Trail Running is still very new to me, especially the rugged kind. The past two years I went out too fast and paid the price late in the race. I have always prided myself when running on roads and cross country (and long hikes) on finishing strong. Today I would try to correct these mistakes.
Despite the freakish bruise on my right knee (about the size of my hand and a bright greenish blue) I felt pretty good. I hoped to break 5 hours despite being in worse shape than last year. But I figured if I ran smarter, I could shave a few minutes.
Last year I blazed up (for me anyway) Windham High Peak. Today I took it relatively easy. I made it to the first junction in just under 17 minutes. With a comfortable mix of running and walking I reached WHP in 53:12. I told the woman who handed me a drink, "that was a nice warm up." That's ultimately what the 1,700 foot climb amounts to.
The descent down Windham was quite slick. It didn't take me long to realize I couldn't be as aggressive as the previous two years. I made it to the col of Blackhead in 2 hours. Now for the beast of a climb up Blackhead. The 0.9 mile stretch up Blackhead with 1,000 feet elevation gained has nearly no sections that are runnable. I maybe ran 100 yards. Despite this, I hiked strong and ascended in just under 25 minutes. Last year it took me a half hour.
The 2.7 mile descent of Blackhead is serious stuff. As I told my friend Ross, "it's the technical stuff that separates the men from the boys." I fall into the latter category. It took just over 38 minutes. Essentially I ran that 2.7 twice as slow compared to on the road. And I was trying. But their are so many areas on this class 2 trail that require the use of hands. I cramped in my hips and hamstrings, but I managed this well as they only came about occasionally and did not last long.
From Dutchers Notch the last major climb awaits in Stoppel. Stoppel is a 1,000 foot climb over 2 miles with 3 stages. The second stage is the steepest and most rugged. I knew going in I would walk all of it. Besides a couple spots on the first climb and the two flat sections, I walked the whole way. In theory my plan was to attack the last climb, in practice I walked. Despite this, I made it up in 41 minutes, shaving 7 minutes from last year.
From the top of Stoppel the last 4 miles await. It's almost all technical. Lots of rocks and lots of long slabs to negotiate. The use of hands is necessary in many spots. It's tough. Up to this point in the race, I was passing people. I assumed to be passed by numerous people on this stretch. Though I did get passed by a handful, I never did have that large wave I expected. It's because I finished the last 4 in 1;04. This is 6 minutes faster than last year and 16 minutes faster than the previous year.
I was ecstatic about my overall time of 4:48. I did not think I was in shape enough to run that kind of a time. The key to trail running is finding that right balance of walking and running. The other key will be to get more mileage on the technical stuff. The more comfortable one gets rock hopping, the better one's time.
My splits:
WHP 53:12
Blackhead Col 2:00:41
Blackhead 2:25:12
Dutchers Notch 3:03:38
Stoppel 3:44:38
Finish 4:48:41
King of the Hill Ascents:
WHP 53:12
Blackhead 24:31
Stoppel 41:01
