Waking again at the heart warming time of 2:40AM, race day was underway as I headed over to Keith's to pick him up and drive just over 2 hours north to the Trapp Family Lodge. Set in the Green Mountains, the early morning views from the start/finish area were quite spectacular. The course itself was a 25k loop which we would complete twice. With roughly 2,500ft of elevation gain per lap, there was quite a bit of up hill battling.
Armed with a hand held bottle and an extra 10oz of fluid in a flask in the front of my vest, (Note to self: DO NOT try and "clean" bladders and bite valves the night before a race and break them.) we started the 4.5 mile ascent to the highest point on the course. At this point in the day the air was still relatively cool, but the humidity was high. I was trying to push fluids early on as not to find myself in a hole later.
This first initial climb was via a series of cross country ski trails, which wound their ways around the front of the mountain. It was steep in sections but mostly runnable, or at least I made it runnable as to keep pace with the immediate guys around me, and even gain a bit on them. Cresting the top of the hill was the first aid station, which I stopped only long enough to fill my bottle before taking off on the long down hill section. Aside from a few wet spots, the next 5.5 miles to the next aid station were quick and easy. Lots of great scenery to be had as well.
I come into the second aid station in the rising heat of the morning to refill my bottle and grab a thing or two to eat. They also had a chia fresca shot which was outstanding! The next few miles of trail were in and around the woods and fields of Trapp Lodge. I was feeling great and running right where I felt I should have been. And that's when the extremely urgent need to "use the woods" hit. Not an issue, as I'm pretty much a zen master of this activity, but I did lose at least 4 to 5 minutes, which was kind of disheartening when I was running as well as I was.
The next four miles started out crossing a cow pasture, complete with compliments of the cows previously grazing on said pasture, before ducking back into the woods for what seemed like forever. In this section I was able to catch up to one of the runners I had lost during my bathroom break. We both noted that the miles in this section seemed extra long. The trail here was a bit rougher, with uneven footing, making it imperative to pay attention to where your foot was landing.
After a brief pass of another cow pasture, the trail meandered up to a dirt road and straight back to the start finish area where we would begin our second lap. I came into the half way point at 2:22, ready to refill my bottle and replenish my GU supply, which I had been steadily eating one every half hour along with an S-Cap. When refilling my bottle I may have gotten a little too excited and pounded the rest of the gatorade mix from my drop bag. I left for my second lap with a not so settled stomach.
Starting the 4.5 mile climb again, only this time in much warmer, bordering on hot, temperatures was not so much of a treat. There was a lot more walking on the steeper sections here, which if you could muster up the strength, you could use it in your favor and catch up to a few people who were walking themselves. I joined in with a few other guys that way as we trekked up to the top, which seemed a lot further for some reason this time. The race photographer found us looking really sharp in this section too. Why can't they ever get my finishing kick?
We crest the top again at mile 20 and come into the aid station where I filled my bottle and ate some orange slices. While eating there, one of the runners from the trek up the hill notes that he is having a "squarely mediocre day" to one of the volunteers. I wanted no part of his shitty day. I grabbed a slice of watermelon and took off down the trail.
The next few miles provided some much needed relief from the up hill. Cruising down the backside of the mountain while listen to a banging DJ mix put me right back into it. There were even some cooler breezes blowing through the woods at that point. Things were alright!
I came into the next aid station, which had quite the crowd of cheering spectators. I filled my bottle again, had their fine chia fresca shot, and took another watermelon slice for the road. 6 more miles to go.
It became clear that focusing on nutrition was going to be key to success. While I was putting down a GU every half hour, it seemed I was feeling worn before it was time for the next one and the hole I would find myself in would happen quickly. The second I found myself getting low I ate another GU and within minutes was back in the game.
As the day was getting hotter, I was pushing more fluids. The hand held bottle I had was draining faster than at any other point in the day. I finally reached into my vest pocked for the small flask I brought with me for such and occasion, and dumped that into my main bottle. Just a few more miles. Let's do this.
Running back in the cow pasture section, the miles seemed to take forever. Sections of the course that I remembered from my first pass through, which I was sure were just around the next bend, were nowhere to be seen and it wasn't getting any cooler out there.
Finally I find myself turning onto the dirt road that brings me into the finish. I quickly find a tune on my ipod that will get me there in no time, and start hauling ass into the finish.
Its funny how the visual of the finish makes every issue your body has completely disappear. My toes, which had been slamming into the front of my shoes for the past 10 miles (nails will be lost), suddenly were fine in my dash for the finish. I cross in 5:14, good for 20th place. The pint glass finisher's award and complimentary Trapp Lodge Brewing beer fill topped off one solid day of running!
