A bit of background. I'm 45. I ran in high school, but had knee issues and was told that for the rest of my life my choices would be a tradeoff between staying in bed or getting up and hurting my knees. Great orthopedist. I switched to swimming, TKD, and some other activities over the years. At about age 40, I got fed-up with my lack of physical fitness and headed out the door for a one mile run. No problem, so I did it again a few days later. That Fall I started running once a week with a group of all ability levels from a local running store. I did a couple local races. Got a few age group awards when the turn-out was low. Got a bit faster. Got a bit fitter. Increased mileage. Got injured. My first injury was plantar fasciitis. It side-lined me for over 6 months. My running then resumed and gradually built back up. I did some half marathons and full marathons. My fastest half is 2:15. Fastest full is 5:08. June 2010, playing kickball at the end of the school year, I had my second injury. Seemed totally unfair to get injured when I wasn't even running. It sidelined me until winter, when I finally followed a running friends advice (thanks Gina!) and went to see an ART chiropractor. She had me running within a week. I've gradually built my mileage back up. About a month ago, my plantar fasciitis (PF) started to return. I stopped running for 10 days, saw the chiro several times. Ultrasound treatment, stretching (including the soleus - really helps!), and I started running. I cut my mileage in half and dropped my effort as well.
So, I went into the 50k not sure if the PF would be a problem. It's been coming and going this last month. I've been aggressively using ice, stretching, and seeing the chiro. That seems to keep it at bay. But to heal up, I had also cut my mileage so I was going into this event undertrained.
On Friday, I met up with 3 local running friends (G, C, and T) and we drove up to Michigan. We talked about running, drank lots of water en route, and got to the Holdiday Inn express around 5:30. Checked in and headed back out to Pinckney - Hell Creek Ranch for the race. We had to park in a field about a 10 minute walk from registration. We got our bibs, t-shirts, and found another friend (E) who was camping there on Friday night to drop off bug spray. It started to rain so we headed back to the car. We met another friend (S) back at the hotel and went off for a dinner at Chiles. Her husband (K) was running the 100 miler and had started at 4pm. The rain had been coming down pretty steady since we left registration area. A bit of lightning too. We hoped the weather would improve.
Saturday morning we were up at 4am. G and C headed off to the 50 miler start at 6am. Three of us had a more leisurely start and left the hotel at 6:20. I usually try to sleep as long as possible to get as much rest as possible. However, getting up earlier was really nice. I ate a clif bar, an expresso clif gel, and drank lots of water. I had plenty of time to put on ivy block, as I'd been told there could be poison ivy along the course. I had a bag of clothes to change into after the race. We packed up and drove, through a light rain, back through Pinckney to the race. We got to the area at 7am and parked at the distant field. Headed over to the start area. Put our drop bags at a E's campsite, made quick use of the port-a-pottys, and headed to the start.
Oh, I made a last minute decision, based on the fact that it rained all night, to put on trail shoes. This would normally be a no-brainer, but shoes have been a big issue for my PF. I brought road shoes to run in that I knew did not aggravate my PF. I had just bought the trail shoes 3 days earlier and had brought them to wear to/from the race to start breaking them in. But given my road shoes have almost no traction, I made the switch to nearly new Brooks Adreneline trail shoes. They had less than 2 walking miles on them. No running miles. I've run over a dozen marathons and have had my share of blisters. I did not make this decision lightly - but I did not want to get injured slipping so I took the risk. Time would tell if this was a huge mistake.
There were a lot of people at the start. The 50k, marathon, and half marathon were all starting together at 7:30. It was raining. I had a disposable poncho on over my running singlet, compression shorts and fuel belt with water, 3 clif gels, and 2 packs of honey stinger chews. First lap is about 16 miles. I heard the race director was talking, but could not make much out. I wasn't worried - I'd hold back and follow other people. I knew to follow the pink route and to take the cut-off on the second lap. I'd studied the map online, but was not sure exactly where to go as there were no arrows on the map and the course had 2 lollipops with a connector - but I figured it would be marked and there would be course marshals at any critical junctions.
The race director had a verbal countdown and said go and people started moving forward. About a minute later I crossed the starting line and was off, into the rain, for my first 50k. I was not running with my friends - they were faster than me and I did not want to be tempted to push myself. The first goal was to not get hurt. Second goal was to finish. Third goal was to go at a decent pace. Enjoying myself along the way would be a nice bonus. So, we shuffled off to the end of the field. Pink flags went left and right. No course marshal. A confident voice said 50k goes right, so I went right. I later learned this was wrong, but I don't think it changed the distance much. So, I headed off with lots of other people. I figured if it was a loop it didn't matter if we went the wrong way, the distance would be the same, but that wasn't exactly correct either since this was 'half of a lollipop' and there was no guarantee the path from the start to the connecter road was the same distance as the other section of the loop back. Anyway, we headed off.
It quickly turned to single track. We got funnelled down to single file. Pretty soon there were people coming towards us as well as some slow-starters passing from behind. There wasn't much room, but people tried to be polite. Then we hit what I'll call the 'mud mile.' You really couldn't get around it. Over-the -ankle mud mousse for long stretches of trail. Needless to say, the feet were soaked. I had low hiking gaiters on that helped keep rocks out of my shoes, but there was no stopping the mud from seeping in with the water. Onward!
Hit an aid station that was unmanned. That was a good clue we were going the wrong way. Onward. After another mile or so we got to a manned aid station and a junction where the "campground" loop drops onto a road. This road connects to a second lollipop with Richie's haven aid station at the most distant point from the start - 8 miles. I passed my two roommates, G and C, that were running the 50 miler. They looked good. It was a great feeling to see them. I had to control myself to not speed up. It was still a long day ahead. They were coming back on this connector road while I was headed out to the Richie's haven lollipop loop.
I was following a run 2 minute/walk1 minute pattern. Before I got injured, I was doing a run 5/walk 1. I find the walk/run helps to ward off injuries. Since I was unsure of my foot, I was doing a much more conservative run 2/walk 1 pattern. I got to Ritchie's haven aid station at about 2 hours 10 min. That should have been 8 miles in. That's over a 15 min/mile pace. Didn't make sense, as I was running some of the time. Maybe it was from going the wrong way at the start added distance? Or I was just going slower that I realized with the mud. Based on other trail races I thought I was going about 14 min/mile pace. No big deal, as the time cut off was much later than I needed to worry about. The aid volunteer checked my number and said, 'second loop 2076?'. Ha ha. No, I assured him it was my first loop. A bit of mental math later and I realized I would have been at mile 24 for my second loop - in just over 2 hours? - I think I might qualify for the Olympic trials at that pace. Maybe he thought I was a 50 miler -they started 1.5 hours earlier and that was possible. Anyway, he sorted it out, I refilled my water and had some banana pieces and headed back out. I did not eat anything all day except food I brought, bananas, and water. I did not want to find out that GU did not agree with me - or anything else for that matter. I ate during my frequent walking breaks.
The rest of Richie's haven loop and the connecting road back were fairly uneventful. It stopped raining. I pulled off my poncho and shoved it between my back and fuel belt. I got back to Grace aid station just off the road. I tried to figure out if I should take the lollipop in the opposite direction, to get the right mileage, or just head back. Not wanting to risk a DQ (not that this whole 'peace love running' event seemed likely to give a dq to a back-of-the-pack runner) I decided to follow the pink course back the correct way to the campground. This time the aid station was manned. The mud mile was as mousse-like as ever. I was very happy to hear music in the distance. Visions of dry socks danced in my head. I got up to the campground, and headed to our campsite. I washed my feet off at a campground water supply, put on dry socks, put BACK on the trail shoes (that now had 16 miles on them and my feet were ok given the conditions), got my muddy gaiters back on, restocked my fuel belt with gels, and headed back out. These shoes were definitely gripping the trail better than my road shoes and I felt OK so I stuck with them.
Here was my second bit of course confusion. I thought I'd leave the campground in the same direction as the start. I headed that way only to be turned around when I realized the course went right through the campground, past the start, and out. I crossed the timing mats (good thing!) and headed on the second loop. I later learned where I had messed up the start by going out and right, the correct path went out, left, around the campground and in this direction. Made sense in hindsight. That spread out the pack before the course narrowed.
It might be a sense of 'the grass is greener' but his was a much easier part of the lollipop. I wish I had taken it the first time. It was gravel bike path. All was good, but my foot felt some pain in the arch. After a while I realized that when I changed shoes my half-orthotic had slid forward. I walked about 3 miles to a bench, where I stopped and got past the muddy gaiters and shoes to my orthotic, got it in place, and got everything back on. My foot still felt iffy, so I walked some more and contemplated stopping. It was not worth getting injured. However, a bit more walking and it started to feel ok. Might just have been having the back of the orthotic jamming into my arch. So, I resumed walk/run. I felt good. I got to Grace aid station just before the road. I had passed a few people! One guy was walking the entire 50k. And I only just caught up with him at mile 20? Harumph. I feel that the mis-turn at the start cost me time. But I'm happy. I'm moving. I walk-run the road section. Head onto the Richie's haven loop. It hasn't been raining, and some of the puddles are receding. That's nice. The steep sections are still mud slides. I'm so glad to have the trail shoes. It's slow, but they grab into the mud and I don't slip much.
I hit Richie's haven aid station. They are starting to packup. People will still be coming through for a couple more hours. I have banana slices and refill my water. I play leap frog with a young fit fellow that's having a hard day. He passes me on the trail and I pass him at the aid stations. I think he passes me for the last time on this section of the loop. On the road I pass my roommates again. They seem good but not as talkative. I feel relieved that they won't lap me! They ask after my foot. Seems OK.
I leave the road for the last time and pass Grace aid station. This time I ask if they have any whole bananas. They kindly give me one. I refill my water and am happily on my way - home stretch. On this final loop there is a cut-off where we skip a mile so it works out to a 50k. That feels like Christmas to skip that mile. Then 2 ladies zip past me. I try to work out if they are 50k or 50 mile. I let them go. Not worth getting injured. About a mile later though I see them ahead again. Not zipping anymore. Gradually I catch up with them. I pass them at the start of the mud mile. Last time through! I don't even try to skirt the edge this time. I slog straight through the middle. It's up to mid calf at spots. I feel good. I know it's only about 3 miles to go. I don't want to be passed again. My foot doesn't hurt. I like the idea of finishing strong. My gymboss 2/1 timer has died, so I pretty much just run. I really feel good. Endorphins must be on overdose mode. I walk the steepest sections, but otherwise I run along. My garmin dies so I don't know the pace. I run up the final hill into the campground - don't need to save my quads now.
I finish in 9:06:03, a 17:33 pace (plus or minus given the wrong path at the start). There were 10 women signed up in my age group. I finished 6th, just one spot away from a great VW bus age group award. But it was a distant 6th, as the woman in front of me finished in about 7:22. Hats off to her. I couldn't have competed with that, even without worries of injury or mud. The 7th place woman in my age group was one of the 2 I (re)passed about 3 miles from the end. She came in about 4 minutes after me. I was 6th out of 8 finishers in my age group. I don't know if the other 2 registered women started and DNF or just skipped the event entirely given the lousy weather.
Afterwards, I promptly ate a piece of lasagna at the finish. Yum. Then I got cleaned up and went back for a lasagna dinner. Yum. One of my 50 miler friends stopped at Richie's haven on her last loop - her foot was in pain and she was changing her gait so it was time to stop. The other woman finished her 50 miler, her first!, and we had an enthusiastic group from Dayton to cheer her into the finish. We then waited a few more hours, walking and talking and enjoying the music. It got dark but we were waiting for K to finish his first 100 miler. It was his third attempt at 100 miles. He'd made it through the rain all night, he'd made it through 5 loops, and he was on his final loop. We erupted in applause when he appeared in the dark with his pacer (she joined him for the last 2 loops). He got his belt buckle and gave his medal to his pacer. So nice. After that we packed it up and headed back to the hotel to clean up and sleep.
It's now 2 days after the run. I've stretched and iced and my foot feels fine. Amazing. My shoulders are a bit sore, probably from moving my arms more than usual to keep balance in the mud. I have one blister on my left pinky toe and one long thin blister on the sole of my right foot, along a crease in the foot, caused by being waterlogged and friction. Pretty good given my feet were wet the whole way. They don't even hurt today. Of course, since I feel so good now, I wonder if I should have gone faster. But not really. I have a busy fall schedule and this was supposed to be a long training run. Mission accomplished.
If you're thinking of going to Run Woodstock, I'd recommend it. The aid station staff were wonderful. It's well organized. With just one more sign at the start, showing what direction to go within the campground (or a course marshal there), it would have been just about perfect for the 50k. I am concerned that if it continues to grow (this was its third year) it will be more difficult on the single track where the ultra and marathoners pass one another going in opposite directions. There were apparently also some issues on the course for other distances - our camping friend had to DNF the marathon because he missed a loop and was several miles short in his distance. Very frustrating for him. They might need a few more course marshals - especially for those going faster it's sometimes hard to figure out what to do at key junctions.
Thanks for reading and happy trails.
Sarah
