Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Catoctin 50k Trail Run - Plenty of Heat and Humidity

 July 8, 2023

Our existence in this world is dynamic; it is ever changing; it is never static.  I am not the same person I was yesterday, and I am definitely not the same person I was 10 years ago.  Stop and think for a minute what you are doing today that you did 10 years ago.  Ten years ago was the last time I ran this race.  It was before I moved to Alabama.  It was before my son, Nathan, had left for college.  My daughter, Amy, was about to start her senior year of high school, and she was crewing for me for the first time solo.  Now, both of my kids have a kid or kids of their own—my kids’ kids are growing quickly, but fortunately still very young—two years old or less.

In the past 10 years, I have run scores of ultra-races—even a few with Amy or Nathan.  This year I am coming back to run this race because the timing is right, and I need it as training for my next race in six weeks—the Twisted Branch 100km in upstate New York.  I am hoping the climbs, descents, and heat will prepare me well.

My friend James decided to join me, and we are both optimistic about today.  10 years ago, I finished this race in 7:33, but it was moderate weather.  Today it is going to be hot!  Not the hottest it has been at this race, but still hot enough to test one’s heat training.  The forecast calls for a high temperature in the lower 90s, but at the start it is rather cool at about 70 degrees or so.  I meet several old friends including Rande and Kari Brown, along with Quatro Hubbard, and Alan and Pam Gowen.  One last piece of information from 10 years ago and then I will stop reminiscing.  Eddie C. was running this race, and we shared the trail for a good chunk of time that day.  Unfortunately, Ed passed away a few years ago from cancer—I miss Ed at these races in Maryland and Virginia—as I am sure many others do as well.

At the pre-race briefing, I see Kevin Bligan, who is going to work the aid station at High Knob.  I ask him if I can give him a bottle of drink stuff to have for me.  I go get my bottle of CR-2 (my own concoction from scratch) and hand it to him.  He looks at it and asks if it is water.  Nope, it isn’t water; it is just some maltodextrin and electrolytes with no magnesium.

Elevation Profile

Mile 7.0      1:43:17 (14:45 avg./mile) Delauter Road

Sometime in the last few years, the race director, Kevin Sayers, decided that this race would be better run in reverse.  So, the race now starts at the Manor parking area where the turnaround used to be.  Because of this this first section includes quite a bit of climbing.  I decide I am going to start off conservatively and see if I can run hard the second half.  Despite the fact that Kevin emphasizes that there is a sharp left turn less than 200 yards onto the trail, there are still many runners who miss this turn.  James started out well ahead of me, but here he is passing me around halfway through this section.  He says he only ran an extra half mile or so, but there were others that ran more bonus miles than that.  So, for the next several miles, the faster runners are coming back by me.  By the time I reach this first aid station, I have worked up a very good sweat (drenched actually), but I am feeling good as it isn’t too hot yet.  I grab a PB&J sandwich quarter and press on through the aid station.  This section is now at least half a mile longer than it was last time I ran this race.

Mile 10.0    45:44 (15:15 avg./mile) Hamburg Road

On this section, I am running with several other runners from the Hagerstown area—they are part of HURT (Hagerstown Ultra Running Team).  One of them is a formerly active duty Marine like me.  I stay with these guys for a mile or so and then let most of them slip away.  It is still early in the race, and I need to conserve myself for later.  I was hoping to run this section faster than this, but the clock doesn’t lie.  I eat two little cups of Fritos, and I refill my Camelbak.

Mile 17.0    1:45:45 (15:06 avg./mile) High Knob – TURNAROUND

Since I ran this race last, this section has been extended by a mile or so.  Also, more of this section is uphill than down, and it is quite a bit of work on these climbs.  The lead runners are now coming back towards me, and I lose count after 50 or so.  Rande Brown is in 13th place and looking great.  James is around 20th and looking okay.  When I meet him, he tells me it is less than two miles from here to the turnaround.  I was thinking (hoping) that it was closer to one mile as it is already 1:15 since I left the last aid station.  Unfortunately, James was really close, and it was about two miles.  I arrive at the aid station at High Knob, and Kevin Bligan is here, and he has my bottle of CR-2.  I chug the majority of the bottle—probably 10-12 ounces to put this mixture to the test in this warm, humid weather.  Kevin mentions something about it not being too hot yet, and I have to agree with him at this point.  However, the morning clouds are gone, and it looks like things will really start heating up.  It is 4 hours and 14 minutes since I started, and I am 21 minutes ahead of the cut-off—no problem.

Mile 24.0    1:59:51 (17:07 avg./mile) Hamburg Road

I cruise this section taking my time and only running the downhill sections.  I figure it is more downhill than up, so I should be able to cover this section at least as fast as I did going out.  As can be seen by my time, this is not the case.  I didn’t think I was going that slowly, but I was being conscious to keep my pace slow enough to manage the heat.  Apparently, the heat is starting to take its toll on me and my pace in this race.  I get to the aid station, refill my Camelbak again, and eat another PB&J sandwich quarter.  I took a salt tablet three hours into the race, and I took another one at the five-hour mark.  I am now only six minutes ahead the cut-offs.

Mile 27.0    57:00 (19:00 avg./mile) Delauter Road

With my cut-off margin down to nil, I really focus on making efficient progress.  I figure the cut-off for the last aid station will be 7:15, which will give me two hours to finish the last seven miles.  However, the cut-off is actually 7:10, but the aid station worker says I am fine since I made it into the aid station before the cut-off.  I leave with 2 hours and 3 minutes to finish.  I have to refill my Camelbak and take a rock out of my shoe.  The latter exercise was fraught with cramping legs.  I had aid station workers encouraging me to take some pickle juice, but I pass as my stomach is in a good place right now.

Mile 34.0    2:00:59 (17:17 avg./mile) Manor Parking Area – FINISH

Soon after leaving the aid station, Ade comes up behind me.  I had seen her at the turnaround where I was several minutes ahead of her, but now she is right with me.  I paced Ade at the Pinhoti 100 mile race in November of 2017.  We had only seen each other in passing since then, so we spend a couple of miles catching up.  At first it seemed like she was running a nice easy pace, but after a couple of miles, I let her go as I feel like I am pushing too much and getting warm.  Then a little bit later, Kari Brown catches up to me.  I heard a rumor that she had dropped at the turnaround, but alas she did not.  She said that she threw up and had diarrhea at the turnaround, but then she felt better and here she is.  So, she left the turnaround 20 minutes after me and has now caught up.  She asks me if we are going to make it, and I say I think we will.  She leaves me behind rather quickly just before we cross a dirt road that I know is two and a half miles from the finish.  I have 40 minutes to run 2.5 miles that is mostly all downhill.  At the road, I catch up to another runner, and I offer him encouragement.  At first he looks resigned to not making the finishing cut-off, but after I explain that we have until 9:15, he perks up and follows me for the next mile before he also leaves me behind—so much for encouraging another runner!  I begin to wonder whether I will finish or not given these other runners who are running away from me.  I press the downhills, but walk with purpose anything that doesn’t look like it is going downhill.  I cross a paved drive and know that I am very close, but I only have eight minutes left.  I cross the creek by wading through—not rock hopping to keep my feet dry like I did at the start.  Then it is one more short, steep uphill before the final drop to the finish line.  The clock reads…

Official Finishing Time          9:12:36

96th out of 98 finishers (150 starters)

I have made it for my seventh finish at this race.  I never dreamed it was going to take me this long!  However, the course is a couple of miles longer than the last time I ran it 10 years ago, and I am 10 years older.  It was also quite warm today with the temperature topping out around 92 degrees.  I find a bench to sit on in the pavilion and some nice aid station workers bring me cups of water.  The first and second cups of water taste really good, so I have a couple of more cups.  But, then I don’t feel so well.  So, I sit there and try to relax and let the water be absorbed into my system.  Unfortunately, before that can happen, my body decides to expel the water in several heaves.  Now, people are worried about me, and it is mentioned that I might want to go to an emergency room to get an IV.  No, I now feel much better, and I have James here to drive me back to our hotel for the night.  I take a cup of Coke with me for the ride and only sip it very slowly.


This was much better of a training event for Twisted Branch than I had envisioned.  I got plenty of climbing in, and the heat and humidity were high and thick.  I now have six weeks to recover and prepare for Twisted Branch which is a 100k in upstate New York.  I dropped out of that race a year ago at mile 50, so I am looking to redeem myself.  Until then…

Never stop running,

Darin

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