Pinhoti 100 2016 - Crash and Burn on the Trail

Lessons Learned

 

 

This will be a brief entry.  I hope it will help future runners of the Pinhoti.  It is a fantastic course (for the 30 miles I saw of it, and it is challenging.)

 

I had trained for months for Pinhoti -- seeking out elevation wherever I could find it, because I knew the elevation profile of this race was going to take its toll.

When my crew and I arrived in Sylacauga for the pre-race briefing, I was feeling very confident about what tomorrow would bring.  After the briefing, we headed back to Oxford to meet some fellow runners for dinner.  It went a little long, but I got back to the hotel with time to get things put together for the next morning. 

I had a good night's sleep, and got an early start the next morning.  However, the next couple of hours are when the wheels began to fall off.  Several of us had discussed meeting in the lobby at 5:45.  We were there around 5:40.  However, it became evident that everyone had already headed out.  So, at 6:00 am, we hit the road for a 7:00 am race start. 

We followed the directions to the start and here is where we made our BIG mistake.  The directions for the start are as follows:

Turn left and line up on right side of FS531

Wald back to stop sign and turn left in direction you were originally driving and continue downhill .5 miles to Pine Glen Camp (Race Start) No cars to drive down to Pine Glen.

So we got to FS531, and saw several cars parked on the side of the road.  We pulled in behind them, parked and followed a sign on the main road, adjacent to FS531 that pointed to the start.  After walking for awhile, we looked behind and saw another group of runners walking down the road behind us.  So, we figured we were just around a turn from the start.  As 6:30 turned into 6:45 and it seemed we were not getting any closer to the start, I started to get nervous, but then buses, which had carried runners to the start passed us, along with a few cars, I thought to myself, we are getting close.  6:50:  We don't see a starting line.  I flag down a car and ask how far is the starting line.  She said, you're about 3 miles from the starting line. At this point, I tell my crew to head back, but I knew they could not get back in time, they just needed to head to the first aid station.  I started running like crazy!

I asked the lady in the car if there was any way she could turn around and drive me to the start; she said she had kids waiting for her in her hotel and had to get back.  I flagged down a guy in a truck, he said he was about out of gas and could not help.  Finally, a group of runners, who had made the same mistake as we had, came barreling down the road, they stopped and said, hop in! -- talk about a good Samaritan, one of their crew had to hop out to make room for me.  They picked her up on the way back.

I realized later that FS531 curved down to the start line.  The cars we parked behind must have been crew cars that had positioned themselves at the top of FS531 for a quick departure.

So, long story short, I started the race late -- at 7:05.  Instead of keeping my cool, I overreacted and went out too fast.  I was in a group of four runners, who started late as well, and we caught up with runners, but instead of falling in with them, we started passing one conga line after another. 

At the second aid station, my crew informed me I was on pace for a sub-24 finish.  I knew the end was near at that point.  I didn't say anything to them, but I knew I shouldn't be on that kind of pace.  I just got it in my head after the late start that I had to run like crazy in order to make the cutoffs.  The truth was, if I would have just slowed down, I believe my training would have kicked in, and I could have finished this race.

100 miles is a long way, and I've covered the distance before.  There are plenty of opportunities to make corrections.  I lost sight of that, and by mile 30, I was spent.  Moreover, I was facing the reality of having to make my way up the side of Mt. Cheaha, without a headlamp, in the dark.  Thankfully, a volunteer gave me and another runner a lift to Bald Rock to meet our respective crews.

Final disclaimer: The overwhelming number of runners got it right.  There were only about 10 of us who made the "Top of FS531" mistake.  So, this is no one's fault but my own. 

Again, if I can leave the reader with any advice.  Keep your head; trust your training.  Keeping those two things in mind will  help you get out of most setbacks in an ultra.

Delano Park 12 Hour Run

Delano Park 12 Hour Run 2016

"Ultrarunning is worth the doing. There is a lot of life to be lived during those hours on foot." -- Gary Cantrell, Ultrarunning Magazine, Jan/Feb 2016

Prologue

I ran my first Delano run in 2009.  Leading up to it, I couldn't quite get my head around the idea of running for 12 hours around a one mile loop that meandered through a park in Decatur, Alabama.  Although I'd run a few marathons and 50K's, nothing had prepared me for 12 hours of running.  I recall training for it by running a mile loop through the streets in my neighborhood.  An old guy stopped me after seeing me run several loops, and asked what I was doing.  I told him I was training for the monotony of running around a one mile loop all day in Decatur.  He just looked at me, laughed, nodded, and said, "Good luck with that."

That first year, I managed to get in 51 miles for the day.  The following two years, I got 52 miles, and in 2014, I racked up 57 miles.  Heading into this year's race, I had no idea how I would do.  I was coming off a less than stellar showing at the Black Warrior 50K. The warm weather that day had resulted in cramps in my legs, and the temps for Delano promised to be pretty warm for an early March day. 

I was concerned about a repeat performance, but I finally took the advice that Tim Pitt and Rob Youngren had given me at different points -- get off of electrolyte caps, and just use sea salt.  Rob even mentioned a product called Base.  It's salt with added electrolytes, and it also claims to help mitigate the effects of heat.  I picked some up at Fleet Feet and, although the old adage is to never try anything new on race day, that's exactly what I planned to do.  It worked out. Base, combined with Nuun, did the job.

Race Day

My goal was to go out easy, try to remain consistent, grind it out and stay on the track.  The race is run on a crushed gravel track and it's not too hard on the legs.  After several Delano 12 Hour's, I've also come to the conclusion that there is no point in stopping to get the tiny gravel out of your shoes; the little buggers will jump back into your shoes after a couple of more laps anyway.  So, I embrace the little guys.  Just keep going. 

I made pretty good progress throughout the day, and then it hit me; I might have a chance to get a course PR.  My consistent, stay-on-the-track approach was paying off.  I grabbed some pizza at the aid station around noon, but just kept walking and eating.  In hindsight, I should have eaten a little more.

With a little over two hours to go, I had 47 miles behind me, but had started to slow down and was falling into the "Shar Shuffle" -- a less than complimentary moniker given to me by Cary Long.  It refers to my death march pace that I tend to fall into towards the end of an ultra.

However, I came across Kathy Youngren sitting on the side of the track, laughing it up with a bunch of hooligans -- the kind of people who tell you, you've done enough -- Take a load off, relax, drink beer, get drunk, pass out. It was the usual suspects, Benj, Morgan, Iris, Cary, Rob, etc.  Yeah, I said Iris.  That baby is trouble with a capital T, and a really bad trash talker, but cute as a button.

I knew if I could get Kathy to run with me, I just might be able to get moving again.  I tried to get Kathy up by telling her that Liz Bauer was closing in on her mileage and would overtake her for the win if she didn't get up and start running.  Honest to God, she said, "So? I don't care." Unfortunately, I could tell she was sincere.  She has the kind of running record that allows one to say that sort of thing.  When you have nothing left to prove, you can do that.  So, I quickly tacked, and tried another approach. I dug deep into the realm of persuasive argument, and unleashed this gem --  "Come on....Come on...Get up...Come on."  It worked!

So, with Kathy running with with me, I was able to get to 57 miles, my former PR, and I still had 30 minutes to spare.  I decided to walk to my new PR of 58 miles, and leave my goal of 60 miles for another day at Delano.  Rob Youngren, who was sidelined with an injury walked with me, and it's always good to catch up with Rob -- another ultra badass.

Unbeknownst to me, on March 5, 2016, my 58 miles at the Delano Park 12 Hour was good enough for the Master's win!

I had been dealing with nausea for the last several miles of the race, and after it was done, it all spilled out, so to speak.  So, I missed the awards dinner, but Kathy was nice enough to pick up my plaque for me.   When I went by Fleet Feet to pick it up, I wondered back to Kathy's office and I saw Dink Taylor, owner of Fleet Feet, down the hall in the stock room.  I wanted to let him know what I was doing, before barging into an office to grab something.  He came down the hall and we walked into the room, I said Kathy left the plaque for me.  When he picked it up, in true Dink fashion, with his sense of humor, he said, "Master's Champion?  You were the Master's Champion?  What happened out there?"  I said, well some guys were injured, some guys had bigger fish to fry and only used the race to get in a few training miles, and I just kept plugging along.  

But here's my philosophy, never apologize for who doesn't show up at any given starting line, and never apologize for decisions other runners make.  Just go out, and give it your best.  Some days, that might result in a PR, or an award, or just the satisfaction that you did your best.  Seize the day, and have a good time doing it!