And Then It Came Crashing Down....Stone Mill Recap

Ultra distance race directors and their teams are generally a pretty chill bunch, but I could tell that there was some anxiety when one of the volunteers offered to do a car pool to the McDonalds just minutes before the start of the Stone Mill 50 Miler.  And when she announced that is was "only for those who had to do number two" I could actually FEEL the stress they were going through.

Seems the custodian from the host school decided he had time to sleep in and then get a coffee before heading to the race start to unlock the bathrooms.  Not sure when he arrived, but it was after the crowd of  runners had either taken a short walk behind a tree or hopped the carpool to the nearest bathroom.  Still, everyone was cheery and ready when we were sent off into the darkness of the morning. 
The road to the trail was a nice way to thin out the group and we established a nice line heading into the woods. We weren't on the trail for long when there was a HUGE crashing sound behind me.  I was sure it was a tree falling just feet away, but it turned out to be a deer trying to get away from the runners.  Unfortunately, the poor deer chose the wrong direction and ended up plowing into one of the runners not two miles into this 50 mile run.  And then, the deer sort of half rolled, half ran down the rest of the hill. Remarkably, the resilient runner dusted herself off and kept right on going!

Since all this took place before 7:00 am, I knew we were in for a great day!  Excitement, adventure, all of the things you sign up for when you run an ultra.  I was hoping that my new found "speed" would really shine on this day, and it did for a while.  I was hitting the aid stations ahead of my last year's time, which was ahead of the year before that.   The trail was perfect - very runnable and well marked. The aid stations had a great variety of food and amazing volunteers who offered to do everything but chew the food for me.  I settled into a good pace and just kept moving along, sharing the trails with folks I see often at races, and others who I only see once a year at Stone Mill. 

After a while, the lack of "facilities" at the start had an impact, and I was counting down the miles until the aid with the port-a-pot.  As I came out, I heard a volunteer shouting for me to hurry and catch the guy in front of me.  I could only hope I didn't have toilet paper hanging out anywhere!  But I listened and got a move on. Coming into the 28 mile aid station, I decided to change my shoes, since I had a hot spot developing.  Getting down on the ground was a lot easier than getting up again, but once I was on my way, I was fine!


There are no mountains, or river crossings, or rocks at Stone Mill, and it is very easy to just settle into a rhythm of running that that leads you to believe it is an easy run.  But 50 miles of relentless bouncing has its consequences and all that uninterrupted running might have been a bad thing for me since it started to do a number on my stomach at about the 40 mile mark. I was having trouble eating and after a while, even keeping fluid where it belongs was an effort, despite using every trick I knew.  Where last year, I was saved by ice chips and Ramon noodle soup, they didn't work their magic this time.  I made it to the final aid station right at the cut-off and was hurriedly sent on my way, even though I would have liked to linger.  Those aid workers know what they are doing for sure, since if I had even stopped for a moment, I probably would not have gone on.

 But I did, and was lucky to partner up with a youngish dude who was struggling as well.  We kept each other company for the last painful 4 miles of winding trails taking us towards, then away from the finish for what seemed like hours!!  In the end I crossed the line, but well behind my time from last year.  Not the stellar performance I was  hoping for after my awesome fall, but the gracious race director gave me a finish, my 5th at Stone Mill, so I am grateful for that.

congratulations....or pity (I'll take it!)

No Reasonable Explanation (aka Catching Up: Pt. 2)

After a couple long runs, a couple of 50Ks, and some shorter runs, I was ready for my fall marathons.  I discovered Freedom's Run  a few years ago, and it has really become one of my favorites.  Some years it has coincided with the Baltimore Running Festival, and that leaves me in a quandary, as I have a streak going at Baltimore.  Well, sort of a streak, since I have done 12/15 of the marathons.  Because it is the hometown race, I feel somewhat compelled to support it. 

Luckily, this year both marathons were on different weekends. Yeah!  Of course they were only one week apart, and I was also signed up for a 50K on the next weekend, but is there REALLY too much of a good thing??


I just can't

Freedom's Run is just so beautiful.  Starting in Harper's Ferry, this run has some of every  kind of scenery imaginable. And despite my hate/hate relationship with the canal towpath, I ran every step of it this year.  It was as if I switched on autopilot and just cruised the full 10 or so miles.  Coming off the canal, there are some killer hills, and I continued my plugging along until I got to the Antietam Battlefields.  There are also some serious hills here, but the "downs" really balance the "ups".  It was here that I looked at my watch for the first time and had a "WTF??" moment.  Anyone who knows me as a runner knows that I don't much focus on time, rather run by feel and effort.  This run was feeling pretty comfortable, so when I saw I might finish in under 5 hours, I had to focus on that!  It would be my first sub-5 hour marathon in 7 years, and I have NO IDEA how that happened!  But I wasn't going to let it slip away so I really pushed the final few miles and came in at 4:58.  No one was more surprised than me!

sunrise over Harper's Ferry Visitor Center

such beautiful views

Of course after running a good race at Freedom's Run, my expectations for Baltimore were somewhat muted.  It was only 6 days later after all.  The weather looked to be perfect, and I was feeling pretty good.  And that is the way the race started, and continued until about 22 miles in.  At that point, my legs hurt so badly I just wanted to get to the finish.  Again, I looked at my watch and saw I could do a sub 5, but every step was agony and running fast was impossible.  I alternated walking and running for a little while, then fell in with some folks and tried to hold their pace.  I knew I would be okay if I could just stay ahead of the 5 hour pace group. 

Guess what didn't happen???  Yeah, they passed me and try as I did, I finished in 5:05, with my legs screaming in agony.  The good news is that for the first time in 3 years, and even with a faster time by 15 minutes or so, I didn't throw up, so there is that.  Still, Baltimore is a great race, and I will most likely always be tempted by the siren song of the run through Charm City.

I actually won a free massage from Geiko, but had to wear their shirt!

A week later I was at the starting line for the 2nd annual Patapsco Valley 50K.  Again, my expectations were not that high - last year it had taken me 8:24 to finish the deceptively hard course, and I was beginning to feel the cumulative effects of so many races in so few weeks!  But the day was gorgeous as was the course, and I came over the line in 7:59!

So three races, three weeks apart, with three best times in a long time.  Not even sure what happened there, but I'll take it!  Sometimes it is better to not question, just go with it!