22 in the can. I need a fall race goal to keep from getting a big butt. It’s getting harder and harder.
No training excuses this year. Yeah, there was a minor fall in January. But, that did not impact anything. I got all my long runs in as scheduled, and they were a little slower than in previous years. My final traditional AT training run was 8 minutes slower than in 2016. This run is a good predictor of how I will do in the first 15 miles.
The week before the race, my year-to-date miles, 1545, was 20 less than in 2016. This number has been relatively consistent over the past three years.
In the weeks leading up to the race, I would get hamstring twinges, planter pains, and an ache here or there. I felt good enough that I didn’t even write up my list of ailments and give them to Megan in a sealed envelope in case I passed out on the course.
We stayed at the Hampton Inn and got out a few minutes late at 5:39 am. As we have done for the past many years, we have parked in downtown Boonsboro. This year, we were about 200 feet from the start line. I hit the porta pot and then got ready to run.
Temp at the start was 41 with a forecast of light rain all day, starting at 9:30 am, raising temps to the low 50s and a 13 mph tailwind on the C&O canal path and Dam 4 Road section. The rain started a little earlier and subsided around 2 pm. It was not hard enough to get my clothes wet.
I had two goals for the day. Wake up above the dirt and stay ahead of the course cutoff times.
As usual, I run the first 20 minutes and then walk the remaining time to the South Mountain Inn. My time to the top was about a minute slower than in 2016, with the first mile time of 10:43.
I was able to finish the AT portion in 4:14, slower than in 2016. I achieved my goals of staying upright and ahead of the cutoffs with 45 minutes to spare. For the first time in many years, I came up behind runners going slower than me on the trail. They bottlenecked the many runners behind them, and none wanted to pass. I usually don’t try to push on past. But, these runners could not make the 5-hour cutoff at their running pace. In the first block, I went by ten runners, and some behind me realized they needed to do the same. The other two were overly cautious runners going downhill. They’ve run so hard to get ahead. Why waste that on the downhill?
My shoes are a bit wet from the rain and slippery rocks. So, I don’t change shoes and continue in my trail shoes.
Megan tells me the rain is supposed to stop at 1 pm. So, I keep on my double bottle belt with extra gloves and buff.
For many years, the race organizers have worked out with CSX not to have any trains cross the course between 8 am, and 11 am. I guess they could not do that this year or for only a shorter period with the front runners. I could hear train whistles for the last 20 minutes before reaching Weverton. So, I assumed they were not holding trains. It’s about a 4 minute run from Weverton to the crossing. About 3 minutes out, I hear a whistle coming from the east. It’s my hardest run of the day for about a ¼ mile to beat the train. After crossing and within a couple of minutes, there was a 4-minute train going west and another 6-minute train going east.
I do the calculation and determine that staying under 15-minute miles will get me to the finish on time. I set my watch for a 2-minute walk and 6-minute run repeats. I’m able to maintain this to Mile 32.
At Antietam, mile 27, I change into road shoes and find the rain should stop about 2 pm. However, the rain has impacted the trail, and there are constant sloppy conditions to the end of the C&O Canal section at mile 42.
At mile 32, I switch to 3-minute run and 2-minute walk repeats. Even though I’m moving slower than in past years, my running cadence is 82 per minute, and my walking rhythm is 65 per minute. Reasonable, not great.
About a half mile after the Mile 34 aid station, I start having digestive issues. I wished I had stopped at the last aid station.
But I pushed on. I know there are porta pots ahead. One was at about mile 37, where I waited for 2 minutes for somebody. My total lost time was about 5 minutes.
Back to calculating, keeping it under 15 minutes, I’m doing most in the 14-minute range. There is not much room for bonking.
At Taylor’s Landing, I change undershirts and gloves and get my headlamp. Except for the rain and mud, a perfect day for running in compression shorts, long sleeve undershirt, and a singlet.
By the time I get to the end of the canal, civil daylight is waning. There are no reflective vests this year.
They gave me a reflective armband that kept slipping down. It’s a good concept, as long as a runner has biceps. Next year, I’ll remember to include a vest in my Taylor’s Landing bag. I take the band off my arm and hook it on my singlet.
The last 8 miles are on pavement and easy to strategize, walk the ups and run the flats and down. It is hard to see far enough forward in the dark to know what is down or flat. So, I do more walking than running.
I walk in the last mile for the first time in 22 years. I still run the downs and walk the rest. Once I see the finish line lights, I run it in for a 13:30 last mile. I finished in 12:34:18, 22 minutes slower than in 2016. Right in front of me was the 81-year-old dude.
I had no blisters this year. Yea!
This race was not a pleasant year, pushing the cutoffs and 13-hour limit. I spent too much time doing math and worried about the what-if of bonking.
Now with 22 in the bank, what’s next? The yearly goal of running this race keeps my weight down and my butt from expanding. It’s on to number 23, eating dessert first and waking up on top of the dirt. But I really can’t add mileage to my training. I probably need to work on my core. Slowing more would make 2018 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.