few minutes apart, 31 hours since we started. It was surreal when the race director handed me the buckle (finisher prize).

    Race clock is set as normal time, 12:55 pm EST. Meeting with RD, who is wearing the colorful F* hat and is about to hand me the DD 100 buckle! Photo credit: Mike

    I felt thankful. The one year ordeal was finally over. I was no longer considered a DNF at the Devil Dog any more. I’ve beaten the course. To others, the threat I would be dnf this time was nonexistent, but as a participant, the final lap got me into a bit of a fear as I raced from cutoff to cutoff and seeing my time slipping at each stop. At the last 6 miles, struggles were real that I started doubting if I could finish. I was grateful when I did it. I felt I lost it and was given back. The race was redeemed.

    More than that, My several friends helped me through the race. I could not let them down. Also, I wanted them to feel the significance of what they contributed. I couldn’t have done without them! Without their helps, it was likely, the race would have gone down to the wire and I could have dnf. In a hundred mile race, a bad thing could magnify many times and same with a good thing. It is like investment, good things compound! Just a few minutes saving from my friends would translate to an hour or more at the end.

    Dan and Mike were a great help at the finish because I could not walk another step after I reached the finish line. I was one of those who stopped functioning once it is over. My left calf was really hurting. Mike and Dan made sure I stayed warm and got me inside. Then they made sure I ate. Finally gathered all my things and arranged a ride for me to get my car (the shuttle ride to the other lot).

    —- Now part 2 —-

    II. What I did differently in this race? Lots of things.

    1. Dropbags. use them fully. Never underestimate them. Also something new to me is to pack food at the drop locations both to eat during at the rest stops and also take something to go.

    In truth, I over packed, but better get everything I possibly need than to be missing the things I really need.

    I have enough supplies for the whole team and some

    2. PreRace camping. I stayed at a cabin at the race by paying $20 more (not expensive). This gave me more time to sleep and not had to rush to the start. No need for a 2 am wake up. Devil Dog had a complicated shuttle ride system, so staying on site avoided the rush in the morning. This was one of the best advices I gave myself last year in the race report. I followed.

    3. experience. is a key to my success this year. Yes having friends to help was part of it, but knowing where and how I failed in previous races help avoid making the same mistakes. At MMT, I learned the important of eating and having a pacer. The most important is finding the appropriate pace at various phases of the race. This time, I learned who to follow and when not to follow. Also not to panic when things were going downhill. Yes, Wisdom to judge situations. This comes from experience.

    4. Being Efficient at AS. The idea of constant keeping moving yet also have enough rest and food needed for the run. I felt it was a balancing act. It is a key to finish a 100. This means being efficient at an aid station.

    Biggest thing I learned is to pack your food bags. So when you enter the station that has the dropbag, grab/exchange food and trashes. Aid Station food is only a secondary source of energy to food you brought. Relating to this is Eat while on the trail rather than at the aid station! (all about the efficiency and constantly on the move)

    5. One of the biggest risks in an ultra is the feet. Last year, I had blisters early in loop 1. This year, I did not have warm spots until the final loop (80 miles in). I did finish with couple of blisters, but those were dealt with post race. What changes were keeping feet dry and wearing old comfortable shoes I did not need to change shoes until mile 80! Last year, I changed at mile 20.

    6. A strategy/technique – is not to powerwalk this time, I saved my legs until the last 20 miles. I learned this earlier at Pemberton 24. Powerwalking hurts my calfs. Powerwalking is good for marathons or even 50 miles but for 100 distances, I felt it worn out the walking muscles.

    III. What didn’t go as expected and could be improved on?

    a. packing. I definitely could pack much lighter. I thought I was going to change at every loop but in truth, I could wear the same set of clothes for the whole race. Maybe bring an extra set to change. Two sets are the most I needed.

    b. food. Pack in small ziplocks of enough food for 6-12 miles. This allows be quick at the transition and to eat.

    c. crew. Crew was a great help. It was a difference of night and day having a crew vs not having one. Knowledgeable crew is a plus. I was blessed with a team of good people helping me. Some tasks crew can help can be planned ahead. Otherwise, some of my crew members kept asking “what do you need” etc, and they were as stressed as me. When I answered them, “food”, there were a lot back and forth of what type, and how much. “Do I need anything else?”, so a lot time was wasted. The basic things can be streamlined and so less question being asked or requiring my attention. Instead of them taking orders from me, if I could get it the other way, of me listening to them.

    d. injury. I was slow on the last two laps (40 miles) because my left calf started hurting. Two nights before the race (Thursday night), while sleeping, my left calf cramped up. I knew it would cause trouble in the race and it did. First three loops not much an issue. It felt a bit warm and sore. By forth loop, it started hurting and then a lot. Fifth loop it got worse. I finished with the calf definitely injured from the overused. I don’t know what I could have done differently. Maybe pack a heating pad?

    IV. Conclusion. There were a few things here. I was glad it was a resounding victory. I corrected some of my defects and ran the race successfully and therefore redeemed my previous failures.

    Looking just at this race on its own, it was a great accomplishment too, because it was an undertaking that required months of preparation and finally seeing everything coming together successfully (see preparation).

    Many people, also did the same preparation I did but did not finish. No one dares show up to a 100 mile race and is not trained for it (you could run a 26 miles without training, but not a 100 mile). It was kind of a validation for me. I know I don’t and shouldn’t look at other people. Yet, it makes me feel lucky. Their unsuccessful attempts boosted me. And validating my training system worked.

    (There’s no time to share about a runner who felt ill at mile 75 at 4 AM in the morning. Later, I checked the results, she was not able to finish — I think it was unsafe to let her back on the course, and the station captain might prevent the runner from returning on the course)

    Some people really earned this. My friend, John, who year after year trying it over and over finally completed it and earned the buckle the first time. I was glad for him. We don’t want failures, but once we overcome them, they make it sweeter.

    Lastly, last year I was a nobody running this race. However, through and because my dnfs many people got to know me. They were all wishing for me to succeed this time. Iris, Elaina from MMT, Mike and Ram, and Eileen at Iron Mountain. A whole slew of people wishing me success from back home. These people saw my struggles. They wanted so much so, they volunteered and did everything they could to get me to the finish line. I am in debt to them. They gave me hope that I can redeem my MMT race too.

    There is a saying you can’t walk into the same river twice. In a sense, that is right. This year is not last year. The course is not exactly the same (I think it was a little easier). This race also is not the MMT or Iron Mountain. Last year, the Devil Dog was not even a big race to me, but this year it was.

    I don’t know where I am going with this. The reason I like it was for the challenge. As prepared as I was, I did not know ahead of time whether I would finish or not. I tried to anticipate troubles ahead and planned accordingly. Sometimes things are unavoidable. I felt lucky to just having it done.

    Winners get write the history. The moment I crossed over the finish line, everything brightened up. All the stresses were gone. The race became such a good experience. It was so good to finish a race. Mentioned somewhere before on the last lap, I felt the race was slipping away almost to a point there was a possibility that I would not finish. The euphoria of actually crossing the finish line was unbelievable. Immediately, the race was not that hard any more.

    Overall, I was very at peace during the whole race. I met some decent people, Fernando, Watts and Jackie (no time to mention Watson & Jackie, but an amazing couple). Also, I was there when the last runner came in (DFL award).

    Should you run a 100 mile? I felt it was challenging for me. 100 are races that there are decent chance of not being able to finish (in this race this year 45% of the starters did not finish). About a third of the initial signed up participants did not showed up (DNS, though the final results purged them from the list). There were only thirty plus people out of close to 90 original runners finished. However, the reward is so satisfying when you did it. There are still a lot for me to learn but each time I run it, I get better. Lastly, I run, so I could do some even greater runs down the road.

    (updated to edit)