Race Report - 2010 Nicholas Wilson Memorial Tashka 50K Trail Run

The Tashka Trail ultra was held for only the second time this year after having its inaugural running last year. It is a two loop trail race around beautiful Lake Lurleen in the aptly named Lake Lurleen State Park (duh!) just outside Coker near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Race directors Mike Higgins and Walt White picked a fantastic spot for a trail ultra. For me, this race was a tale of two halves. It resulted in not one but two firsts for me in ultra running. Coming off a new 50K PR just three weeks ago, I clearly overestimated my abilities when I toed the starting line. More about all that later in this race report.

Pre-Race
It took a couple of text messages (close to ten, I think) to convince Richard to squeeze another ultra into our schedule. I just could not resist entering an ultra so close to home that I had read about on another ultra race website less than a week ago and I wanted Richard to partake in the fun, too, even if it took a little convincing;-) We decided to drive to Coker, Alabama the morning of the race rather than spending the night in a hotel. That meant getting up at 2:50 AM to drive down there in time for the race. After picking up Richard at 3:30 AM, we made our way to Lake Lurleen State Park in less than 3 hours including a couple of pit stops. We arrived in time to pick up our race packets, admire our newly acquired swag (see picture above) and put on our trail shoes. We got to the starting line just in time.

The Race - First Half
The race start was signaled with "Jingle Bells" (bells that were actually jingling, not the song;-) at 7 AM sharp. At this time, both the 25K and the 50K starters took off. The 5 mile race start was scheduled for 7:15AM. After doing some preliminary race research about the actual course elevation, which required some serious math (actually, guess work would be a more appropriate description) and looking at the results from the inaugural 2009 race, I set a couple of goals for myself. First, I would try to finish in the top ten for the first time in an ultra race (this goal was purely based on my evaluation of last year's results and ranking myself in comparison to last year's participants' rankings on a handy website called Ultra Signup). Second, if the course was as "flat" as I figured it could be, I would also attempt to shoot for a 5 hour finish. Looking at my previous results, the second goal was the loftier of the two, but I was going to try anyway.

With these goals in mind, I lined up in the second row. I was focusing on my pace with the goal of completing 6 miles for every hour and I was well on pace for the first 6 miles. Actually, I completed the first 6 miles in 57 minutes and if you think that was too fast, you are correct. It was way too fast as there was no way I would be able to maintain this pace. As expected I completed 12 miles in almost 2 hours flat, which meant I really slowed down on this section, but I was still on track overall. As I was following a group of runners for almost the entire first loop, I kept wondering if all of them were running the 50K or if all or at least some of them were running the 25K. I have the tendency to get sucked in with runners in front of me. Even though I knew the runners around me could potentially be in the 25K race, which meant that their pace would be much faster than mine to begin with, I stayed with them.

When I came around the corner and saw the finish line for the 25K runners as well as the halfway mark for us 50K runners, I checked my time...2 hours 30 minutes. If I continued this pace I would finish in 5 hours. Of course that would only be true if I had the ability to maintain this pace for another 25K. Had the course been flat, I might have had a 1:100 chance of doing so. It was not...

The Race - Second Half
While the course did not cross any mountains or dip into valleys, it did have its share of challenges in form of continuously rolling hills, a handful of switchbacks and a couple of very short but steep climbs. When I arrived at the halfway mark aid station at the South Trailhead and checked my time, I quickly realized that there was no way for me to finish in 5 hours. Although I had been feeling great for the entire distance so far, I was getting tired quickly. I had skipped a couple of aid stations and really didn't feel like eating. The pacer I'd been running really caused me not to be as hungry as usual. I had stuck to my schedule of one SCap per hour and one gel per hour, but I didn't eat anything else. I also was not able to check my fluid intake as usual. Not being familiar with the exact distances between aid stations, I was struggling just a little in calculating my appropriate amount of fluid intake. I did stay hydrated, but I wasn't as confident as usual that I was doing it as well as I should.

As I refilled my bottle, my mind started wandering and wondering how to proceed from here on out. I quickly decided to fall back on my secondary goal of completing the distance in just under 5 hours 30 minutes. Not knowing where I was in the field, I figured that would still give me a shot at finishing top ten (this guess was purely based on last year's results). However, as I took off running, I just did not feel the same anymore. The spring was gone from my step and I felt deflated for some reason. My heart rate was fine but I felt out of breath. I was about 2 miles into the second loop and realized that there was no one around to have idle conversations with. When I'm in a slump talking to fellow runners usually helps me find my rhythm back. I figured that I would soon see other runners as they would slowly but surely catch up to me. My pace had slowed significantly, by almost 3 minutes per mile. I was thinking to myself that this was even worse than by crash in my very first ultra just a little over a year ago. However, this time there was no one around to keep me going or to take my mind off it. Instead, I had to dig myself out of the hole I had fallen into.

I fell back onto my old tactic of "running from aid station to aid station", which was just a little sad being that they were only about 3 miles apart. But I needed something to get me going. What happened next really didn't help. As I looked across the beautiful lake I could see the finish area in the distance. I knew I still had about 10 miles to go when I heard the echo from the finish line race announcer proclaiming "and here comes the winner of the 50K in a time of 3 hours and 59 minutes". No joke, during the brief time I could see the finish area across the lake and hear the echoes of the crowd rippling over the water, the winner of the race was announced over the bullhorn. That really didn't do anything for my mental state. I started to do other calculations in my head as I slowly continued to move forward..."now it should only be another 2 hours before I'm done...not even a half marathon...just another 10K...I might still be able to finish in five and a half hours", etc. I am sure most of you have had these types of conversations with yourself at some point in your ultra running adventures. As the miles and minutes slowly ticked by, I waited for someone to pass me, but no one did. It was strange. Finally, with 5 miles to go another runner passed me...let me rephrase that, he smoked me...flew by me...made me feel like I was literally walking...yes, that's how fast he went by...a "now you see me, now you don't" kinda moment. Very humbling...no, actually embarrassing is probably the better term at that time. Sure, after the race I felt truly humbled, but during the race I just felt stupid.

As I was approaching the final aid station before the finish line, an out and back aid station at the North Trailhead, I was welcomed by the cheering and clapping of the volunteers. Knowing that I only had about 2.5 miles left to the finish kept me moving, but their encouragement meant so much more than that knowledge. However, this aid station also left me with the only regret of this entire race: Since I couldn't really stomach any food other than orange slices since starting my second loop, I missed out on the already world famous hot potato logs. As my running buddy Richard confirmed, they were to absolutely incredible.

As I was readying myself for the final leg of this race and the two short but steep climbs during this stretch of the race, the encouragement of the aid station volunteers got really loud again. This time it was for a lady runner that now appeared on the trail. She must have been a local because the crowd got really loud;-) It was at this point that I decided that I had to try to push one last time to try to finish strong. I am sure most of you assume that I didn't want to get "chicked", but honestly, I really didn't want to get passed by anyone with just over 2 miles remaining in the race. I had not seen a fellow runner over the last 2 hours or so and that little pride I had left at this stage did not want to get passed now. (The guy passing me at mile 25 was the exception, of course. I was convinced that he had to have been the winner of the 50k race going for an extra lap, lapping me in the process; he was just that fast when he passed me. As I found out later, he was just a fellow runner with a much better sense of pacing than me.)

I started to pick up the pace ever so slightly. I was ready to finish this thing. I knew there was not much left and I would still be able to put a respectable time on the board, at least from my personal perspective. I power walked the last two climbs and tried to push the pace on the downhill. As I was descending down the trail for the last time before being spilled out onto the final road section, I managed to turn my ankle just as I was entering the road. That figures. I had stubbed my toes a couple of times during the second loop as I was dragging my legs behind, but I did manage not to fall once. The trail was deceptively technical with its many roots hidden by the fall leaves. But it was mostly runable terrain.

The Finish
As I saw the finish line around the bend, I picked up the pace once more. I crossed the finish line at 5 hours 40 minutes and thirteen seconds. While I did crash badly during the second half of the race, I did manage that top ten finish (tenth overall) that I had set as a lofty goal before the race. I did not accomplish my original time goal, but how could I not be satisfied with a top ten finish? As I "collapsed" at the finish line to catch my breath before filling out my race card, Richard tapped my shoulder from behind. When he completed his first loop, he had decided that he would not wait for that hamburger for another 2-3 hours and instead opted to call it a day at the 25K distance and to enjoy the great food provided at the finish area right away. Having accomplished one of my goals at this race and having enjoyed the experience and the course, I am definitely going to be back next year to get that 5 hour finish I was striving for unsuccessfully this year. While this was a small race, I am sure this thing will reach its capacity in the near future. Thanks very much to the RDs for putting on a great event on an excellent course, with awesome volunteers, great food, and fantastic swag. I will be sporting that Tashka 50K beanie for all my upcoming ultras during the winter season;-)

Training Log - Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Temperature dropped yet again for the coldest morning run to date. James, Mike and I met at their office at 5:30 AM and decided that the cold called for a shorter tempo run today. We just didn't want to be out there long. We chose the Research Park to Madison Square Mall loop we hadn't run in a while. We started out slow until Mike and James started to set the pace, slightly faster than ususal. I kept my eyes off my Garmin and just tugged in behind them, mostly trying to stay warm.

As we made our way around the mall our pace continued to increase, but I kept going. I felt it but it felt good to go a little faster than usual. After mile 5,my lungs started to burn a little, but I couldn't slow down now. I had started to take the lead in our little running group and I didn't really want anyone to pass me. Mike continued to stay close, trying to make up time he lost retying his shoes. While this was "just" a training run, we often take the opportunity to push each other just a little bit. I guess there's a little bit of competitiveness in all of us...and especially me;-) When we finally finished the run, my lungs were on fire, my heart as racing and I even dryheaved a little. It was definitely a worthy training run

When I got home and uploaded my Garmin data, I realized we had run negative splits literally for every mile we ran. I definitely need to incorporate these types of tempo or speed runs more regularly into my training schedule. Oh yeah, I just registered for another local ultra I just found out about last weekend, the Tashka Trail 50K near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Should be fun.

Training Log - Monday, December 6, 2010

Nice, the coldest morning of the year, yet. On the schedule, our usual trail run from Five Points up to Monte Sano Mountain and back, basically a trail run straight up the mountain (on Tollgate Trail, Cold Springs Trail, State Park Ranger Station) and back down the mountain for a run close to 10 miles out & back.

We all met up at Richard's house at 5:15 AM, well most of us, Richard, James and I. Mike was stuck behind a train. When Mike finally arrived, we took off on our usual route. Richard had to turn around early and once we got to the to the Land Trust parking lot on Bankhead Parkway, we started picking up the pace a little, for no apparent reason. And once we got going,we really didn't slow down much. Instead, we ended up pushing down the mountain on the way back as well. The result was a time almost 15 minutes faster than our previous best. Once I got in my car, I realized that an actual sheet of ice had formed inside the bandana I was wearing around my neck to keep the wind out. Thankfully, we were all well prepared for a cold run. I was wearing three layers (one too many), long CW-X running tights, fleece gloves and hat as well as a neoprene half mask covering my nose and mouth. I had no problems with the cold at all. I was actually a little too hot. So, bring it on Father Frost! I am ready!

Race Report - 2010 Over The River And Through The Woods 5 Miler

The weather was perfect for a race this morning. Upper 40s and a slight overcast. While the forecast predicted rain for the afternoon, I would encounter a light occasional drizzle during the race. I kept going back and forth between gear choices for the race and finally opted for a long sleeve tech shirt, shorts and a cap.

The "Over The River And Through The Woods 5 Mile Race" was held for the first time this year to celebrate and officially open the Flint River Greenway in the Hays Nature Preserve. Huntsville mayor Tommy Battle was in attendance to officially open the Greenway before the start of the race. The race start was conveniently scheduled for 9 AM, which meant I was able to sleep in until 7 AM;-) Being the first running of this race, attendance was rather small, with around 80 runners toeing the startline at 9 AM. After a short speech and a quick blast with the horn, we took off.

I started out just a little too fast, running the first mile in around 6:40 minute pace. My goal was not not try to race too hard but to stay just under 7 minute per mile pace. I haven't been doing any speedwork lately, so there was really no good reason to try to push for a PR. Instead, I wanted to try to stay relaxed and keep a good steady pace. With a little help from an unofficial pacer, I managed to keep the pace. Kathy, thanks for letting me run with you for most of the race. I don't think I would have been able to maintain a steady pace otherwise.

At the 4 mile marker, I still felt pretty good. I decided to try to pick up the pace a little bit, trying to ensure a sub 7 minute pace for the race. I even managed to pick off one more runner with half a mile to go to finish eleventh overall. I am usually too spent to pass anyone on the final stretches of short distance races. This was a fun race and I am sure it will just keep growing from year to year. Hopefully, the city will continue its commitment to expand and extend the already existing greenway system. Events like this race are certainly a great way to promote and utilize their existence.

Training Log - Friday, December 3, 2010

Another freezing morning. The weatherman describes temps in the high 30s, but it was definitely the low 30s when I stepped out of the door. My car's windshield was frozen inside and out. When I finally made my way to the usual meeting spot at James, Richard and Mike's office, everyone was already waiting, ready to get going. While Mike was still out (work? sick? not sure, I am getting mixed information from my running crew), James brought along another runner and an ultra virgin, Ed, who joined us and who happens to train for his first ultra marathon, the Mountain Mist 50K here in Huntsville, Alabama on January 22, 2011 (Ed, you better get some trail running under your belt before Mountain Mist;-) The three of us opted to run mostly roads today, heading through Research Park and towards Bridge Street Mall and Target on the weay back for an easy 8 miles or so. Half way into the run, James and Rich thought it'd be a great idea to run down an escalator the wrong way. It definitely got my mind refocussed. Would have been too embarrassing to fall during a little challenge like that;-)

I had almost run out of warm running clothes, so I ended up running in my Brooks winter running jacket with a short sleeve tech shirt underneath and running tights, gloves and a running cap (I had run out of all my winter running hats). It kept me toasty enough and it didn't really warm up by the time we finished up our run.

Training Log - Thursday, December 2, 2010

I decided to keep my running streak going and ended up getting a quick 4.5 miles in around UAH. Richard came by my house at 6PM and we left from there. I made sure I bundled up as it was already rather cold, maybe upper 30s. As soon as the sun goes down, temperatures have been dropping dramatically in the last month or so. Winter is fast approaching, even in the South. I ended up overdressing, wearing one too many layers, but I figured I'd rather be hot than cold, especially for a shorter run like the one we did. Richard's knee kept acting up. All systems are go for me right now with one little exception...the left (and sometimes the right) achilles tendon stays somewhat sore. It's not really a bad pain, jsut more like a slight twinge that stays in the background. I do want to get rid of it before February and Rocky Raccoon 100. Little twinges turn into major desasters during those distances.

Training Log - Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Once again I awoke before my alarm went off. Looking out the window, I really would've rather gone back to bed for another couple of hours. The temps were in the high 20s and the raods were wet. It just didn't look inviting outside. Anyway, I pulled out some long running pants, gloves and a hat as well as a short sleeve underarmor type shirt, a long half zip running shirt and a running jacket. All bundled up I drove over to Richard, Mike, and James' office for an 11 mile run. When I got to their office only James was ready to go. Richard and Mike used work as an excuse not to go;-) James and I took off at 5:30am going our usual route towards Rainbow Mountain. James and Mike had found an interesting looking path on Google Earth and James was set on figuring out exactly what this path was all about. On our outbound leg, James and I headed straight for Rainbow Mountain, heading up and around the mountain loop. We were really booking it today, running all the way up the mountain without any walking or hiking breaks, which is pretty hard to do on those trails. On our way back, we turned left on Explorer Boulevard so we could pursue James' hunt for knowledge;-) When we arrived at the suspected entrance to the "new" trail, we noticed that a large construction site was located right at the suspected trail. As we entered the area, we realized that they were actually building a park at the site and that the "DNA" strand or helix shaped trail was a gravel trail running the length of about half a mile. It was surrounded by an asphalt road that was being built for park visitors and ran around the trail like a racing oval. Amazingly, Google Earth imagery was already showing this artifical trail that was still under construction. As we were running the asphalt loop, James and I started to wonder how long it would be until someone started marking the road for distances to do speedwork or intervals. I'm sure it won't be long;-) Considering all the exploring and trail running involved in today's loop, our actual running time was actually pretty impressive compared to our usual times, especially the section heading up the Rainbow Mountain trail loop.