Hogpen Hill Climb 17K - Run

I started the run under the impression that the first 6 miles were going to be relatively easy. I mean when you read the race liturature and it says.. "anyone can run the first 6", you start thinking.. ok.. 6 easy, 4 hard. No problem. Only this was and is not the case. The course was difficult, and mostly up hill, almost from the word go.

I started the run with nothing but questions in my mind. This was to be a training run for ING Ga Marathon, but also the first 'race' of 2007 for me. It was my first assessment of where I am at fitness wise going into my build phase for ING, St. Anthony's, and Gulf Coast. That aside, I had no real clue how to manage this run. A 2500 foot ascent was something I was completely unfamiliar with. Anyway, I started slower than usual for me in a race to get a feel for things, and also to 'save' myself for the climb.

About 1.5 miles in, I decided to let go and just race to my capeability. The hills began immediately. Steep climbs, but nothing like what was to come. I passed a number of people over the first 5 miles or so and felt pretty good. At the 5 mile marker, my watch read 43 minutes. So I was in the 8 min mile range, even with my slower start, and steady climb. I still felt good so I decided to push a little more. This was both a good and bad idea. Good, for all the regular reasons, bad because the steepest and longest climbs of this run lie ahead. Pushing up those, was brutal. I tried to lighten the mood and asked a fellow runner "when do the hills start". I got a nasty look in return, so I continued on and up. Miles 6 to 10 were absolutely brutal. At one point, I felt like If I stopped running, I would fall off the mountain we were climbing. :) I continued to push, and crossed the finish line at 1:36:53.. according to my watch. I'm still waiting on final results.

So anyway, not much more to say other than the beauty of this run was amazing. Ice and large icicles formed on the rocks near the top. It was seriously 15 degrees colder at the top than it was at the bottom. One negative to finishing quicker, is waiting at the top longer. It was pretty cold, and I was wet from sweating. It was mind over matter at that point.

I watched my friends come in, and was completely impressed with their performance and attitudes. Lots of joy over finishing this race from them. Three of us had no ride down to the bottom, but a 4th runner who we knew, was there, and was able to get us back to the bottom (start).

Last note: The Arden Hill repeats were the single best training evolution that I could have done in preparation for this run.

Start a little faster.

Beers and Brats at a local resturant in Helen. For those who don't know, Helen, Ga, is sort of an Alpine Village tourist area with a heavy bavarian slant in North Georgia.


Course management, the fact that I had no clue what to expect.


Very unique race. I will do it again. It's a good time with friends. A difficult course, but really, falls at the perfect time in preparation for the ING Ga marathon.

Results not official. Still waiting for those to be posted.