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Before:
Ever since I ran the inaugural Rock & Root 30K last September, I have been looking forward to this years event. For one reason, I truly enjoy the atmosphere created by all the guys at Peak Mountain Sports surrounding their events. Secondly, I had a little bit of redemption on my mind since I ended up bonking pretty badly just past mile 14 last year which led to a time much slower than I had hoped for.
Race morning was sunny, but somewhat cooler which was a bit of a relief since the race date had been moved up to late August for this years Rock & Root. After milling around talking to some new friends as well as old friends, it was time for the race start. I had been training quite a bit at Haw Ridge Park leading up to this event and felt like I was pretty well prepared. Still, I knew this years course was going to have quite a bit more elevation to it. Just like last year though, most of the elevation would come at once with each lap of the two lap course including a climb up the dreaded "Hill of Truth". This year the climb up the H.O.T. would be a little earlier in the lap. I actually hoped to use this as an advantage because I would be a little fresher by the time I got to my first climb. My plan this year was to maintain a strong pace, but not so strong that I had another late race burnout like last year.
During:
A short run through the field at the main staging area and we were onto asphalt greenway for a short distance then into the single track. The greenway gave the crowd a good chance to thin out a little. I remember hearing a guy running next to me on the greenway saying "If I could keep this pace it would be a short day". I started to laugh until I looked at my watch. 6:50 pace said the screen. I thought "that cant be right, Im barely moving" A mix of feel good and nerves always makes for a fast early pace it seems. The arrival of single track slowed me down a little closer to my intended pace. A quick count as runners entered the trail put me at eighth which I hoped to maintain through the race.
A couple of miles in and a couple of runners passed on a short climb, I settled in with another runner named Andy. We talked a little along the way, but mainly, I was just glad to have filtered out with someone running the pace I wanted to run. Just after mile five we began a long slow ascent up toward the Hill of Truth for the first time. It was on the lead up trail to the H.O.T. that Andy started to walk for the first time. I had already made up my mind I wasnt walking until I actually got onto the Hill. I power hiked to the top, got a fast refill of water from the awesome Hill of Truth Hooligans, then headed on to the Ridge trail which had several short climbs as well.
After getting up the Hill of Truth, in fifth place now, I ran by myself until just past the third aid station which was manned by a couple of running friends this year. I knew it was just a little over two miles to the start finish area and the start of the second loop from here, so I decided to just say a quick hello as I ran by. One of the great things about Haw Ridge Park for me is that I know the trails really well since its where I do most of my training runs. My familiarity with these trails also led to a mistake on my part oddly enough. Just after the third aid station the trail splits. Turning left at the split takes you to a parking area. The race course went to the right, but without any thought at all, muscle memory took me left toward the parking lot which is how I end most all my training runs. By the time I got to the greenway, I realized that I didnt see any course markers. I ran back up the trail a short ways. Still no course markers. One thing I knew though was that the course had to cross back at a particular junction, so I headed out the greenway a few hundred feet and ducked back into the woods. As I was coming up the trail to where I thought the course would cross, I see Andy coming down the trail from the proper direction. I shrugged and said "guess I missed a marker somewhere huh".
After cruising into the main aid station with Andy I got a quick refill of water and headed back out. I still felt like I was too far up in the running order and I knew there were still strong runners behind me. I felt really good, but didnt think my placement would last the entire second loop. After running the short section of greenway leading to the trail at the start of the second loop I noticed something laying in the middle of the asphalt. At first I thought "stick", then as I got closer I thought "Black Snack", then I realized a few feet away what it really was, a Copperhead. I steered clear and decided to hang around a second or two to make sure Andy saw it as well. After we got around it and got onto the trail again we ended up running together again for a short distance. After a while though I was by myself again as I headed back toward the Hill of Truth for a second time.
Just before the Hill of Truth climb I started to catch glimpses of another runner through the woods ahead of me. I lost sight of them for a little while and thought they had taken off and left me, but once we got out into the open on the second climb up the Hill of Truth I realized I was catching him. About halfway up the Hill one of the "Hooligans", came down and met us to get our water bottles filled so they would be ready when we got to the top. Now thats service! I out hiked the runner I caught up with to the top of the hill and headed back out onto Ridge trail again by myself. Once again I ran for the next few miles alone until I got within a half mile of the third aid station. At that point I began to catch another runner on Lake Road. Just as I saw him in a straightaway he went down. I ran up and checked on him. He wasnt hurt, but he let me know that he was done physically. I headed on to the aid station and let them know about him as I got a quick refill of water. Misty let me know I was third overall as I was leaving, which I had thought, but was still surprised to hear.
After I left the last aid station, I had two things going through my mind. First and foremost, dont miss the course sign this time! Secondly, I was thinking, whats going on here? Im in third overall. How did that happen? I started questioning everything from my pace to missing the course somewhere else along the way. A check of my watch confirmed the correct distance though. The last mile was the toughest all day for some reason, but once I finally got back to the field where the finish line was, I could hear the R.D., Brad calling me in. It was a great feeling to not only be done, but to have been able to actually follow my pre-race plan all the way through trimming 42 minutes from my time last year
After:
After Party is more like it. Like I mentioned before, of all the events Ive ran, the atmosphere at the Peak Mountain Sports events is by far and away the best. Everyone is encouraged to hang around and cheer for the remaining runners after they finish, but with free Terrapin Beer being a staple at Peak events, it really doesnt take much encouragement. As if having Terrapin as a sponsor wasnt good enough, there are also sponsor booths from Altra and Blue Ridge Mountain Sports which supplied some awesome post race swag and door prizes. You'll not find a better swagged race, trust me. Looking forward to next years event already!
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