The Long Run

33.2@12:00  HR 158 bpm

Long Play 33 1/3 Trail Race, 18th place overall

Big improvement over last year where it took me over 9 hours and running 40 miles due to missing a turn and having to backtrack.  This year I ran the course with no mishaps.  I was hoping to break 6 hours, so went out at a pace in the 10:00-10:30 range  (would need about a 10:45 average).  

Weather was decent but our cold snap had just broken so it ended up getting warm later into the race.  First 8 miles were pretty easy and right on track, was doing 7/1 run/walk.  As expected and planned for I slowed down a little during the low water trail section where we ran through cypress grove with lots of roots, got through that ok but didn't get my pace back right away, still a little slow until after the next aid station.  I'd been playing leap frog with a woman for a few miles, then she split off to use a porta potty.   After the aid station, got back into my old pace (miles 9, 10, and 11 were 11:26, 11:26, 11:29), mile 12 was 10:17.

Mile 16 had the little ravine (sometimes decorated with gnomes) which slowed me down to 11:36, but this was somewhat expected.  Mile 17 a little faster at 11:14 as I ran through the charred remains of the controlled burn, still a few small fires burning/smoldering.

Mile 18 was up and over Tucker Hill with aid station at the top, slowing me down to 13:47.  The leap from woman from earlier had caught up to me and passed me but I was able to leave the aid station before me.

Sometimes, in past races, after this point (getting over the hump of Tucker Hill) in the race I feel good and end up getting some speed back.  Just a few days ago I had some sort of viral infection, mild body aches, a little bit of congestion and then even as late as Friday evening I had to come home from work a little early and take a nap before dinner.  Fortunately, S's friend was over and she brought over Carraba's for dinner -chicken parm and sausage lentil soup for me. So, by the next morning I finally felt back to normal and ready to go.

But, maybe I wasn't fully recovered.  Miles 19 and 20 I was barely faster than a 13 minute pace.  The lady from before breezed past me.  I got a little worried, it suddenly became really hard.  I cut back to 3/1 run/walk which I could hold, I could survive 3 minutes of running after a walk break.  Most miles in the 13 minute pace range, two more people would pass me.  Panic subsided, and could finish the race.  Still a little bit slow and a bit off from my sub-6:00 goal.

Once I got back home spent some time helping Andy move to his new apartment in St. Pete area, kind of bittersweet but also proud of him for taking the next step.

7.06@10:38  HR 125 bpm

Ran from my house, then over to Starkey Gap trail to Keystone then back home

AM 5.27@9:56     HR 129 bpm

5 easy miles in Westlake Village

PM 3.05@10:13

Humpday Hustle run with Evan and Daisy starting from Longleaf church.

5.93@8:06

28 minutes@7:40 pace, garmin suggested workout, not a super great run but did what I was asked.  Looping in Westlake Village

4.39@10:37    HR 131 bpm

Easy paced run in Westlake Village

10.36@8:51  HR 154 bpm

Longish medium run up and down Starkey Blvd and a little into the park

4.39@9:26    HR 138 bpm

Starkey Gap trail out and back easy run

5.68@8:54  HR   134 bpm

Garmin suggested workout, easy run with a set of 10 second sprints - supposed to do at something like 4:45 pace. My sprinting needs work, was not coming close (maybe getting to mid 5 minute pace).  

Adding in these sprints seems to improve pace/heart rate measure with sub-9:00 average in low 130's for heart rate average

5.02@9:50   HR   138 bpm

Westlake Village easy run loops

5.13@45:00

Easy run day, goal 8:19-9:19 average, out and back run on Starkey Gap Trail from Trinity Blvd.

5.79@8:48  HR 

Speed repeats day, warm up 15 minutes easy, then 6 x 1min @6:09-6:39 pace, then 6x30 seconds @5:19-5:39, all repeats had one minute rest (easy jog) between.

Finished up with 5 minutes easy pace.

Was in range or pretty close on all of them.

Run in Westlake Village with most of the repeats on Sandy Hook.

5.15@8:45   HR 147 bpm

Easy run day, 45 minutes (actually 45:07 to make sure it wouldn't show up as 44:59) inside Westlake Village.  Started with 5 minutes @9:58, then 35 minutes at around 8:30ish pace, then 5 minute easy at 9:07

4.81@8:21   HR 146 bpm

Once again I'm way behind on blogging, so I'll start with where I'm at and try and backfill later.  I signed up with Garmin for their half marathon training plan with Coach Greg, today I'm on week 2.  This weekend I've got the 74ish mile Georgia Death Race which is not on the plan but wanted to get started with the plan right away.  

Today's workout was called a progression run but was a little different from what I've done before and called progression runs where you have a steady increas mile after mile.  This run was 5 minute warmup, 20 minutes "easy" pace 8:19-9:19, then 10 minutes hard at 6:19-6:39, then 5 minute cool down.  Knew the hard would be hard.  Kind of humid this morning but not really hot but felt a little sluggish.

At the start of the fast section thought I've be ok as I saw a 6:30 pace, but that quickly faded to barely staying under 7:00, managed a 6:54 for the mile, and then for the remainder of the 10 minutes, pace was 6:35 - so at least that portion was within range.

Route was in Westlake Village with start at the top of Woodcutter - hoping that would give me a boost.

Saturday's run is supposed to be 100 minutes at 8:19-9:19, but instead will be 76 miles and lots of elevation, lots of trail, some dirt/gravel road.

Rocky Raccoon was not nearly as hilly as Georgia will be but hopefully some of the successes there will help me like better lighting, trekking poles along with maybe better weather.  It's still going to be hard.

12.55@20:53

Georgia Death Race DNF - exceeded cutoff time

My second DNF this year but first ever getting pulled from course "Sorry Dude, can't let you go on"

Boarded start line bus at 2:30, left at 2:45, got to Reece Farm just after 4:00, was starting to feel a little sick on the twisty road but ride was over by the time it had just started getting bad.  Had a fire in the open air pavillion, was kind of cold.  Would warm up a little while going half way up the big climb before temp dropped again.

This is a tough race and when I did it in 2016 I was surprised how hard it was.  This time I knew what I was getting into.  The day before the race, RD Sean advised runners to take it easy starting out.   I guess I took it a little too easy.  Plan was to get up and over that first big climb and slowly make up the time.

Out of the gate, people took off pretty fast (for an Ultra), but it does start out on a paved road going downhill slightly.  I was quickly way behind the big pack with just a few runners behind me.  First two miles 11:42, 13:30.   Then in the third mile started the big climb, and had 17:26 for that mile.  It was dark (5:00 am) but I had good lighting.  Miles 4, 5, 6,and 7 were between 23:00 and 27:10.

At 7.5 miles was the first aid station, my pace had already picked up a little bit and including the quick stop at the aid station that mile was 21:38.

I knew I couldn't afford many more over 21:00 minute miles.  I knew the minimum pace was somewhere under 21:00 minutes but did not know the exact number (I should have, that was a huge mistake).

Next aid station was only 5 miles.  I couldn't remeber the exact cutoff time.

Miles 9-12 : 20:53, 23:51, 23:08, 19:25

Those two miles at 23 were probably the nail in the coffin. It was more the downhills on the technical sections that were slowing me down than the uphills, although I wasn't exactly crushing the uphills.  In that final mile and a half I caught a glimpse of a guy ahead of me but then lost him.  

That guy made it to the aid station in time.  My official time there was 4:21:25. My last half mile pace was about 19:30.  There were actually two guys there that had made the cut but were calling it quits.

There was someone way a few minutes behind me and someone way behind me that the Sweeper was running with, so that's why I never saw the sweeper.

I felt really dumb.  There were a few times at the top of the mountain that I started to get out my phone for a picture, stunning sunrise view, shouldn't miss those, right?

Looking at the results, not a single runner that took more than 4 hours to get to 12.5 miles completed the race.  There was someone I think in the 3:50ish range that finished.  I think the DFL came through in mid 3:30's

Since they were breaking down the aid station and people were leaving I didn't have to wait forever for a ride (big warning for this race is DNF means you might have to wait hours for a ride home).  So, luckily I did not have to wait.  Got a ride back with a volunteer driving an old VW Golf wagon with over 300k miles, but to me it felt like a limo and he even drove me to the top of the hill where the hotel was instead of the bottom near the finish line and where we got the buses.

Checked out of hotel a day early and stayed with my friend Joe at his house on the lake near Milledgeville.