Sacred Simplicity

Some runs are complicated, full of planning and mental exhaustion that can bring you to your knees before you even lift a foot.  Not MGM.  This run is simplicity at its finest...no fees, no fuss, no worries.  Coach summarizes it up here better than I ever could.  The day started early, at CVS as  always, where I met up with Coach and Mrs. Coach, who I haven't seen in way too long.  We drove in the ever lightening dawn to Clifton, Virginia, where we all cozied up in the lodge while we waited for the 8 am start time.  After a prerequisite group picture, we were off.

This is the back end of BRR, and also includes part of the WHM, so it is a course I know as well as any I have run multiple times.  Blue blazes guided the path until the  Do Loop, but luckily, the kind VHTRC'ers in charge hung ribbons to get runners through that infinite maze.  Last year I was in the loop for a frantic 2 1/2 hours before I bushwacked up a steep hill and knocked on a door for directions to the road.  Good times.  This year, my new found trail confidence (and the several other runners around me) assured that I would have no issues with getting lost.  I even went the right way, which, if you read the report, was not even a requirement.  The leaves were deep, deep, deep.  It was hard to know what was underfoot, but in some ways, I like that better.  Up, down, up, down,  until we emerged, no worse for the wear.

Do Loop Exit Reward

I don't know why, and maybe it is because I am just too exhausted from working so much to care, but I have been zoning out on these runs like never before.   And it is working for me.  I take care of my body by eating and drinking, my mind by watching and listening, and I just keep going.

I soak in being outside, in the cold, in the forest, with the leaves crunching, the trees creaking, and the wind whispering.  I catch up with old friends, meet new friends, and just keep going.  There is no pain, no tiredness, no fear - just the sacredness of the woods and the running.  And I love it.

Potomac Heritage, Stone Mill and Dallas to Boot!

There is a moment unlike any other when I climb into bed, still damp from my post 50 mile shower, lay down my head and take a breath.  Everything hurts, but everything feels so damn good.  I am beyond tired, but I don't want to go to sleep.  I play it over and over in my head until finally, I am out.  Probably more than anything, that is the reason, that exact moment, why I sign up for these crazy ultra races.

I have been fortunate this fall in that all my "training" races went off without a hitch.  I wasn't sick, wasn't injured, and even working long hours at my new job didn't turn me into a doughy mess. I was able to keep a fairly consistent, if unorthodox running schedule, and completed my runs with no lingering side effects.  After Patapsco Valley 50K, I headed to DC for the Potomac Heritage 50K.

I really was this happy the entire run

 This might well be my favorite 50K besides Hashawha.  The trails are so foot friendly, there are boulders to climb- right up the side of waterfalls, and we even cross over the Potomac River with a full view of the Washington Monument.

Add to that the gracious hospitality of the RD and volunteers, and a fun after party, and it makes for the perfect race.  I am a sucker for full body activities, so a 50K where you use your arms a lot just makes my day.  Scrambling up huge boulders and racing down switchbacks right in the heart of Washington is unbelievably cool.

I ran my best time at this race, even before the minutes deducted for completing some crazy ass hilarious stunts at aid stations.  (I even compromised my principles and ate SPAM)  What??

Hey, I will do plenty of crazy things to shave a minute off my time

 After PH50K I headed to Dallas for a work conference so I was able to rest up (if you call miles and miles of walking "rest".)  On the plus side, I now know every inch of the convention center and surrounding area.  I wish I had more "non-working" time to really see more of  the city, but what I captured was pretty cool.
 

so many boots...so little time

When I returned home, I was psyched for Stone Mill.  50 miles is no longer daunting and the day looked to be an exact picture of my perfect running weather: cold and sunny.  Heat is just not my friend anymore, and by heat, I mean running in anything over 50-60 degrees. When I saw the high was going to be 43, I secretly cheered (since so many other runners were cursing the cold).

You HAD to know this was coming!!!

While last year I let my mind wander throughout this race, I was all in for 2014.  I had a strategy of sorts - beyond finishing.  I wanted to run the towpath from mile 25, and keep enough to run alot of the later miles rather than walking it in.  I wanted to be able to confidently find my way in the dark woods for the last few miles, and I wanted to run a smart race that wouldn't leave me popping advil for the next two days.  I am happy to say that I almost made all my goals.  While the river view was magnificent, it couldn't distract me enough to keep me running consistently on the tow path, even for just under 4 miles.  But when I walked, I walked fast - and only two runners passed me, so that wasn't bad.  I was so in the zone for the whole day that I never used my drop bags,  never changed clothes (adding or subtracting layers), never even scurried into the woods for a nature call.  I just kept going.  In fact, the miles ticked by faster than ever before.

Running a lot, walking when I needed a break.  I made sure to be smart at the aid stations, and along with my turkey and swiss on rye, ate potatoes, bananas and coke.  Towards the end I also had some chicken noodle soup that was so very good and so very hot!  Perfect.  The second to last aid station workers were handing out donuts and I almost popped one in my mouth, but with only 8 miles to go, the last thing I needed was an unwanted pit stop.  When it did finally get dark, I pulled out my handheld and just carried on - no fear, no worries.  When I reached the underpass where I have gotten off track the last two years, there was a kind volunteer with a flashlight directing us back to the trail, but I suspect I would have found it this time anyway.  It was that kind of a day.  The last push of woods, a long few miles, and we were on the road again.  I knew I had plenty of time, but I was anxious to be in, so I put my light away and ran by the street lights to the finish line.  I didn't set any records, but was 10 minutes faster than last year, and 20 minutes faster than the year before.

  More importantly, I had a fantastic day out there.  And while walking was still painful the next day, I made it without advil and by Tuesday I didn't even feel like I had run!