Training Log Archive: KFish

Event: Rachel Carson Trail Challenge
 

Rachel Carson trail challenge.

This was on my Pittsburgh bucket list, so I threw my name in the hat on March 1st, and surprisingly was a lottery pick. Syd threw her name in 1 week later and it was already sold out, so I would be going solo. Probably better since she made worlds, but I am not accustomed to solo adventures. My only goal was to finish in the 15:04 time limit, but i knew if I could run it it would be around 9 hours. It’s important to note that this is marketed as a challenge, not a race, and the vast majority of participants are hikers, not trail runners.

Syd did an amazing job as my personal trainer getting me ready for this. I did a pretty good job keeping to the schedule she made, although a few of my long runs got cut a bit short. My two 20 milers at my peak ended at 14 and 18. I also got a slow moving cold 2 weeks before.

The forcast was for partly cloudy and a high of 75, starting at a balmy 54 at 6am, perfect for me! We arrived around 530 to check in and I think I was one of the last, and got in line for the start near the very back. I soon found out I was behind about 500 hikers, and the first 3 miles could not be run at all, it was like a cafeteria line. At the first stream crossing we completely ground to a halt as hundreds of people went one by one trying to keep there feet dry. Being my first trail event, and not even a race, I didn’t feel overly Comfortable bushwhacking around, cutting lines etc. so I waited at a standstill for about 7 minutes. In hindsight the pace of these first three miles was probably great for me. It forced me to start slow and also took off the pressure later- if I had walked at the start, I can walk later on. Still, a bit frustrating when I was hopping to go and make the most of the coolest part of the day.

There were aid stations every ~ 7 miles. There was steady traffic all the way to the first station although I was able to pass people on wider sections. It started to clear out significantly by mile 14, and I felt almost alone by mile 21. The aid stations were fantastic. There was a smorgeshbored of food and drinks, although I was carrying my own so I focused on the pickles. Yum. They were also a tremendous mental break and easy to break the race into 7 mile segments that made it extremely manageable.

The trail is listed as unimproved, but it was well blazed and despite the fact that there were seldom bridges at stream crossings, overall most of it was in pretty good shape. There were lots of extremely muddy sections, the kind of mud that you can’t get any traction in. It is also advertised as 7600 ft of climb and not for the feint of heart. Honestly, the hills didn’t seem that bad to me, and most often I passed a huge number of people going up them. A few had unoffical aid stations with people handing out popsicles at the top. This year the direction was E, which i was told many times is the more difficult direction because of the concentration of hills in the second half. I guess I won’t find out unless I try an even year.

I was able to text Syd and friends a few times- what a change from AR! A good way to raise spirits. She also met me at aid station 4 and I did a small amount of restocking of snacks and ice in my bladder. She said I looked good coming in, and it was a mental boost to see her. The 7 miles into aid 4 were probably among the hardest due to the hills and sun exposure. I also caught up to the back of the half challenge pack. Most of those people were not fast hikers, so it was another round of waiting in lines. One line for a particular steep downhill was on the order of 15 minutes! Ugg!

The last section was also difficult, but I think that’s to be expected. There were still quite a few hills and sun exposure. This is also the first time I let me food and ecaps lapse- I am always extra bad near the end of races! My stomach held out until the last 2 miles. I was also getting rather dehydrated so I picked up my water intake as much as I could. At the 2 mile mark I decided to run it in to the finish. I got about one mile behind me before I just couldn’t keep up anything faster than a walk. Syd was cheering for me at the finish which felt super lame with .5 miles uphill that I couldn’t even run the last 50 ft in a field. Next time.

I felt fantastic. The perk of a trail race is it takes a lot less mental energy so I focused on near constant eating and ecaps. I hadn’t set a timer on my new watch, but I think I beat the 30 minute target we usually shoot for. I also took a better variety of salty snacks which are better for me in the heat, including cheese crackers with peanut butter- new favorite! Also ate almost a full bag of pretzel rods over the course of the race, I had them in my pack with the top open so I could reach behind and grab a few! Also ate gu, waffles, and pringles and pickles at the aid station.

I cannot be more pleased with how this went. While the weather helped me a bit, I never feel this good for 10 hrs in the summer. Focus on food and electrolytes is key. I know this but I still fail usually.

Other lesson learned:
Get there earlier to get in line! There also may have been a trail runners line?
Shoulders are scorched. But sunscreen holds heat. Not sure of best approach.
Stay focused on food and ecaps!
I brought a cal topo map and a compass. Compass probably not necessary, but it was nice to keep loose contact on the map.
The trail runner community is pretty nice. Should engage more.

Results soon.

C • Yay! 2

Easy run. Increased ‘easy’ speed means I think I am finally better!

Feeling back to 95%.