Last weekend marked the first ever Dogwood Canyon 50K sponsored by Bass Pro and North Face. To my surprise, my parents decided to make the trip over, and of course Mendy and kids came along to make it a full family event. They anticipated being able to enjoy some of the amenities at Dogwood Canyon while I was running, but unfortunately the area was closed to everyone except runners due to storm damage repair. Some advance notice of that would have been nice, because it made for a long day for them trying to keep three boys occupied.
As far as the race goes, being my first 50K, and obviously the first time on this course, I didn't know really what to expect. Bass Pro didn't have a course map available until just a week or so before the event, and even then it was very uninformative - other than showing a lot of hills...
The course was basically a 15+ mile loop, and then we turned around and did the same course in reverse. In the first 3 miles there were several creek crossings in water that got up to knee deep at times. I learned that Gore-Tex lined shoes don't really give you advantage in water this deep. After the water, the hills set in and the runners finally started to thin out.
Somewhere close to mile 13 we hit a little stretch of paved trail which was a welcome change in scenery as it meandered through some of the great feat
ures, fishing holes, streams, and waterfalls, and caved found at Dogwood Canyon. It was on this short stretch that I encountered Kyle Skaggs and Tony Krupicka already well past the turn and into the reverse portion of the course. I was inspired at how easy, simple, and pure they made it look...oh to be young and carefree again.
At the 1/2 way point, and the finish of the 25K course, the field really thinned out and made for some long stretches of running without seeing anyone else, which for me is ok as I'm used to solo training and kind of enjoy the solitude. I hit a serious emotional low when I realized that the 50K course didn't take us to the actual finish of the 25K, but rather through a separate little isolated loop. I had been looking forward to checking in with the family for a moment at the turn while re-fueling and having a snack, and it wasn't until I hit the mid point aid station that I realized I wouldn't get
to see them 'til the end of the race...I could have used their boost of encouragement, but luckily I was still feeling good physically.
Running the course in reverse got a little confusing at times as there where a lot of turns and the signs pointed in both directions (once for the 25/50K course going out, the opposite for the 50K going back). Luckily, I figured it out each time, but I did encounter a few others who didn't. Around mile 19 I started having some stomach troubles after slugging down some sports drink at the previous aid station. I knew it was a mistake when I drank it, as most of that stuff doesn't settle well with me, but it just looked so good at the time. After a 15-20 minutes of nausea, with the help of an S-Cap to settle things down, things were back to normal and I was feeling goo
d again. At around mile 25-26, although I was happy to have hit the marathon point, my ankles were really starting to hurt and slowing me down. I had recently gotten new road shoes, and Mizuno had changed the design slightly on the model I prefer. The change made them rub on the bottom of my ankle bone to the point of bruising and sensitivity to all my other shoes. ( I have since taken scissors to those shoes and customized them to where this isn't a problem) Flat and uphills weren't a problem, but it was killing me on the downhills - not to mention my quads were screaming pretty loud as well on some of the steeper portions. At a few points, I had to resort to going down backwards in order to keep moving. This was defeating in that a equipment induced problem was giving me so much grief at this point in the race.
Finally I hit those final few relatively flat miles and was able to k
ick it back into high gear in between water crossings. I was ready to be done and was running fast just so I could stop sooner. I was able to pass another runner who had previously passed me back when I was feeling sorry for myself and limping along over my ankles - that little victory felt good. Eventually, I was back on the Dogwood grounds and could hear people at the finish area. My boys spotted me about the same point I spotted them, probably a 1/4 mile from the finish line, we were equally excited to see one another and their cheers helped bring me in.
We hung around for little while and had a post-race lunch of hot dogs and bison burgers. As good as the burgers looked to me though, I couldn't stomach anything except some hot cider at the time. I wanted to eat, but it just wasn't happening - this is pretty typical for me after a substantial run. I walked around and stretched out a bit before loading up for the 5 hour drive home.
Overall, I had a great time. The course offered a variety of tough terrain, and I learned some important lessons for next time.
As far as the race goes, being my first 50K, and obviously the first time on this course, I didn't know really what to expect. Bass Pro didn't have a course map available until just a week or so before the event, and even then it was very uninformative - other than showing a lot of hills...
The course was basically a 15+ mile loop, and then we turned around and did the same course in reverse. In the first 3 miles there were several creek crossings in water that got up to knee deep at times. I learned that Gore-Tex lined shoes don't really give you advantage in water this deep. After the water, the hills set in and the runners finally started to thin out.
Somewhere close to mile 13 we hit a little stretch of paved trail which was a welcome change in scenery as it meandered through some of the great feat
ures, fishing holes, streams, and waterfalls, and caved found at Dogwood Canyon. It was on this short stretch that I encountered Kyle Skaggs and Tony Krupicka already well past the turn and into the reverse portion of the course. I was inspired at how easy, simple, and pure they made it look...oh to be young and carefree again.At the 1/2 way point, and the finish of the 25K course, the field really thinned out and made for some long stretches of running without seeing anyone else, which for me is ok as I'm used to solo training and kind of enjoy the solitude. I hit a serious emotional low when I realized that the 50K course didn't take us to the actual finish of the 25K, but rather through a separate little isolated loop. I had been looking forward to checking in with the family for a moment at the turn while re-fueling and having a snack, and it wasn't until I hit the mid point aid station that I realized I wouldn't get
to see them 'til the end of the race...I could have used their boost of encouragement, but luckily I was still feeling good physically.Running the course in reverse got a little confusing at times as there where a lot of turns and the signs pointed in both directions (once for the 25/50K course going out, the opposite for the 50K going back). Luckily, I figured it out each time, but I did encounter a few others who didn't. Around mile 19 I started having some stomach troubles after slugging down some sports drink at the previous aid station. I knew it was a mistake when I drank it, as most of that stuff doesn't settle well with me, but it just looked so good at the time. After a 15-20 minutes of nausea, with the help of an S-Cap to settle things down, things were back to normal and I was feeling goo
d again. At around mile 25-26, although I was happy to have hit the marathon point, my ankles were really starting to hurt and slowing me down. I had recently gotten new road shoes, and Mizuno had changed the design slightly on the model I prefer. The change made them rub on the bottom of my ankle bone to the point of bruising and sensitivity to all my other shoes. ( I have since taken scissors to those shoes and customized them to where this isn't a problem) Flat and uphills weren't a problem, but it was killing me on the downhills - not to mention my quads were screaming pretty loud as well on some of the steeper portions. At a few points, I had to resort to going down backwards in order to keep moving. This was defeating in that a equipment induced problem was giving me so much grief at this point in the race.Finally I hit those final few relatively flat miles and was able to k
ick it back into high gear in between water crossings. I was ready to be done and was running fast just so I could stop sooner. I was able to pass another runner who had previously passed me back when I was feeling sorry for myself and limping along over my ankles - that little victory felt good. Eventually, I was back on the Dogwood grounds and could hear people at the finish area. My boys spotted me about the same point I spotted them, probably a 1/4 mile from the finish line, we were equally excited to see one another and their cheers helped bring me in.We hung around for little while and had a post-race lunch of hot dogs and bison burgers. As good as the burgers looked to me though, I couldn't stomach anything except some hot cider at the time. I wanted to eat, but it just wasn't happening - this is pretty typical for me after a substantial run. I walked around and stretched out a bit before loading up for the 5 hour drive home.
Overall, I had a great time. The course offered a variety of tough terrain, and I learned some important lessons for next time.
1 comment:
It didn't dawn on me at first...BUT THAT'S CHUCK IN THE PICTURE!!! Man, that's some beard he's got going on there. Did you scope out any prime hiking and camping sites while you were down there?
Way to go by the way.
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