It's The Distance: Fall Creek Falls 50K

Fall Creek Falls 50K

March 15^th, 2015

Fall Creek Falls State Park

As Carmen and I were making our way up Highway 111 headed to Fall Creek Falls, I told her I was still unsure of my plan for the race.

I signed up for the race just a few days prior after deciding I would use it as a training run. My training runs have been getting longer and lonelier as I slowly prepare for my first 100 mile race in May, Thunder Rock 100. Using a race would definitely help the process. I told Carmen while I was eating my normal pre-run breakfast that morning (Nutella & PB sandwich, mmmmm) that I looked up the results from last year’s race. I saw that I had a good possibility to finish strong and even in the top 10 if I pushed a good pace. I said I was torn on what to do now. Should I not worry about pace and time and just enjoy the company as I use this race as my weekend long run, or should I push hard and work towards a strong finish? She reminded me that my priority was to prepare for Thunder Rock and I should keep it easy to avoid any injuries. As wise as my wife is, I am equally if not more stubborn.

Sitting in the car after bib pickup.

We got to the park about an hour before the start. I picked up my bib and we hung out in the car to avoid the chilly morning air. The weather forecast for the day was going to be perfect. I was looking forward to a run without having to wear a jacket and gloves like most have been this year. As the time got closer we all found our way to the starting line. I had decided my goal today was just to PR my 50k time of 6:28:35 that I had from StumpJump last year. I knew that wouldn’t be a problem especially since Fall Creek Falls 50k has at least half the elevation gain on SJ. It was 9:07 EST and the gun went off. We were on our way.

The race starts with ¾ mile road then turns left onto a fire service road for about 1½ miles. The service road is the start of a loop that 50k runners take twice. It was a pretty rainy week coming into the race and the service road was nothing but a thick muddy mess. I did my best to avoid as much as I could in hopes of keeping my feet dry as long as possible. After passing the first aid station at the end of the service road, runners take an immediate right onto the trails.

As I jumped onto the trails, I fell into the middle of a small group of runners running a pretty decent pace. It felt a little faster than I had planned on starting out but I felt good and maintained their pace. I glanced down at my watch and saw I was around a 9:40 pace. It felt a little faster than that though.

The trails turned out to be quite a mixture of single track, double track, and even a few open field like areas. The rain from the week was evident at every creek crossing and from puddles that were just too long to be able to jump across. A few small bridges along the way also proved to be a bit slippery and required some extra caution.

A few miles ticked by and I found myself passing the small group I was with and catching up to a few other runners and passing them one by one. I looked at my watch again and noticed my pace continued to slowly decrease although I felt pretty strong. I kept on moving through the trails, slogging through mud and cleaning off in creeks. At a little over 9 miles I came into aid station 3. Not knowing the trails or running a race put on by this particular group, I opted to wear my Salomon hydration vest so I could carry everything I needed and not rely on the aid stations as much as I usually do. This proved beneficial as the aid station fair was more like a road race than a trail race but also became a crutch on my neck/shoulders. I failed to realize that since getting my vest in the fall of last year I’ve yet to wear it without a jacket or a shirt with some sort of collar on it. Around 10 miles in I began to feel the vest creeping up over my shirt collar and rubbing my neck raw. I would run until it became unbearable then I would pull the shoulders down away from my neck for a few minutes and run holding them. I realized I was going just have to suffer and made a mental note to make sure and bodyglide my neck from now on.

A mile out from aid station 9 was the largest creek crossing of the day. At About 20 feet across and almost knee deep, the cold waters of the creek felt great. I was about 2 miles out from the next aid station which was also the beginning of the second loop and where Carmen was waiting for me. Coming out of the woods I saw Carmen waiting across the road. I refilled my water bottles at the aid station then ran across the road to see Carmen before heading back out on the service road for lap 2. I told her I was feeling good and stole a kiss. As I headed back down the even muddier road she told me there were only about 7 people ahead of me. This pumped me up and I picked it up as I headed further away.

Watching half-marathoners head to finish.

Coming into AS 3. Finishing loop 1.

I passed 1 runner on the service road and the volunteers at aid station 4 told me there were 4-5 ahead of me. I began to forget using this as a training run and began to think I could possibly get a top 5 finish which is something I’ve never thought possible in any race considering I’m a very slow runner. I began to push harder and try to make a gap between the guy I passed on the service road and close the gap between whoever was in front of me. At this point I looked at my watch again. It was showing well over an 11min/mile pace. What in the world?! I knew I was moving faster than that, and then it hit me. I was an idiot. I had my watch showing the time of day at the bottom instead of my pace. Wow! It took me over 2 hours to realize it. Lately I’ve felt that I’ve become too dependent on my watch and when I run without I run much faster. I decided to keep it on the time of day and to continue to run on how my body felt.

Miles clicked by as I ran loop 2. Areas I ran through earlier in a group of people I was now running solo trying to catch whoever was ahead of me. The muddy trails had only gotten worse as they were trampled by all the runners during the first loop. The jumpable water was now just a mess and pointless to even try to jump across. I could feel a large blister forming on the bottom of my left foot but figured just one blister in a race where your feet are constantly soaked and muddy wasn’t so bad. Miles 13 and 14 went by and then came mile 15. *sigh*

So, a brief backstory; last year when I began trail running I ended up spraining my left ankle, not once, but twice. Since then I tape my left ankle up for any trail run over 1.5 hours. I occasionally roll both ankles on the trails during my runs but fortunately they haven’t resulted in any more sprains. That is, until mile 15.

Ok, back to the race. Somewhere between mile 15 and 16 while I’m bombing a small downhill section my left foot slipped on some mud and I landed badly on my right foot rolling it. I knew right away it was a bad one and I began to walk and evaluate what just happened. The pain was familiar and I knew that I had done some damage. I walked a few more feet and began to slowly run again. The initial pain began to disburse some and I could run again. My thoughts went back to the runner I had passed earlier on the service road and I continued on in hopes to not get caught by them.

Coming into AS 6 before starting out-and-back.

A mile further I came to the swinging bridge and noticed a runner hunched over on the other side. As I crossed the bridge I asked if he was alright. Apparently he was suffering from some leg cramps. We ended up running together for the next 5-6 miles all the way to aid station 6 and the end of the 2^nd lap. This was probably the most enjoyment and conversation I’ve had with someone during a race. I’m usually a solo runner not knowing many others that are crazy enough to try the distances I like. Having someone to talk to and push hard with especially while dealing with an injured ankle made the miles just tick by. The 2 of us actually missed a turn and got lost for about half a mile before getting our bearings back. Once we were getting close to the next aid station we had 3 runners come running towards us. We were able to figure out they were the guys in the top 3 on their out and back section of the race. We didn’t see anyone else so we concluded that we were rounding up 4^th and 5^th place at the time.

Once runners get to aid station 6 (mile 25) and finish out the 2^nd loop, you then backtrack the way you just came for 3 miles to aid station 7 (which is also aid station 2 and 5) turnaround, then come back to the final aid station 8 (which is also 3 and 6) before hitting the ¾ road section back to the finish. I know it sounds confusing but basically there is a section of the loops that you end up running 4 times.

Grabbing an orange at AS 6.

After talking to Carmen for a quick second (she told me to slow down), I left out of aid station 6 for the out and back section solo. This is quite weird to be honest. It’s mentally exhausting knowing you have to go back the way you just came, but it is also encouraging because you pass runners running towards you as they finish their loop. Talking to runners as you pass each other was really fun and I ended up really enjoying the section I was most dreading.

Leaving AS 6 to being out-and-back.

Just starting the out and back I once again saw the top 3 runners coming towards me as they wrapped up their out and back. I figured they were about 30min ahead of me and there was no way I could close that. My goal now was to finish strong and keep my current 4^th place position. As I continued the out and back section, I began to see more and more runners finishing their 2^nd loop. The top 3 guys were soo far ahead that most the runners coming up now hadn’t even seen them. I was asked by several people if I was in 1^st place since I was the first person they’ve seen running the out and back. I won’t lie, it felt pretty cool.

After leaving aid station 7 on my way back to the final aid station and towards the finish I was looking forward to the final large creek crossing. My ankle had started to wear down pretty hard at this point. Every downhill section just pounded pain through my foot and ankle up to my shin and the cold creek waters would feel great. I crossed the creek and looked at my watch. 4.5 hours had passed and I just had 3 miles to go.

Before I knew it I was back on the road headed towards the finish line. I looked behind me a few times to make sure no one was creeping up. No one was in sight. I came down the final hill and crossed the finish line in 5:05:41. As I stood there for a minute catching my breath I kept looking around for Carmen. I didn’t see her anywhere. I wondered around and then I saw her coming up from the parking lot. I asked her what she was doing and she said “You were too fast!” A guy nearby heard and said “That’s a good problem to have.” Apparently there was some confusion and Carmen thought I was still close to another hour from finishing. She felt horrible for missing my finish but I thought it was pretty funny. Usually Carmen and my mom crew for me and they rely on each other to figure out my time but today Carmen was crewing solo. We hung around at the finish line for a while cheering on finishers until my ankle began to swell up really bad. We headed home so I could begin icing it.

Done!

As excited as I was about finishing as well as I did, I was more disappointed in my injury. I was registered for the Savage Gulf Marathon the following Saturday that I am now going to have to sit out on. I was really looking forward to that race and the challenging elevation change. Also, my 100 mile training is on hiatus which is an even bigger problem. Right now I’m just focusing on staying positive and healing this ankle so I can get back out there and prepare for May. I’ve always felt that my strong will gets me through these races more than my physical endurance. I’m going to be relying on that more than ever now in May.