Wintergreen Assualt

Creighton and my long run this week was 20 miles. I have not run 20 miles at one time in a few years. Every time I train for a distance race I end up breaking something or pulling something. So, even though I have been training really well and really smart this time, I was still a bit nervous from these past experiences. We decided to head up to Wintergreen mountain because the road is a LONG steep ascent to the top of the ski hill. Our 50k has a 9.5 mile ascent out of the gate so this would be a good training opportunity to try to duplicate that. I asked Brad to go with us the night before so he could get some mountain biking in up there as well and luckily, he found out that Wintergreen was having a Memorial Day festival which included a mountain biking race. So, he signed up for the sport division.

We left the house at about 7 and got to Wintergreen at 9. We dropped Brad off at the top (where he had to wait for his race to start at 12:00) and drove the truck back down to the base. Driving up and down the mtn. made both Creighton and myself a bit nervous seeing how steep it actually was. We finally got started about 9:45. We both had our new hydration packs on and were trying them out for race day.

The ascent was slow and steady. Creighton, rightly so, was holding back in the beginning which I found to be difficult but I'm glad we did. We had a gradual incline for about 2 miles before the mountain smacked us in the face. We ran 10 miles up the mountain, slow and steady. Creighton was more comfortable with a walk/run strategy while I was more comfortable with a steady slow running pace, I find it difficult to start and stop. We got to the top and stopped briefly to refill our water bladders (mine had a hole in it!!! It started leaking down my back on the way down. Boo. I will have to try to fix it or send it back to the company) and eat a bit. I did a great job with my nutrition and my hydration on this run. I never got hungry or thirsty, even at the end of the run I was feeling really good. I ate a few fig newtons, a pack of PB crackers, and 2 packs of Welch's Fruit Snacks. I had Chex Mix too but didn't need it. I am avoiding gels and bars at all cost in my training and trying to eat "real" food so I don't have to deal with the gut bombs I get from those energy foods.

The downhill provided some relief to my hamstrings and calves for the first few miles but then my knees and quads started to get fatigued. To top it off, my left foot (which I just found out is actually broken) was super painful on the downhill as it kept slamming into the front of my shoe. The downhill was fine, slow and steady again. Creighton did not fare so well on the way down. Nausea got the better of him and he needed to take it easy. We finished the run in just under 4 hours which I thought was pretty good for running up a mountain and stopping for some fuel breaks. I was happy with it.

After getting back to the car, we drove back up to find Brad. He had ridden the race course 3 times for a total of 13 miles and WON his division! He's so awesome. He won 2 lift tickets to Wintergreen which I am excite for this year! Also, the festival was lovely. The weather was warm and the sun was shinning and we sat out and grabbed a beer and listened to the band for a bit before heading back to Richmond to get Cy. It was a GREAT run and a wonderful day, I am going to be so ready for this 50K.