Also - some heat training for good measure.
Let's do this:
Across the parking lot and into the darkness...
I focused my attention in the first couple hours on learning the course so I'd have some idea what awaited at the end of this out-and-back journey. Let's see... Mount Baker first - I'd tried to figure out where "Mount Baker" was on the map with no success before the race. Turns out it's a short but crazy steep little drop right off the end of the parking lot and down to the highway. Too funny, no wonder it's not on a map.
Then through a neighborhood, up a narrow trail with a rope for assistance (seemingly in the way at the time but very helpful on the way back), past the Powerlines aid station (howdy!), and up toward the radio towers on an actual mountain. A group of us was briefly stymied by the lack of directional flagging at the top but someone else who knew the course came up behind us and verified that the little trail heading into the woods was indeed correct.
From there it was almost all singletrack trail. As promised, the first few miles of the Pinhoti Trail were pretty rocky. Not as bad as some "rock garden" trails I've been on, but not so easy to run with any momentum. No worries, just taking it easy this morning. I let a bunch of people go on ahead of me and enjoyed the cool air while it lasted.
Eventually there was sunshine, which did help in figuring out which way we were going. The course does some major zigzagging along ridgelines without much for identifying features. Nice pleasant wind blowing, a few sorta-views down into valleys on both sides, trees overhead the whole time.
My main goal for the daytime on Saturday was to not overheat and not go out too hard. I started focusing on efficiency, and even just thinking the word "efficient" (generally in the voice of Seven of Nine) helped me relax and run more smoothly.
Through a couple aid stations, over another ridge. We met all the 18-mile runners coming toward us, as we would soon with the 36-milers and eventually the 50's. Almost everyone was super friendly, encouraging, and willing to work together to find the easiest way to pass each other on the singletrack. I'm not a huge fan of having to meet a bunch of runners coming toward you on a narrow trail during a race, but in this case it wasn't too bad (only a couple of them seemed disgruntled or unwilling to yield half of the track) and I knew this would be the least of my challenges of the weekend.
Plus I got some good intel. After seeing John for the first time at the Snake aid station, in the next section a couple 36-milers told me I was the 3rd place woman. Really? That was news to me. Cool, I was hoping for some motivation to keep running all the way to the end on Sunday, that should about do it. As long as I kept things reeled in at least until the halfway point. Consistency, my next focus.
The trail gradually got more runnable, less rocky, more flowy in some places. I found John at the Pocket aid station, drank some more Spiz, and started the climb up John's Mountain. Oooh, this is not going to be great (or fast) coming down later. It was technical and occasionally there was a tree limb over the trail. On the bright side, it had an interesting section of stone stairs leading to an overlook (where I guess sometimes there's a waterfalls to see when it's not dry).
One 50-mile woman runner excitedly told me I was in third place, cheering and urging me on. That made me smile :) and I actually remembered her comments later in the race, thinking she would be disappointed in me if I didn't keep moving.
The backside of John's Mountain was much better than the front, a long kinda gentle downhill with some runnable sections. One section was a doubletrack traverse that I would have prefered as a dirt road instead of the tiny gravel rocks - not sure how my feet are going to like that later. For now things were still going OK.
Oh, a creek crossing at the bottom, hmm, didn't know about that. It was wide and shallow, basically easy but unavoidable. I decided based on all the rocks (and with memories of foot pain toward the end of Massanutten) that I'd go ahead with a sock change at the next aid station.
John was hanging out at Dry Creek where I'd see him 5 times over the next few hours. This was a nice arrangement of loop trails for our middle third of the race. Even better, those loops were mountain bike trails. Have I mentioned that I like running on mountain bike trails? We would run each of 2 loops 2 times.
John helped me with the sock change and I was ready to see the next 7 miles of the course:
It was the warmest part of the day so that tempered my enthusiasm, but I did enjoy the bike trails. Especially the 2nd/4th loop, which had lovely flowing (and very shady) curves through the woods, great for real running. I counted the hours until the sun went down, managing to get to 50 miles without hitting a low point like I have in other 100-miler races.
I see you John!
Ice, ice, baby... in my bottle, on my head, a bit in a towel to wipe my face...
Eventually it did get dark, yay! John ran with me during my last bike trail loop and we had a great time chatting about our respective experiences that day. It's wonderful to be running with you again, John!
He told me I was now in 2nd place. What!? Apparently I passed 2nd in the aid station (I was doing better with reasonably quick aid station visits for once). Well, how about that for even more motivation.
Now for the journey back to the finish line...
Power walking and jogging in the dark. Shallow creek crossing. Long climb up John's Mountain. Happy that my feet aren't hurting on the rocks yet. Losing a bit of my climbing legs but still putting in a focused effort.
The guys at the aid station on top of the mountain jumped at the chance to help - almost too much help, as they all seemed to talk at once. I must have looked a bit dumbfounded because one asked if I had crew waiting at the next station? Yes, I nodded, so that seemed to make them feel better. I got some water and was eating watermelon when I heard someone say that the next section was very runnable.
No, it most certainly is not! I countered. I saw that trail coming up, you can't say that's runnable. He admitted that the first mile was pretty rocky. I offered that the 2nd mile was steep and technical. Another guy said that the 3rd mile wasn't runnable either. Exactly. The last 0.3 miles, OK, that part is nice.
Well, it was a fun little conversation in the middle of the night on the top of a mountain. Time to go!
And no, there wasn't much running going on, at least during my descent. Picking my way down, I actually passed a guy going slower than I was. Right before I got passed myself.
I felt bad waking up John at the Pocket aid station but I needed to tell him that I was dropping my running vest there and switching to my pack at Snake. Sorry, honey!
The next section seemed like a good place to try ramping up the effort. That started well, on the road and flat doubletrack. Then the rolling section lasted a while but that was OK. Then up to the ridge, which went on... and on... and on... and I got hungry for the first time, which didn't help with all the little climbs. Slower and slower, crap. So much for that push. Then my left hamstring gave me a bit of backtalk during the downhill. I just never know what my legs will do these days, good and bad.
I oozed down the hill to finally reach the Snake aid station where John was waiting. He helped so much here, with extra Spiz, some food, a sock change, a rest in a chair to recover. That was my low spot, at 81 miles.
OK, well, nothing to do but keep walking. I started up the hill slowly, gained steam, and eventually felt much more normal. The next section had several parts, which helped me know where I was and helped pass the time. My iPod was still working, happy day.
They asked at the next aid station if I wanted some coffee? Um, yes please! Just a little - it was like a Trader Joe's sample cup, perfect size. And some ramen/broth. Very nice.
Next up... rock garden city. Oh yes, it was not great, but hey, when you're mostly speed-walking anyway, the relative drop in pace wasn't as much. Eventually the sky got light.
The last few miles weren't much fun either - steep drops, then one steep climb back up Mount Baker. John had come to find me so he got to experience Mount Baker as well, almost like we were back up on the steep snow slopes from earlier this summer! Except not really.
The crew at the top was totally fun and encouraging, then they played the song I had requested - "What doesn't kill you makes you Stronger" - indeed! Here's to persistence!
Actually running to reach the finish line, woo hoo!
Another podium, this one a bit harder to climb up onto but we all made it:
Congrats, y'all!
Fun finish line, great folks (all the organizers and volunteers), and we enjoyed our weekend in the Georgia woods. Thank you!
