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Hogpen Hill Climb 17K - Run


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Helen, Georgia
United States
45F / 7C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 36m 53s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Power Bagel, toasted, with Peanut butter to start the drive to Helen, 1.5 hours up there with good conversation and some uneasiness. The looming 2500 foot ascent was formost on our minds. Ate a Chocolate Chip Muffin treat on the way up too. It was fantastic.
Event warmup:

Arrived on site. No real warm up to speak of. Got registered, then waited in my car to start. With 20 minutes till race time, we all hit the rest rooms again, then lined up to start the race. I dropped a Gu at the start, but forgot to bring my second one, so that was it for the entire race. I think the earlier Power Bagel helped me sustain energy and not really miss the Gu during the race.
Run
  • 00m
  • 10.56 miles
  •  min/mile
Comments:

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.
What would you do differently?:

Start a little faster.
Post race
Warm down:

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.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

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

Event comments:

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.




Last updated: 2007-01-22 12:00 AM
Running
00:00:00 | 10.56 miles |  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Course: 2500 foot ascent from the City center of Helen, Ga up to the HogPen Gap on the Appalachian Trail. 17k, but closer to 10.2 / 10.3 miles. I'll give this course a difficulty of a 9.5. Only because there 'might' be something more difficult out there.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3

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2007-01-22 9:23 AM

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Master
1404
1000100100100100
Atlanta, Ga
Subject: Hogpen Hill Climb 17K


2007-01-22 10:08 AM
in reply to: #663085

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Member
21

Subject: RE: Hogpen Hill Climb 17K
The power bagel was totally the key to your success and the Arden repeats--both my ideas--giggle. Great report..I love how you got the F-off look trying to be witty...sometimes that happens when people arent cool enough to appreciate humor. Can't wait for next year-I'll be there!
2007-01-22 11:02 AM
in reply to: #663085

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Veteran
124
100
Subject: RE: Hogpen Hill Climb 17K
Great job Ron. I still am amazed at how fast you went up this hill. Why bike it?

It's good to challenge yourself with non-traditional events such as this one. It breaks up the training monotony and provides for an interesting afternoon. (What the heck were the rest of us doing?) Congrats!!


H.
2007-01-22 2:51 PM
in reply to: #663085

Extreme Veteran
597
500252525
Atlanta, GA
Subject: RE: Hogpen Hill Climb 17K
Wish I could have seen the hill. Maybe I'll get drunk at Octoberfest and try running the hill, cause that might be the only time you'd get me near that hill! Congrats on your first race of '07.
2007-01-22 3:06 PM
in reply to: #663085

Master
1362
10001001001002525
Charlotte, NC
Subject: RE: Hogpen Hill Climb 17K

Well at least I knew you were nuts already before learning you did this race.  At least I should have expected something crazy like this from you.

CONGRATS Ron!  Great run... you should do this several more times this year to prep for your Ironman...

2007-01-22 3:06 PM
in reply to: #663667

Master
1362
10001001001002525
Charlotte, NC
Subject: RE: Hogpen Hill Climb 17K

1111 - 2007-01-22 3:51 PM Wish I could have seen the hill. Maybe I'll get drunk at Octoberfest and try running the hill, cause that might be the only time you'd get me near that hill!

I'll join you... but I wanna start at the top and work my way down.  Figure I can roll if needed.



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