Trail Run race 2:16:33 [3] 12.8 mi (10:40 / mi) +918m 8:43 / mi
The Greylock Trail Run. Yeah.
Basically, this weekend became hut traverse training. And it became that in two ways. First, it involved 44 miles of running/hiking and ~11k feet of climb (HT is 49, 16k). Second, it involved testing a lot of equipment and ideas for a better hut traverse. Things I learned:
* Turning off cell data on the iPhone makes the battery last long enough that, if charged judiciously at huts, it could Strava a whole HT, which would be amazing.
* The whole drink-belt-no-pack thing still works, but I need to carry a second water bottle by hand to stave off dehydration.
* Chafing is a surmountable issue, with training and bodyglide.
* Bodyglide works pretty well.
On to the day/race …
Woke up at 5:45—yeah 6 hours of sleep—and got picked up by SBG at 6:10 for the drive west. We picked up another Brit, Andy, in Framingham and drove west. Got some food (yum, doughnuts and goldfish!) in Blandford and then up to Greylock, only getting somewhat lost. Got to the start with plenty of time, parted with $20, and got a number. Not much warming up, because of chafe and of tiredness. I had no idea how the race would go. I wasn't about to win—too much two-days-before-stuff going on for that—but there was a definite chance that I would sieze up and totally poop the bed. I decided in the morning to go because the chafing was down, and I still felt ducky from hiking. But I didn't know how long that would last (IOW, I have no idea what kind of shape I am in.
I knew the race started straight up, and had no idea how straight up. I figured that I would take about 40-45 minutes for the hill based on Ari's White Mountain Climb Unit Scale (AWMCUS). It works as follows:
1 unit for every mile
1 unit for every 1000 feet of elevation gained
0.5 units for every mile over 750 feet/mile gained (minimum 1/2 mile)
0.5 units for every mile over 1250 feet/mile gained (minimum 1/2 mile)
1 units for every mile with "bad footing"
So, for example, the Valley Way would be 4 (miles) + 3.5 (elevation) + 3.5 (steepness) + 1 (footing) = 11. No other hut pack trail comes close. And yes, I have thought about this way too much.
In any case, using the AWMCUS, I can run at a rate of approximately 10 units per hour. I figured the hill would be about 7 units, and that's how I made my estimate.
And I was right! 43 minutes up the hill. There was some mud to start and I got stuck in some traffic and had to pass at the start, but pretty quickly settled in with the lead woman and assorted pack. There was some fast-hiking where I tucked my water bottle in it's holder (Hut Traverse trick number 6.1) but lots of runnable sections. I was pretty beat at the top but wound up feeling okay.
Of course, then the downhill started. I don't do well on sketchy rock and there was lots of sketchy rock. I let people by and lost 9 places down the Overlook Trail. But I didn't fall and die, so that is a good! I settled in with a guy from Nashua and we chatted quite a bit about the Whites, and there was a guy who kept uncontrollably flailing past us on each little downhill only to be caught on the ups. Just—train more, dude.
I made up a few places on people on the ups, and at one point had gained back all but three that I'd lost. The downhill gave way to really nice trail running (I never broke an 8 minute mile, though, but had pretty even splits all the way down) and I felt good. That gave way to a really nice downhill run where Nashua ran way ahead of me, but I mostly caught him on the ensuing long, rocky and wet upgrade.
Then the final downhill started, and I gave back some time (and he went and passed half a dozen people, apparently). Again, I am not a downhill runner. My knee started hurting about a mile out but I overtook a couple of more-in-pain guys and finished respectably-for-having-already-been-hiking-a-lot-this-weekend. And not knowing the trail and not enough sleep, etc.
After the race I saw that the third place guy (SBG got second) was Matt Shamey from Leverett, Mass. Yes, Anna's brother (Macalester '07) so, small world. Oh, and I went and stood in a cold stream for 20 minutes for soothing and a fun game of Dirt, Freckle or Tick, which will continue this evening in the shower. The Brits I came with found the other Brits and we all decamped for a greasy spoon for lunch.
So it was me and five Brits, and I did my best to understand what was being said. Amongst the things I missed: the woman across the table from me won a silver medal in fours at the 2008 Olympics. Uh, yeah. I beat her running, although it might not be her sport. She and her boyfriend were traveling around the northeast. He's a meteorology Ph.D. student in England, and I directed them towards the Obs tomorrow. He specializes in extratropical storm modeling. Hopefully they'll be nice to him. I might place a call to be sure.
Then we drove home (four in a Prius = efficiency) and SGB and I nerded out over transportation data. Apparently I am not the only one who records every trip and mode by day. But … I think it's a small field.
Now to eat food and go to sleep. For more than six hours.