Training: None. I did my base mileage of 40-50 miles per week and signed up a few weeks before the race.
Goals: I based my tentative goals on a run I did in April. Basically, in April, I had decided to run the daylight portion of a 24 hour race that had similar smooth trails as Nutcracker. There I ran 71.25 miles in 11:10. Adjusting for a slight fade, I figured over 12 hours I could do another 5 miles. However, given the lack of training mileage, I honestly wasn't sure how feasible that goal was. In short, I figured somewhere between 75 and 80 miles was doable.
The race: My strategy was to start pretty slow and gradually speed up. The course consisted of a 5 mile out and back on the Dunn Erwin rail trail for a total of 10 miles per lap. The course had about a half dozen road crossing in each direction and near sunset we started half mile out and backs for a 1 mile lap. The starting temperature was a brisk 22 degrees at 7:00am, but allowed for a beautiful golden sunrise over frosted fields and neighborhoods. The daytime highs were in the low 40's, sunny with a slight breeze, and then dipping back down to 30 when the sun set.
Miles 1-10: These were my warm up miles at an easy 9:17 pace. It was nice chatting with a few runners as I settled into the pace I hoped to hold for a half a day. By the end of the first 10 miles quite a few folks were infront of me, with some already ahead by a mile gap.
Miles 10-20: I continued to hold pace and resisted the urge to speed up, despite the fact the lead runner now had nearly a 2 mile lead. My mantra was to be patient and experience told me that slow and steady is the key to success in 12 and 24 hour events. 20 miles completed in just under 3 hours. Only 9 more hours to go.
Miles 20-30: With temps now in the upper 30's, I ditched my heavier jacket for a light running vest. During this stretch I figured I would gradually start speeding up a few seconds per mile just as other runners would be starting fatigue. I reached my marathon split in 3:53. Not too fast, but also not too slow. The runners ahead of me start coming back. 30 miles complete in 4:27.
Miles 30-40: Holding at a low 8:50's pace, I hit my 50k split in 4:36. I pass the lead runner around mile 37 and complete 40 miles in 5:51. Time wise, we're not even halfway done....
Miles 40-50: Nothing too impressive, just a bunch of nine minute miles, but in this kind of event, nine minute miles are good enough to spread things out. 50 miles complete in 7:25.
Miles 50-60: Fatigue starting to kick in and the legs are feeling a bit heavy. 9:00 pace starts slipping to 9:15 and 9:30, but overall it's not too bad given the cold. 60 miles complete in 9:00. 3 hours to go.
Miles 60-70: I finally get to switch to the one mile laps, which allows me to see the other runners on a more frequent basis. It's a much needed energy boost to see some familiar faces a bit more often. I reach my 100k split in 9:23. It's a half hour slower than my PR, but with over two and a half hours to go, I think it's right where I need to be. The cool darkness settles in and now there are 70 miles completed in 10:45. Mathematically, I had already won the race, but I really wanted to run as close to the full 12 hours as I could.
Miles 70-77: My legs are definitely feeling tired, but the night has brought a surprising boost of energy. With temps now back in the low 30's I switch back into my heavier jacket from the morning. Dang, the zipper somehow broke and I spend several costly minutes trying to fix it. The course is dark, but dozens of steadfast runners are still out there hammering away in the cold. The moon above sets aglow the earth below and the twinkle of local Christmas lights remind me how quaint and friendly this little town of Erwin has been today. Time check, 45 minutes to go. Looks like my zipper malfunction may have cost me the time to run an extra mile and I will have to settle for four more laps. 77 miles completed in 11:55.
Nutrition: 3,000 calories. Mostly Tailwind, 4 gels, a few handfuls of pretzels, gel blocks (bad idea in the cold), 1 ginger cookie
Gear: Hoka One One Clifton 1, North Face Torpedo Pants, long sleeve Nike compression shirt, Marmot Stride Jacket, Pear Izumi wind vest, Injinji mini crew socks
Afterthoughts: I was pleasantly surprised how well my legs felt given my relatively low running mileage. I think if I had been a little more confident early on, I could have gone a little faster for the first 50 miles and still had plenty in the tank for later. In addition, on a slightly warmer day, with a better training base, I could realistically foresee getting 80 miles on this course. Also, as a pleasant surprise, I found out that one of the Spartathlon qualifiers is completing 120k at a 12 hour race. 120k equals 74.4 miles, so my 77 miles actually requalified me for Spartathlon, which is nice because my qualifier from 2015 expires this year.
Anyway, in case anyone from the event reads this, thanks to all the volunteers and to Roam Ultras for this fun seasonal event.
Happy Holidays!
