Somehow I managed to get in the front pack. Uh-oh. I was feeling undertrained, so going out fast would be a bad idea. But I also don’t like being passed. The first lap was fairly uneventful. Lots of stream crossings (wet feet), big icy patches, and rock fields. Hmmm… with all these rocks maybe I’ll have to come back to prep for Massanutten! But a rock strewn downhill, covered in 4” of leaves… not so good… can’t see the rocks. Tried my first Clif Shot, but with the cold it had a consistency more like a Shot Blok. And then….. it started snowing.


Through the second lap it was just a very light sprinkling of snow. But it started making it more difficult to see the ice. And heading out alone I took off from the aid station like a jack rabbit. So I promptly proceeded to slip on the ice a couple times, once falling on hands and knees. Then another mile or so later, I got lost with another runner. It was the blind leading the blind! Eventually with the company of 4 more runners we got back on track.


Lesson #1: Never assume the guy in front of you – even if he’s a local – knows where he’s going!


The two of us took off the front, but after another mile I had slowed a bit and he faded off into the distance. Clif Shot number 2, I shoved down my tights in an attempt to thaw it, but it shifted around too much. Running down my leaf covered rocky trail I twisted my right ankle quite well. The kind of twist where you feel the tendons (or ligaments? I can’t keep them straight!) stretching too far… and maybe even some popping. Oops! But not much pain, so I kept on running. Clif Shot number 3 went into my sports bra, and was successfully thawed. But placing cold objects there is ummm… not exactly comfortable… I guess maybe “refreshing”. After what seemed too long, I finally made it back to the aid station/start/finish area. Ok, so 2/3 done, feeling a bit tired, I can just cruise on through the last lap.


Runner: “Three women have already been through, but I’m not sure what race they are in.”

Volunteer: “They were all in the marathon. You’re the first 50K female.”

Me: “Aw man, now I can’t slack off. Guess I’d better get going.”


Off I go for lap number three, right behind the guy I’d gotten lost with on the previous loop. Slip, slide, and hug a tree… again. We talk for a bit, but after a mile I get past him and take off fast again. Now the snow is starting to come down and stick. Between the snow and my right ankle, I’m taking the downhills even more slow and cautiously. I keep thinking the guy will catch me, but for miles I see nobody. Getting close to halfway through the loop, I’m going downhill slow and easy, then BAM! I’m on my ass sliding downhill. Yeowch!! I lay there on the ice (icing my sore butt of course) until the pain in my butt subsides enough. Well, 5 miles either way, no other way out that I know (no map). Onward, but still slower. After falling on my butt, the faster I ran the more it hurt.


Lesson #2: Always, always, always carry ibuprofen with you! So when you smack your butt and elbow hard on a sheet of ice with more than an hour to go, you can take it right away.


Well, running with a pain in my ass really put a damper on how I felt about the race. Now I really was counting down the miles until I’d be done. Ok, time to pull out the good stuff – a caramel nut Balance bar. Or not. At 25F the balance bar was like a brick. I gnawed half of it, but gave up – too much work and I was afraid I might break a tooth!! With the slower pace, even slicker running surface, sore butt, it seems to take forever to get back to the aid station. Yipee! 30 miles done! Since I had missed the pre-race briefing I didn’t know where to catch the 1 mile loop, so I saved it for the end. I guess like a victory lap. Of course, it also meant going across some the slickest parts of the course… and hugging that tree a third time. Quite glad the tree was there, otherwise I would have fallen more! Very slow, steep, slippery last mile… and done!

Well, perhaps finding out the trail conditions ahead of time would have been good. Then I would have pulled out the screws I bought and screwed my shoes! And perhaps getting my butt out to train on trails would have been a good idea too. And remembering that sheet of ice on the downhill...

Hung around for ~1.5 hours after, chatting with other runners and the volunteers. Had the best Cup of Noodles ever! Seriously. When you’ve been running that long and are standing around in the snow… that is good stuff!! After getting thoroughly chilled to the point of shaking, I decided it was time to head home.


Already have next year penciled in my calendar (Jan 9?)