Capon Valley 50k

Earlier today I ran the Capon Valley 50k, a relatively low-key 50K race in Yellow Spring WV on various gravel roads, jeep roads, the Tuscarora Trail, and some pavement. Going into the race I was just starting to train seriously after a busy semester of only 20-40 mile weeks. My preparation I knew was better than for the Seneca 50k, consisting of the Mount 30, and the Mount 40, plus a nice run the previous weekend of maybe 16 miles or so with the Steeplechasers, but I knew I would have to take things in stride on race day.

I left Jefferson ahead of schedule around 4:15am, but that proved to be a wise decision as I missed several exits along the way. The race plan was to carry one water bottle packed with Endurolytes in the pocket and stick to equal ratios of Gatorade:water, which worked at Seneca.

When the race started out I didn't know what kind of competition there would be. I knew the top previous finisher from last year ran 4:52, a time I felt I could run so I figured maybe I would have a chance to win. Starting out the first mile was on roads and I hung with a lead pack of 4 guys, simply feeling out their pace. As it would turn out we went through one mile (as judged by GPS beeps) in 6:5x, which was a tad fast. I let the other three guys pull away at this point knowing that I should pace myself on top of my legs feeling flat after a rest day yesterday.

I cruised into the first aid station without much fanfare. Topped off on Gatorade:water and headed out. As my luck would have it I didn't actually fill up with water, but rather HEED, which tasted awful. I almost got lost somewhere between AS1 and AS2 but fortunately I saw others following the trail out of the corner of my eye and was able to fix my mistake before it cost me big time. From AS2 to AS5 I started to settle into a good rhythm. I ran with the eventual female winner (Meg Harnett) for this part of the race and it was nice to have someone to keep me from mentally checking out and keep the pace honest

One of the hallmarks of this race are the stream crossings. I believe the saying goes: "There is only one stream crossing... But you cross it about 30 times..." I enjoyed these crossings immensely. My New Balance MT110's drained like a well designed pasta strainer and there is just something inherently fun about splashing through streams like a kid.

As I left AS5 I hung with Meg Harnett for a while but up one large climb I simply couldn't keep the pace and I toned down the hiking speed. I tried to make up the ground at the top of the climb but it was no use, I was entering my only serious low point of the race. While I had been popping Endurolytes like an addict I do not think I got sufficient sodium, so I also started to cramp up at this point. I also mentally lost focus here and started to once again ask myself why I put myself through such an unpleasant endeavor. Miraculously I did however end up catching the 5th place runner during this stretch as he ran maybe a few hundred meters off course down a gravel road before I yelled to him he was going the wrong way. This helped to lift me out of death march mode and into a more moderate shuffling/running mode. I figured I probably had almost 10 miles or so to go at this point, so I was feeling pretty miserable.

Then things quickly turned around. AS6 is the same as AS1, and all of a sudden I had an epiphany: "Wait, I only have 3 miles left!". This was contrary to what I had previously thought: that I had much more pain and suffering to go through. My adrenaline kicked in I only took some Mountain Dew at AS6 for a caffeine boost before heading out. The 5th place runner who was right behind me asked to sit down so I knew if I could keep the engines going I was on my way to a strong overall finish. On top of that my watch read 4:11-12 or so, so I knew a fast time was almost guaranteed. The last three miles (although probably short) I ran much faster than the first three and they were arguably the miles I both enjoyed most during the race and the miles I felt the strongest. I could have ran even faster then I did but anytime I started to accelerate cramps kicked in so I just held steady. The fact that I finished so strong has me wondering what I could have done in a 50 mile race, and certainly it shows that my problems are still mostly a matter of mental conditioning.

In the end I am immensely satisfied with my result. Someone ahead of me ended up getting lost so I was actually 4th overall in 4:34:57. I finished way under my "best case scenario" time goal of 4:45. After the race my legs also left really good and I was able to do some light running without discomfort which shows good physical fitness. At the same time this was a valuable learning experience. I know that my physical fitness is not at all a barrier (especially considering my lack of training in the past few months) so if I want to continue to improve I need to work on being tougher mentally. I know that I need to look into S-caps, as an alternative way to get in more sodium and prevent cramping as races like the Catoctin 50k will be far hotter than the race today. Finally, this provides a nice motivational boost going forward into a more serious summer training phase. I can honestly say I have never had this much fun running in my entire life, and I am excited to see what the future brings.