Photo by G. Gelmis
Things that went well...
Hydration and FuelingI managed to get down a full bottle of water during the race and held my breathing under control enough to chew and swallow two Powerbar Gel Blasts at around 6 miles. I was thirsty frequently with the high temperatures so took plenty of small sips and had enough left over for an occaisional squirt on my neck for cooling. I did not stop at any aid stations. While I could have forced more fueling late, I never felt like I ran out of energy in the final miles.
Mental State
I was able to keep my thoughts focused and my head in the game during the entire race. After making the wrong turn (discussed below) I was able to not let this bother me and worry about how much time or seperation to the nearest runner that I lost. I just did the best that I could, given the situation. I was passed twice by the third mile, leaving me off the podium for certain, running in 6th place. This somewhat took the pressure off of me and let me concentrate on running strong and maintaing proper form. I never wanted to quit or questioned my abilty to compete at this level.
Race Preperation
I knew that unless there were major course changes, that the route would be short. I was banking on it being 12 miles but when I hit the 5-mile mark (4.5 on my GPS) and the 10-mile mark (8.5 on my GPS) I knew that it would be more like a mile and a half short. This helped to know when to start my final push and have the confidence in myself to push the pace late and move into 5th place.
Race Execution
The plan was to get out fast and not have to do too much manuevering once we hit the single track. It was clear that before we even made the loop around the parking lot that the lead pack was going to be pretty far ahead as at 5:30 pace, they will were pulling away. I settled in and after the wrong turn snafu, I settled in nicely at around 7-minute miles on the flats, pushed hard on the downs to make up for the short ups. I knew that I would have 2-3 miles at over 8-minute pace based on my research and looking back a the profile from last year, so I tried to compensate in other places. I did not go out too hard in the first half, which helped. Early on I could see Ken Youngers but he would pull away on the downhills and I would close on the uphills. Having a smart race strategy and executing it well, I was able to close on him after the half/full marathon split and pass just before the paved section to the finish and put 26 seconds on him coming home.
Equipment
I thought that I selected the perfect uniform for the conditions. My inov-8 x-talon 212's were ideal for the footing and distance. My 2XU compression calf gaurds helped to ward off any cramping or calf fatigue for the intensity of this race. The Head Sweats hat was probably too heavy as I was unable to release heat from the top of my head, but it was better to keep the sun off of me as opposed to (even yellow-lensed) sun glasses that I almost wore. Maybe next time I will go with a visor instead.
Training
With the time of the year, my trail running has been over for about a month in Huntsville. Our trails get over grown and snake infested which makes it hard to run fast in training and I refuse to take the dogs for fear of getting bitten. So most of my training had been on roads recently, especially with my recent goal race of Strolling Jim 41.2 miler just two weeks earlier. So maybe I could have logged some more trail running on the South Plateau loop of Monte Sano to simulate the footing, but I doudt that it would have helped much. I had been doing a lot of hill work which I felt really paid off on some of the roller coaster hills out there. I feel like I had the best possible result given the amount of specific training I had put into this race.
Travel
Anne and I spent the night on Friday in a nearby hotel, cutting the drive time in the morning and ensuring a good nights rest. We had dinner at the Terminal (our new favorite hot spot in Chattanooga) and I had some great hummus and a fabulous tuna filet, which did not give me any stomach fits on race day.
... things beyond my control
Delayed Start
The race started 30 minutes late, which gave the temperatures another 30 minutes to climb. I don't know the exact, but I would guess it was in the mid 70's by the start. The shade of the trees on Raccoon Mountain was a blessing as it provided some comfort and protection from the sun, which was in full force by 8:30am. I don't know to what degree, but I am sure that my my fueling was geared toward the on-time start, so with the delay there might have been some impact.
Off Course
Having run the race last year, I remembered where we left the paved road and turned into the woods. When I warmed up, I practiced that turn and was ready for the fast section to ensue. During the actual race when approaching the turn, the lead bike went into the woods, followed by the lead runners. Just a few seconds in, I looked at the signs and was immediately confused. Some others stayed left, others were standing back on the road. Luckily I could pick out Josh Wheeler who motioned to come back up. I ran on the trail for a bit, which paralleled the road, until I found a place to bushwhack back up to the road. I am not sure how much time I lost, but the chase pack that didn't make the turn was closer than I would have liked. As mentioned above, I was able to quickly shake this off and get back into the game.
A Big Thanks
Thanks to Kris and Randy Whorton on hosting a great event this year, with backing from Rock/Creek. I always know what to expect when it comes to a Chattanooga trail race when these guys are involved.
Final Results
Looking back at results to 2008, 5 of the top 7 fastest times were run this year. I would tend to believe that minor course changes have played into this, but given the wrong turn at the start, this may have counteracted that. Plus this year we made a 1/4 turn more at the start of the parking area, and a 3/4 turn more into the finish, making it longer than last year. My 1:26:36 was the 7th fastest time ever on the course.
I am very satisfied with being 6 minutes faster than last year and placing so well. I can't control how these others guys and on this day, there were 5 guys that were faster.
- Daniel Mueller, 24 - 1:16:47
- Theodore Towse, 39 - 1:18:13
- Jacob Bradley, 20 - 1:21:12
- Blake Davenport, 23 - 1:24:51
- Eric Charette, 35 - 1:26:36
- Ken Youngers, 54 - 1:27:02
- Owen Bradley, 31 - 1:29:22
- Mike Biddle, 42 - 1:30:25
- Jim Farmer, 42 - 1:32:31
- Calvin Cofield, 21 - 1:32:59
