Be prepared to bite it
Get ready to do some root jumpin’. If you plan on running this race, you better watch your step. One quick glimpse at the lake and you’ll end up face first in the dirt. Trust me. I did… twice.
There are 186,394 roots. Precisely. I counted.
2 interesting guys at the start
For what it’s worth, I don’t like Greensboro’s road system. I can’t figure it out. So I consider myself lucky to have just made it to the start. I’m glad I did. I met 2 interesting guys before the race.
Abran saw my G.E.E.R. shirt from the 50k I ran last week. He was there too (he did the 100k). Today he was doing the 40-miler. This guy is a machine. He ran the first few miles of the Old Dominion 100 with a buddy of mine, Ryan Foster, who I paced during the very same race from mile 75-86. Abe is also quite fast. He finished in the top 5 or so of this race, and the race last weekend. I’m sure I’ll run into him again.
I also spoke with a man from Indiana. He’s trying to run a marathon in all 50 states. He’s currently at 22. I didn’t catch his name, but wished him luck.
The race began
I started slow, as usual. The first 2 miles were on road. As we approached the single track, I felt the need to speed up. I wanted to get in front of some of these folks so I didn’t feel held up by them once we were on the trail. I was probably running about an 8:45 pace. No way I would keep that up, but it felt good at the time, so I went with it.
I looked at my watch at mile 7… 1:00. OK. Wow. Not bad. Mile 10… 1:23. I’m really not this fast.
Some conversation
I ran with Susan from Charlotte and David the adventure racer for a mile or two. We talked running and adventure racing, mostly. Very nice people. I decided to continue my surprisingly quick pace, and ran ahead.
Miles 16 and 17 brought about a few more hills than the first half of the course. Not a good sign for my legs. At mile 18 I ate dirt for the 2nd time. This was my legs way of saying, “Dude, slow down. We’re tired.” Well, I didn’t listen, and hit mile 20 right at 3:00. I was on pace for a sub-4 marathon, and at that very moment, I made that my goal.
Hitting the wall
Seconds later, my legs got really upset, and turned into jello. 4 hours was going to be tough. The last 10k was a 50/50 mix of running & walking, but I pushed through as best I could. Just missed my goal: 4:01:31. Still 18 minutes better than my only other marathon (which was completely flat, and 100% on roads). This was a huge improvement.
Oh, and both Susan & David (whom I had passed earlier) went on to finish before me. Nice race, guys.
Description of the course
A moderate trail course, with many 20-30 ft. uphill/downhill spurts. No long ascents or descents. Much of the course is pretty flat. But there are roots everywhere. The roots are without a doubt the most challenging aspect of the course. Almost the entire course is covered by trees so the sun is not a factor. Aid stations are positioned well. People are friendly. And it’s a small race. 200-300 total people between the 40-mile, marathon, half-marathon and relay.
Looking forward
Next weekend I’m running the Baltimore Marathon (thanks to the generous hospitality of my friend Summer, who is putting me up for the weekend… for the 3rd year in a row). I wasn’t sure how my legs would handle the first 2 races of my 3 weekend stretch. But since they performed well, it’s only fitting to test them one last time.
My goal for Baltimore is 3:50. If I can run a trail marathon in 4:01, I should be able to do a road marathon in 3:50. Cut out the wrong turns, the falls, and the lengthy stops to refill at the aid stations, and I should be able to do it. That’s an 8:46/mi pace.
Hopefully I can treat myself to a marathon PR, and then 5 weeks off before the 50-miler at JFK.
The result
4:01:31
27/110 – overall
6/19 – M20-29