YUTC 2013

September 14th was the 9th annual running of the Youngstown Ultra Trail Classic 50k race, put on by the Northeast Ohio trail running club.

I was excited for this race because I have a little history with it.  I've been running ultras for about two years and this is the first repeat race I've done.  When I ran YUT-C in 2011 I misunderstood the course and ended up doing an extra 4-mile loop.  That was awful, to say the least.  I finished the race but not without a bad taste in my mouth.  So this year I was looking for a little redemption.  We moved to the Youngstown area a few months ago so I was able to train on the race trails a lot.  I knew where I was going and what to expect but my overall training was a little lacking, so I wasn't sure how race day would unfold.  6 hours was my goal in 2011 and I decided to shoot for that again this year.  The more I race the more I learn that, for me, success on race day depends on how well I can maintain a consistent, reasonable pace.  For a 6-hour 50k that meant 11:35 min/mile.  My training runs were way faster than that but they were also a lot shorter than 31 miles.  Anyway, lots of variables and I was excited and nervous for the race.


View of the lake from the start/finish area

Race day dawned clear and cool.  The temperature at the start was in the low 40s but the sun warmed things up pretty quickly.  I wore a long sleeved technical shirt over a t-shirt at the start and knew after about a mile that it was too much...oh well.  The race starts on a stretch of road before turning and heading up a lot of narrow stairs, a recipe for some serious bottlenecking.  I tried to jump out in front to avoid that this time and it seemed to work.  Without having to wait, I headed up the stairs then turned back into the park and got on the first stretch of trail.  I settled into a pretty comfortable pace and was glad I could maintain it well enough even with the steep hills that were on that first 4-mile stretch.  And there were some good hills.  Everyone's favorite was the steep hill that you climb for 100 yards or so before maneuvering over a large fallen tree across the trail at the top.  The first two times I got over without too much trouble but the last time I literally had to roll my body over the log.  It was fun.

After a mile or two I found myself running behind a couple guys who knew each other and were talking about lots of different things.  Maybe it's a bad habit but I frequently find myself eavesdropping on others' conversations during races.  It keeps my mind busy and I'm able to cover more miles without thinking about the distance.  So I rode that train into the first aid station at the covered bridge.  Jenny was planning to meet me there sometime (covered bridge was the first 3 aid station stops) but she wasn't there yet so I just grabbed a little food, re-filled my bottle and kept going.  A little ways down the trail I found myself in a group with the two from earlier and two more runners.  The five of us kind of stuck together for most of the 4-mile loop around Lake Newport.  It was really fun to run with a group for a little bit and talk with them.  It always makes the miles go by faster.  I kept checking my pace on my fancy Garmin watch.  (Jenny gave it to me as a graduation gift in May and this was my first race with it; it was huge at helping me stay on pace)  It was a little faster than my target pace but that was okay; I knew this loop would be faster and I also planned on slowing down a little bit later in the race.  We came into the covered bridge again after the first loop around Lake Newport and I knew Jenny and the girls should probably be there this time.  Sure enough, there they were.  I know Jenny probably dreads bringing the girls to these things but she is there with them whenever she can make it.  It really is a blessing to have such a supportive wife.  I gave her my sweaty long-sleeved shirt, along with a hug and a kiss, grabbed some food and water and headed out for the second lap around Lake Newport.

The group I had been running with was split up because I loitered at the aid station but I caught up with one of the guys and ran with him for a couple miles.  We talked about adventures/challenges in parenthood and really had some good conversation.  Ultra-runners are amazing people.  We caught up with the rest of our group about 3 miles down the trail and finished the lap with them.


As I came across the covered bridge again I saw my daughter Grace running around with another girl.  I was surprised to see shy Grace making new friends, then realized the other girl was the daughter of my friend and fellow podiatry resident, Morgan. 
 
The good doctor offered to patch up any blisters but thankfully I didn't need his expertise.  I had no idea he was coming so it was really cool (and totally unexpected) to see him there with his kids.  Who knows, maybe he'll even run with me next year.   

Chatting with my podiatrist

Crossing the covered bridge



Leaving covered bridge to head back north

The next part of the race took me back up north to the start/finish area marking 25k.  About two miles away from the aid station I came up behind a guy and ran on his heels for about a mile before he started to pick up the pace.  I was fine to let him go ahead.  Turns out he was only running 25k and assumed I was too -- he didn't want me to beat him at the end.  Maybe I should have kept up with him and given him a good scare...oh well.
My legs were a little stiff but I was otherwise ok and happy to be under my goal pace at 2:55.  I got some food, drink and headed back out.  Two more big north loops to go.
This part of the race was kind of a blur.  I really don't remember much except my stomach feeling a little unsettled.  At covered bridge I drank some ginger ale and maybe that helped because it seemed to get better.  I was running behind a couple guys as we were climbing the monster hill and heard one of them say rumor had it there was no trail here until they started running the race 9 years ago.  The people making the course thought there should be more hills so they sent runners straight up a hill.  Now there's a trail there.  I don't know if that's a true or not but it makes a good story anyway.

On the lookout

Coming in to the start/finish aid station

I came into the start finish area again to see Jenny and the girls there.  I was feeling better but my pace had been slowing a little, as expected.  Still I was on pace to finish under 6 hours so I just needed to hold it a little longer.  The oranges they had at the aid station were really, really good.  It's funny how running extreme distances can change the way things taste.  I hung out for a little bit but didn't want to let my legs get stiff so, after a brief stop I headed back out for the last loop.

The plan was to run the first half maintaining my pace, then pick it up for the last half, as best I could.  As I got closer to the aid station I knew I wanted/needed a shot of soda to give me a boost.  My soda of choice when I run is Dr. Pepper, but aid stations almost never have it.  This race was no exception -- I hadn't seen it all day.  So my debate as I crossed the covered bridge was whether to go with pepsi, coke or mt. dew.  Now, it is well-known that hallucinations can happen when people run extreme distances.  The angelic singing I heard may have been just that but the pillar of light that descended upon the one cup of Dr. Pepper sitting all by itself on the aid station table was very real.   I savored every drop as I re-fueled.  With new spring in my step I leap-frogged several runners who were chatting at the aid station and hit the trail for the home stretch.
This was it and I felt pretty good so I picked up the pace and passed one runner about a half-mile out of the aid station.  I was kicking along at a pretty good pace when I heard someone coming up behind me really fast.  "What is going on?" I thought.  "How the heck is he going so freakin' fast??"  Then, as he passed me, I realized I had seen him at the aid station.  I'm pretty sure he's the course record-holder (set in 2011), so it's not surprising he blew past me.  Thankfully, he was not racing this year; just out to see friends and get some training miles in on the trails.  We actually chatted about shoes a little bit before he left me in the dust.  Nice guy, amazing runner.
At this point in the race I was checking my watch quite a bit, not for the pace, but to see when the battery would die.  It had an advertised battery life of 5 hours and was already a good half-hour past that.  Once the thing beeped at me I knew I had to hurry and finish before it died.  I was running with everything I had.  At the end of the race the course turns off the trail onto a grassy area before spitting you out on the road to come into the finish.  When I hit the grass I knew it was about a quarter mile so I really turned on the heat and "sprinted" as best I could into the finish.

 



Here are some pictures Jenny took of me coming into the finish.




See, I'm going so fast I'm blurry

I crossed the line with Jenny, Grace and Bethany cheering me on in 5:48:22, good for 21st place (out of 65 50k finishers)
The race was about as close to perfect as I could have hoped for.  Weather was absolutely perfect, aid stations were awesome, I kept on pace and finished well under my goal time.  They even had pizza and pasta at the finish line.  (Beer too, but I passed on that.)  What more could an ultra-runner ask for?

We hung out at the finish line for a while before hiking up to the parking lot.