Belmead Trail Fest

(Some of Belmead's lush greenery courtesy of Belmead Trail Fest)

A common theme that I have adopted over the past few years is trying to get the word out about smaller local running events. I have also gotten a lot of joy out of spontaneously showing up to first year events that nobody really knows anything about. I find that it keeps the running hobby fresh, full of zeal, and often directly supportive of the local community.

Belmead Trail Fest ended up being a delightfully low key and fun event with all the charm of a local race. The late September date means it likely won't be blazing hot, nor cold, and there's still ample sunlight to keep the 50 mile cut off time at 12 hours. Race day weather was in the high 50's at the start and hovered near 80 all day. While it felt plenty warm in the sun, about 70% of the course is on shaded single track trail, so it was quite comfortable most of the day. The event also boasts three separate race distances of 26.2 miles, 50k, and 50 miles that have a group 8am start. The 8am start is great for people like myself who don't necessarily like, or can't because of family, to get up at 4am to start a race in the dark at 6am. It's also nice to finally have an ultra option where you don't need to wear a headlamp for the start, though 50 milers who might take 11-12 hours would need to carry a light at the end.

As for the course, all three race distances run the same 10 mile loop with various add ons for the marathon and 50k. The 50 miler was simply five loops. The trail itself was both very runnable, but also surprisingly technical. Per other's gps accounts the 50k had roughly 1,840 feet of gain, which meant nearly 3,000 for the 50 miler. While the elevation gain for the course is fairly benign in comparison to a Mountain Masochist, all the twists and turns, roots, snakes, corn, and short little climbs made it slower than a course like JFK 50 where the elevation gain is about the same, but you have long flat sections to stretch out the legs. Still, on the grand scheme of things, I'd say the course is on par with running trails at Bear Creek Lake, Holiday Lake, Prince William Forest, Bull Run, or Lake Anna, all home to a lot of local ultra events. The course was also very well marked, though it didn't prevent myself and three others from going a mile off course.

The course itself race could be broken down into two main parts. Miles 0 to the 3.7 mile aid station (more like 3.0 miles?) were are on bridle paths that circumnavigated rolling corn fields. It may very well be the only race where the possibility exists to roll your ankle on the many ears of corn strewn on the bumpy grassy horse trail. In all honesty, while scenic, this was probably my least favorite part of the course and the only place where you are out in the sun. However, later in the day the sun shifted enough so that there were sections around the cornfield that became shaded. It should be noted that this 3 mile section will probably be replaced next year by trails that go down to the James River and the Belmead estate. Miles 3.7-10 were mostly singletrack through the woods and some wider service roads. These 7 miles were by far my favorite of the race as they brought you into some wonderfully green wooded areas with enough variety in the trail to keep it exciting, even after 5 loops. At the end of each loop you had access to aid and drop bags, so you never had to go more than 4 miles without support.

My personal experience at Belmead was very positive. I like the fact you feel like you are entering a civil war battlefield just driving to the start. The morning mist rising up from the fields served wonders to transport us back in time 150 years, even if for only 4-12 hours. In addition, I spent most of my day running alone and never really knowing who was running what particular race. In essence, it allowed me to let go of the race vibe and feel like I was on a nice long solo run in the woods. Since moving in January, I've only had limited access to trails, and run almost exclusively on roads, so for me a day in the woods was just what I needed. The finish was just as low key as the rest of the day. By the time I finished the 50 miler almost everyone doing the marathon and 50k had completed and gone home, and the only people remaining were still out on the course. So, it was definitely different to come in with just a handful of folks, but I didn't really expect otherwise. I loved the finisher's medals, which were hand crafted cross sections of wood. It was a pleasant deviation from the standard race medals, though I suspect next year they'll have something else unique and cool for finishers.

All in all, I definitely suggest giving this event a try. The entry fees are cheaper than most races, the course was fantastic (if you don't mind loops), and it's a great time of year to work it in as a fun run, or training run for a fall race. I hadn't intended on doing any more ultras until at least 2015, but the proximity and forests were just too tempting, and I was able to register on race day. The best thing is that all proceeds from the event benefit Francis Emma, the non-profit organization that maintains Belmead. The best way to keep history alive is to support it!

Ironman Final Thoughts

It's hard to believe the Ironman has come and gone already, but it has. In the past ten days I have thought a lot about what I experienced during my 13 hours and 45 minutes at Ironman Louisville, as well as the months that lead up to race day.

The big question, will I do another Ironman? The quick answer is yes. I really loved the experience and given the growing number of sanctioned Ironman events in the US, there are plenty of amazing new courses I would love to tri...um, I mean try. Lol. That being said, Ironman Panama City Florida and Beach 2 Battleship are likely the best fits for my next triathlon since both courses are flat and best suit the fact I cannot hill train where I live. There are certainly some trade offs with doing another Ironman, but mostly due to costs and the time of year. Ironman Panama City is in November, the heart of fall marathon/race season, and the total cost to participate (including entry) will again be close to $2,000. However, Beach 2 Battleship, in late october, is only five hours away in Wilmington, NC and costs $200 less than an Ironman, though it is also full distance. In official Ironman events, you are literally paying extra for the title, which I already have. Beach 2 Battleship is known to be a very fast course (the run was 0.7 miles short, unless they added distance since 2012) and typical race day temperatures should be about 40 degrees cooler than what we had in Louisville. I also have to consider the fact that qualifying for the Boston Marathon is now higher on my bucket list then a second Ironman. If I am capable of running the same time I did in my last road marathon (3:07:17) in two years, I will qualify for Boston and most likely get entry into Boston 2017. But, that's still a fairly long way off.

What I learned about Ironman training: Despite being a three sport event, the bike is the most important portion by a long shot. For most people, including elites, the bike makes up roughly 55% of the total time out on the course, the swim compiles 10%, and the marathon the remaining 35%. Despite a five hour time gap, these percentages were nearly identical for myself, as well as the top finishers at Ironman Louisville. Being stronger on the bike allows you not only the ability to finish the bike leg faster, but also have more muscular reserves leftover for the run. In the case of Ironman Louisville, where it was 103 degrees and likely hotter on the pavement, less time on the bike meant less time for the heat to effect your hydration and overall fatigue.

I also learned that the difference between tri bikes and road bikes like mine isn't just cosmetic, but rather they are designed to use less of the muscles needed for running and thereby allowing you to be fresher for the marathon. I had always wondered how the top triathletes could still run sub 2:50 marathons after a knocking out the bike at average speeds of 25 mph. I figured they must all be be capable of sub 2:20 marathons, which some are, but I later found they were mostly running within 15-20 minutes of their marathon PR's. The key was simply very dialed in muscle efficiency on and off the bike. I've also done some research to see what I "should" eventually be capable of by reading a bunch of Ironman race reports. To my surprise, there are a lot of 3:20 to 3:30 marathoners (somewhat "bigger boned" ones at that) who are doing sub 11 hour and sub 10:30 Ironmans, which seems super fast in relation to their running ability. In my case, I can outrun most of them by 15-20 minutes in a marathon, probably get close to their swim times, but these guys absolutely kill it on the bike, often going under 5:30 for 112 miles. Their Ironman run times aren't terribly fast either, usually in the 3:50 to 4:00 range, which is within 30 minutes of their PR's, meaning I could potentially get my run down to the 3:40's. However, once again, we circle back to the fact that being very strong on the bike basically establishes the framework for most of the event.

So, since it's been determined the bike dominates the Ironman, I can safely say that too much focus on running and swimming is not a good strategy. For someone like myself, 2 to 3 swims of 1 to 1.5 miles per week was adequate, as well as running only 30 miles per week. For someone that was used to running 60-80 miles per week on a regular basis for much of the last five years, it was difficult for me to understand that dropping to 30 miles per week for Ironman training was enough. I even tried to rationalize that since the Ironman's run was 26.2 miles that I had train like I would for a marathon in addition to the swimming and cycling. The bottom line was that training for the Ironman's marathon meant spending more time on the bike. Twilight Zone stuff, right? I mean, I was riding a bike to get faster at running a marathon, but that's the difference between just a road marathon and the Ironman. Some elites don't even exceed 10 miles for their long runs prior to race day, so in essence I had to throw out everything I thought I knew about marathon training.

Future goals: I will be the first to admit I played it safe at Ironman Louisville. Don't get me wrong, I was still plenty tired from the race, but I didn't want to risk going 100% either and end up like the other 250 DNF's. My only goal was to secure an Ironman finish, and due to some very real IT band issues near race day, I was forced to take the bike portion very easy. This was coupled with the fact that I was learning everything for the first time and the extreme heat slowed everyone down, especially during the run. My initial time goal for Louisville was to break 13 hours, and possibly 12, but both of those went out the window with the heat forecast and my IT band problems. I am fairly confident that with significantly more than the 3 months of bike training I had, and sans IT band issues, I should be able to cut a solid hour off my monstrous 7:31 bike time from Louisville. On a flat course in milder weather, a 6:15-6:30 bike time looks even more plausible.

For the swim, it's tough to tell how much room for improvement I have. Louisville was aided by 1.5 miles of down current swimming and has to be one of the faster swims. Typically, I'd consider my 1:11 swim surprisingly fast, especially considering it took me a good 15 minutes to get my act together, but it may have only been average. I think in the same conditions I could do the swim closer to 1:05. As for the the run, I think in more seasonal weather I could have gotten much closer to my goal time of 4:30, but, that is still much slower than my marathon time. As I get stronger on the bike, and perhaps if I eventually get a tri bike, I would like to get the marathon down to the low 4's, and potentially under 4 hours.

Lastly, my transitions were slow simply because it was the first time I have ever done a triathlon transition. I could probably cut that time in half just from what I learned the first time around. So, what does this all project out to? It means, I am pretty sure that I should be able to take two hours off my rookie Ironman time. However, it also means, even if I trained full-time ( which I can't, nor want to), I will probably never be able to break 10 hours which is necessary to gain a Kona qualifying spot for my age bracket. It would appear my best chance for Kona is either the lottery, or to the compete into my 80's and 90's where I will gain entry due to lack of anyone else in my age bracket.