Pre-race Thoughts
There is a little over an hour until the 25K HVTC kicks off. I've picked up my race packet and am ready to go. The weather is cool and crisp but dry, for now. There is the possibility of rain today. |
| Susquehanna River (PL) |
My bib number is 838. I can't remember what my number was last year but I like this one. 8 + 3 + 8 = 19 which is very appropriate since I am wearing a 1/9 t-shirt.
View 2013 - 25K HVTC in a larger map
Post-race Thoughts
The weather was close to perfect. I had a light jacket with me but I took it off at the beginning of the race and didn't feel the need to put it back on during the race. I am still sore and probably will be for a few days but I am very happy with my time in the HVTC. I shaved almost 17 minutes off my time from last year. I moved up about 100 spots from where I finished in the overall standings.
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| Beginning of the 25K Hyner View Trail Challenge (PL) |
Hard to say at this point where I shaved off most of that time. My Garmin wasn't working so I don't have that sort of data. I did use my stopwatch and used the lap function but that data isn't anywhere near as precise as the Garmin data would be.
I didn't start at the back of the pack like I did in 2013 but I wasn't at the front either. A lot of people passed me on the way to the first bottleneck aka Cliffhanger. Unlike last year most of the people ahead of me were running at that point. I walked to the first bottleneck, briskly.
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| Cliffhanger Trail (BH) |
It felt like the pack moved a little faster on the Cliffhanger Trail which leads along the Susquehanna to the bottom of Humble Hill. I passed a number of people on the way up Humble Hill. Many of them had stopped to catch their breath, some stopped and stepped aside when I asked if I could pass them. My wind was good throughout the course and the climb up to Hyner View was no exception.
I did not stop at the first aid station. Before starting down the back side of Hyner View I did drink a little water from the 1-liter water bottle I brought with me, and had a couple bites from the peanut butter Pro Bar I brought with. I ran most the way down the backside of Hyner View. For most of that I was in the middle of a convoy of people. We weren't moving very fast. It felt more like a trot or a shuffling pace but I'm sure we were moving faster than even a fast walking pace. I could feel my quads starting to rebel but I stuck with it as long as I could despite the growing pain.
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| Nearing the Top of Hyner View (PL) |
Shortly before the climb along Johnson Run began I passed a woman who was injured. She was surrounded by a group of 6-8 people who were helping her. I figured they had the situation under control so I didn't stop or ask if there was anything I could do. I doubt that my facility with spreadsheets would have proved useful in this situation. A minute or two after passing them I passed a park employee with a walkie talkie headed towards them.
Once the trail started to climb again I abandoned any attempts at running. I didn't pass more than a handful of people in the hilly section along Johnson Run. When I got to the first crossing of Johnson Run there was only a couple people in front of me. Last year there was probably 20 or more people waiting to cross at the narrowest spot. Even though there wasn't a long line this year I still took the short cut through the ankle deep water.
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| Rounding the corner at the top of Hyner View (BH) |
Just like last year I got my feet wet numerous times in this section of the course and passed a number of people, who were trying harder than I to keep their feet dry. I don't think I passed as many people or walked through as much water as I did last year. Once the course got away from the stream the trail became narrower and it became much harder to pass, but I found a few opportunities to do so.
I didn't stop at the second aid station. Once past it I did slow down to drink some water and took another bite from the peanut butter pro bar.
From there until the bottom of the Post Draft I was in a convoy of people moving together. I wanted to move a little faster than we were but the trail was narrow, my quads were still sore, and I didn't want to overextend myself at that point. So I stuck with the convoy. A few people passed us, but not many. Last year I think I ran down this section of the course at a faster pace behind a couple of 50K runners.
The climb up Cleveland Hollow and SOB moved a little slower than I wanted it to. Once again, maybe that was a good thing. Maybe if I hadn't been in midst of a group of people who were moving at a decent pace, but just a bit slower than I wanted to, then I would have burned myself out there. I was finally able to break free of the group once we were 3/4 of the way up SOB. I lunged past a few people people to make it to the top. I paused there for about 30 seconds. I had a drink of Gatorade at the 3rd and final aid station and then moved on.
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| Huff Run (BM) |
I jogged a little bit but for the most part I walked from SOB until I got to the top of Huff Run. Although my quads were still hurting my joints (knees, hips, ankles) felt good enough to jog down this section of the course. In 2013 I walked this section of the course because my left knee wasn't feeling up to anything other than that.
Once we got back to the road I started walking again. Some runners from the convoy I had been with coming down Huff Run continued to run, others did like me and walked. I walked until I got to the bridge over the Susquehanna. Originally I was just going to jog halfway across the bridge but then my pride kicked in and I saw the people cheering us on to the finish line. So I jogged the rest of the way in, which was probably about a half mile.
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| Finish Line (BH) |
I was ready to collapse by the time I crossed the finish line. But it felt so good to be done.
Looking back on the race as a whole I think that I definitely benefited from starting further from the back of the pack than I did in 2013. It was still congested in spots but overall I passed considerably fewer people this year and the people who I did pass, especially after the first hill, were moving at a better clip than most of the ones who I passed last year.
Post-post-race Thoughts
I am a slow starter. I tried starting further from the back, closer to the front this year. I thought it made a difference but looking back now at my lap times I can see that it didn't. Unless I run the road portion of the race to the beginning of the Cliffhanger Trail I'm going to get caught up in that bottleneck. Honestly I don't see how I can avoid that bottleneck without running. Even if I do run it I'm not sure I would be fast enough to avoid getting caught in the bottleneck or at the very least being able to get through it appreciably faster than the 27 minutes it took this year.
Even though I felt like I was moving slower down Post Draft and up Cleveland Hollow my lap times seem to indicate otherwise. Last year I was still passing families with kids at that point whereas this year those groups were few and far between once I got to the top of Hyner View.
I’m not sure how much room for improvement I have without incorporating running, specifically trail running, into my training regimen. Currently my training consists of bicycling, walking, and orienteering. The bicycling helps with the uphill portions of the course and my breathing but doesn't do much to prepare me for the long, sustained downhill portions of the course, which were the most painful parts. Most of the pain was in my thighs. My boots and socks did a great job protecting the soles of my feet although I think I may need a new pair of boots by the time next year’s HVTC rolls around.
Overall a great experience. I'm eager to do it again.
Time: 4:58:06
Pace: 17:57 / mile
Place: 497/959 Overall, 97/159 (M 40-49)
Results: PA Runners
Photography Credits:
BH = Bo Hagaman - See PA Run
BM = Butch Miller - Butch Miller Photography
PL = Peter Lopes - Peter Lopes Picassa
