When Sara asked me if I would run a 50K in Virginia Beach with her, I gladly agreed. I have coached her through several marathons and knew she was ready to try a new distance. Would I be able to run a race without racing, though? Could I quell those competitive juices and just enjoy a nice long run with a friend? Would she be able to put up with me for several hours? What if I am the one that struggles?
All of those questions were answered Saturday, December 17, when Sara and I ran the Seashore Nature Trail 50K.
SEASHORE NATURE TRAIL 50K WEBSITE
In the months leading up to this race, I had run two marathons in October and a 50 miler in November. A 50K sounded like a nice “tweener” distance. Sara was coming off a really strong marathon at Wineglass in Corning, NY in October and another marathon in November that had some nasty conditions. She was ready for a new challenge. The course is roughly 31 miles with the majority of it on trails in First Landing State Park. The map showed that you have to complete two loops through the park with aid stations conveniently positioned at several spots. We would be running along the shore in some spots, but the majority would be in the woods surrounded by cypress trees and marshlands.
On race day, I gathered up all of my gear. The weather looked like it would be nice; a high of 54, low of 45. My friend Aaron lives near Virginia Beach and had completed this race several times in the past. He gave me some tips on how much to carry and suggested attire. I dressed in my running shorts, Injinji toe socks, INKnBURN Gingerbread Runner shirt, Headsweats Bigfoot hat, Topo ST-2 shoes, SpiBelt loaded with Sport Beans, and a handheld water bottle filled with 1st Phorm Intraformance. Aaron told me the aid stations were well stocked, so I did not need to carry very much of my own supplies.
Josh drove Sara and I to the start area. It had rained the night before, so everything was wet and sloppy. After parking the car, we made some last minute decisions about what to wear and what to carry before heading to the start area. If you have never run an ultra marathon, it is a lot different than a regular race. Everyone is relaxed (relatively speaking) and gathered loosely around the start. At other races, everyone is chomping at the bit to get started and jockeying for a spot closer to the line or contemplating a sprint to the port-a-pot before the starting pistol fires. Sara and I lined up in the crowd and waited for the director to give the “Go” command. Soon after, we were off and running on Sara’s first ultra, my third.
Sara dedicated this run to Josh, who, almost exactly two years ago, was fighting cancer and going through chemo. He is a true warrior and a supportive husband and friend. Sara decided if Josh could battle through that challenge, she could tackle a challenge she had thought was insurmountable. Now cancer-free, Josh is getting ready to run his own Ultra in 2017.
The first mile of so of the race is an out and back on pavement. Once back to the start line, it switches to sand, dirt and mud trail next to the water. At first, we did out best to skirt the mud puddles and not splash mud all over the place. That did not last long as the trail continually degraded into mud and standing water. Sara and I settled into a comfortable pace of 8:30 – 9:00 per mile. The first 15 mile loop seemed to fly by. Sara and I were having fun chatting with each other and fellow runners that we passed or passed us. One highlight was the banana bread at an aid stations. Kudos to whoever made it! I also grabbed a couple dill pickle spears at that aid station. Great combo, right? That’s another notable difference about Ultra races. The aid stations are stocked with all of the necessities, like cookies, candy, sandwiches, fruit, nuts … and pickles. The course photographer caught me mid-chew, of course. Shortly after that, Sara took a tumble on a root that caught her toe. She scraped her hands and knees, but got back up and brushed it off. Luckily that was the only fall. There were some icy bridges on that back section that were a bit treacherous. One of the bridges was so iced over that we literally had to stop and gingerly take baby steps to get across. It had no railings, so if you bit it, you were going for a swim.
At the turnaround, Josh let Sara know she was in the top 10 females. Around 6th if I recall correctly. She was killing it! I was at the pace where I felt I could run all day if I had to. I made the comment, “Let’s get you a top ten finish”. At about mile 19, though, Sara got a foot cramp. It would come and go for the rest of the race, so we would take quick breaks to walk the cramp out, then continue. She was a real trooper, never giving up when she was hurting. I could tell she was getting a bit discouraged having to stop, but that happens in long races. I’ve had to do the same in the two JFK 50 milers that I ran. It is part of the challenge. I reminded her to pick up her feet and don’t forget to drink. I think those were the two biggest pieces of advice for this race. We motored on through the familiar terrain since we were repeating the same loop that we had just finished. We passed a lot of runners; some smiling, some struggling. I tried to say “Good job” and smile at as many as I could since I was having a great time. I felt a bit guilty that I was having a blast and feeling no pain. I did get a lot of compliments on my faux Christmas Sweater. It was quite popular. I was a proud INKnBurn Ambassador that day!
With just a few miles to go, Sara got some cramps in her knee and inner thigh. I can relate – I had the same problem at JFK the past two years. It feels like you have been hit with a baseballbat on your inner thigh. There is nothing you can do except stop and wait for the leg to start working again. We kept thinking we could hear that final aid station in the distance, but it seemed to never come. When we did reach it, we knew the end was just up the trail a little way and Josh would be there cheering us on. We crossed the finish line with a time of 5:23. A very respectable first Ultra event for Sara and a fun run for me. I was so proud of her for setting a goal and accomplishing it. I was also very honored that she asked me to keep her company through those trails. I truly had a great time and made some great memories with my friends.
Overall, I would highly recommend this race. I may go back in a year or so and run it competitively. It turned out to be a great destination for a first-timer like Sara to get her feet wet (and knees scraped and dirty) in and Ultra distance race. And once again, thank you, Josh, for being a great support crew!
