I can’t help but notice how the internet has shaped the outdoor pursuits in my life over the last 5 years.

In 2011 I wasn’t thinking about riding across the country on a bicycle.  But, I came across an online journal by a guy riding from Key West, Florida to Neah Bay, Washington (state) – South East U.S. corner to the North West corner you see.   His writing was so engaging and descriptive that it felt like I was along for the ride.

I was hooked.

By the summer of 2013 I had all new touring gear and was pedaling back to Boston from Seattle.

In the Fall of 2013 I wasn’t thinking about becoming an ultrarunner.  But, after reading the book Born to Run and a wonderful trip report about the Pemi Loop, I was again smitten with adventure.

This past summer I ran the Pemi as well which was my first effort at a distance longer than a marathon (31.5 miles)

Then last year I read a gutsy and entertaining race report on The Runner’s Trip about the Grand to Grand 6 day desert running stage race.

I’m not that kind of runner, but could I be?

Reading about ordinary people doing extraordinary things inspires me.  It helps me uncover potential I never knew was there.

The damn internet is pushing me into endurance exploits that I never thought I’d do!

And I love it.

People my age – Hell, people older than me are kicking ass!

The thoughtful writing they volunteer fuels the fire inside me to get outside and kick a little ass too.

Okay Steve, but did you do a trail running Stage Race?

Glad you asked.  In May of this year, I was – what else – poking around trail running blogs online and came across this New Hampshire race on Ultrasignup.com:

 

The MadAthlete Emerald Necklace 3-Day Stage Race is a grueling 80-mile race with almost 13,000 feet of elevation gain.  Competitors will complete point-to-point trails of approximately 25.3 miles in Stage 1 (summiting Mt. Ragged & Mt. Kearsarge),  22.7 miles in Stage 2 (summiting Mt. Sunapee), and 31.5 miles in Stage 3.

 

I didn’t sign up right away.  15 miles had been my longest run in 2015 so I led with pragmatism instead of emotion. 

They all make it looks so easy – Those real ultrarunners.  They are leading us mortals into a dreamscape of – I can do that.

Thinking about stuff and watching it online is sooo much easier than actually doing it.

The reality is this:

 

It’s gonna take shit loads of training to make those hugs and high fives at the finish line possible. 

 

The web page was bookmarked when I read it in May.

I had until the middle of August to register.

In between, I needed to establish if my skinny legs had 80 miles in them.  I needed to be confident that I could win the mental battles that inevitably arise during 6+ hours on the trail.

So I ran – a lot.

I ran familiar trails.

I ran new trails……..And got lost.

I ran in the rain……..And fell.

 

 

I ran in the heat.

I ran home from work.

I ran when I didn’t want to.

I experienced wonderful highs and crushing lows.

It was solid training – a good effort for sure.  But, I still hadn’t approached a 3 consecutive day effort of 80 miles.

I hoped that a season’s worth of running – that consecutive weeks of gettin’ after it – would propel me through this thing.

Just put miles into those legs (and mind) week in and week out.  Calibrate yourself into running mode.  Make your body know that trail running is what we do now.

I did.

I finished.

For the sake of keeping this post reasonably short, I’m not going to get too detailed on the race itself.  I want to focus on the people and the non-running aspects.  Still, here’s a short summary of each day.

 

Stage 1: 25.3 miles

Here we all are at the start.  Fresh and eager to go as a light rain fell.

 

                                                  The above picture from MadAthlete facebook

I was doing well for the first half of stage 1, but got lost in the enthusiasm and fun of the early goings – Meaning, I forgot to stay ahead of my hydration.  The cool temps, but high humidity fooled me as well.  I was sweating and not replacing fluids.  By the time I got to the aid station at mile 14 I realized that I hadn’t peed yet.

When I did, it was dark yellow.

Uh oh.  Bad sign.

I was depleting inside.  Though I felt fine, I had a hunch I’d suffer later.

It wasn’t until about mile 20 that the cramps came – a small bonk followed.  Then I errored again by not refilling my bottle at the water drop.

Out of water with 2 miles to go – What a rookie!

I walked more than I ran at this point, but still finished in reasonably good shape.

Note to self:  Drink more water, Duh!

 

  The above picture from MadAthlete facebook

 

Stage 2:  22.7 Miles

One full bottle of water right before I went to sleep then two more with breakfast had me in the bushes and peeing clear at mile 3.

No chance that I was going to fall behind on fluids in Stage 2.

I ran much better through the day at an even to slower pace than Stage 1 while completing most of the distance with three other guys.  We did a good job keeping each other laughing and motivated.

All four of us crossed the finish line together in 4^th place.

 

Stage 3:  31.5 Miles

I’m not gonna lie to you.  I woke up on Day 3 and thought,

 

How the fuck am I gonna run 32 miles today?

 

Glutes and hamstrings were fatigued.  Quads were beaten from riding the brakes on all the mountain descents.  Hips were locked up like the Tin Man.

We had to break down all the camping gear and pack up our stuff for transport to the finish.  Conveniently, the acts of bending and squatting – rushing and stressing to get my kit sorted and over to truck on time was just the warm up my beleaguered body needed.

After commiserating with my running mates and taking solace that the lot of us was hurting, I stopped thinking about the entirety of the task and just focused on starting and having fun.

 

The above picture from MadAthlete facebook

After 7 or so miles and knowing that there was less than a marathon left, I set obtainable goals.

Get to Aid Station 1 (at 11 miles)

Then get to Aid Station 2 (at 18 miles)

Then get to the water drop (at 26 miles).

Then finish – cuz you’ve come so damn far.  Stop whining!

I was helped out after Aid 1 by Deb Livingston, the eventual female winner.  An experienced ultrarunner and technical trail virtuoso, she was moving a skosh faster than me.  I forced myself to keep up and basically hitched my wagon to her.

It all worked.  My mind stayed calm.  I managed my fluids, electrolytes, and food very well so my body could do its thing.

The Deb train pulled me through the woods and I was able to push her on the last 2 miles of the flat rail trail.

 

The above picture from Life Adventures

And VIOLA!

We completed Stage 3 in a respectable 6 hours and 29 minutes to claim 6^th place for the day.

For the 3 days and 80 miles I finished with a cumulative time of 17 hours 43 minutes – Good enough for 7^th place overall.

Note: The overall winner finished in 14 hours 49 minutes.  John from Maine – He’s good.

 

Thank Yous and Impressions

Before I go any further, I have to give heaping accolades to Tom and Mike from MadAthlete.  They were tireless in their effort to make sure us racers were taken care of and wanting for nothing.

There were only 40 competitors and after Stage 1 these two guys knew us all and greeted every question with a smile.  The personal attention was much more than I’ve ever seen at regular races.

Also, big thanks to all the other volunteers who helped out at base camp and the aid stations.  They made me feel more like a professional and less like the aging amateur that I am.

You read that right – just 40 trail runners gathered together for 3 days.  I loved the small numbers and got to know just about everyone.

We ran together, recovered together, ate together, encouraged one another, laughed, and cheered.  United in the misery of our aches and pains, we bonded over individually conquering those miles.

It really was a running summer camp for adults.  We were a trail family for 3 days.  A new and unique experience that my normally introverted self unexpectedly and naturally embraced.

 

The above picture from MadAthlete facebook

 

More on the People

This wasn’t a one day 100 miler or a 10 day adventure race.  It was a pleasant in between.  But, it was still much more challenging than a single day marathon which is where I had previously defined the limits of my endurance.

The added factor of recovery and efforting for consecutive days forced me to train not just harder, but smarter.

You can’t merely muscle through an event like this.  You gotta take the inputs that your body is giving you through each day, troubleshoot the issue, and give an output of relief or resolution before the running starts again.

Blisters, foot and muscle care, recovery nutrition, gear prep, maps and navigation for the next day, rest most of all.  It was much more than naps and snacks between the stages.

 

The above picture from MadAthlete facebook

There was an education over this past summer and I put in the hard yards to be successful at this race…

…So did everyone else who finished.

Their effort and struggle inspires me.  Even though I was right there with them, I am immensely impressed by everyone who completed this event – especially those that are older than me.

They were all out there this past spring and summer gettin’ miles in their legs just like I was.  There’s no faking it through 80 miles.  Either you put in the work or you DNF.

The dreaded DNF.  It’s like failing a test that you didn’t study for.

Everyone that started each stage was able to finish.  That tells the story of how dedicated this group was.

Some notable older runners:

Jamie:  50 years old.  Father of one.  Build like me (lanky and lean) and just a force.  Bombed all the downhills and showed stamina that I hope to still have 5 years from now.

 

The above picture from MadAthlete facebook

Mindy and Mike:  55 and 48 years old.  They weren’t a couple, but ran the race together.  Mindy said,

“It’s not about how fast I run, it’s about how good I feel – about how I finish.”

Great attitude.  You can see they are fit.  But, their ultra-ness blew me away.  32 miles on Stage 3?  No problem.

 

The above picture from Life Adventures

Most impressive was John.  68 years old.  He finished the 3 days in 26 hours 53 minutes.

I know plenty of people that age who complain when they have to walk more than 100 feet to the mall entrance.

68 years old – I can only hope to be that good 23 years from now.

 

The above picture from MadAthlete facebook

 

Random After Thoughts

There’s a lot on my mind about how this race and the training for it went down.  Mostly due to the fact that I’m just dipping my toe into the ultrarunning scene.

To the uninitiated, 80 miles may seem like a crazy distance to run.  To real ultrarunners, 80 miles is something for one day not three.

As of now, my running goals fall somewhere in between uninitiated and real. 

This past running season was, like I said above, an education.

I love the trails.  They fill me up and keep me centered.

Up to 15 miles is bliss.

I float.

I dance over the tops of the rocks.

After 15 miles, it’s work.  The fatigue begins to take hold and there’s less light stepping the rock tops and more thuds in between them.

I question why I want to turn my running joy into a grind?  Why go further?

The answer is a work in progress, but I do know one thing for sure that drives me to go long – I revel in the accomplishment of big runs.

Not just the races, but the training runs as well.  I feel immense pride in running distance.  The further I go and more capable I become the more satisfaction I feel.

Capable – This is the word I come back to often.

The training is the work and finishing a race or bucket list run is the pay check – the reward.

Right now, I need to continue to chase that payday….and not just because the internet is telling me too.