Winter Buckeye Trail Race - 30k

I raced this last year when Western Reserve Racing decided to bring the race back after a bit of a respite. Last year I ran the 1/2 marathon as I began to get into trail running more. This training season since I have already run a few 13+ mile training runs I decided to step up to the net race distance and race the 30k (just over 18 miles). This race has four race distances, 13.1, 18, 26.2, and a 50k. While I know I could have raced any of those distances, being early in the season and this being the end of the first week in a new training block, I did not want to completely torch my legs (although ... 18 miles still is not easy at race pace).

Legs felt a bit tired after the volume of running, riding, and strength training this week however I tried to front-load stuff in the beginning of the week so I could get "some" recovery towards the end of the week ... sort of. Once I got rolling things felt good overall but leg soreness plagued me the entire race. Could just be the pace I was trying to hold as well.

The race is broken down into two sections, a 5-mile section and an 8-mile section Depending on the race you are doing (an you can change it at registration or even during the event as I understand it). The 18-mile racers would start with the 5-mile section, then do the 8-mile and then one finally out-and-back of the 5-mile section (both sections are an out-and-back). There were more runners lining up for the 5-mile section than I anticipated but in the end i just wanted a solid run and to finish under 3-hours (that was the goal I had set in my head cuz last year the winner was over 3-hours).

I took to the front and they started up off. One guy shot out like being shot out of a cannon ... yup ... he's gone. No way will I catch him. Then there were 5-6 more that got ahead of me one of which was a female runner. Most were younger than me and she was definitely a HECK of a strong runner. You can just tell that this was her deal. By the time we got to the turn around point (2.5 miles into the first 5-mile section) I had made my way past 2-3 runners and put myself into 4th place but I did not know who was running the 50k and who was running the 18-mile race. Didn't matter as I just wanted to get in front of everyone.

Saw the first place guy still hauling arse with the first place female hot on his heals. Damn she looked so strong!!

Took out the 3rd place guy on a climb (I ran it ... he was walking the steeper climbs) and I put a small gap on him. He was no doubt a very strong runner so I knew he was going to be all over me. His pace was exemplary and he just had this really strong and confident pace. Impressive runner. I probably look like a drunk monkey scurrying after a banana. Ha!

Of course, ... nature called ... I could just feel it coming on ... ugh ... so ... when I got back to the end of the first 5-mile section I ran straight to the bathroom, blew the warp core, and ran out (yes ... I cleansed ;-). Just as I was leaving I saw the guy I had passed, now in 3rd place, so at least he did not put too much time back into me but I knew that was inevitable. I did not see any of the other runners that I had passed earlier so it felt good mentally that this guy just ahead of me was my target for now.

We both headed out onto the 8-mile out-and-back section and stuck together most of the way. He would crush me on the descents and I would work to catch back to him on the climbs. Saw the first place male, still leading, and then the first place female. Both looked very strong! On one of the remaining climbs just before the turn-around point I caught him and kept trucking passed. We gave each other some words of encouragement (as we did to all of the runners passing us going back the other direction) and kept on moving. I made the turn-around, saw the cups of M&Ms, turned around and bolted away from the M&Ms like they were going to attach themselves to my arse and weigh me down. That's what they do ya know!!

The now 4th place runner was not far behind me so I attempted to pick up my pace knowing that we had essentially ascended more than descending to the turn-around which meant that we would be descending quite a bit (still with some climbing) and he was a very solid and fast descender so I needed to try and increase the gap. The rest of the 8-mile section heading back I felt like I was just being chased ... which I was of course, but no one was within a quarter mile of me so I had a little bit of breathing room. Here's the really odd part. As I made my way back, the first place runner was heading back passed me. What the?!?! SO that was weird and got me thinking that I screwed up somewhere on the route, but I kept following the pink ribbons and course markings and realized all was good. What I later realized is that he likely also had a "nature call" and was making his way to some bathrooms. Running ... it shakes the heck out of everything. Its the great equalizer for runners.

Kept motoring and made my way back to the start line and just kept hauling arse past the start/finish and headed back onto the 5-mile section, the last section for the 18-mile race. Happy to be on the last bit but I knew I that I would not be heading for the barn until I got to the final turn-around point and there were a couple of solid climbs just to get there. Passed a lot of other runners running some of the other races. As I made my way up the final, oh so painful, climb to the turn-around point I was about a quarter of the way up when I saw the lead runner, the female runner, coming back down. She was chic-ing everyone! Darn strong runner. We gave each other props on a job well done and I continued to make my way past other runners and got to the top. Hauled butt down the hill and as I got about half-way down I saw the previous 1st place guy and another younger male runner on his heals. I knew these guys were going to be all over me so I did my best to pick up my pace even more on the way back. I kept thinking that I heard them behind me because every now and then I could hear other runners say, "Nice job!" or "Good work!", and in my mind they were saying that to the runners that were closing in on me but I never turned around to look. It just motivated me to run the climbs as much as I could tolerate and to really pick up my pace on the flats mostly by increasing my cadence and getting comfortable with the discomfort. Also passed the guy that had been in third place a while back and gave him some encouragement as he did the same for me.

When the course finally flattened out I tried to just lay down a very solid cadence and motor as much as my body would allow for the final mile stretch. I finally looked back as I got back onto the final paved section with maybe .15 mile left to the finish line and no one was in sight. Phew. So of course I finally let up. ... Ummm ... seriously?!?! Who does that?!?! Nope, I put down everything I had left and got to the finish line!!

I made my way to the guys running the race and told them I finished. They said "the 1/2 marathon?". No way man ... the 18-miler.

After a few minutes those other guys that I felt were chasing me were actually running the 50k because they refueled and headed back out. While I "could" have done more ... today I just did not need to for many reasons.

Felt good to be done. I ate nothing during the race and drank nothing during the race. Just ran my own race, mostly, and finished well under my goal of 3-hours with a finish time of 2:38:35. Cool. Last year I finished the half-marathon in 2:03 and won it overall. This year I won the 18-miler overall. As of my last check on the number of runners that completed the 18-mile race (they are still coming in), there were 23 finishers.