2013.10.19 Medoc Trail Races

The story of this race really begins the Sunday after the Baltimore Running Festival.  Following my brother's wedding, we had to drive home, then i packed another bag and headed to Charleston for a meeting on Monday.  I rolled into Charleston about 10:15, and I was really starting to feel that cold i had picked up.  Monday morning when I woke up, I didn't feel great, but I did manage to get a 3.5 miler in.  Charleston is a great city, and I would love to get a large portion of time to spend there.  Following the run, I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down to get some work done Monday morning.  Our meetings started at 12, and went the rest of the day.  Tuesday I had to be in Wilson, NC which was a 4+ hour drive, so again I was up at 4 something, and made the drive up there.  By the time I got home tuesday night, I was drained.

I pretty much fought the cold via DayQuil/NyQuil (or Generic Eqivalent) the rest of the week.  When saturday rolled around, I felt better than I had, but was still not 100%.  Alarm went off at 5am and Hollister was an hour and a half away.  I rolled up to the state park at 730, and quickly found my way to the packet pickup (race was at 8 for the Marathon and 830 for the ten miler). 

A little background: during signup for this race you were asked several questions that seemed strange to me at the time.  One of them was "Describe your running style", another was "Where are you from", and there were about 3 more of them.  It also asked if you had a trail name or you would like one to be assigned to you.  I chose for them to assign me one, so the big question on my mind at packet pickup was 'What is my trail name?'  When picking up my packet I was stoked to learn my bib number was 99(good hockey number!), and my trail name was "Bull City Brute".  Racking my brain i remember i described my running style as brutal (referencing the comment my Lax teammates made in college that I ran like a blender), and I said I was from the Bull City.  The name made sense - and I like it (in future trail races, I will roll with this name - it is a good description for me as a runner - I go thru things, not around them) :-D

This race was limited to 450 people or so, and had a completely different feel than the big road races.  When the starting conch shell was blown (yes they used a conch shell) it took me all of 15 seconds to cross the mat, and I was pretty far back.  The first part of the race involved running out on the road, then turning around and running back before entering onto the grass and then the trail system.  Entering into the woods I was excited, a little scared, and had no idea what to expect.  I'd heard and read about trail races, but until you experience it, you just don't know....

On this race, the marathon was three loops of a loop course.  There were signs roughly every mile, but it is not exact, because 3 loops for 26.2 does not yield an exact mile dividend.  I'm just going to refer to these as "Splits". 

Split 1 - 24:16 (pretty sure i missed a sign here)

Split 2 - 11:23

I was surprised how quickly the pack would stop to walk because therewere some BRUTAL Climbs on this course.  One of the hills I decided to run up, but paid the price for it about 85% of the way up - that taught me a lesson and I followed the pack pretty much from there on out.  I also saw 2 folks wipe out pretty hard in the first couple of miles - trail races are a totally different breed (but also TOTALLY AWESOME)

Split 3 - 10:43

Split 4 - 11:09

Split 5 - 11:47

Split 6 - 11:28

Split 7 - 13:10

Split 8 - 15:55

Split 9 - 15:33

One thing i learned here is that on my next trail race, I need to carry water.  I didn't take water, and while I survived, 3 miles apart with this level of elevation change - I need to be more self supported.  I think the Black Mountain marathon which I'm signed up for in February is much more similar to Medoc in that I will need to carry more of my own gear.

Split 10 - 14:21

Split 11 - 14:04

Split 12 - 13:46

Split 13 - 17:01

Here is where i really melted down.  I ended up talking to a guy who had done several trail marathons, and was signed up to run the Army Ten Miler the next day (also a good race).  He was saying the worst part about the back to back races was going to be the driving.  We got talking, and he was talking about how it used to be signing up for races was enough to force yourself to do the training - but at some point you sort of just know you'll finish, it is a matter of how long - so you then sign up for a 50K and then a 50 miler, and etc...and before you know it you're going these long distances and say "WTF did i get myself into?"  I think in my running 'career' I'm kind of at that point - but more on that later....

Split 14 - 17:19

Split 15 - 16:26

Split 16 - 24:31

This was at the end of the second loop when i rolled by the campsite bathrooms - I had to deal with a GI issue, and that added a fair amount of time. 

Split 17 - 18:23

Split 18 - 17:32

Split 19 - 16:13

Split 20 - 17:23

Split 21 - 18:29

Split 22 - 18:01

Split 23 - 15:51

It was in this mile that I realized that I was actually running a Personal Record, because it was a trail marathon (and my whole outlook and demeanor changed).  I also started concentrating on my breathing - my legs were sore, but not miserably sore.  My brain was tired, but that wasn't a killer.  Once i started focusing on my breathing, I was able to run, and run consistently - that shows up in this split and the next two. 

Split 24 - 8:19

Split 25 - 1:56 (not sure why i hit my watch this time)

Total 6:15:11 - Trail Marathon PR

There were a couple of spots where I almost beefed hard.  Late in the race in the last mile, my foot got stuck under a root, and I feel like I almost had a catastrophic injury - it tweaked my knee a little bit, but that was it. Amazing the amount of rocks/debris, unsteady footing, in this race.  

There is something about going off the roads and into single track trails - it is an almost cathartic experience, and something I am glad I have experienced.  I don't see myself going solely one way or the other, but a combination of both will be my plan moving forward. 

I learned why people wear "gaiters" when running the trails.  I am going to need to get a pair, i had several hitch-hiking rocks, and it forced me to stop several times. 

I also had a lot of time to think on this trail - there were not a lot of people out there, so you really don't get a constant level of background noise.  This is you, the trail and nature - at one point I came across a 4' black snake chilling on the trail and it startled me - you don't see that in the big races.  I also had some time to think about me, my running, and what I'm really going for. 

In my 11 year running career I've been both "Faster than Mid-Pack Mike" and "Back of Pack Mike".  I miss mid/front of mid Mike - but the difference between then and now is that everything I used to do during training had a reason - I would do my LT runs, I would do Yasso 400's, I would do LSD's and fartleks.  Now I just go bang out mileage with no real concern as to what it is other than mileage.  If i'm going to find my way back towards the front, I need to better think about my training and re-incorporate these back in.  I also need to get my long runs in. 3 marathon distance races on 13 miler long runs, and I've been miserable in each one - that needs to change.  I need to become more disciplined to get back out there.  I'm not signed up for City of Oaks, but that would actually time out well as I would have seen the benefits of these two marathons in that one - and I suspect that my times would go down.  I'd also like to focus on getting my top end speed up, and bang out a few more 5k's - see if i can't get back down in the 22's like I was several years ago - but again, to get there, training has to be specific and disciplined.  

On Medoc- THIS WAS AN AWESOME RACE.  I will attempt to make this a permanent fixture on my race calendar. I wanted to copy and past a facebook post from the organizers that they put out earlier this week - I think it does a really good job of summarizing exactly what Medoc is, and what it is like.  If anyone wants to experience trail running, I would HIGHLY recommend this race, there are 10 mile and 26 mile options, and the spring they do the loop course in reverse for an 8 miler (I think i'll probably sign up for that as well).  See below for the post. 

The Medoc Trail Races take place in the woods on trails. Yes we start on a road, but that does not last. Medoc is NOT about pavement, rails-to-trails, greenways or bike paths. Medoc is not about thousands of monotonous steps on asphalt. There are no police to tell you where to go, painted arrows in the road, cheer zones, bathrooms every 2 miles, hugs from mommy, or water-misting machines.

There are no 2% grade hills for people to brag about because there will be a rocky steep-ass climb that will burn a hole through your heart and smash your quads. . . . And the marathoners get to do it three times. Instead of relaxing on the downhill's you will be trying not to twist an ankle, dislocate a finger, or tumble into Little Fishing Creek.

Medoc requires a person to think about every step they take. You will trip over roots, run through spider webs, dodge holes, and descend down rocky single track paths. Even seemingly nice, benign wooden bridges are treacherous with a fresh hint of morning dew coating their mossy surface. Medoc will make a person run for miles over rocks, roots, and hills. Finding level ground is a rarity. There are bears, deer, unicorns and coyotes. There are snakes, deer flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. Welcome to Hollister, North Carolina.

There will be scrapes, bruises, and deflated egos. The word "pace" has no relevance at Medoc. Throwing your watch away may save you some frustration. A GPS that makes it look like you climbed a tree will show you how tough you really are!

Most importantly, Medoc is more about the experience than the numbers on your watch! It is about your trail name, the volunteers, the conch shells and the camping. It is about being in a select group of 450 runners that get to run. It is about the shirt, the medal, and the Finisher's Surprise. It is about. . . Well, Medoc.

Trail running is about the overall experience and camaraderie. It is about sitting around the finish line, eating red beans and rice and trading stories with one another. Its about cheering everyone on as they come across the finish line. And lastly, its about making hundreds of new friends! You will come back.

See you real soon!