Susan Donnelly

Let me start by saying that gravel road is one of my least favorite course types, right behind asphalt, and loops are a huge mental challenge for me.  We signed up because this is a good social run – a chance to see other ultrarunning friends where you’re passing them often on the course.  Plus, it’s nearby (Raleigh, NC)  and good training for Massanutten in May.

Still, Rob and I have another 100-miler next weekend, so the mantra for this one was “slow!”

 

What’s the course like?

Most important this year is that the course is usually damp finely-crushed gravel road, but this year more dry, hard-packed dirt.  It’s shaped roughly like a lollipop with two extra out-and-back arms sticking out of the “pop”part.  It rolls gently up and down for the most part, never in an epic way.  It looks very easy.

The park is popular with mountain bikers and runners who were taking advantage of the sunny weekend.  They seemed to come in a morning shift and late afternoon shift.  The morning crowd was noticeably happier and more sociable crowd.  We got a ton of questions and encouragement from them.  Even stopped to talk with a woman riding a Clydesdale!

The pines are usually blooming and this year is no exception.  The pollen drifted through our headlamp beams all night and coated everything – car and probably lungs.

One other noticeable feature was the owls.  They called all evening, night, and into the morning.  I’d never heard so many there before.  We were even buzzed by one late at night that flew down the trail toward us into our headlamp beams and just over our heads to land in a nearby tree.  Not something you see in every race!

 

What do you eat?

People always ask, so here’s the scoop.  Umstead is notorious for their full spread.  The manned aid stations are virtual buffets.  With such a wide choice, I still found it hard to get interested near the end and eating became a bit of a chore and believe it or not, I suffered a few times from lack of ready calories. 

• 3 cups of rice
• 10 homemade gingersnaps
• 15-20 peppermints
• 1 GU
• handful of potato chips
• 1/2 peanut butter sandwich (no jelly)
• 8-10 giant green olives w/pimentos (no martini)
• handful peanuts
• small bag of Fritoes
• 1.5 boiled eggs
• 1 baked potato, pieces dipped in salt
• 4-5 rice crackers
• 5 saltine and peanut butter cracker sandwiches
• 16 water bottles of Gatorade per lap (2 per lap)

 

 

What do you think about?

I ran the whole way with Rob, so we talked and laughed most of the way, except at night when low calories and my weekly lack of sleep caught up to me and had me falling asleep on my feet most of one loop.

For me, this is a social race and we saw lots of friends: Vinny Swendsen, Susan Lance, Anne and Matt Watts, Leo Lightner (80 years old!), Rosemary Evans, Angela Ivory, Bill Sublett, Louise Mason (an inspiration), Tammie Massey, Fred Davis, and Dan Holbrook (also from Knoxville running his first 100).  James and Rebecca Moore, who used to run the most excellent Powells Fort aid station at Massanutten 100 Mile showed up to pace someone, as did Terri Hayes, race director of the gorgeous Chattooga 50K.

When not talking with friends or Rob, I was monitoring my form and status, keeping awareness out for blisters and other emerging problems.  That didn’t keep the blisters away this year.  My feet suffered from the dry, hard surface.

As I mentioned, Saturday night was difficult.  Falling asleep on my feet.  It took so much effort that Rob and I didn’t talk much.  I fantasized about laying down to sleep in the car under one of the wool blankets.  Seeing the sky lighten Sunday morning was like a shipwrecked sailor spotting land – total relief.  Sure enough, as the sky lightened, I woke up and my mood improved 100%.  

Still, most people were finishing while we were still working on our 7th lap.  That’s hard.  You just can’t think ahead on a loop course.  It only gets you frustrated and distracted with something you can’t immediately change.  Better to focus on where you are at the moment, look around at the scenery,  and let the laps happen as they do, almost by accident.

Now, it’s time to savor this finish.  There’s time enough for that before the next one.

Posted: Monday, April 6, 2009, 9:39 pm | Tags: Blog | Respond | Trackback