23 in the can. I need a fall race goal to keep from getting a big butt. It’s getting harder and harder. And, when you read about the trail conditions, you’ll see my negativity on the AT.
You must have a little good fortune to finish the same race for 23 straight years. You have to be healthy and trained on the same day. And, cooperating weather helps. For the past two years, we’ve had tailwinds on the C&O Canal path to push us along. Youth helps overcome many obstacles. But unfortunately, over 23 years, my youth is far behind.
No training excuses this year. Toward the end of August, I thought I was getting numbness in my left leg while doing long runs. I was running low on electrolytes from the brutally hot, humid, and long summer. I’m taking Succeed daily to help get those back in check.
I got all my long runs in as scheduled, and they were a little faster than in previous years. My final traditional AT training run was 5 minutes faster than in 2017. This run is a good predictor of how I will do in the first 15 miles.
I dropped down to 160 lbs for the race. Carrying an extra 10 pounds for 50 miles doesn’t help.
The week before the race, my year-to-date miles, 1528, was 17 less than in 2017. This number has been relatively consistent over the past four years.
We stayed at the Hampton Inn and got out a few minutes late at 5:49 am. As we have done for the past many years, we have parked in downtown Boonsboro. This year, about 200 feet from the start line and got ready to run.
The start’s temperature was 37 with a forecast of partly cloudy skies with rising temperatures to the mid-40s and a seven mph headwind on the C&O canal path and Dam 4 Road section. Overnight lows were supposed to be around 30 degrees with a 27-degree wind chill.
Two days before the race, 6 to 9 inches of snow had fallen in Washington County. Until we were running on the trail, we would not know the impact of that snow on the path. Would it be icy, slushy, snow-covered, or something else?
Also, two days before the race, race management posted that crew access to mile points 27 and 38 may be limited to 4-wheel drive vehicles with high clearance. I started making contingency crew plans to meet at mile point 30 and decided to wear my double bottle belt with a large pouch to carry more things than usual. I charged up the old flip phone to take during the last 34 miles. So, I could stay in contact with my crew, Meg, to know where she was able to provide support.
Not knowing what the temp would be on South Mountain, I was initially wearing tights over compression shorts. But, when I arrived at the start line, it was 7 degrees warmer than predicted and quite comfortable. Off came the tights, and the overshirt got tied around my waist for the rest of the day. Just in case, I did throw the tights in my double bottle belt pack.
I had two goals for the day. Wake up above the dirt and stay ahead of the course cutoff times. As Joe Kairys passed me going up South Mountain, he asked me my strategy for the race. My reply was to “finish under 13 hours”.
As usual, I run the first 20 minutes and then walk the remaining time to the South Mountain Inn. Snow covered the mile marker for the first mile. And my time to the top was about 15 seconds slower than in 2017.
There were 868 starters, and I was the 587th runner to the top to start the AT portion of the race. That is 1174 feet hitting the trail in front of me. In the first section, there is no ice, some slush, and mud. But, mostly packed dirt as the temp had not risen to thaw the soil. A single file line moved slower than in previous years.
At mile 4, there is about a 2-mile paved section and then back on a single-track trail. Once again, no ice and some packed dirt. The line moved slower than usual over the dangerous first part of this trail. As we got closer to the Gap, there were sections of standing water and mud bogs. Those 1174 feet probably grew to 1500 in front of me, and the trail turned into a sloppy condition.
Between the Gap and the top of Weverton, the trail condition worsened. For those that have run the MMT100, that race has used the Gap Creek trail. During rain, the path and creek merge into one. The 300 feet of the AT around the Garvey Shelter were the same. A muddy, boggy creek of standing water filled in the footsteps of the runners before us. The avoid the stream, I bushwacked a couple of times in this area about 30 to 100 feet off the trail. Many other shorter sections had the same type of impassable standing water.
After seeing the conditions of the trail, I hope the Park Service will allow the race to continue in future years.
Through the first 13 miles, we constantly talked about the descent down the Weverton Switchbacks. This section has dangerous spots in good conditions. What would it be like today? Surprisingly, very little mud and a few slick rocks. It only took 18:40 to descend versus 16:18 in 2017.
I finished the AT portion in 4:30, 4:42 where they have the cutoff line, 16 minutes slower than in 2017. I achieved my goals of staying upright and ahead of the cutoffs with 18 minutes to spare. I was the 821st runner off the AT. Only 854 of the 868 starters made the cutoff off the AT. Actually, considering the conditions, more than I expected.
My shoes are caked in mud. I know there will be some bad sections on the towpath.
I change to road shoes and keep on my same socks. I’m told the next little bit of the trail under 340 is muddy. They were not kidding.
While in college, Megan started crewing for me for over ten years. So, she knows the parking situations around the crew stops. We decided that she should get to the Mile 27 crew stop at around 6:30. More than 80% of the crews would have already left by that time. And, since I was bumping against the cutoffs, they would want her there to give me a ride. I thought the cutoff at Mile 27 was 7:15. So I needed to do 11 miles in 2.5 hours.
Calculating, I determine that staying under 14 1/2 minute miles will get me to the finish on time. But to hit the cutoff at Mile 27, it was 13 ½ minute miles. I set my watch for a 2-minute walk and 8-minute run repeats. I feel pretty good.
After a pit stop in the “dirtiest porta pot ever,” I see a sign saying 6.9 miles to Antietam Creek, and I have 84 minutes to the cutoff. OK, I need to do 12-minute miles and still have enough to finish the last 23 miles of the race.
Until the Mile 27 aid station, I ran the run sections hard and walked the walk sections hard, doing low 11-minute miles. I was ready to do an all-out push if I got close to the aid station and the cutoff was nearing. Even after all the negative thoughts on the AT, they would have to drag me off the trail.
The mileage sign must have been wrong. I rolled into the aid station with 9 minutes to spare but still 6 minutes slower than I wanted.
So far, the towpath condition was reasonable. There was standing water in spots, a little mud, and where the sun had hit dry sections. The rain in 2017 caused constant sloppy conditions. The snow in 2018 made the trail condition worse.
So, I have a little less than 6 hours to complete 23 miles, which is a little more than 15 minutes per mile. If I can hit every aid station from here to the finish under the hour mark, I’ll finish within 13 hours and stay under all the cutoffs.
I switch to 4-minute run 2-minute walk repeats. I’m moving pretty well, my running cadence is 82 per minute, and my walking rhythm is 65 per minute. Reasonable, not great. I’m trying to recover from the hard push into Antietam. Around mile 32, I switch to 2-minute run 2-minute walk repeats, and I can keep this up until the end of the towpath.
I meet Meg again at Mile 38 and decide not to change shoes. The last portion of the towpath is very shaded, and I knew from experience that new shoes would not stay clean and dry more than a ¼ mile.
I wasn’t wrong. There are long sections in the trail that are almost impassible mud bogs. In one of those sections, on the river side of the path, I almost slid into the river.
By the time I get to the end of the canal, civil daylight is waning. We are back to reflective vests this year. Yea!
The last 8 miles are on pavement and are pretty easy to strategize, walk the ups and run, assuming you can, the flats and down. A large moon helped me see far enough forward to know what was down or flat. With 4 miles to go, I need to average 20-minute miles to beat 13 hours. So, I start to enjoy walking the flats and downs, too.
For the first time in 23 years, I continue walking through the “one-mile to go” sign until 100 meters from the finish. If you start a race running, you need to finish running. So, I did and had a 14:22 last mile. I finished in 12:41:15, 7 minutes slower than in 2017.
Three blisters this year. I wish I had packed my Birkenstocks.
Now with 23 in the bank, what’s next? The yearly goal of running this race keeps my weight down and my butt from expanding. Eighteen minutes to play with is not a lot. That is only 20 seconds per mile. Did that cause the negativity on the AT, or was it the slop of the trail?
I lost 16 minutes on the AT and was only 7 minutes slower. Did I improve?
After the race, I told the RD Mike Spinnler, “worst trail condition in 23 years”. Can they get worse? As Bill Cosby once said, “never challenge worse.”
My next goal is the Mississippi Blues Marathon in January, and then we’ll think about number 24 just before registration opens in March. I really can’t add mileage to my training. I probably can do more work on my core and diet. Slowing more will make 24 more stressful.
Many thanks to Megan for crewing for me. This year would have been impossible without a crew. Knowing she would be there helps get through the cold and hard spots.