My, the weather forecast inaccurate!
When the rain started I thought it might be a brief drizzle.
As the drips in the forest became louder and water began to
accumulate on the trail it became apparent this was the real thing.
It poured for the last three hours of the run.
For the most part the rain was cool and refreshing.
The rain weighted down on low branches, requiring extra hand work to
protect one’s face.
My goal was simple.
I wanted to have enough gas in my engine to enjoy the second half of
the run. So I went out slowly
and easy-walked every uphill. “Save
energy…save it for later…save the legs…listen to your body…ignore
the other runners…save…stay rested…keep saving…” were variations
on my mantra during the first half of the course.
I arrived at
Spruce
Lake
(9.0 miles) with legs feeling minimal wear and tear.
I reached the
West
Canada
Lake
trail junction at 16.5 miles still running easy and relaxed.
A secondary goal was to beat six hours.
Simple arithmetic told me it should be possible to run 10-minute
miles, with 40 minutes left over for walking hills, filling water bottles,
and the miscellaneous break. My
time at 16.5 miles was
2:55
hours. I thought it unlikely I
could keep the same pace for the second half of the run.
Yet during the second half the trail turns out to be eminently
runnable for long stretches. There
are fewer of the hills and bogs that punctuate the first half.
Miles passed by quickly and easily even as the trail slowly filled
with rain water. I continued to
walk the uphills.
Crossing the last bridge at
5:06
hours (5.5 miles to go) I figured I had a shot at six hours.
My spent legs kept up a steady pace.
I reached the dirt road (1.3 miles from the finish) still 13 minutes
and 45 seconds under six hours. I
still can’t figure out why there is more uphill than downhill on this
road, but eventually one makes it to the dam and the finish line.
I spent most of the run by myself.
About 3-4 miles into the course most of the runners were positioned.
I occasionally saw runners ahead of me on the hills.
Franz was refilling his water holder when I arrived at the big stream
at 16.7 miles. He departed first
and that was the last I saw of him. I
didn’t see another runner for about ten miles, until I passed Greg and
Kerry during the last hour of the run.
Gear
I used a different strategy this
year. While the backpack was
comfortable last year, it required loosening straps and taking it off every
time I wished to access a water bottle or food – this was tough to do on
the run. This year I decided to
keep everything around the waist for easy access.
Four eight-ounce water bottles and two pouches hung on an Amphipod
waist belt. The pouches held
water purification tablets and bug spray (both held in a contact lens case),
electrolyte tablets (hardly needed this year), and 2 gel packs.
My shorts from RaceReady have seven pockets which held energy bars
and gels, toilet paper, ERG/Gookinaid powder, and a tiny 1st aid
kit. I carried six items to eat,
and ate one every hour.
On the feet, the Inov8 MudRoc 280s were marvelous – with excellent
control and grip. The trail was
considerably rockier than I remembered it, and was largely under water for
the last two hours. The shoes
handled this with aplomb.
Statistics
Streams for refilling the water
bottles were plentiful. I drank
120 ounces of water, compared to 150 last year.
This was probably due to the cooling effect of the rain.
According to the double-sided tape on the back of my hat, the black
fly index this year was 14. Last
year it was 6. They liked the
wet shirt matted to one’s back.
Running strategy summary
It seems to me that miles 3-9 are
the critical ones for the run. If
a runner can get through its ups and downs and rough sections minimal drain
on the legs, then there is the opportunity keep a good pace on miles 17-26
which are quite runnable. Miles
26-32 are the easiest in terms of trail difficulty, but inevitably one’s
legs and mind are hanging on.
Thanks
Again, a big round of thanks to RD
Jim and the Wakely Dam support crew. The
strong, waterproof tents at the finish were most appreciated.
I don’t know if he played a role in getting someone to clean up the
trail with a chainsaw, but I am happy to give him the credit. There
were only 4 or 5 trees over the trail the whole day.
Jim and his team did a superb job of organizing the run in every way.