I do enjoy a Red Newt Racing event!
As my mileage was way down due to work/family responsibilities, I pretty much shut things down on the blog for a bit. Had some good runs, but low weekly mileage and not much to share. I went into the CT50 undertrained, but hopeful that several good results (Goat Hill 50k, 7 Sisters, Massasoit 10k), would carry me through the day.
Sunrise at the CT50, glorious...
Giddyup!
Pre-race instructions from Ian
Buttermilk Falls
'Mo Buttah!
Ahhh...a flat stretch...
Look at all the tiny runners down there, I'll be there soon enough :)
A great place to celebrate, or drown your sorrows!
Instead, I was having a good run and cruising along fine, only to land funny on a benign stretch of trail at mile 22, and hear an audible "POP" in my knee. I walk/jogged to the turnaround at 27-ish miles and called it a day, opting to not do any further damage, and dropped out of the race. I had a great time and the course was in great shape, plenty of water flowing through the gorges and a perfect day, just not MY day. Hey, I got to see the whole course anyway? I had a nice dinner at Ithaca Beer Co., drove home and took a couple days off, and that seemed to do the trick.
My runs following that little escapade were all trail runs. Matter of fact, everything is a trail run now. And beaches. Beach runs rock! I run barefoot, there are no bugs, and I can be fast at low tide or slow and gutting it out at high tide in the soft sand, depending on the day. And the cool off in the Ocean is glorious...
So with that said, I was finally able to gain some meaningful mileage at the end of June, and resolved to get some "Red Newt Redemption" at Whiteface, to cancel out my DNF at Cayuga.
Whiteface Sky Race and Vertical K, July 8-9, Wilmington NY. Totals: 18 Miles, 10,500' vertical gain, 7:33 total time. I've never run in the Adirondacks. Drove through them once a year ago on our way to a family gathering and was floored by their beauty, and couldn't shut up during the car ride, I was that excited. I vowed to sign up for Whiteface for 2017, just so I had a reason to spend the weekend there! I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I signed up for both races, only that hey, if I'm driving all that way, might as well get my money's worth!
I arrived in the rain (it had rained for a couple days already), and checked into the Hungry Trout lodge, a half mile from Whiteface. Had dinner at the restaurant, checked out the mountain (you really can't miss it, it dominates the skyline in Wilmington), got officially nervous, and retired to my room with positive thoughts about Saturday's VK.
My first look at Whiteface...
Lots of rain = lots of water everywhere
Up and up...and up. (Note the mountain in the fog in the upper right corner of the picture, it just keeps going...)
Part 1: Whiteface Vertical K - 2.4 Miles, 3049' vert., time 1:11, #72 of 97 finishers. I awoke to thunder and pouring rain, and was thinking that the race was gonna be a total shitshow. Grabbed a quick breakfast at the Up the Creek diner, as the race didn't start until 10, and eventually made my way to the ski lodge for check-in. And hey! A fellow Shenipsit Strider, on crutches? Could it be the mythical Lara Oh? It is! She's working through an injury but wanted to be there to see the start of the race. We run in the same circles, haha, but had never met. Spent a bunch of time chatting until it was time to go line up, and then we're off!
This race weekend is part of the Altra US Skyrunning Series, and drew some very fit and fast runners from all over the country. Great atmosphere as everyone was getting ready to go! The front runners take off immediately and run straight up the mountain. Us mere mortals run the first couple hundred yards then settle into a conga line, power hike thing. It's a relentless climb, 2.4 miles with 3,000'+ of vertical gain, much of the lower part on service roads but the upper part? Steep as Hell single-track, grades of 30-40% or more, and slippery, mucky and involving some hands on the ground type stuff. No running here! I did note that the people using trekking poles seemed to be having a much easier time getting up the mountain. Hmmm...I stayed middle/back of the pack, and got to see the main part of the course for the Sky Race, and finished in 1:11, and excited for the big event on Sunday. Little did I know...
VK done!
Gondola cruise down the mountain...
In the afternoon, I had a great lunch at a local brewpub, took a nap. drove over to nearby Lake Placid to pick up a few things (what a great little town that is!), including some trekking poles I bought in a moment of panic (didn't use them), and had the best pan-fried trout of my life for dinner at (where else?) the Hungry Trout. Off for a fitful night's sleep! I maybe slept an hour or two at a time. I rarely get nervous before races anymore, but I was nervous about this one.
Part 2: Whiteface Sky Race - 15.6 miles, 7350' vert., time 6:24, #108 of 121 finishers (some DNFs and a lot of DNSs). I awoke to a perfect morning for the race, and my legs felt a tad sore but not trashed. Realizing I had no breakfast-type things to eat, I scrambled to get my shit ready and drove back to the Up the Creek for some quick eggs and toast, chatting briefly with a couple of local dudes who were working the aid stations. I arrived at Whiteface about 15 minutes before the race, quickly got ready and lined up with a potpourri of runners. Some well-known names, some nervous amateurs (like me!) and everyone in between. Hey, at least I knew what to expect, right?
Maybe not.
I'd looked at the course breakdown and divided it into 5 parts: First Alpine ascent, First Alpine descent, Flume Loop, Second Alpine ascent, Second Alpine descent. It's easier for me that way :)
About 10 minutes after the race began, my legs began to signal that maybe, just maybe, doing the VK the day before wasn't the wisest choice? Whatever. Heard it before. I plowed ahead at a slower pace, and reached the summit in 1:24. No problem, I'm better on descents anyway! But wait, the descents are a bit too steep to fly down, and there's a really treacherous muddy stretch where EVERYONE wiped out at least once, and was completely unrunnable. I did reach the start/finish at 2:06, and felt really good heading out for the Flume Loop, the "easy" portion of the race. Yeah...twisty, rolling, semi-technical single-track for 5 miles is the easy part...and finished it at 3:35 total time elapsed. Slower than expected, but I was determined to get back onto the climb to the summit, as several people who I'd been with on the Flume loop were contemplating dropping.
All happy after the first ascent!
Panoramic! Killer views
Tough to start that climb again, and it was warm and fairly sunny at this point, and the slope is totally exposed. My hydration pack was topped off several times during the race, and I drained it every time. So the second ascent was basically a Death March, which involved my legs revolting and refusing to move through certain sections without stopping for a moment of rest. Seriously, there's this one stretch at around 1.5 miles of the ascent where (and you get to see it from a distance) the average grade is around 40%, and it just crushes your will. Or mine, anyway. I knew by this point that I'd finish the race, but that my time wouldn't be very good. I reached the summit for the second time at 5:23 elapsed, and began my final descent with a couple of new friends and the knowledge that I'd finish the race.
And finish I did. 6:23 officially, and way off my internal predictor. Not pretty but I got it done, and mile for mile, the toughest race I've done so far. Really. It's definitely a Red Newt Racing signature to conjure up a stunningly beautiful and unique course that's brutal in its design. Probably why I'll drive 5+ hours for their races! Their organization, execution, and especially their volunteers are awesome.
Took two days to get all the mud out...
Done!
So there's a quick-ish synopsis of my Red Newt Racing Summer. My recovery involved taking the entire following week off running, as I was working with heavy Italian tile and had developed DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), which is a thing and, while not an injury, made my legs feel like they'd taken a hit from a baseball bat. OUCH. I didn't run until the following week at the Run With the Beavers 10-mile trail race, where I took it easy on the first 5 miles, then felt awesome and pushed the second five for a 1:43 finish. Feeling good! I'm feeling stronger after Whiteface, have no injuries, and really feel good. Matter of fact, I did a 10-mile beach run, barefoot, today, in a flat 1:30. Dodging kids, no less! One short local race next week, then nothing until the end of September. I should be ready for that one for sure!!! I'll update again with anything worthy :)
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