25K Hyner View Trail Challenge - Apr 26, 2014

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)

Last night I drove up to Williamsport. It was dark for most of the drive and rained off and on, but nothing like the drive up in 2013. The drive this morning was so much nicer than the one last night. It was so nice to be able to see my surroundings.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

MD HEAT Race - Aug 3, 2013

View Dave Races the Trails in a larger map

The night before the race was a very short one. I was up until 1:30 doing laundry and getting stuff ready for the weekend. My original plan was to head directly to a family reunion in Northfield, NJ after the race. I got up at 4:30 because the race director wanted everyone at the parking area by 7 am. I got there by 7 and then ended up waiting for almost 2 hours after the shuttle bus ride into the park for the race to begin. If I had it to do over again I would have slept in for at least another hour.

The weather cooperated, to a degree. It rained, off and on. There were no torrential downpours but it was a soggy day. The rain helped to keep me cool and minimized my need for re-hydration. I took a rain jacket with me but I didn't wear it. It sat in the bottom of the bag I carried with me during the race.

It wasn't a very big field of participants, only a handful of them started the race walking. I walked with one of the few until we reached the first hill. At that point we caught up to another walker and I left them behind.

I passed a couple more people before reaching aid station 1, near the 4 mile mark. I paused long enough to grab a handful of trail mix. I passed a couple more people there and a bunch more on a very steep and rocky descent less than a mile after aid station 1.

One thing I had working in my favor was my fearlessness of water. As with the rocky downhills I didn't slowdown when I encountered streams. I didn't go to any sort of lengths to try and keep my feet or my boots dry. When I reached the river crossing I just powered through it. I took a few items out of cargo pockets and held them in my hands but unlike the half-dozen or so runners that I passed at that point I didn't take the time to take off my shoes and socks before crossing. The water was up to mid-thigh on me, at the deepest point. My boots were full of water when I got out of the river. I'm not sure how long it took for the bulk of the water to drain but eventually they didn't seem quite so water-logged.

When I got to aid station 2 one of the volunteers asked me how I was doing and offered me a choice: stop or turn uphill and keep going. I chose to keep going. I passed a trio of women at that point for the second of three times. They would eventually pass me again just before aid station 3 and then pass me a little after it. I passed three other people between aid stations 2 and 3, who did not return the favor.

I pushed myself a little too hard on the rocky downhills in the first half of the race. I took it a little easier after that because my left hip was starting to bother me.

At aid station 1 I grabbed a handful of trail mix and kept going. I didn't stop at aid station 2. I stopped for a minute or more at aid station 3 to down a small peanut butter sandwich and a small cup of Gatorade. In between aid stations I also nibbled at the food I brought with me (hard pretzels, raisins and almonds) and drank some water.

I had been to various parts of Patpsco Valley State Park before, for Quantico Orienteering Club. Some of the trails that the race course traveled were familiar to me but most of them were in the last 6-7 miles of the race. It felt a little weird sticking to the trail and not following other handrail features.

Early on I could see that I was close to a 18 minutes/mile pace. I pushed myself in an effort to increase my average pace to 17:06 but I never got there and eventually gave up on that goal as the pain in my hip got worse.

On the whole I thought the organizer did a very good job but that doesn't mean that there isn't room for improvement. I was annoyed that the race didn't start on time. It was scheduled to begin at 9 but didn't step off until 9:20. Also would have been nice if the race course had been just a little bit longer. According to my Garmin it was 15.3 miles or 24.6 km, even though it was billed as being a 25 km race. Nitpicking? Possibly, but that's how I feel.

After the race there was free food. I ate a foot-long hot dog (that I broke in two and split between two regular-sized hot dog rolls) and a piece of chocolate cake. I hung out for a little while after that until the shuttle bus back to the parking area arrived. I considered briefly sticking with my original plan and driving straight to the family reunion in New Jersey, after changing my clothes. After assessing how sweaty and muddy I was I decided to drive home and clean up before heading to the family reunion.

Time: 4:34:30
Pace: 17:56 / mile
Place: 155/180 (Overall), 29/31 (M 40-49)

Results: UltraSignUp

25K Hyner View Trail Challenge - Apr 20, 2013

View 2013 - 25K HVTC in a larger map

I started near the back of the pack, which may have been a mistake and certainly cost me some time. There was one choke point early in the race, where we left the road and hit the trails. The people I was bunched up with were extremely cautious along the trail. It wasn't until we got to the bottom of the first hill that I was able to start passing people.

I was checking my time pretty carefully throughout the race. I completed the first mile, which was before we hit the trail head, in 17 minutes. The second mile, which ended near the bottom of first hill, took me 27 minutes to complete, thanks to the bunching on the narrow trail.

Humble Hill, the first part of the first hill, was extremely steep. I was moving faster than most people were and there were lots of opportunities to pass that I took advantage of. After Humble Hill it leveled off briefly but then it was all uphill to Hyner View which is also used as a launch point for hang gliders. The last few hundred meters to the peak were once again very steep.

 

There was an aid station at the top. I walked right past it and headed down the backside of the hill. I was concerned about my time. I had goals in mind and I felt that I needed to pick up the pace so I shuffled most of the way down the backside of the first hill. I slowed a couple times to eat a little bit of a pro bar and drink a little bit of the water I brought with me.

The second hill was long but nowhere near as steep as the first. The route to the top of the second hill was along Johnson Run. The trail crossed back and forth over the stream twenty or more times. A lot of the people ahead of me were very tentative about crossing. For the most part the water wasn't more than ankle deep. I got impatient and started going around groups of people crossing wherever it seemed like I could. My feet got wet; I didn't really care. I wanted to maintain a good pace.

I passed more people along Johnson Run than I did anywhere else. Even climbing up the last bit to the top of the second hill I passed a lot of people who were just moving too slow for me. I would run briefly to get ahead of them and then resume walking.

I went right past the second aid station and started down the other side of the hill, Post Draft. I paused briefly for a few more bites of pro bar and sips of water. The path was very narrow after a point, which made it difficult for me to pass people. I wound up behind a small group of people who were moving slower than I wanted to move. I stayed behind them until a couple runners came through and asked to pass. I followed in their wake past the people I had been stuck behind. I did this a couple more times down to the bottom of Post Draft and leading up to the third and final hill.

The path along Cleveland Hollow, the first part of the final hill was steep and I didn't think I was moving all that fast. Still, I passed a number of people on the way to the top. It wasn't as long as the previous two hills but the final few hundred meters (aka SOB) were extremely steep. For the first time I considered pausing to catch my breath. I didn't stop until I got the top but I was moving much slower than I had been by the time I got there.

At the top, I stopped at the third and final aid station. It was snowing lightly. I drank a couple cups of water, ate some trail mix, and caught my breath. After about five minutes I moved on. There was a little more uphill but it wasn't very steep.

 

The hardest part for me of the remaining 5 miles was the long downhill along Huff Run. For the most part it wasn't very steep but my left knee was starting to bother me. I walked the whole way down. I would have liked to shuffle down and pick up some more speed but my knee just wasn't having it. I got passed by a number of people, who were running, on the way down. Many of them were people I had passed on the way up Cleveland Hollow or earlier in the race.

The last mile was all along roads. I quick marched the whole way. I broke into a jog right at the end. I passed a few people and was passed by a few others in that final stretch. There was a big crowd at the finish line cheering people on as they crossed. I received a medal for finishing and then went to grab a bite to eat.

They had barbecue chicken, hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, pizza, and desserts. I got a huge piece of barbecue chicken and some potato salad. There were a number of beverage options. I passed on the beer and stuck with water.

Originally I was hoping I would have a good enough time (4 hrs 30 min) to qualify me to participate in next year's 50K. As I walked and occasionally ran, it became clear to me that I wasn't moving fast enough to hit that mark. My secondary goal was to finish with an average pace of 3 mph, which I calculated would mean completing the course in 5 hrs 15 min. I just made that mark; my official time was 5:14:35. What I didn't realize is that the 25K race was actually about a half mile longer than 25K, so I did better than just squeak under the wire of my secondary goal.

This race was not easy in the least bit. It was fun and challenging. I didn't push myself to the very edge of my physical limits but I was worn out and very hungry by the time I finished. I think I would need to be in better shape, take it easier, and eat more during the race in order to complete a 50K of this magnitude of difficulty.

Time: 5:14:35
Pace: 18:57 / mile
Place: 601/958 (Overall), 114/161 (M 40-49)

Results: PA Runners