The two weeks leading up to the Catoctin 50K were unintentionally tapering
weeks. I initially planned to keep training at a relatively high mileage for
most of that time and just rest up in the final few days before Catoctin but a
busy schedule with various responsibilities kept that from happening. I
probably ran around 40 miles those two weeks.
Going into the race I felt pretty good about my fitness. I knew I had done a
lot of hill work and enough longer runs that endurance shouldn't be a problem,
but of course there is the question of whether or not I could hold up over the
rugged ~33 mile course.
Ran morning was uneventful. KS and KB crewed for me and I had a pretty basic
plan to take one water bottle at each road crossing since the foretasted high
was 81 and it usually even cooler on the mountain. I took half ”super
Gatorade" and half water in the bottles and plenty of electrolytes in the
pocket. As I started out down from the Team Room the race was relatively
uneventful. I ran with three guys who I had picked out already as guys who I
knew would be running fast and we set off into the valley. I don't like running
downhill behind someone so I slipped around and ran in the lead most of the way
to Hamburg with the three closely behind me. I felt very comfortable, and
nobody seemed too eager to push the pace so there was plenty of hiking on the
uphills.
Ran through Hamburg with a new water bottle and kept the pace relatively
relaxed. One of the group who eventually caught up took off at a very fast pace
but he said it was because he was only running to the Manor. Sure enough I
never saw him again all day. Somewhere before Delaugter the group was only I
and eventual winner Jason Lantz. We ran at what felt like a nice pace until the
manner in 2:32. Coming out of the manner Jason took off as soon as we got to
the top of the steep hill after Catoctin Hollow Rd. I was running pretty well
but he was simply blazing and I didn't see him again until the finish. As it
turns out he ran a great second half in 3:35, hardly slowing down at all.
Somewhere around Delauter inbound I started to feel my legs getting quite
tired, but it was not really until approaching Hamburg that I could feel the
wheels really coming off. I was passed about a mile before Hamburg and I was in
3rd at the time. I took 2 water bottles for the first time all day at Hamburg
inbound which ended up being a wise decision. As they typically are, those 6
miles were gloriously painful as I forced myself to run all flat and downhill
sections and resigned to hiking all uphills but eventually I made it to the
finish line in 6:02.
In hindsight if I had ran more conservatively there is probably a good
chance I would have gotten second (second ran 5:40) but I went for the win
running with Jason for as long as possible while keeping the pace pretty
relaxed and in the end I didn't quite have the legs to keep up.
The Steamtown Marathon quickly approaches in early October and then the
Stone Mill 50 in mid-November so I am looking forward to a bit of a change in
pace in the coming weeks as I do some more road specific training for
Steamtown.
