Bartlett, TN
August 8, 2009
Returning to Bartlett, TN for the 3rd Annual running of the Bartlett Park Ultras was not originally part of my 2009 race plan. After hearing back in early July during Run Across Alabama that fellow friend and ultra runner Eric Schotz was going, I rearranged my fall schedule to fit in this race.
The course lies completely within Bartlett Park and although it lacks any major climbs, is comprised of tight, winding trails full of roots and with plenty of ditches to cross. Some sections were muddy, and there was one creek crossing. There is only one section out and back to an aid station totalling less than one-half mile that you can get into any sort of rhythm. The first section is a 1.6 mile loop on the Blue Trail, followed by four 7.45 mile loops, making the 50km course 31.4 miles long. Each loop comes back through the parking lot, where you can have your own aid at your car.
It was Bartlett Park back in 2007 that I began my ultra running career with a 2nd place finish on a day where temperatures soared above 100 degrees. On that day, another friend from Huntsville, Brian Robinson, set the 50km course record at 5:03:57. Most runners avoid this race since it is in Memphis in August; two things that do not bode well for ultra running. Some runners use this as a tune up for Arkansas Traveler. No matter what the competition was like, my goals were the same; to win and set the course record.
This was also my first race wearing my Team inov-8 singlet. I was very excited and honored to be working with Mark Lundblad and inov-8 for the rest of 2009. A good performance today would make a nice additional to my trail running resume when I officially applied for the inov-8 trail running team for 2010.
At the 6:30am start, the temperatures had already reached 75 degrees. It was going to be the hottest day of the summer with temperatures expected to hit the mid-90's and with a heat index over 100 degrees. Luckily there is a good canopy of trees within the park, so there is not much direct exposure to the sun.
After brief course instructions, we raced across the parking lot and into the woods. I knew how narrow the Blue Trail was, so I wanted to get out front and into the lead and thus avoid having to either run at a slower pace or have to pass early on. My race plan was to run at an even, yet hard effort all day. Knowing that the temperature would go up by as much as 20 degrees, this meant running in the low 7's for as long as I could and slowing late. A specific time goal was to run around 4:30 which I thought would be enough for the win, but would not let this hold me back if I felt good. Through the first 1.6 mile loop, Eric Schotz stayed close, but I did not see anyone else through the thick woods that was close to us.
I came out of the woods, headed across the parking lot and set out to run four loops on the other side of the park. I was feeling good with the pace and stayed with it for the next few miles. Within the 7.45 mile loop, it was about 4 miles to the first aid station, which was down an out and back spur. This was both good and bad, as I was able to see how close Eric Schotz was to me, but he was also able to see how close he was to me, each of us knowing if we were either gaining or losing time on each other. On the first loop, Eric was about 2/10ths of a mile back. When I got the this first aid station, I think that I surprised the race director Mike Samuelson who probably didn't expect someone so quickly.
The course was marked pretty well I thought, with one exception which was the creek crossing. I knew from 2007 that you had to cross the creek to get back to the parking lot, but others might not have known this. The course markings picked up on the other side of the creek, but with an 8' drop off to the creek, 8' back up on the other side and at least that wide, you couldn't see them and some people made wrong turns.
On the second loop I grabbed a bandanna from my gear bag in the parking lot and began to soak that in ice water at each aid station to keep my body temperature down externally. Internally I was putting as much ice as I could into my hand bottle, from which I was drinking my new favorite Subtle Strawberry flavored Heed. It is not overpowering and easier on my stomach to drink in ultra distance events than Gatorade. I was also sticking to my schedule of taking two S! Caps for electrolyte replacement every hour and fueling with two Power Bar Gel Blasts (Cola Flavored) at the same time.
During my second loop I started to lap people on just their first loop. With a tight course, I tried to give as much advance notice to the people that I would be passing on their left. It is funny how 'on your left' to some people means that they would move to their left and I passed on the right. I laughed with some people that I meant 'your other left.' As I passed by, I tried to give as much encouragement as I could to them. I was slightly bothered by the runners who wore head phones and had the volume so loud that they could not hear me. I had several runners that I was right on top of and they still never heard me. Lead runners do not own the trail; we all share it equally, but you have a responsibility to make room for other runners, weather slower or faster.
Heading back into the woods I was still in the lead, but would not know by how much until the fire road. I had adjusted my race plan and it was now to run the second loop just as hard as the first loop, and then rest some on the third loop, hopefully preserving enough energy to finish strong. The rolling nature of the course was becoming more and more difficult as the very short but steep ditches were wreaking havoc on my toes. With the high temperatures, my feet were also starting to swell slightly.
For this race I selected the ever reliable inov-8 Roclite 295 which I had worn in several other ultra marathons this year with much success. This low profile trail running shoe fits my foot like a glove and was the right amount of shoe for this course. I love the flexible nature of the 295 and how I can feel the terrain and move with it. So even though I had the perfect shoe selected, the steep downhills meant repeated forward pressure of my swollen feet into the toe box, later which would cause some blood build up under my left big toe.
Coming out of the fire road aid station, I did not see Eric behind me, so I thought that I had built a slightly larger lead than the first loop. I would later find out that Eric saw me head out onto the rest of the loop from behind so he felt like he had a slight advantage of knowing where I was, without me knowing where he was. I have to admit that I did get a false set of security from this. I had slowed a little with this security but still was running around 8 minute pace as I came through 16.5 miles in about 2:05 or at 7:35 pace overall average.
I think the mindset of taking it easy on the third loop was the wrong strategy. Looking back, this gave me a reason to slow down as opposed to my even effort initial plan. I was now moving very slowly on the uphill sections, and not running as fast as I was initially on the downhills. The heat was picking up quickly now as the sun started to pierce through the leaves and I was completely soaked in sweat. I was still mentally strong at this point, thinking that I had a larger lead than I actually had. I passed more and more people now, which actually helped with some of the loneliness of ultra running. That is one nice part of multi-loop courses, as you actually get to see other people once in awhile.
I was now drinking one bottle of fluids between aid stations, taking an extra cup at the aid station and grabbing handfuls of ice for my bandanna. Even with this approach, I was still becoming dehydrated quickly. I had some sloshing in my stomach, but I could not absorb fluids fast enough to find a good balance. This would continue to be a struggle for the rest of the day.
Coming out of the fire road aid station this time, I saw that Eric had made up substantial time as he was closer than ever before. I calculated that he would catch me if he ran just 15 seconds per mile faster than me for the remaining 11+ miles. Having raced against him at Rocket City Marathon and seeing how he got stronger late, I figured it was just a matter of time before he closed the gap on me.
Coming through the parking lot for the final time, I stopped to again grab a new bottle of Head from my cooler and start back out a few feet before realizing that I left my bandanna in the ice water. It didn't cost me but a few seconds to go back and grab it, but it was a small mental battle that I had lost time just by not staying focused. It is so funny how you can go from mentally strong to have small batches of doubt when racing ultra marathons. I ran the last loop in about 62 minutes and was now at 3:07 or 7:50 pace on average. My overall pace had dropped by 15 seconds with my lack luster performance on the third loop.
The final loop was all about hanging on from the start to the first aid station until I could judge how much time I had on 2nd place. I was still pushing pretty hard, but had several small hills that I walked up, giving myself a small break. This is typical for me late in ultras, that I just need a mental break from the running motion. I kept myself on a budget though, adding no more than a minute to my mile pace. Wearing the Garmin 205 helped to keep my rest in check. I also knew that after the last aid station, I would get a mental lift of almost being done and whatever I had left in the tank, I would be able to spend on the way to the finish.
I spent very little time at the last aid station; just enough to fill my bottle this time. With only 3 miles left, I figured that fluids weren't going to be that much help, but the continued cooling of spraying some on my head would help. As I ran back out on the gravel section and adjacent to the newly added dirt bike part of the park, I saw Eric. He was less closer than ever before and now I was running scared. I thought that if I could run around 8 or 8:30 pace, he would have to run 30 seconds faster per mile, which he was capable of doing. I wished him luck on the way past and headed back out to finish the rest of the loop.
I was pushing very hard now, running all of the hills and breathing harder than I had all day. It was time to lay it all on the line. I didn't come to this race to give up in the last 3 miles or to take second. I came to set the course record, which had been clear I was going to do after completing the 2nd lap, but it didn't mean anything if I didn't take overall honors.
I did not look behind me until I made the final left into the parking lot with less than 250' to go. I just needed that peace of mind that Eric was not going to sprint passed me to the finish. When I saw that he was not immediately behind me, I finally had a sense of relief as I ran toward the finish line. The race director pointed to the line, which I crossed in a time of 4:07:10. I ran the last loop in about 60 minutes and broke the old course record by more than 56 minutes. I staggered for a few steps feeling very light headed and dizzy from the late push and the extreme heat of the day. I hate the immediate post race feeling when running that hard for that long.
Eric crossed in 4:11, about 4 minutes behind me. Running scared in the end helped me to put two more minutes on him, all the while thinking that he was going to catch me. Both of us set 50km trail personal records today and going 1-2 in this race, I would consider it a very successful day for us.
Here we are left to right, Eric Charette and Eric Schotz, 1st and 2nd place.
We spent some time re-hydrating and refueling for awhile and also waiting for the 3rd place runner to come in, which was just under the 5 hour mark. I don't think that it was a lack of competitive runners, but more of a deceptively difficult course in combination with tough temperatures and conditions that meant slower finishing times. I have not seen the official results yet, but I speculate that many of the people attempting the 50 mile distance dropped down to run the 50km. We changed into some dry clothes and headed back to the hotel for a quick swim, then Eric and I made the 3 hour drive back to Huntsville.
Other fellow Huntsvillian Josh Kennedy finished the 50km (in training for AT100) in 5:20 and Christ Scott battled stomach issues and smartly dropped out before heading out on the final loop.
The only way I can describe this day is to compare it to when you meet a professional athlete or go to a rock concert. When it is immediately over, you think it was very cool, but it doesn't really sink in until a few days later when you realize that you actually met Derek Jeter or saw Aerosmith sing live. The results from this day and great time I had spending with Eric are just now starting to set in and I am appreciating how well things turned out.
Now it is time for the unglamorous part of ultra running, which is the recovery and preparation for the next big run!