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Tim Cronk NFEC Wachussett 50 miler
On my journey to the Vermont 100 in July , I signed up for a long training day. The North Face Endurance Challenge Series offers a 50 mile event at Wachussett Mountain in Massachussets. While more technical than what I was looking for, it fell into the time frame of 6 weeks out from Vt100 and was within 2 hours of home.
Friday- short swim, 2 mile run, carbo load , oatmeal, sweet potatoe, pancakes
Saturday AM- up at 1:45 am , left house by 2am , drank coffee and ate pancake peanut butter and date sandwhich on the road, arrived 4am, packet pickup , porto potty, back to car by 4:30am, text updates to Heather, put phone in airplane mode, headed back to start at 4:50am . Start of wave 1 was 5am and I was in wave 2 shortly after that.
Weather- mid 50's start , mid 70's high, pretty humid 55%ish , no rain in forecast
Gear- Orange Mud 1 liter bladder vest, Altra Lone Peak shoes, shorts, shoes , hat
Drop Bag- multiple loops going by 1 drop location 4 times allowed for easy planning of just one Drop Bag - I put extra shoes, socks, windbreaker, and some nutrition in it.
Race- While this is a story of my "race" its really just a story about conversations and highlights within the day while trying to describe the course a bit... Dean Karnazes announced the start, warned about the course ,saying it was very technical also saying maybe the most technical out of the races in the NFEC series. Not sure I believe that but? Wave 1 ,then Wave 2 ,start nice and laid back low key...
Within the first mile I had to listen to a guy giving lessons about starting easy as he was passing people, then shortly after that Mr. Ironman (I only call him that because of the IM tat on his calf and not that there is anything wrong with that because there is not) but anyway he proceeds to give a group lesson also about starting easy and how last year everyone went out way too hard, he was also passing everyone while offering up this advice, long story short -I saw both of those guys much later in the day and then never again :-)...Moral of the story is to remain quiet and humble unless messing with a competitor later in the day :-)
So we are running/hiking and I'm thinking not too technical yet, then I hear this couple behind be talking forever, NO I dont wanna listen to that, I turn around and look , its Dean Karnazes he was just out for the first section of the 50miler pressing the flesh making friends, listening to stories, then I hear him say he had to get back to the start to run the 50k LOL.
The course gradually gets more technical and then bam "very" technical around mile 7 where I see my first 20min mile. As the day progressed I was happy to see 16min miles and really happy with anything 14min or under!
What is technical? IMHO - 1. non technical- is all runnable terrain 2. technical -is terrain that slows your pace significantly 3. moderately technical is lots of hiking 4. very technical is when you are scrambling using your hands through sections...
While scrambling up this 20min mile, I talked to a guy who did the race last year that had lots of DNF's , In the previous year the course went up this section 3 times with the last time up at mile 45, he told me he litterally crawled up the last lap and finished in 15hrs which was one hour over the 14hr cutoff, but since he was the last runner past the last cutoff they actually left the clock running and gave him a time, luckily for us they removed that 3rd lap up this section and we only had to do it twice within the first 15 miles. I ran with him for quite a while , he was a wealth of information about the course ahead, he dropped me for about the next 10 miles but then I saw him again. Positions change often in the Ultra distance and patience is key. I talked to him at the finish and he had made the 14hr cutoff so more than an hour faster than the previous year. In conversation with him I had also learned he was a 100 mile finisher after 5 attempts. All I can say about this guy is Respect and Do Not Ever Judge a Book by its Cover.
There were a few more "very technical" sections through out the day and only a handful of 5-10 miles of truly runnable terrain on some double track fire roads. Not much to say, run, hike, eat, drink , continue the process its a very long day. I went through the 50k mark in 7.5hrs (my previous 50k's are 4:10 for a very easy non technical and 5:40 for a technical/moderately technical course)...So this was almost 2hrs slower than my slowest 50k to date... When I went through 8hrs I was at 32.xx miles... I had to chuckle to myself , for the Vt100 I obviously hope to come in under 24hrs and I hadnt even managed to average that pace for the first 1/3 of a 100 nevermind the entire distance.
All of a sudden at 7.5hrs I was starving so had a gel ,an uncrustable, and cup of coke or about 400 calories in about 5 minutes... This did the trick and didnt eat again for almost and hour ... Back to work, last time through the Drop Bag AS you simply move your bag to the return pile and it beats you to the finishline no waiting.
At mile 40 a guy named Keith comes running up to me and says are you in the 50miler, I say yes, whats your mileage, I say 40 , he says I knew they screwed me I have 45, he had done an extra 5 mile section following a volunteers direction, then he starts freaking out, I calmed him down, told him it could be much worse, could be injured, dead, etc, he starts thanking me for getting his head back in the game, then he decides to hang with me for a while, obviously a much faster runner since he was already 5 miles more than me, then he decides to call his wife to give a new hour later eta update, and his phone is dead, so I unlock mine, take it off airplane, and hand it to him behind me on a tight single track, he calls her and leaves a message and returns phone, around mile 43 he leaves me, but I catch him walking 1/2 mile from the finish line and we ran it in together.
I ran with a guy named Humberto for a few miles, he had done Pinelands 50 miler 2 weeks earlier (I had done the Pinelands 50k that day) He was training for Vt100 as well. He said he was gonna pull the plug at mile 40 he had had enough.
I ran with a guy named Brian for a few miles, I hear him fall down behind me, I turn around and ask are you OK, he says yep that was #7 , I laughed and said I am on #3 falls... He was training for Leadville 100 and had paced friends 3 previous years... I went on to fall one more time for a total of 4 times in my 12hr day.
I made one more friend in the last 5 miles, he was strong and pacing well, there is a lot of that very technical scrambling in these miles before becoming runnable for the last couple. During this section people were really struggling. He paced me through the toughest section and then let me pass as I ran in the remainder.
Nutrition- was skratch to start, then heed on course, 2 bags skratch chews, 4 gels, banana, potato, pretzel, skittles, uncrustable, coke and MD in the second half.
Finished with a 12:08, 49 miles , 8k elevation
https://www.strava.com/activities/1628088540/overview
Even though I wasnt "racing" this course OMFG was it hard. How hard? Well if I raced I "may" have gone 30 minutes faster. That is a big maybe. My previous 50 miles have been 9:30 and 9:44. The course really defines the finish time. Infact my 12:08 would NOT even count as a qualifier for Vt100 as they require a 50 miler in 12hrs or less to Qualify so I am glad I already had a qualifier. Since everyone (all 3 of the other guys) in my AG55-59 DNF'ed , I win by default. I certainly got what I wanted , "A long training day" .
North Face Endurance Challenge puts on a great race. This location was awesome. easy access, parking, etc. Courses were marked well (I did miss one turn for maybe a 1/10 mile each way for 2/10 total). Would highly recommend this race. Be prepared if you tow the line on a NFEC race, they are not gimme's , this race had lots of DNF's and even more the previous year. My Vt100 pacer "@Steve Boer" finished the NFEC Bear Mt. 50k in NY , one of the guys I ran with at Pinelands DNF'ed at Bear, and one of the guys I ran with Saturday also DNF'ed at Bear.
They provided a $12 coupon for food at the lodge, ate there, stayed at a hotel 10 minutes away, and drove home the next am.
While I'm feeling beat up all over, nothing stands out , so I think the body really handled this well. Feet good but still have 1 big toe that is not co-operating.
Next up- 2 weeks I am doing Catamount50k in Stowe Vt. This is 4 weeks out from Vt100 and much more specific with mostly non technical surfaces and 5k of elevation.
6 weeks out from Vermont 100
Friday- short swim, 2 mile run, carbo load , oatmeal, sweet potatoe, pancakes
Saturday AM- up at 1:45 am , left house by 2am , drank coffee and ate pancake peanut butter and date sandwhich on the road, arrived 4am, packet pickup , porto potty, back to car by 4:30am, text updates to Heather, put phone in airplane mode, headed back to start at 4:50am . Start of wave 1 was 5am and I was in wave 2 shortly after that.
Weather- mid 50's start , mid 70's high, pretty humid 55%ish , no rain in forecast
Gear- Orange Mud 1 liter bladder vest, Altra Lone Peak shoes, shorts, shoes , hat
Drop Bag- multiple loops going by 1 drop location 4 times allowed for easy planning of just one Drop Bag - I put extra shoes, socks, windbreaker, and some nutrition in it.
Race- While this is a story of my "race" its really just a story about conversations and highlights within the day while trying to describe the course a bit... Dean Karnazes announced the start, warned about the course ,saying it was very technical also saying maybe the most technical out of the races in the NFEC series. Not sure I believe that but? Wave 1 ,then Wave 2 ,start nice and laid back low key...
Within the first mile I had to listen to a guy giving lessons about starting easy as he was passing people, then shortly after that Mr. Ironman (I only call him that because of the IM tat on his calf and not that there is anything wrong with that because there is not) but anyway he proceeds to give a group lesson also about starting easy and how last year everyone went out way too hard, he was also passing everyone while offering up this advice, long story short -I saw both of those guys much later in the day and then never again :-)...Moral of the story is to remain quiet and humble unless messing with a competitor later in the day :-)
So we are running/hiking and I'm thinking not too technical yet, then I hear this couple behind be talking forever, NO I dont wanna listen to that, I turn around and look , its Dean Karnazes he was just out for the first section of the 50miler pressing the flesh making friends, listening to stories, then I hear him say he had to get back to the start to run the 50k LOL.
The course gradually gets more technical and then bam "very" technical around mile 7 where I see my first 20min mile. As the day progressed I was happy to see 16min miles and really happy with anything 14min or under!
What is technical? IMHO - 1. non technical- is all runnable terrain 2. technical -is terrain that slows your pace significantly 3. moderately technical is lots of hiking 4. very technical is when you are scrambling using your hands through sections...
While scrambling up this 20min mile, I talked to a guy who did the race last year that had lots of DNF's , In the previous year the course went up this section 3 times with the last time up at mile 45, he told me he litterally crawled up the last lap and finished in 15hrs which was one hour over the 14hr cutoff, but since he was the last runner past the last cutoff they actually left the clock running and gave him a time, luckily for us they removed that 3rd lap up this section and we only had to do it twice within the first 15 miles. I ran with him for quite a while , he was a wealth of information about the course ahead, he dropped me for about the next 10 miles but then I saw him again. Positions change often in the Ultra distance and patience is key. I talked to him at the finish and he had made the 14hr cutoff so more than an hour faster than the previous year. In conversation with him I had also learned he was a 100 mile finisher after 5 attempts. All I can say about this guy is Respect and Do Not Ever Judge a Book by its Cover.
There were a few more "very technical" sections through out the day and only a handful of 5-10 miles of truly runnable terrain on some double track fire roads. Not much to say, run, hike, eat, drink , continue the process its a very long day. I went through the 50k mark in 7.5hrs (my previous 50k's are 4:10 for a very easy non technical and 5:40 for a technical/moderately technical course)...So this was almost 2hrs slower than my slowest 50k to date... When I went through 8hrs I was at 32.xx miles... I had to chuckle to myself , for the Vt100 I obviously hope to come in under 24hrs and I hadnt even managed to average that pace for the first 1/3 of a 100 nevermind the entire distance.
All of a sudden at 7.5hrs I was starving so had a gel ,an uncrustable, and cup of coke or about 400 calories in about 5 minutes... This did the trick and didnt eat again for almost and hour ... Back to work, last time through the Drop Bag AS you simply move your bag to the return pile and it beats you to the finishline no waiting.
At mile 40 a guy named Keith comes running up to me and says are you in the 50miler, I say yes, whats your mileage, I say 40 , he says I knew they screwed me I have 45, he had done an extra 5 mile section following a volunteers direction, then he starts freaking out, I calmed him down, told him it could be much worse, could be injured, dead, etc, he starts thanking me for getting his head back in the game, then he decides to hang with me for a while, obviously a much faster runner since he was already 5 miles more than me, then he decides to call his wife to give a new hour later eta update, and his phone is dead, so I unlock mine, take it off airplane, and hand it to him behind me on a tight single track, he calls her and leaves a message and returns phone, around mile 43 he leaves me, but I catch him walking 1/2 mile from the finish line and we ran it in together.
I ran with a guy named Humberto for a few miles, he had done Pinelands 50 miler 2 weeks earlier (I had done the Pinelands 50k that day) He was training for Vt100 as well. He said he was gonna pull the plug at mile 40 he had had enough.
I ran with a guy named Brian for a few miles, I hear him fall down behind me, I turn around and ask are you OK, he says yep that was #7 , I laughed and said I am on #3 falls... He was training for Leadville 100 and had paced friends 3 previous years... I went on to fall one more time for a total of 4 times in my 12hr day.
I made one more friend in the last 5 miles, he was strong and pacing well, there is a lot of that very technical scrambling in these miles before becoming runnable for the last couple. During this section people were really struggling. He paced me through the toughest section and then let me pass as I ran in the remainder.
Nutrition- was skratch to start, then heed on course, 2 bags skratch chews, 4 gels, banana, potato, pretzel, skittles, uncrustable, coke and MD in the second half.
Finished with a 12:08, 49 miles , 8k elevation
https://www.strava.com/activities/1628088540/overview
Even though I wasnt "racing" this course OMFG was it hard. How hard? Well if I raced I "may" have gone 30 minutes faster. That is a big maybe. My previous 50 miles have been 9:30 and 9:44. The course really defines the finish time. Infact my 12:08 would NOT even count as a qualifier for Vt100 as they require a 50 miler in 12hrs or less to Qualify so I am glad I already had a qualifier. Since everyone (all 3 of the other guys) in my AG55-59 DNF'ed , I win by default. I certainly got what I wanted , "A long training day" .
North Face Endurance Challenge puts on a great race. This location was awesome. easy access, parking, etc. Courses were marked well (I did miss one turn for maybe a 1/10 mile each way for 2/10 total). Would highly recommend this race. Be prepared if you tow the line on a NFEC race, they are not gimme's , this race had lots of DNF's and even more the previous year. My Vt100 pacer "@Steve Boer" finished the NFEC Bear Mt. 50k in NY , one of the guys I ran with at Pinelands DNF'ed at Bear, and one of the guys I ran with Saturday also DNF'ed at Bear.
They provided a $12 coupon for food at the lodge, ate there, stayed at a hotel 10 minutes away, and drove home the next am.
While I'm feeling beat up all over, nothing stands out , so I think the body really handled this well. Feet good but still have 1 big toe that is not co-operating.
Next up- 2 weeks I am doing Catamount50k in Stowe Vt. This is 4 weeks out from Vt100 and much more specific with mostly non technical surfaces and 5k of elevation.
6 weeks out from Vermont 100
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Comments
Tempting me to signup for another one!
Sincere congratulations. Always damn strong, mentally and physically!
SS
I think running a course that is pound-for-pound harder than your 100 is smart. The physical and mental toughness you gained will pay off big time.
You probably already have this in your roadmap leading up to Vermont 100...but it's the one thing biggest things I would have done differently...consider planning a run through the night. Hands down the hardest part for me was running through the night in the 100. I hate night running, so I just didn't do much of it. This time I'm planning to do a couple repeats of a mountain on a Friday night when I'm tired already.
Looking forward to following the build up to Vermont!
Nice job winning your AG. And make no mistake about it, you earned that victory!
You woke up at 1:45 a.m. That's the craziest part of your story! Did you do that to start the race already somewhat fatigued?
@Gabe Peterson I get the lb for lb thing being very beneficial, but I honestly think I went too far on changing the specificity on what I was trying to accomplish. I pulled it off and got what I wanted a really long day. I dont think I will go so far as to do a really long run at night, but I do have plans to do multiple night runs in the 45' range and at least one of a couple hours. We did get in one session at R3 , quite a few hours, in a very fatigued state LOL.
@Scott Alexander I am very honored to be called Crazy. Thanks :-)
@John Withrow Yes sure meet all kinds, and there seems to be more time, to have these conversations at the reduced effort!
@Paul Curtin Yes I'm pretty sure some of those stories go both ways ... Do to a lack of doggy sitter, Heather stayed home for this one, it was close enough , by getting up at 1:45am I saved $100 on a room, stayed home an extra night, got to eat 3hr before my start, really wasnt that bad. And did not mention it but slept like a baby from 9am right till the alarm went off at 1:45am.
@Mike Roberts Thank you sir!
@Jeff Horn Yeah there is always that guy no matter where you are or what you are doing. And really nothing wrong with it. I do love talking shit (when appropriate) and then other times its best to be very humble (like mile 1 with 49 more to go LOL)... Unfortunately I already see a little bit of the commercializing in Ultra going on, maybe not the right description but the demographic and feel seems to be changing as it is growing. To be expected I guess. Still love the laid back feel of these events. And yes I thing NFEC is a good series, run well, on hard courses, at least from my 1x experience and others I have read about.
few times during the day, just knowing that you were going 50% longer and
50% more elevation at the same time in a different state! Now on to read
about your day.
Just reading about your training makes me hungry. Eating is part of the whole puzzle.
This weekend is the local Western States 100 run. It's forecast ed to be in the 100"s.
@Sheila Leard Yeah that WS100 was ridiculous this year. They often say the 100 is an eating contest!
@Scott Dinhofer While I agree in general the east coast trails seem more techinical, dont kid yourself there is plenty of technical trails out west
@Al Truscott @Sid Wavrin @Derrek Sanks @Trish Marshall Thanks for the kind words and following along!