Comrades

I will be glued to my computer tomorrow, working and following what has to be the biggest ultramarathon in the world. I will be keeping my fingers crossed for ex-fellow Morgantown runner and training partner Phil Turk, who I think will pleasantly surprise himself  and break nine hours. Go Phil!

Also, good luck to Ian Sharman (whom I have not met yet, but writes one of my favorite blogs) with sneaking under six hours and into the top ten! I look forward to reading the race reports.

Looking for Dragons

I had a great time running the Brecon Beacons 40-miler last weekend. The race itself did not pan out as I was hoping, but I was happy with my effort and I learned a few lessons.

As it turns out, there are plenty of hills in Britain!

The race did not start at the ridiculously unsustainable pace that I am used to from ultramarathons in the US. So I decided to stretch out the field a bit and led the first few flat miles, probably running low to mid seven-minute miles, but feeling fairly comfortable. Just as I expected, the people with ambitions to win the race followed, and I got to run with or behind them in order to get a feel for their styles. We hit the first climb as a group of five or six, and everyone was looking fairly strong.

I was excited by the prospect of an exciting race and was feeling mentally and physically ready to compete hard. Just like at Highland Sky last year, I had no idea who the runners around me were. For example, I had chatted with Andrew James before the start, without realizing he just won two tough ultras in a row, including a UKA title at the Highland Fling after a good battle with Jez Bragg. 

After 14 years of ‘rabbit’ pacing strategy in races, I have recently been experimenting with a more patient approach, so after the pace settled, I decided to hang back, keep the leading trio (Mark, Andrew, and Daniel) in sight, stuff myself with as many calories as I could, and put everything I had in a big push in the last 10 miles. This seemed like a very sound strategy, but it did not account for getting off course, which interfered with the plan quite a bit.

This being a race with an unusually well-marked course for the UK, I still struggled with following the markers throughout. I got significantly off course on at least three occasions, which is really three too many, given the strength of the runners competing at the front. 

 I loved the aesthetics of the course markers.

But I need to get a LOT better at following them.

After losing about 10 minutes with the first wrong turn I took, I tried hard to not let that affect me mentally and I patiently reeled in two of the three runners who had passed me while I was off course. But the second time that happened, I realized my race was over, so I just focused on running the harder second half of the course as smoothly as I could and finishing strong. The two runners behind me kept catching me because I kept missing turns or having to stop or backtrack to make sure I was going the right way. Every time that happened, I would get competitive again and open a small gap on them, and this little game was sufficient to distract me from the inevitable fatigue and muscle pain.

Happily sporting my WVU raceware.

I finished in 6:45 and was satisfied with my running, even if I was also a bit disappointed to miss out on competing with the top four (not that I think I would have necessarily been able to). Ironically but also fairly, I was penalized by 25 min. for one of my jaunts off course. The ironic part was that I still ran at least two extra miles overall. But it was also fair because in one occasion, I inadvertently took a shortcut in terms of both distance and elevation gain, which also misled the runner behind me (sorry Barry!). 

In the end, it was a great day of running across some stunningly beautiful mountains. The race was organized impeccably, and hanging out and chatting with the other runners at the finish line was really nice. I guess I will have to pull the map out of my pocket next time and start using my brain a bit while I run.  Thanks again to MCN and the course marshals! I look forward to the next event from this series.

Saturday Morning (Running with a Wolf)

Over the last year, the Saturday early-morning runs with Jason Balko have been a real test for my motivation to train and improve. It has been hard to explain to anyone, including myself at times, why I opt for getting up at 4 am and having gels and S-caps for breakfast. But with both of us having dynamic family lives, this is often the only way to squeeze in a long run.

In some perverse way, I have actually come to enjoy these runs quite a bit. Today was a great example. Jason let me sleep in (I think he averages 3-4 hours of sleep per night), and we took the ‘late and more relaxed’ 6 am start at Coopers Rock. As usual, I was half-asleep for the first few miles, but then started to feel really good. Our paces were well-synchronized, the trails were dryer than they have been in a long time, and the greening-up forest felt like home. 

I am really glad you didn’t have to go pour cement this morning, Jason!

 Jason (left) and I, happy to have finished the 2011 Frozen Sasquatch 50k.

Hello World!

Based on past experience with keeping a diary, this may well be my last post, but I enjoy reading and talking about trail running (oh, and I like running), so there is a chance I will get into writing about it too. I am moving from Morgantown, WV to Aberystwyth, UK, and I will try to use this blog as a way to stay in touch with my running friends in the US.

I just entered my first race in the UK and found out that I will be buying a compass, a space blanket, a first-aid kit, and a whistle! So much for the Krupicka-style running with just a bottle and shorts, but I look forward to the experience of more self-sufficient ultramarathons. This race would also give me 2 points as a qualifier for UTMB next year, and that definitely adds some motivation.

Once I am done with my run at Coopers Rock tomorrow, I will be looking for updates on Miwok. I am curious if the so called "old man" can do it again. I don’t think it will be easy with Mike Wolfe, Dakota Jones, Ian Sharman (even if he’s not racing) and the Oregon crew in the mix. It should be an exciting race, I hope I can be part of one of these someday!