round numbers

Don Kardong is a storied (Olympic) runner and story writer with a sense of humor runners can appreciate.
When discussing weekly mileage a few decades back, he mentioned that many elite distance runners aim for 100 miles each week ‘because 100 is a nice round number’.
Don suggested 88 miles as an alternative – because 88 is a ‘rounder number’.
The NN16 for me was a story of rounder numbers.
Should have been a clue at check-in with bib number 8. The Don Kardong joke immediately came to mind.
Was considering trading it in for bib #7.
Someone at the start noticed 150-something runners for this event.
What a nice, round number.
On the first level stretch where you can talk, one of the old timers said he remembers when getting 20 people for a Grand Tree event would have been considered a huge success. I see only 114 finished.
Good ~ because 113 is a prime number and that just wouldn't do.
When chatting in various packs what was a target finishing time, more than a few good runners told me “I’m just using this as a training run for (fill in the blank)”.
My first thought was: were they kidding me or themselves?
As I found out, many of them were downright serious – while laughing the whole race. Some were running 50-milers in June, The Nipmuck Marathon for a qualification for Escarpment. One friend was even using it for a light run for the Great Bay Half-Marathon that Kristy is running the following day.
Yes, that friend finished ahead of me by seven minutes.
Back in January, I had penned that a 2008 goal was a sub-3:00 finish for the NN16.
Finished in 3:03.
Pretty round numbers.
Was 98.2% accurate. Close, but no cigar.
Heck, even missed my PR on this course…by 3 seconds.
Another round number.
Two weeks ago, I was concerned for even finishing this as I had trouble completing a 10 mile run on the road. This continued at the NN16 until I hit the turn around. Either I got a blast of confidence, or I realized that the only way home was to finish the darn thing.
I had hoped for a 40 minute first segment to the big lake – got that at 39.
Hoped for a turn around time (after the second segment) at 83 minutes – not quite as I left the station at 1:30.
Hoped to hit the big lake again at 2:20 – made up some time here and actually left at 2:16.
Then, the cramps.
Even though it was not warm, everyone seemed to report how surprisingly humid it felt out there. I went through TWO 70ml hydration sacks. Sucked the second one dry at around 13 miles.
Plugged through running the down hills, jogging when I could on the levels and hiking the ups. Both calves, some hammie on both sides and even twice both VMOs. Thankfully, all released after less than 20 seconds or so of stretching.
Then there was the surface wounds due to the low lying, thorn and branch-based foliage (see photo).
I do have to wonder if the cramping is solely from fluid balance (electrolyte and fluid) or if muscle glycogen plays a part here now too. There were several relief stops, so the fluid was getting in. Was it staying in? Were the muscles just so untrained for more than 2 hours of continuous activity?
We'll find out at the Merrimack River Trail 10miler (aka: The Riv-AH) next Saturday with Carpie.
I did wonder throughout the race about the water out on the race. All of the water bodies were really low. The log bridge about 1.5 miles in was actually over a moist area and not a lake. There was still plenty of standing water around, but the leaf cover hadn’t broken down over the winter either. All of this suggests really dry conditions out there. Not good for the health of the forest.
Finally, Got to chat with Richard Busa pre-race which always makes me laugh. He has a great soul and is one of the reasons why I get to races a bit earlier. I saw him at his mile 6 (my 10). Glad to read that he made it in under 5 hours at 78 years of age.
Next up ~ Merrimack Riv-AH.
Pray for rain?