-
Day three is 40k on forest roads, the Sylamore horse trails and the Syllamo mountain bike trails. Again we had beautiful weather. The race started at 6:30 a.m. and it was about 35 degrees
I was very nervous about this day. I was starting out with two blisters; they were uncomfortable but not extremely painful. My knees were really uncomfortable and I also had this strange discomfort in my right ankle. I only wanted to finish, so I decided to take the day slow and focus on finishing.
The morning ritual: warm up at the camp fire before the race begins.
Before the start of the last race.
And we're off. I didn't take this picture (thanks again to Rick from Dallas) but this a beautiful shot of the sun rising over some steps on the trail.
We started out with some nice, relatively flat trail. You can see in this picture and the next one the ribbons used to mark the trail. The color of the ribbons corresponded with the color of the numbers on the bibs: Day one was red and white striped; day two was blue and white striped; day three was solid black. The trail was well marked and easy to follow but each day people got lost. On day one we were worried for a while about two guys who were missing; they made a wrong turn close to the finish and did an extra seven miles. On day two a group made a wrong turn and finished the race 20k early! On day three a group made a wrong turn near the start and added an extra couple of miles.
After the relatively flat start, the climbing begins. As I mentioned, I didn't feel great so I brought up the rear for a while and Frances set the pace. There were six of us: Frances, a couple of adventure racers from Little Rock, Marla, me, and a man named Tom (he ended up being Frances' friend on this day and they finished together; he had DNF'd the day before).
Frances feeling good at the aid station.
Every once in a while the course was on jeep road like this. This was probably only about 5% or less of the course.
After this road Marla and I decided to push the pace and left Frances. We stayed together the rest of the day and set a fast (for us) pace.
Some nice down hill to pay us back for the uphills.
At the next to last aid station Marla and I realized we were close to being finished (about 9 miles) and that we might be able to make it in 6 1/2 hours. Here is a picture of me and her on the last brutal loop (it was only 4 miles but it felt like 10). We're smiling because we're almost finished!
The tough final climb rewarded us with the most specatular views of the entire race. It was a great finale to three wonderful days. This is me, Marla and the White River Valley.
Marla and I stayed together the whole race today. I "broke trail" for a lot of the climbing and then she laid down a great pace for the final downhill/flat miles. I ran a little bit but mostly racewalked (we even ran some uphills) and we were able to finish in 6:33:34 (15:50 pace) about 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Then we went for a nice, refreshing dip in the creek.
Frances made a friend (as usual) and stuck to her plan, finishing in almost exactly 7:00. She ran a great race, paced herself well and felt great!
She had two really ugly blood blisters at the base of her toenails on her third toes. It was a really strange location because her third toes are not her longes toes, and one of her third toes barely even has a toenail (she lost it after SunMart). I wish I had gotten a closeup of her feet because those were strange blisters!
Here we are. Nine starts, nine finishes, no serious injuries, lots of fun!
And here are the contents of my race goodie bag: Patagonia Capilene race shirt; Coolmax race logo socks; large Bodyglide; sample of Hammer Endurolytes; two samples of Hammer Gel; race logo travel coffee mug; sample of Hammer Sustained Energy. They drew numbers for prizes on day two and I won a pair of Injinji TetraTsoks! I've always wanted a pair so this is my chance to try them out.
Also, finishers will receive a customized Dickies-style button up race shirt in the mail.
Final Results
20k: 3:24:30 (16:27 pace; 33th out of 37 men)
60k: 9:27:22 (15:13 pace; 24th out of 32 men)
40k: 6:33:34 (15:50 pace; 19th out of 28 men)
120k/74.4 miles
19 hours, 25 minutes 2 seconds (14th out of 20 men)Nutrition/Hydration Strategy
Here is how I fueled myself during the race:
Succeed Electrolyte Caps--2 every hour on the hour
Hammer Gel--about 1 to 1 1/2 servings every hour on the half hour. Over the three days I had about 20 servings of Hammer Gel (Espresso and Banana)
Clip2 Energy Drink--used Clip2 exclusively in my CamelBak. Over the three days I had about 8 servings of Clip2 (equivalent to about 10 standard water bottles)
Aid Stations--drank coke at every aid station, snacked liberally, sometimes sweets (cookies, M&Ms, moon pies, peanut butter crackers) sometimes salty (salted, boiled potatoes, potato chips)Without getting too personal, it's interesting to note than in 19.5 hours of racing I only peed twice; that's how much I sweat. That's why the electrolytes are so crucial. I highly recommend that you experiment with electrolyte caps or drinks and energy gels and/or drinks during training. You need to find a strategy that works for you based on your taste, style, body chemistry, etc.
I have a basic plan that only varies slightly from race to race. Since I started using Succeed caps, Clip2 and Hammer Gel I've never bonked, never cramped, etc. I've never thrown up or even felt very nauseous. At Syllamo I heard a lot of people talking about trying this or that during the race, but I think that's dangerous. Develop a fueling and hydration strategy during training; during the race, follow the strategy you are comfortable with and that works best for your body.
Conclusion
This was a great race and I highly recommend it. I'm planning to do it again next year. I learned a few things from this race:
1. Sunscreen! I usually wear sunscreen but I forgot it all three days. My face was hot and uncomfortable on days two and three, and I've been peeling all week. Don't forget sunscreen.
2. Trail shoes. I need to invest in some trail shoes. Trail shoes are somewhat overhyped, but I need something with a firmer sole to protect the bottoms of my feet and to prevent blisters from excessive shoe movement. I've never, ever gotten blisters before, and this time I was lucky because they were small and controllable. Many people DNF due to blisters so I need to make sure I don't have problems in the future.
3. Better socks. I also think that the socks I wear are more appropriate for shorter distances. Marla gave me some double layer socks for day three and I didn't have any problems with blisters. I need to research and invest in some better socks (socks from Target won't cut it for rough trail and long distances).
4. Stage races are fun! It was almost like a trail running festival or camp. I can honestly say that this was one of my all time favorite trips and experiences, and I hope to do it for years to come.
