Wapack - my mindset reality check
Last Saturday, I went back and ran the Wapack and Back 21.5 miler in Ashburham, MA. This was the second time I had completed the course, with the first being in 2016 as a final training run for my first 50K at Pineland. I was so happy to be back on that course... but it took me a little bit to get there...
Being over three months into my training for Ragged 75, I felt my conditioning and training had been going very well. I had no time goals for this course, but did have goals of focusing on fueling, hydrating and working on my technical running. This course is known for being a beast with unrelenting, technical rocky terrain. Runners can choose the 50 mile, 43 mile or 21.5 mile option. It has a bit of a cult following and in order to even get in, you have to get up at midnight when registration opens and sign up. Cheers to those runners who toe the line for the longer options! My course was 5,000 feet of gain, so do the math on the other distances!
I should mention my training has been ongoing and the most consistent it has ever been thanks to the addition of the home gym, the spin bike and a little focus from my coach. While I am incredibly self driven, having a coach gives me specific goals to hit. Plus it takes the stress of planning out of my hands. I spent the winter lifting, spinning and doing easy runs. I was ready to hit it in early February! Going into Wapack, my longest run had been 14 miles, however my weekly elevation gain was up and I was lifting (perhaps a bit heavier than I should have been... however with no detriment).
The Race Report!
The first step was getting ourselves to the finish line, an hour and a half from home, to board a school bus to the start line. Well... the 21.5 mile start line. It was also the turnaround point for the long racers. Tony and I rolled in with enough time to throw on shoes, bibs and grab our vests before gathering numbers and boarding the bus. The last time I rode the bus, I passed out during the 45 minute ride. Same thing happened this time. I definitely wasn't nervous!
Once at the start, I put on my vest, did a little stretching and lined up at the back of the pack. No point in going out fast on the technical single track. The race starts with a 1.4 mile climb, gaining racers 1,000 feet out of the gate. I know I pushed this climb a little harder than I should have and heated up fast. I KNOW it takes me MILES to get my gears going. It's what makes me happy as a distance runner, but it is often to my detriment if I don't watch my pace or effort early on. By the time I hit two miles, my internal dialog was "fuck this shit" "why am I racing?" "this is stupid" "I could be home hiking" "I hate racing." Instead of letting this define my day, I started to work on why I felt this way. In order to find some distraction, I started chatting with a woman near me. She was incredibly friendly so I did a fair amount of listening. She chatted about racing, her goals, where she was from... stuff like that. Then she asked me what races I had done lately and I had to stop and think about it... I hadn't raced since Vermont 100 in July 2017. Holy shit. I found my answer to my bullshit internal dialog. I wasn't USED to this. I had gotten so good at pacing, crewing and not racing that I forgot HOW to run in a race environment.
At about six miles in, I donned some sunscreen as the day was getting hot (topped out around 72 with no clouds) and there was little leaf cover. I knew this would help me stay cooler. I also started to hydrate even though I wasn't hungry. It's so important to note that I felt REALLY good. Physically I was in a great place.
After the first aid station, we started up Temple Mountain. I had heard someone at this aid station say they were waiting for one more runner, so I knew I was near last place. Typically, I don't care... but that woke me up a little farther. I had no excuse to be that far back in the pack knowing how I was feeling. I embraced this climb up Temple, picking off a handful of runners. My climbs were ridiculously strong and any apprehension I had about not using my poles was fading away. I was eating on the move and taking few breaks. I knew I had to just keep moving. It was somewhere around here I switched my watch so all I could see was elevation gain and heart rate. I also did not look at my watch when the miles beeped. All I cared about was how long to the next aid station (time wise) so I could ration the two body bottles I had. I also continued to take in small amounts of calories knowing it would be easy to bonk.
Aid station 2 was the game changer. By now, I had some more runnable terrain under my belt and was entering the cross country ski area. I had no conscious idea of how far in I was, other than it was more than half way. I consumed some Coke (YUM!), watermelon and candies here. I had one bite of an avocado and bacon wrap and gave it to Tony. I was NOT in a savory mood that day. Salt and sweets only!
More climbing and more running and I constantly checked in on my feet, legs and hips. Everything was working as it should have been. This course is so quiet, other than for the occasional sighting of a long distance runner or another 21.5 miler. I went miles seeing no one. I embraced this, comparing it to how the Ragged course will be. Being alone doesn't bother me, but it is something to be practiced.
The day got hotter, but I did fine in the heat. I also did fine not knowing my miles. Tony made a comment about distance around 15.5 miles, at which point I clued him in that I didn't want to know. We laughed and ironically it kicked me into gear a bit more.
And the race starts at mile 16. In my classic fashion, I was ready to start the work at this point. It was time to pick off runners and push my limits a bit. I was running on legs that still felt fresh, so I started to move faster. I have NEVER had climbs feel this easy. I was about 4000 ft. of gain in with plenty of up and flat still left in me. My non-technical downhills also felt good. My technical downhills are crap as usual because I don't trust my balance. Can't be good at it all...
I poured a bunch of Coke into one of my body bottles at the last aid station and hustled out of there. I could smell the barn! With about a 5K left, I cruised out. I felt light on my feet and Tony said my form was the best it looked all day. Eighteen miles in and I was happy, healthy and confident I was in a good place. I was finally embracing the thrill of being on a race course again! I picked off a lot of runners at this point, passing them on the climbs as if they were standing still. What a thrill....
I actually dropped Tony on the last climb and ran into the finish line without him! I was chasing one last female who earned her place in front of me. She kept me just off her heels in the last quarter mile. I earned my cookie and took away some important lessons from this race! I had coffee with my coach this past week and she reminded me that I hopped into a pretty aggressive race for my first time back... that further put this into perspective!
So the fire has been lit... the plan is in place... Pineland 50K is next. It will simply be a "time on legs" day and further practice for the long grinds of the summer. Truth be told... I can't wait to don the larger pack and get my ass back in the mountains for long days, but Wapack was a blast!