Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Bull Run Run 2023 -- Hot Spring Weather

April 15

Significant science research has been focused on endurance.  Much of it has investigated training, including the taper before the goal race.  Carbohydrate loading has become universally accepted as key to an optimal performance.  Equally important to fueling one’s body for an event is the proper amount of rest in the one to three weeks before an event.  Before I read any of Jeff Galloway’s books, I thought rest of a few days, maybe even a week, was more than sufficient.  Over time, I have learned that my body really prefers a three week taper.  The very hard, long training runs take a toll on the body.  It takes time for the body to fully recover and heal from the long runs.

I have been training hard this spring, along with playing hard as well.  The month of March started with six straight days of skiing in Big Sky, Montana.  A week later I was in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia training on Priest and Three Ridges.  Two weeks after that I was in the mountains of north Georgia pacing James at the Endurance Hunter 100 miler.  James and I rambled in the dark, up and down some steep trails for 11 hours and 37 miles in route to a fifth place finish for him.  Now two weeks after that, I am toeing the line of the Bull Run Run 50 miler.  Are my legs rested?  Not as much as I usually like them to be.  Am I mentally rested?  Nope, I worked on my airplane Thursday afternoon for four and a half hours and two and a half more hours on Friday morning before finishing and flying to Manassas airport.

On top of my less than ideal taper, the weather is forecasted to be a little warm.  The dew point is in the 60s, and the high is going to climb to the high 70s.  I guess I will take this race easy and see how it unfolds for me.  The cut-off is generous for a 50-miler at 13 hours.  This is my 14th time running this race.  My fastest time was 9:07 in 2007, and my slowest was 11:47 in 2019.  Last year, I ran 10:37 last year in almost perfect temperatures with the high reaching 53 degrees.

Mile 7.2      1:27:41 (12:11 avg./mile) Centreville Road

Strolling outbound
This year the course is the low water course.  Not only are the stream crossings low,
but the trail is dry and rock hard.  There will be no slipping and sliding around this year unlike most episodes of this event.  I pass Mike Campbell before we enter the single track.  Kari Brown says she is going to take it easy this year, and she is true to her word and is well behind me.  Kevin is here at this first aid station with his bull horn welcoming all of us.  I climb the steps, circle the road construction barrel, and descend back down the steps to continue north.  I didn’t grab any food at this point, and I have plenty of water in my Camelbak.

Mile 9.7      28:42 (11:29 avg./mile) Bluebell Loop

I settle into a steady, relaxed glide as I float along this very flat section.  The field of 221 runners has spread out very well, and I find myself not in close vicinity of the other runners.  I am now at the northern lollipop loop.  It is time to head back south towards Hemlock.  Again, I click my watch and keep on rolling, not pausing for anything at the aid station.

Mile 12.5    31:37 (11:17 avg./mile) Centreville Road

It is warm and humid, but there is also a breeze with only a few drops of rain this morning.  In these conditions, I am making efficient time.  I let my mind wander for a second, and BAM! I catch my left toe and fall to the dirt.  There are a couple of problems here.  First, my left toe has been somewhat of a problem since Big Sky.  I have jammed it several times and each time the pain is very intense!  Don’t worry, it deadens out after several minutes.  The other problem is that I am dusty and have a scrape on my right knee.  I dust myself off and resume my running pace, although it isn’t as smooth as it was previously.  Back at this aid station, Kevin is still here with his bull horn.  I grab a PB&J sandwich quarter and a few potato chips.

Mile 17.6    1:09:13 (13:34 avg./mile) Hemlock Overlook

Alone with my thoughts
As the heat builds, I conscientiously back off of my pace.  I remain steady in the
field, and I hear Kari Brown behind me somewhere.  As I make my way back to the start/finish, I meet Lauris Trimble.  She is running this race for her eighth time.  She is an Army officer, so her finishes at this race are scattered from 2003 to last year.  I am thinking that I can keep a smooth, relaxed pace with Lauris.  At the aid station, I don’t need to change my shoes or socks as the trail is rock hard and dry.  This is most unusual compared to many years when it is a mud fest, especially for the early miles.  I grab two PB&J sandwich quarters and walk up the hill to start the “back half.”

Mile 21.9    1:05:01 (15:07 avg./mile) Bull Run Marina

Leaving Hemlock, it feels measurably warmer.  I stay with Lauris most of this section as we chat away, but as we cross the soccer fields, I let her go ahead as I am thinking and feeling like I need to slow down some more.  I kick another root on this section with my left toe.  I don’t fall, so that is good, but the pain is intense nonetheless.  At the aid station, I grab a pickle along with a handful of potato chips as I walk through.

Mile 26.1    1:08:05 (16:13 avg./mile) Wolf Run Shoals

The heat continues to build, and I keep my pace smooth and slow.  I kick another root with my left toe, and I almost lose it coming down a hill.  However, I hang on and stay upright as the intense pain flows up my leg.  I am running with Adam and Chris from Westminster, Maryland when we meet a lady out walking on the trails.  She says, 2 out of 3 is pretty good for shirtless runners.  Adam and Chris have their shirts off at this point, and I am the odd one out in this group.  I get into this aid station, and Alex and his crew are doing a fantastic job as always.  I eat several strawberries and then move on as the heat is building, and I don’t think I need to eat anything else at this point.  I took salt tablets at three and six hours into the race.

Mile 28.9    50:30 (18:02 avg./mile) Fountainhead

My pace continues to slow inversely proportional to the temperature.  I am thinking that I just need to maintain a reasonable rate to finish this thing.  Obviously, I am not going to set a personal best as my cumulative time is already 6 hours and 40 minutes, and I am not too far past halfway.  Amy, Edward, and Charlie are at this aid station waiting for me.  Charlie has a sign that says, “Go G’pa Go!”  It is great to see them, but it only slightly distracts me from the heat.  I take the shirt off, and they slather me with sunscreen.  I drink a little chocolate milk before grabbing another PB&J sandwich quarter from the table.

Shirt removed

Mile 32.9    1:11:29 (17:52 avg./mile) Do Loop

The course this year is the “normal” course, meaning that we run the white trail before heading towards the do loop.  The white trail is this curvy trail that goes nowhere for almost two miles.  Then we get to head out to the do loop.  At this point, there are many runners returning that are a couple of hours ahead of me.  I see Kathleen and many other runners heading back in as I struggle to keep moving forward.  At the do loop, the scene is looking grim, but not quite yet a mash unit.  I eat two quesadilla quarters and ensure my Camelbak is topped off before entering the do loop.

Mile 35.5    50:26 (19:24 avg./mile) Do Loop

I am thinking that I need to keep running all of the downhills to stay in front of the cut-off times.  The start of the do loop is mostly downhill to the river.  As I am running down the hill, my hamstrings decide they are going to start cramping.  I walk a little before carefully running the rest of the way down the hill.  At the river the course turns left and starts a series of climbs followed by short downhill sections.  The downhills are short, which is good as they aren’t long enough for my legs to cramp again.  At the old Ford Fairlane, there is a tribute to Chris Scott, who passed away a couple of weeks ago.  He was also one of a handful of guys that started this race in the early 90s.  When I get back to the aid station, I have less than 30 minutes on the cut-off time, but I can’t drop out here as my crew is at Fountainhead.  I sit, eat a quesadilla quarter, and then press on to the next stop.

Mile 37.9    44:44 (18:38 avg./mile) Fountainhead

Leaving the do loop aid station, at the bottom of the hill, there is a lady throwing up.  Several runners are standing around offering various words of encouragement (what else can we do?).  I, on the other hand, have nothing to offer and pass quickly on the side.  My thinking is that if she is truly hurting, she could crawl back to the aid station that is only a couple of hundred yards away.  As I pass, all of the runners that were standing around come to the same conclusion as me and proceed with the race.  Many of these runners then pass and leave me behind.  I am struggling as I can’t push any harder since my legs will lock up if I do.  As I approach the aid station, it looks like we might finally get a rain shower that was forecasted.  That would be very welcome at this point.  I see Amy and Edward again; Charlie is asleep resting up for me.  I put my shirt back on as I think it is going to rain.  I am clearly hurting, but I decide to press on.  I am 18 minutes ahead of the cut-off time, but I am steadily losing ground.

Mile 40.6    50:20 (18:39 avg./mile) Wolf Run Shoals

The rain shower doesn’t actually grace my presence—it only spits a few drops of water before going somewhere else.  Kari Brown catches me, and we chat briefly before she leaves me behind.  She says, she told me that she was going to take it easy today, but she also says that she only has 17 minutes on the cut-off and doesn’t want to sweat the cut-offs any closer than this.  Sean Andrish and his sister, Shannon, come by me.  I had seen them very early in the race.  There is also a pair of runners who are mom and daughter.  The daughter is a fourth year at the Naval Academy, will be graduating in a couple of weeks, and then going to flight school in Pensacola.  Unfortunately, I don’t get a chance to talk with them.  I only overheard all of this information from a distance.  I manage to continue my pedestrian pace into Wolf Run Shoals aid station.  I get a few slugs of Coke in my collapsible cup and also get a handful of potato chips.  As this is a non-crew aid station there isn’t a cut-off here, but I am pretty sure I lost more ground.

Mile 44.8    1:10:43 (16:50 avg./mile) Bull Run Marina

Shortly after leaving Wolf Run Shoals, I make the strategic decision that I need to go to the whip now.  I have to get into the next aid station before six o’clock.  I reach in my pack and fish out a caffeine pill.  I pop that and within 10 minutes or so the effects begin.  I repass several runners and make excellent time getting to the marina.  I still have to manage my pace to ensure my legs, which have been on the verge of totally cramping for miles, do not fully lock up.  I power into the aid station with seven minutes to spare on the cut-off.  However, the cut-off is when I need to leave the aid station, not arrive at it.  Amy refills my Camelbak while Bob Gaylord (helping at the aid station) helps me take my shoe off so that I can get a rock out of it.  In the process of doing that, my right calf spasms and cramps, and my torso cramps while I am trying to get the shoe all the way on and tied.  I drink two collapsible cups of Coke and leave the aid station with two minutes to spare on the cut-off.

Mile 50.2    1:31:13 (16:54 avg./mile) FINISH

I have five and a half miles and only 90 minutes to get it done.  I have done this section as quickly as 1:02 in 2006 when Gary Knipling and I battle all the way to the finish, and I have done it as slow as 1:32 in 2019 when I had over an hour to spare.  I walked with purpose most of the way, running when the terrain was conducive, i.e., downhill.  The last runners I had sight of were around the soccer fields.  I am by myself for the last two miles, but fortunately, I know the marks well.  With a little over 15 minutes left, I pass the Ed C. bench marking a mile to go.  Eddie passed away a few years ago, and he and I ran dozens of races together.  I push up the last hill as quickly as I can.  I walk across the grass field as I can hear the crowd at the finish.  When I get across the field, I run the last quarter of a mile to the finish.  As the finish line comes in view, Amy is there pushing Charlie in the stroller.  When I first see the finish clock it reads 12:59:xx.  The crowd rises as one cheering me on as I get in just in time.

Official Finishing Time          12:59:44

137th out of 217 starters (137 official finishers)

Hanging out at the finish
I would like to say that it was never in doubt that I would finish, but I did a little soul searching at the Fountainhead aid station before deciding that I would press on and try to finish.  The last section was total purpose and keeping my eye on the clock.  Could I have run more, I hope so, but I don’t know.  In 1999, I finished the Hartford marathon with a time of 3:10:44, which qualified me for Boston with only 15 seconds to spare.  This had the exact same 15 seconds to spare.  This is my slowest finish at this race by over an hour and 12 minutes.

In the end, I am very satisfied at my effort, but not thrilled with my time.  I sit at the finish for over 30 minutes, sipping a little Coke, and receiving congratulations from many friends and family.  Edward walks over and retrieves my rental car, driving it really close so I don’t have to walk very far.  I get up, thank all of the volunteers that are left, and manage to get into my car and drive back to my hotel.  I now get to rest from racing until I run the Mohican Trail 100 on June 3rd.  Yes, I am returning to the Mo for the first time since 2009.  We will see what I can do.  Until then…

Never stop running,

Darin

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