Saturday May 28th was the Sulphur Springs trail run.
Sulphur Springs consists of 25k, 50k, 50 mile, 100 mile and 100 mile relay events
I was doing the 50k event, while a couple from my group were doing the 25, another doing the 50k and a couple doing the 50 mile races.
Also several RunningFree teammates were doing events including the 100 miler.
For those interested in my training, I loosely follow Pfitz 18/70 at the start of the season. After that I do my own thing – run. A lot.
Do to a work issue, I had Friday off. So not a bad thing for resting up, except DD needed some chauffering. So after an easy 3 to stay loose, I drove DD and a friend to the northern terminus of the subway, so they could head into the city for an Anime convention.
Grabbed a few supplies for the weekend, packed most of my gear for the morning and relaxed with my favourite pre-race dinner, wieners & beans.
Made it to bed at a reasonable time and got a good 4.5hrs sleep. Had my normal pre-race breakfast of chicken fried rice. Packed my cooler and hit the road for the 1:45 drive to the race.
One quick stop on the highway for a bathroom break and coffee and I arrived at the race site with an hour to spare.
The 50 and 100 milers had started a half hour before I got there and there was no sign off any of the rest of my group. I set up my cooler near the aid station and relaxed for the next little while chatting with a number of friends on the ultra circuit and teammates.
The other member of the group doing the 50k showed up and showed me where he and the 50 milers had a tent setup where I could dump the rest of my gear.
Starting temp for my race was about 50F and it was a bit foggy, so I went with my Team RunningFree short sleeve shirt and compression shorts. My race started with a 10k loop, so I decided to go without my water belt as we would hit one aid station on the way out and back again.
A last bathroom break and I joined the start with just a couple of minutes to go, finally meeting up with the two members of the group doing the 25k. One of them wants to get rid of her jacket, but I told her we didn’t have time to drop it off at the tent, but I would take it and drop it at my cooler, which was closer. Race starts and 100 meters up the trail I turn off and run the wrong way, joking I’m already off course, drop the jacket in my cooler and run back onto the course (where I left it) and catch up to my friends. I start off conservatively, running the first k with them and then head out on my own.
It doesn’t take long to realize this will be a slow day. A lot of rain through the week has made for muddy trails. That and it’s quite humid. I skip the aid station on the first pass and continue on through the 5k turnaround for the 25k runners where the going is a little easier as not as many runners chewing up the trail. I loop back though the start/finish area in 1:05, where my buddy doing the 50k has been sitting for 15+ minutes, “guarding my cooler”. He’s actually waiting for one of our 50 milers to come through so that he can run their next 40k with them. Due to the humidity and the temperatures starting to climb, I switch into my RunningFree singlet, grab my water belt out of my cooler and head out on my first 20k loop. This part of the trail isn’t much better for mud, but still not doing too bad.
The trail is well marked and marshalled , so no issues for me there . There are some two way sections where I share greetings with teammates and friends doing the 50 and 100 milers. As I come through an aid station on the return from the northern portion of the 20k loop, I meet up with one of my friends (rivals) doing the 100 mile and we run together for a bit. Starting with him pushing me through a gate telling me to get out of the way and me threatening to trip him and he won’t have to worry about me being in the way. We finally settled on a compromise and decided we would hook onto another guy’s camelbak and have him tow us up the short stretch of roadway connecting the north and south loops.
Shortly after this we catch up to one of my group doing the 25k, so I left my 100 mile friend to his own pace and ran with her for a k or two. While we were running together, she told me that they hauled one runner out of the northern loop by ambulance. I’m assuming a bad fall, there was one section that was pretty steep, flowing with mud and water and would have been easy to go off the edge of the trail. Most runners going through when I did were actually bypassing that section and going down through some trees to the side. Naturally I took the slippery way. Hopefully she was okay.
After running with my friend for a bit, I picked up the pace again. Caught up to my 100 miler friend and kept on going. Feeling strong, picking off runners. One minor mishap on this loop though. Rounding a sharp turn, I caught a rock or root and rolled my right ankle. Slowed me for a bit while I worked it out, but managed to pick it back up again shortly. Completed the first 20k loop in 2:24, feeling pretty good, except for some mud clumping in my shoe is creating a hot spot. So I decide to change shoes and socks for the final 20k.
Swap out the water bottles in my belt with fresh ones from the cooler and I’m off.
2nd 20k is pretty much the same as the first, although it is drying out a little. The mudslide in the northern loop isn’t flowing anymore. Pass everyone that passed me in the aid station while changing shoes. Feeling good as I get just about a third of the way through the last 20k, and think I’m flying along pretty well, gravity must be loosing it’s grip, let’s test it. Just as I start down a nice dry gravel section, I let my focus get too far ahead and trip on a rock. Landing and skidding on my knee and hand. After a brief expletive break I pick myself up, check the damage and carry on. Not flying as well for the last 13k but still not bad considering.
Finished the 2nd 20k in 2:36, for a total time of 6:05. Not my best, but still decent considering the conservative start, running at my friends paces in the middle, the muddy conditions and the tumble.
Hung around the finish area, cheering in other runners, friends and teammates finishing the 50k and 50 milers, as well as cheering on the 100 milers. Until I finally got the medics to clean up my knee and hand, changed and headed home.
And now you think I’m done, but oh no that wouldn’t be the sane thing to do.
