The Finger Lakes runner's Club's Thom B Trail Runs is local, low-key race around Hammond Hill State Forest. The marathon comprises three singletrack loops, plus a mini loop at the end to even out the distance. The event also has one-loop 13k and two-loop 26k options. The small field size and 20-minute drive from my house made the marathon ideal for a final long effort even though I was a week into my three-week taper for the MMT 100. I'd run this race twice before, in 2014 and 2017 when the longest distance was a four-loop 52k instead of the marathon, and I've run the main loop dozens of times in training.
The Thom B is small enough that I thought I had a shot at winning—or at least winning the men's race. That is, until Ian Golden showed up at the start as a last-minute entry. Ian's been running well as of late, and in March he took the win at the inaugural Castle to River 50k against a pretty solid field. I also didn't expect to keep up with Ellie Pell, though I knew she's in training mode for the Buffalo Marathon later in May. I'd been running pretty well myself this year at the smaller, local trail races, and have learned enjoy and feed off of a competitive mindset, even if a race only has a few dozen starters. I also hoped to score some big points in an attempt to win the FLRC 2019 Stonehead series.
From the gun, Ian quickly took off up the rocky dirt road and vanished in the fog as he turned onto the trail. I expected to never see him again. I wanted to run the race at about 90% effort, and even at 110% I knew I'd have no business trying to hang with
him. I ran Loop 1 alone in second place and completed the lap in 1:13. As I ran through the aid station tent I was told Ian already had an eight-minute lead. That lead would only grow larger over the next few hours.
The smooth-ish trails were pretty easy going and a few days worth of rain actually left us with less mud than expected. Race directors Joel and Gary got it right by rerouting a small portion of the course away from a chewed up section of the Finger Lakes Trail just south of Star Stanton Road. That well-worn stretch of trail needs some rehab and 150 people running through it wouldn't help the cause. Instead, we detoured around it on trail Y4—a smoother and flatter diversion, but a quarter-mile longer.
Ellie caught up to me early in Loop 2, right after I tripped and fell on my face into a bed a squishy pine needles. We ran a mile or two together before her pace became too strenuous for me and she pulled ahead. My second loop slowed by four minutes, to 1:17.
Loop 3 was where I really tanked, reduced to a walk on the upper part of Hammond Hill Road. I spent most of this loop wondering if the marathon was a stupid idea and if finishing it would destroy any chance I have a a decent run at MMT. I largely avoided walking, except for 5-10 seconds at a time on a few of the short, steeper inclines, but my running pace was nothing to write home about. I just didn't want to get passed this late in the race, like when I lost two spots in the final few miles of the 52k in 2014.
One redeeming factor on the third loop was the thought that I'd never have to see any of these trees or trails again. That two-foot diameter log covering the trail, that muddy splash pool under the pines, that rutty, banked stretch of forest road—never again in this lifetime.
Loop 3 was a paltry 1:24, but I felt a renewed sense of energy running straight through the tent for the third and final time and chucking my handheld bottle aside to begin "Thom's Victory Lap"—the mini loop to the finish. My legs suddenly felt fresh again, and after the Hammond Hill road climb I ran hard on the flat and downhill trails for the final 1.5 miles. The result was 4:10:09—a trail marathon PR and third overall, just barely ahead of the next two finishers. (Results.)
As I write this, five days after the marathon, I feel pretty well recovered and am already getting antsy while forcing myself to taper for The Big One. I'm pleased with how my body has adapted over the past several months in regards to fuel—my total intake for the marathon was one Huma gel and about 30 oz. of water. This reduced dependency on carbs should help a ton throughout the much longer duration at MMT. I'm also impressed with the Altra Superior 4.0s—they handled the terrain and mud well and feel lighter and more nimble than previous editions of the Superior.
Thank you to Joel and Gary—aka Mr. Hector and Mr. Eckshonn—and their volunteer crew, for another successful trail race and for keeping the rain away on race day. Next stop... the mountains of northern Virginia.
No comments:
Post a Comment