RI 6hr (v. 2.0): October Long Race #2

My race season was "unofficially officially" over with this race, the RI 6hr Ultramarathon & Relay, presented by TNT runner and friend Bob Jackman and his crew at A Better Pace.  Great race.  This would be my 5th straight year running the 6hr, which makes me the longest consecutive active streak for this race!  And the race got moved to Pulaski State Park, and would contain no pavement whatsoever!

Great race...now on dirt!

Rewind a bit.  I believe it was after the Li'l Rhody Race last year that I was having lunch and drinks with Bob, Jackie and some other characters at the Mews Tavern, when Bob let me know that he wasn't going to put on the race any longer.  He was thinking about doing something else.  Cool, I'm in, just let me know!  Imagine my delight when the race was back on, but moved to dirt!  Sold!

So I got up fairly early, had all my gear already packed, and made the 40-minute drive out on Saturday morning to Chepachet.  I really like this location.  Great parking, and a big open field for registration/socializing/race timing and stuff.  As the race mimicked the beginning and ending portions of the RWTB race, I knew pretty much what the course would be, sort of...

After chatting with a bunch of friends, we lined up for the pre-race.  I lined up in the front row with Seth, and as the race started I surged out to the lead, for the first 30 seconds or so, haha...man, that felt unnatural!  Then reality set in, and I got passed by the relay runners and the fast people.  My friend Adam was running the race, and after I settled down, we ended up running together for a while, maybe 8 miles?  The course is laid out as an initial climb in the first 1/2 mile, gradual descent for the next mile, then climb/descent for the last .7 miles, roughly.  200+ ft gain for the loop.  The awesome part is coming into the start/finish and getting cheers from friends and strangers alike, and my friend Amie was working the aid station, and shouting encouragement every time I came through.

So 10 or more loops gets you the "Ultra" award, which in this case was a logo hoodie.  I, for some reason, got the Limp Bizkit song "Nookie" stuck in my head for the entire race, with the word "hoodie" substituted for "nookie."  I did it all for the hoodie, the hoodie...hahaha, and of course I had to get the hoodie.  So I ground out 10 laps at 27-ish miles in around 5:20 with 2200' of climbing, and called it a day.  I maybe could have gone another loop, but it would have been a stretch on fatigued legs and with no guarantee of making it in time.  Been there before!

Annnd...another pint glass!

Weather-wise, it was the perfect day.  Really.  Everything went right, and after running Bimbler's Bluff 6 days earlier, I felt like I ran a sensible race, didn't try to overdo it, and walked away without any ill effects.  Glad to have finished both races and gotten some redemption.  Definitely a tougher course than the original 6-hour layout, but I liked it a lot more, and if some singletrack trail accidentallly got thrown in for next year?  I'd be OK with that!

Great job by Bob and his crew at A Better Pace!!!  Thank you!

(Big shout out to Scott Deslongchamps, who placed 2nd overall with 37+ miles only a week after finishing the Ghost Train 100-miler.  WOW.  That's badass.)

Bimbler's Bluff 50k: October Long Race #1

Bimbler's was my first Ultra back in 2012, and had always gone up against other races on the calendar...but when my wife declared "You can run as many 50k and 50 mile races locally as you want," well?  What was I to do?  I'd already signed up for the 6hr, as I always do, so I broached the subject of doubling down for back-to-back weekend ultras.  Green light, as long as I felt physically ready for it.  I'm not 100% with the heel (it's a dull ache at this point), and way undertrained in general, but yes.  I can manage...and it would be my 5th straight RI 6hr Ultra, which had been moved to Pulaski State Park, home of the Beavers race!  Sweet!  No more pavement!

Bimbler's Bluff 50k - Guilford, CT.  32.4 miles in 8:15.  #102 of 134 finishers.

Last minute registration for this.  I knew a lot of people who were running/volunteering at this race, and maybe 3 people knew I was signed up.  Morning of, I get up early, leave early, and stop at the local Dunkin' for a coffee.  My GPS decided that I was gonna be there, or 1/2 mile away from my actual location, and kept wanting to send me elsewhere to get to the school where the race takes place.  After I got off I-95, it was panic mode when I shot past the turn, realized I'd been screwed by technology, and had to pull over less than 30 minutes from the start of the race to figure out where the hell I was.  I sort of knew, though, since I've run the course, and parts of the course, over the years.

Ship righted, I got to the school, quickly parked and saw Bob B., friend and ultra-badass runner.  His first reaction, "Crutch, what are you doing here?" was perfect.  Same reaction from Janet S., who I didn't know would be there.  My friend Jeff was doing his first 50k trail race, and I called him over to touch base.  He looked ready, and I suspected his competitive spirit would override any nerves that popped up (I was right).  I gave him a (I hope) breakdown of the whole course, and will totally take credit if it helped, haha!

Once I got my bib and geared up, I realized my salt caps were missing.  Whoops.  I sweat a lot during races, and the caps work wonders, so I'll make do at the aid stations.  Potatoes dipped in a vat of salt, anyone?

Someday, I'll make up a list of Ultra-race "Things I needed and didn't have, things I had and didn't need" items.  I always forget something.  Also, something that I never use always takes up space in my pack.  I pack poorly for everything, and that applies to travel with the family, etc...it's a flaw.

That said, my new Salomon pack is fucking awesome.  Really.  Like a "gentle hug from an old friend" kind of awesome.  Super-light, soft flasks in the front, and stretchy pouches all over the place to keep my shit.  Unreal.  Expensive, yes.  But until you've dealt with running 30 miles with a clip, strap or other thing clacking against your person, judge me not!  It's a great pack, anyway.  Oh, and my wife calls it my "Booby Vest," so there's that...

Salomon S/Sense Ultra 5 Set (Long title, great pack)

The Race:  We loop around the ball field once to spread the runners out.  I wish everyone luck, see Jeff enter the woods in 3rd (of course!), and Bob and I chat about the day, our expectations, etc.  and end up running together.  I remembered the course as a mix of singletrack trail and dirt road for the first 1/3 and last 1/3, with the lollipop second third being mostly singletrack, hilly and technical.  I was generally right?  Or was I...

View from the Bluff!

Bob!

Getting to the Bluff, I did a quick change of shirts, grabbed some food and drink, said hello to Russ and Michele, who were working the Bluff Head aid station, and Michele and I got caught up about our friends running the Ghost Train 100.  (Faith and Laura B. finished their first 100, Claire crushed it for the women's win, and Pat Caron threw down the 3rd fastest 100 in the world this year, dropping a blistering 13:50 for 100 miles.  Supernatural.)

Bob and I stayed together for about 16 miles, just cruising.  We managed to get through the Bluff, and all the way to the mile 16 A.S., after that I faltered and he pulled away.  My race after that?  I walk/ran as I could to Renee's Way A.S., mile 22, 10 miles to go and the best damned aid station in CT!  They hooked me up, and then my friend Cathi kicked me out when I'd finished a second cup of homemade soup.  It's all about the soup though!

It had gotten very warm into the afternoon.  If you're fast enough (which I'm not), this isn't a problem.  I wilted.  Had enough liquids, etc., but was not happy with the heat.  I slowed, knew I'd finish and that it wouldn't be pretty, and continued on.  The best part of the last 10 miles of the race, I'm about 28-ish miles, cutting across a road next to the local Gun Club, and there's a man and woman blasting music, chilling and cheering runners, and he says "We're not an aid station, but if you need water, we have some!"  And they had bottled water, and it was COLD.  Those people rock...

So?  I finished.  Got my pint glass, a killer ballcap, and ran into yet another friend who'd run this as his first Ultra (Great job Stan!!!), and we caught up briefly before I headed out.  And Jeff finished 4th overall at his first Ultra, WOW!!!  All in all, a great day was had by all. even me at a snail's pace getting to the finish.  Had a great time!

Gotta earn the pint glass...and hat!

So there it is, the 10th Annual Bimbler's Bluff 50k.  The finish gives me some redemption after the Yeti debacle, and was a great day in the woods with friends, which I truly enjoy.  Next up?  The relocated RI 6hr Ultra.  Should be fun!