"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." - Thomas Carlyle
I had been wanting to run a 6-hr race for a while and the timing and price of the Black Mountain Monster worked out well. I had set a goal of 36 miles, 2 loops per hour. I thought it was a solid goal - not unrealistic, but challenging. With temps being cooler than expected, I though 36 miles was definitely runnable.
I really had no idea what to expect in terms of the course. I had seen a few pics of the course, but that was it. I LOVED it. It was such a mix of terrain and scenery that it never got old. There was some grass running, packed dirt running, a little bit of pavement, wide trails, and some non-technical single track. There was a section where we ran through a field of tall trees; I loved entering that section every loop. My least favorite part was the grass section towards the end of the loop, right before the course dropped and took a right hand turn around tent town. For some reason, I just didn't like it. I didn't mind the grass part right at the finish, but maybe that's because I knew that section signaled another lap complete. I loved the course though and it's definitely one of my fave courses now.
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| Photo Courtesy of Willie and Sarah |
I knocked out four laps in 2 hours and had a little bit of a cushion to stay on my goal of 36 miles. I had to stop after 4 laps to take off my calf sleeves and change socks. I was afraid I might get too warm with my calf sleeves on so decided to take them off. My Brooks socks were too thin and I could feel a hot spot forming on the ball of each foot. I slathered on more Vaseline and went with my Balega socks since they are thicker. One of the best decisions I made; my feet still look like non-runner's feet! That break though ate up my cushion and I came in a little after the 3 hour mark to finish 6 laps. So to reach my goal, I would have to pick up the pace and that wasn't happening. My legs had no pop to them all day, not even at mile 1. They had been feeling blah all week, but I thought rest would take care of it. No such luck, so I concentrated on my mantra that I had in my mind all week leading up to the BMM. Continuous forward movement. If I wasn't going to hit my mileage goal, I would at least keep moving the whole time.
When I finished lap 8, I saw that the lead female was also at 8 laps, but it turns out she had come in a while ago and was closing in on lap 9, so I knew first place was out of reach. She and I ended up running my lap 9 and her lap 10 together and knocked it out fairly "quickly". Talking about clothes and running definitely helps the tired miles pass by easier. We came in from that lap with 55ish minutes left in the race. I came across Jason and we switched to a jog/walk and then to just a walk. We were both tired and I wasn't feeling too hot; also, by taking more time, I didn't have to decide whether or not to try for more after that lap. If we had come in with 20 minutes left on the clock, I would have probably tried for another mile and maybe even pushed for two, so it was better that we took our time and finished with just a few minutes left on the clock.
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| Photo courtesy of Ray Krolewicz |
Jason and I ran about 3 laps together; the first one, a middle one, and the last one. Poor thing had to listen to me again talk about how I wanted to throw up, but I promised him I wouldn't cry this time. He finished with 27.9 miles and I finished with a 50K. I ended up being 2nd female and was pleasantly surprised with a $50 gift certificate to a running store. I thought maybe I'd get a medal at most, so scoring money for running shoes was a nice bonus! We had a couple of friends running and they did great; Sarah ended with over 50 miles for the 12-hr race and Chas ended up with a 50K for the 6-hr race.
Why else did this race rock? Aid station was awesome. The watermelon, pineapple, and crispy bacon all hit the spot. The shirts are pretty cool too; I love the glowing monster eyes on the shirt. It had a fun, low-key atmosphere, which I love. Plus, they encouraged runners to bring food for a local crisis center and animal shelter. Did I mention the course? Would love to be able to run it more often.
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| Photo Courtesy of Willie and Sarah |
So, while I'm happy about finishing 2nd and logging my first 50K as a heart runner, I have to admit there's still a little bit of disappointment in my head. Yes, happiness and disappointment regarding a goal can coexist. My goal was something I should have been able to run and I just didn't have it come race day. I don't think anything in particular went wrong, other than my legs just didn't want to go fast. I stayed away from Gu/gels and my stomach felt better. I did take 2 s-caps and am not sure if that's what hit me on the last lap or not. I'm going to cut those out too for future races. Despite the disappointment, I can't wait to see my doc's face when I tell him I've run a marathon and 50K since he last saw me!
"God is within her; she will not fail. God will help her at break of day." - Psalms 46:5
