The Premise: Run a 4.2 mile paved loop course on the trails of Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis, MD as many times as I can in a 6 hour time period.
The Challenge: Heat. Humidity. Sweat. Sun.
I signed up for this race only a few weeks ago. I have been intrigued by the timed-event concept – run a loop as many times as possible in a set timeframe – and this race fell on a weekend I didn’t have anything planned, it was after the Mad Marathon so I was not training for anything specific, and it was within driving distance.
As the heat wave hit the mid-Atlantic region last week, I started to question whether I should attempt my first race of this kind but I gave myself permission to take my time, walk if I needed, and even drop early if it I started to struggle. I didn’t put any pressure on myself to fight it out to the end. I handle heat fairly well and the organizers were doing all they could to make sure the runners were safe – weighing us every 2 hours, pushing salt and hydration, setting up a hydration station at the half way point, and a misting station on the course. I woke up Saturday morning ready to give this race my best shot.
Unfortunately, traffic had other plans for me. I left the house with enough time to get to the race site with more than 30 minutes to spare. At 6:50 I came to stop on Route 50 due to an accident that required the entire road to be shut down, and didn’t make it the 1 mile to the next exit for another 50 minutes. The whole time I was inching down the highway, I was under 15 miles to the race…I could have run there!! I contemplated turning around and going home but I thought, what the heck, they might still let me run. After taking a detour and several backroads (thank you iPhone Google maps app), I finally got to the park around 8:10 (40 minutes late).
I quickly found an organizer and within 5 minutes of parking, I had pinned on my number, grabbed my water bottle, been weighed (came in right at 130 pounds), and was running. As I started the race, I was a mix of feelings. I was still upset about being late, thankful that I took a shot, showed up and they let me run, and anxious because I felt like I was way behind everyone else. I told myself to focus running.
The first loop was mainly about recon: The first mile or so was shaded and had one noticeable downhill and one noticeable uphill. After mile one, I hit the misting station and declined a spray from the volunteer – not yet, I said, but I’ll be back. Mile 2 was more exposed and after running by a dog park and up and down some small rollers, I came back to the that noticeable downhill from mile 1. The marker for Mile 2 was at the top and the hill was in full sun. After the hill and more sun, I hit the midpoint hydration station. I declined to fill my water bottle as it was about halfway full. The next part of the course was the toughest mentally for me. Though Mile 3 and then some, the course followed a fitness trail with exercise stops (sit-ups, pull-ups, stretching, balance beam, etc.) but other than that there wasn’t much in the way of landmarks and with each turn I was looking for the road crossing that meant I was getting close to the end of the loop. After the road crossing, the course was back in full shade and it wasn’t long before I saw the Mile 4 marker and then it was just up a hill to the start/finish/aid station (why do all races have to end on a hill?).
I hit the start/finish, heard my number called out to make sure my loop was counted, had a volunteer put ice and water in my bottle, grabbed a cookie and a handful of potato chips and headed back out on the course. My first lap, including time in the aid station, was 45 minutes. I smiled when I saw that time because it was an excellent way to start this race and I no longer felt like I was way behind everyone else.
I settled in to a routine – up and down in Mile 1, hit the misting station and have them spray the back of my neck, out in to the sun, up the hill to Mile 2, grab a cup or refill my bottle with water at the hydration station, get mentally tough through the Mile 3+ stretch, cross the road, almost there, over some wooden bridges, see Mile 4 marker, a few more turns and then up the hill to the finish.
I was running strong and steady and was curious, with the heat and still recovering from the Mad Marathon two weeks ago, how long could I continue to run the entire loop without walking. Loop 2 – 8.4 miles down – went by and I was still running. I grabbed more chips, asked for a refill of ice and water, was weighed again (130#, right where I needed to be), and was back out on the course in 44 minutes 30 seconds. Wow, just a smidge faster. Seeing my time remain steady was a definite confidence booster.
The volunteers were asking about hydration and salt every time we came in to the start/finish. I took one salt tab on the second loop and then two on each loop after. Also, I made sure my water bottle was finished by the end of the loop and even refilled it if it was more than halfway empty at the midpoint hydration station. I also grabbed whatever looked good at the aid station – today it seemed to be potato chips, pretzels, watermelon and Gatorade. I had two gels throughout the day, just because I had them with me and I felt like I should.
I started Lap 3 and told myself to be smart, if at any point you feel like walking, just walk. To my surprise, I went through Lap 3 quickly and hit the start/finish without walking, once again in 44 minutes 30 seconds. Wow, just wow. I felt strong and unstoppable. Take that 100 degree heat!
However, the day was definitely getting warmer, the few early morning clouds were gone and more of the course was in full sun now that the sun was getting higher in the sky. Starting Lap 4, I again reminded myself that it was OK to walk. I came to the long uphill in Mile 1 and decided that walking was definitely in order. For the rest of the lap, I walked the larger uphills (except the finish, I was determined to always run in to the finish) and to my surprise came out of aid station at the end of Lap 4 with a time of 44 minutes 52 seconds. Holy moly, walking wasn’t taking away any time. I ran out of the station with a huge smile on my face.
I knew I couldn’t keep it up though. By this time, between sweating and the misting station, I was soaking wet (I could literally ring the sweat out of my running skirt – eww!) It was hot but I was handling it well and kept to my hydration/salt plan. For Lap 5, I decided to play a game: each time I passed someone or someone passed me going the other direction, I had to run for 60 seconds. If I passed someone else or someone passed me going the other way, the 60 seconds started over again. This was excellent motivation. The lap seemed to fly by and before I knew it, I was back at the aid station. My time was just over 48 minutes. Even with the additional walking, I added less than 5 minutes to my lap time. Woohoo!!
When I started the race my goal was one lap per hour, so since I was late and would be running for 5 hours 15 minutes, my goal was 5 laps and a little bit. Here I was, with 1.5 hours left on the race clock, 5 laps down (20.8 miles run) and I was feeling great.
I played the same game for Lap 6 – pass or someone pass me, run for a minimum of 60 seconds, the timer starts over if I passed someone else (or sometimes I just felt like running further). By this time, there were fewer people out on the trails and I was proud of myself for still being out there and feeling great. My legs were tired, my feet were starting to hurt a bit and I looked forward to the short bits of walking more and more but I also felt like I was on top of the world.
However, when Lap 6 was almost done and I started to have a weird moment of doubt. It was hot and I started to wonder if I really wanted to be out there. Six laps. Twenty-five miles. One hundred degree heat. Those are not things to scoff at. I could stop running and feel proud. When I came in to the aid station for the final time, a volunteer asked me what I wanted in my water bottle and I’m not really sure why but I told him, I think I am done. What, you aren’t done. Look at you. You look great. Get back out there, he told me in rapid fire succession. All these were valid points. But there are hills and sun back that way, I countered. You have 30 minutes left, come on. You could at least walk for 30 minutes, he said. Alright, alright, I’ll go, I said, and the volunteers handed me a little orange flag. If I was still on the course at the end of the race, when I heard the horn, I was to plant the flag on the side of the trail and then I would get credit for the distance I covered in that partial lap.
And so, thanks to that volunteer, I headed out of the aid station one last time. I was tired and sweaty and feeling gross. I wasn’t keen on being out there but I was back out on the course so I might as well make the most of it. I ran and walked. During a walk break, a relay team (there was a relay also going on at the same time – those little buggers would blow right by us individual runners all refreshed and rested) caught up to me and told me I should run with them. Alright, I said and reluctantly started running again. We exchanged some small talk and to my surprise I actually felt better running with a group. As they talked and encouraged each other and me, it reenergized me. On the next big climb, though, one of their teammates started to fall back so they told me to go ahead.
Once I left them, the boost didn’t last too long and after hitting the misting station for a final time (my favorite people all day!) I was back to walking wondering if I could get to Mile 2 before hearing the horn. Then, they caught up with me again, and shouted, come on Becki, run. Again, reluctantly I did and again, it felt good to run. I gave myself permission to walk the hill up to the Mile 2 marker but after that I would run until I heard the horn.
And that is exactly what I did. I heard the horn somewhere between Miles 2 and 3 of my seventh lap, planted my little flag and happily started walking back to the start/finish. Unfortunately, I think I was at the point in the course that was the further away from the start/finish and ended up walking quite a ways, on a sunny road, before a volunteer came by in her car and offered me a ride. Thank goodness she did, I was starting to feel a little nauseous from the heat and sun.
I hung around for some food and gobbled up cookies, chips, veggies and a hot dog. I tried to stay until they announced the awards but I was getting tired and had an hour long drive ahead of me. Since I was soaked, I did a quick change in the car, happily put on flip-flops and headed for home.
I ended up running 27.42 miles in 5 hours 15 minutes. I am confident that if I had been able to start on time I could have completed at least 7 laps and then tacked on another mile or so. I had a great time at this race. The volunteers, organizers and aid were top-notch. The shirt and race medal are neat. The food after was yummy. All the other runners were super supportive. I would love to give this course another shot when we aren’t experiencing the heat wave of the century and I’m not late to the start. A favorite race, for sure.
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