So I started 2014 off with a strong result at the local Fat Ass here in Olympia.
In the forest...at what hour???
It was a cold start for the un-competitive-yet-still-competitive Fat Ass in Capitol Forest. I started the morning with an espresso, a deep stretch, and Hammer Bar. I made my pre-concoction that I drink usually 30 minutes before the start. Getting to the race site was easy; I could probably drive it with my eyes closed. Racing in your own backyard is both a relief and a burden: It is easy to visualize the course but yet you also know it better without competition and I often feel that trails take on a whole new look once you add the element of competition.
John put together a great run, yet again, and huge THANKS to him for getting it all organized. Dave and I marked the lower section (25km) of the course the weekend prior so I was confident the trail was well-marked!
The Start
I messed up the start by slotting in behind several people in the front that belonged in the back (grrr) but I quickly made up the ground and settled into the top-5 without feeling like I burned a match getting there. The first 4 miles are mundane and really it is was about getting comfortable with the pace (mid-7s at that point) and staying relaxed. A lot of people run the beginning sections hard because A). It’s flat(ish) or B). They’re feeling pretty fresh and want to pound trail.
Keeping myself restrained at the start has always worked well for me and I couldn’t feel any strain coming through mile 5. One thing I did notice in these first few miles is how much slower racers were on the incline than the downhill— of course, I’m the exact opposite and have always been a born climber no matter the fitness level. Taking note of that was important for how the race would unfold.
Towards Falls Creek
When the trail started to gather steady incline a lot of people started falling back and I was comfortably bridging up to the two guys in the lead. No panic, just controlled effort to make up the margin because I knew there was plenty of time. I would run a half mile, take a sip of Fizz and just keep to my place. Eventually I caught and ran with the two lead runners until the descent into the Falls Creek Aid Station where I applied a little gas to open up what was an important margin on the runners behind who I had previously realized in the early miles descended better than myself.
Making A Move
At the turnaround, I dropped off my now-empty handheld and made a move that played to my strengths and charged up the hill climb to gain as much time as possible before facing the downhill/flat miles later in the course. The runners that were on course behind were now coming at me, but most were quite nice and moved over for the uphill traffic. Keeping the pressure, I crested the climbs with what I estimated to be about a 2 minute gap judging by a quick over-shoulder glance on to the switchbacks.
Final Miles
I kept an honest pace on the downhill sections and said to myself “no brakes, just light feet” over and over to try and keep the pace high. With legs that literally take up almost 2/3 of my body I always struggle to keep high speed on downhill trail. I was moving well when I could hear snot rockets behind me and footsteps matching mine…
One of the guys that was behind me at Falls Creek was now on my ass! He had CRUSHED the downhill and made up my hard-worked margin like it was nothing. Feeling a bit deflated, I reorganized my mental race and concentrated on keeping the pace as high as possible without burning too many matches. I knew at this point that this was going to be a race all the way to the line.
The guy was from Corvallis, OR and was just loving to chat (breathlessly, I might add). I’m not one for conversation while running (especially racing…) and so I wasn’t much of a conversation partner to him but I happily obliged his request to pass in the last mile coming down the banked singletrack. At this point I would have much rather paced off of him than been the carrot to run past. When he did pass he opened up a good bit on me but I reeled it in to about 15 feet—a safe distance for one last effort and mental advantage to now be chasing.
That last effort didn’t come when I thought it would: This guy was blowing up quickly and I had happened to sneak a shoulder-back glance to see 3rd place coming in hard behind us— the Corvallis chatter-box and I had to go NOW!
With the sharp rise to the flat finish I opened up about a 2 second gap. Coming down through the campground we were shoulder-to-shoulder but I settled into the inside line for the final turn and slingshot (nice XC trick) into a kick to win by only a few seconds.
Jenny was there at the finish to cheer me to the line and be the Grade A cheerleader for the racers charging in. Given that this was a pretty short but intense effort, I quickly found my gear and got in two gels, Vegan Recovery Bar, and plenty of fluid with Fizz to replete the glycogen and start the muscle recovery. I had to pull a shift in the ICU in the afternoon and early evening, but Jenny and I managed to celebrate the morning with a meal at Spar and drinks at The Mark. Overall, a good day!
The Takeaway
It felt great to get in a good race after the disappointment of Spokane. I had run The Grinch trail marathon up at Gig Harbor in December to 2nd place, but this was a good result to see where my fitness lies for the Spring ahead. I think that my leg turnover and overall fitness has improved considerably in the past month, but my threshold speed and downhill ability remain lagging— but I have plenty of weeks to get things tuned up and try for good results later in March and April.
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