Training Log Archive: hughmac4

Event: San Juan Solstice 50 - 50 mi Trail Race
 

Event: Mason-Dixon Longest Day - 100k Trail Picnic
 

Mason-Dixon Longest Day 100k

My second DNF, this was a pretty tough race. It was 3% climb, with the toughest trail sections toward the end. I bailed out with less than 3 miles to go. Apparently I was in good company, as Jim Walmsley had serious issues at Western States. ;)

The goal of the race: finish 100k during the day: sunrise (5:38am) to sunset (8:38pm). I was hoping for 14 hours, which seemed reasonable, with a primary 'finish in daylight' goal. In hindsight, I should have had my main goal be 'just finish'. That would have kept me from panicking as my pace continued to drop throughout the day.

Things that went well:

• my gear all worked out very, very well. I was light and lean (my gear, not my belly), with only the things I actually needed


• my new Topo Athletics MT-2 shoes were perfect. No foot issues at all, even though they were wet for most of the race. I took the time at the three major aid stations to baby-powder my feet and the shoes quite heavily, and then lube my feet, and it really paid off: no blisters, no toenail issues, nothing. Happy feet!


• no chafing! I was heavy on the lube at every opportunity, and my Boa 1" split shorts once again proved their gentle nature. No shirt meant no chafing, too!


• no shirt was great. It was hot and humid (hot on the roads, humid in the woods), and I heavily-sunscreened every major aid station


• my new 'sweat string' that I made (1" cut from a buff) worked out really, really well. No sweat in my eyes, so no eye sting, even though I was sweating a lot. I highly recommend for folks (like me) who just can't stand to wear a hat for hours on end


• drop bag: I had all the right stuff. Best prep I've done


• maps and phone app: saved me several times. More on my off course time in the 'poorly', below. :)

Things that went poorly:

• number one was my training base. It was just not there to make this an enjoyable run. I've been running 'over' my ability for years, and I'm enjoying it less. I'll be trying to focus on core and strength for the rest of the summer to become a bit more 'balanced' physically


• stomach troubles had me cringing on the downhills from approximately the 25mi aid station. Not sure if it was different nutrition I was trying (dumb), or my old diverticulitis acting up, etc


• while I had all the right stuff in my drop bag, at the last aid station (45mi - Otter Creek) I forgot to switch out to larger water bottles (in anticipation of less water stations), and forgot to get my flashlight out. It was too much fun at the aid station! I was entirely distracted by the good conversation, and was feeling a bit hurried to get back out there, too


• while not critical to 'finishing' (like it was at Batona), my addition of > 1 mile (maybe 1.3?) nagged. It made me (once again) think 'I'm behind', when I was actually doing just fine for the real goal, which should have been just finish the race. I think I learned it this time. Time will tell

We started at 5:38am in the midst of a massive thunderstorm. It felt good. I went out a bit too hard, but nothing ridiculous. Again, I should have been pacing to finish, and was probably 30s/mile fast for the first half.

I managed to get lost (with the race winner!) after only a mile or two, adding 1/3 mile to my journey. I got lost a couple of other times, too, for a total of about 1.3 miles of additional distance. Nothing dramatic, but (as I was still thinking 'I have a time limit, I have a time limit') weighing on my mind a bit. Thanks to the GaiaGPS app on my phone (which I'd pre-loaded with the course), I was back on course quickly once I realized my mistakes (the hard part). The course was marked well enough, I was just spacing out at critical navigational moments.

The water stops, aid stations, and the Trail Dawgs (race organizers) were amazing! For a race with 22 entrants, it was shocking. There were 6 or 7 folks travelling around, keeping an eye on us, and really making me feel good.

There was a good bit more road than I'd expected. I knew there was some, but never measured ... roughly 15 miles. Brutal for me mentally, as I'm an avowed road-hater, so never practice on it at all, and really never will.

I got very lucky with my 'end', too. I hadn't seen anyone since the 45mi aid station (so > 4 hours), and was out of water, and no light, and the sun had gone down, and I was inching my way up and over some rocky trail to what I thought was the last water stop. Happily, 2 guys caught me there, and guided me in, and one of their friends was waiting there with drinks for them, and she gave me a ride to the finish, while they pressed on. I was feeling down for dropping with such a short distance to go, but felt better when they finally came into the finish over an hour and a half later. Wow!

I was pretty tired (and it was now 12:30am, after waiting for and then getting an hour-long ride back to the start) so I decided to get a hotel room in Havre De Grace, but the three places I stopped were all No Vacancies! So I slowly drove home, eating the best McFood I've ever eaten.

C • wow 5

Beautiful day! A 30 minute walk.