First, let me start at the end (huh?). Crossing the finish line to the clanging of cowbells, my first impression was the general lack of race participants in the finish area. That explains the prior 19 miles in which I only passed 3 other runners and didn't get passed by anyone. I was a bit surprised when the race director handed me the award for winning the 40-49 age group. 7th place overall.
Rewind 6 hours. The Capitol Forest just southwest of Olympia, Washington is a vast playground for the outdoor enthusiast. Beautiful country and a race venue that I'll return to whenever I can. Sunday's race was billed as a 55k with 4500 feet of climbing on the muddiest trails I've ever seen in a race. My feet were numb from the start. Due to timber sale activity in the area, the course was rerouted which turned the 55k (34 miles) into 36 miles. That measly 2 miles only becomes signicant when you reach the 34 mile mark.
There was also a 50 mile race starting at the same time and running the same course for the first 16.8 miles. Normally, I'd start toward the front. However, I didn't. Started mid-pack and was rewarded with 5 miles of what can best be described as a congo line - especially as everyone was trying to keep their feet dry by dancing around the puddles (in some cases, small mud swamps). When I finally got around the dance troupes, I was covering the miles pretty comfortably. For most of the first half of this race, I'd call the hills rolling and gradual uphill (about 2000 feet of climbing) - until mile 15.4 when we hit the Grunt Trail that ascends to Capitol Peak. I can't think of a better name for this trail. Gaining 1000 feet in elevation in less than a mile on large, loose rock, there was a fair bit of grunting. Over the peak and to the check point in which the 50 mile course and the 55k course diverge. Starting on the path toward the 50 mile route, something just seemed wrong to me. Luckily, I had a good sense of which direction I needed to go at that checkpoint, since the signs weren't very clear. Turned around and back on course on some roads and trails that would lead me back to the start of the Grunt climb where I'd head back on the same 15.4 miles that I started on.
This was the best section of the race for me. 6.3 miles in 54 minutes. The trails through this part were muddy and technical, but it also included a couple of miles of gravel roads. I managed to pass a couple of guys there. And, this began the lonely trek to the finish. I saw a couple of guys 5 to 10 minutes ahead of me across some valleys on the switch backs, but could never reel them in. At this point, my race was with the clock. I was sure that sub 6 hours was in the bank, but I didn't know about that extra 2 miles. When I hit the last water station with 5 miles to the finish, I had 42 minutes to get in under 6 hours. As long as it was downhill or flat, I could make that. But, astonishingly, I didn't remember how many downhills there were on this section during the outbound leg. There were quite a few that were now uphills and were slapping me around a bit. At 2.4 miles to go, I had 20 minutes left on the clock. It's possible, but I can't see anymore uphills. Going around the next corner, another uphill. Now, these uphills weren't big - maybe 200 to 300 yards, but that was enough to add 15 to 20 seconds each time. By the finish, those 15 to 20 seconds totaled 2 minutes and I finished in 6 hours 2 minutes.
Race fuel was juice from 2 young coconuts plus water in which raisins were soaked overnight. I carried 2 bottles - each at 22 ounces. I finished the first bottle by mile 13, and filled that with water. At mile 23, I stopped at the same aid station on the way back to fill the first bottle again and to top off my 2nd bottle. At mile 31, I filled the 1st bottle again, and both bottles were basically empty at the finish. So, I consumed 44 ounces of the coconut juice/raisin water mixture and about 70 ounces of water. Had a banana at mile 23 as my bottles were being filled. Noticed a bit of colorful pee around mile 18, so I picked up the water consumption then. This worked pretty good. I feel great today, and will be getting out for a normal Monday run this afternoon.
Also, for those interested, I currently run all my trail races in the Adidas RLH Cross Spikeless. It's a very light (about 7.5 ounces) cross country racing flat. When the new Innov-8 X-Talon 190 comes out later this summer, I'm going to give those a rip. The Innov-8 numbering system refers to the weight of the shoe in grams, 190 grams or about 6.7 ounces. That will be great. I do like the feel of the Innov-8 shoes. I currently have their f-Lite 230, but it's a bit too heavy and over-built for my liking. It will only be a training shoe. I don't see it being a race shoe.
If you happen to be in the Pacific Northwest and can go to one of the Capitol Peak Ultra events throughout the year, definitely do that. Here's their website; http://www.capitolpeakultras.com/
and facebook page; http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=100000451825914&ref=search&sid=1098545633.3682372394..1
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