Weymouth Woods 100K: An Ultramarathon Debut

First off, I would like to thank Marie Lewis and Magnum Track Club for putting on a spectacular event! I also want to thank all of the volunteers working both of the aid stations who made sure that all the runners were looked after. Finally, I want to thank my family, and girlfriend Hannah, for supporting me, crewing me, and putting up with me while I ran for 62.58 miles.


We left our home in Charlotte, NC for Southern Pines around noon on Friday and arrived at around 2:30pm. After checking into the hotel my mom and I went to run the course for the first time. I had read previous race reports that stated that the course was fairly rooty, but I was surprised at how technical certain sections were. After completing the course, we went back to the hotel and then went to get Italian food at a local restaurant.  A short while and a few supply checks later, I was off to sleep.

Race morning came at me fast. I woke up at 6:00am and immediately put on the outfit I had planned on wearing. When it comes to shoes, I am more of a minimalist, even over the longer distances, so I wore my Mizuno Wave Hitogami 2’s as well as a pair of X2 compressions calf sleeves. For breakfast I kept it pretty simple and had a bagel with peanut butter and some water. We loaded up and arrived at Weymouth Woods right around 7:00am. The next hour passed by pretty quickly as I went to get my race number, attended the pre-race meeting, and made some last minute checks. It was a little chilly out so I started with a light jacket on for the first lap. I made my way over to the start line, gave a few last minute hugs, and before I knew it, we were off!

Couldn't have done it without my support crew 
Months and months of training had prepared me for this moment. I started out fairly conservative so I could get a sense of how my body was firing, as well as a better feel for the course. The course is filled with roots for much of the first half so I always had to be conscious of this. I quickly latched onto a group of four other runners during Lap 1, one of only two times all day that I would run with someone. For this race I was carrying a single 20 ounce bottle of water that contained approximately 200 calories worth of Tailwind. The plan was to switch out for a fresh bottle after each lap. Before I knew it, I had passed the first aid station at around mile 2.4 and I began what I referred to as the second half of each lap. This section here was where the trail because much more runnable, but was also much hiller, featuring three tough ascents over the last mile of each lap. I ended up passing the first lap in 37:36, which I thought was a good pace to hold. I only spent about 10 seconds at my “base camp” grabbing a new water bottle before I was off for my second lap!

Lap 3
I was passed by Mark Rostan just after I entered the trails for the second time so I knew I was in either 3rd or 4th place.  I let him go ahead of me and focused on settling into a rhythm. It was early, but overall my body was feeling pretty good. Near the end of the second lap I had caught back up as we were going up the last hill. I crossed the second lap in 36:32 or about an 8:10 pace. He stopped for a little bit longer than I did so I was all alone one again. The laps started to feel like they were going by pretty quickly. I crossed the third lap in 36:20, my fastest split of the day. For lap four I picked up my younger brother Cole who was a big help because he got me talking and kept my mind occupied. He told me that I was in 2nd place, which surprised me because I had believed that I was running in 3rd. He also got me to eat some energy chews which my body was starting to need. I crossed my fourth lap in 37:26 and with an overall time of 2:27:56.
Lap 4
Even on lap five I was still getting in and out of our base camp in more or less 15 seconds. I probably should have taken a little bit more time because at this point I was running alone in second place. During this lap I focused on doing a general body check and assessing how I felt. My legs were still very strong, but my feet were starting to hurt a tiny bit from the roots. I was also finishing off my water bottle during each lap so that was a good sign. Around this lap I decided that it would probably be in my best interest to slow down just a little bit going up the last hill in order to keep my heart rate down. I crossed lap five in 36:31 and picked up Cole for another lap. I made a huge mental mistake here and began asking Cole how far ahead the leader was, but he did not bite. Unfortunately, I later learned from another runner that I was only about two minutes behind. Thankfully, Cole realized this and pushed me to slow down my pace. When I finished lap six in 37:58, I had officially run farther than I ever have before. I crossed the marathon mark in right around 3:37-3:38.

Lap 7
Lap seven I was still feeling pretty strong, but I was entering unfamiliar territory. I was about 40 seconds behind the leader, and as hard as tried not too, I ended up catching up to him right near the middle aid station. His name was Scott Harber, and we chatted for around five or so minutes. I’m not quite sure what happened next, but gradually I just lost contact with him. It was a huge mental blow. I crossed lap seven in 37:45, approximately 25 seconds off the lead. I picked up Cole for a third lap and he could tell that I was hurting now. He helped to distract me a little bit, but I could feel my pace slowing. I was still drinking plenty of fluids but I was starting to get a little disoriented. By now my legs were killing me and each root I stepped on felt like a dagger. The hills were still not bothering me too much but I had to walk for the first time during the final set of rolling hills on this lap. I crossed lap eight in 43:43 with an overall time of 5:03:53. At this point I was in a very dark place mentally. I began lap nine, not entirely confident that I would be able to continue after this lap. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally reached the familiarity of the last mile and my favorite part of the course, the crest after the first hill before you dip down into the steepest descent of the trail.  Even in my stupor, I still appreciated the beauty of the surrounding forest. I ended up walking most of the final uphill on this loop before crossing the ninth lap in 51:47. When I got to our base camp I felt like I could barely move. My legs felt like lead blocks and my mind was in shambles. I really thought this was going to be the end for me. My mind starting pleading with my legs, but my legs (and my support crew) won out.

My biggest mistake during this race was mental, not physical. I did not go out too fast, I did not push the hills too hard, instead I had neglected my nutrition, and in the end it came very very close to ending my race. Aside from a couple of energy chews and the Tailwind in my water bottle, I had not eaten any food over the first seven laps of the race and that was what had created my downfall here. My support team went to work making sure that I took in thousands of calories over the second half of the race. My Dad was especially good at making sure of this. From lap nine onward I came back to the aid station and had potato chips, peanut butter pretzels dipped in base salts, and sugar water each time. We also started to mix in the base salts to my Tailwind. The impact was almost immediate. 

After spending about 10 minutes at my base camp I set off on my tenth lap with my mom. I knew that we were moving slowly, but at least we were moving. 3rd place was still about 10-15 minutes back so I was not extremely worried but that was a thought on my mind. Lap ten really was a great mental pickup and by the end of the lap I was moving much faster. Even though I came through this lap in 57:52, much of which can be attributed to my long aid station stop, my family told me that I looked much better. I abandoned my old race strategy of getting through the aid station as quick as possible and instead I focused on eating pretzels and chips each lap and getting water in me. I set off on my eleventh lap feeling surprisingly strong and confident. Some of the pain in my legs actually decreased! I felt like this lap went by fairly quickly and I was back around to the start before I knew it. This lap was in 43:41 with an overall time of 7:37:14.

Lap 11
I did some quick calculations in my head and figured that I could finish in under ten hours if I kept up around my current pace. I was off for my 12th lap which meant that I had just over a half marathon to go. I was over 50 miles into a 100K race and amazingly I was still riding off of my second and third wind. I was beginning to see that the sun was setting and I was hoping that I could finish before I needed my headlamp. I finally crossed lap twelve in 44:54 and picked up my mom for the penultimate lap. I knew that no matter how bad I was hurting that I could still do 9 miles. Even though I was so close to being done, this lap was one of the hardest both mentally and physically. I tried to look at it like this lap was the final lap and that lap fourteen was just a “victory lap”. I wore my headlamp for this lap just in case, but did not end up turning it on. After what seemed like an eternity I crossed lap thirteen in 47:13. Right as I started on my final lap I saw Scott cross the finish line. He ran a brilliant second half that I was just not able to match. I knew that I had second place almost locked up because I was about 20 minutes ahead. I set off on the last lap with my Dad and felt a rush of relief due to the fact that I was passing all of the landmarks on the course for the last time. I said goodbye to the huge roots and twisting turns in the first two miles. I was really picking up the pace over the last two miles and I actually was feeling great. I did have to turn on my headlamp for just the last mile or so because it was getting hard to see some of the roots. I crested the rolling hills for a final time and dipped down before going up the rooty incline one last time. I tripped for only the second time all race as I tried to ascend the hill as fast as I could. Finally, I turned the corner and sprinted across the finish line in a time of 9:55:06! 

Finish!
After I finished I was interviewed by the local paper, received a beautiful custom made pottery finisher’s award, and took some photos with my family and girlfriend. I also spoke with the winner, Scott, for a couple minutes and congratulated him. I was overwhelmed now that I was finally done. I ended running a 9:31 pace overall and finished about 26 minutes ahead of third place. Not too bad for an Ultra marathon debut!

I cannot thank Marie Lewis and Magnum Track Club enough for putting on this event. All of the volunteers and the other runners were incredibly supportive. As I type this recap the next day, I still have not fully comprehended that I completed my first ultramarathon. I’m tired and sore, but that’s just a small price to pay for seeing just how far and how fast you can really go.

Lap Splits 


















Training Update: 8 Days Out From Weymouth Woods

It's almost race day and my excitement is continuing to build as we get closer and closer to the starting gun! I feel like I am in probably the best shape of my life at the moment. Some other race related news that has popped up: as of now the weather is calling for rain during the afternoon hours of the race, but this could change so I don't think that it will be much of a problem. We have a hotel booked that is only 3-4 miles from the course and we are leaving for Southern Pines, NC around noon on Friday so that I can run the course beforehand. Have already figured out my pacing and fueling strategies and spent a good deal of time talking with the guys down at the Ultra Running Store in Charlotte, NC about what to expect in my first ultra. I have started my taper and I am cutting mileage down to about just over 50 miles this week with just a few short easy runs next week. 

Listed below is my training for the past several weeks. 

Week of December 14th, 2015 to December 20th, 2015 

64 Miles 
10 Runs 
Average of 6.40 Miles Per Run
7.8 Hours of Running 

Runs: 

Monday: 11 Miles (5 AM, 6 PM)
Tuesday: 8 Miles
Wednesday: 11 Miles (6 AM, 5 PM)
Thursday: 12 Miles (8 AM, 4 PM) 
Friday: 8 Miles 
Saturday: 1 Mile 
Sunday: 13 Miles @ 7:09 Pace 

Week in Review:

Not a great week of training due to studying for exams and having to fly home. Fell short of my mileage goal for the week but still managed to get in a run on Saturday even though our flight ended up being cancelled. Regrouping for a solid week this coming week. 


Week of December 21st, 2015 to December 27th, 2015 

74.2 Miles 
11 Runs 
Average of 6.75 Miles Per Run
8.94 Hours of Running 

Runs: 

Monday: 4 Miles 
Tuesday: 11 Miles (8 AM @ 6:46 Pace, 3 PM) 
Wednesday: 7 Miles 
Thursday: 11 Miles (9 AM @ 6:54 Pace, 2 PM) 
Friday: 6.2 Miles 
Saturday: 20 Miles (16 AM @ 7:18 Pace, 4 PM) 
Sunday: 15 Miles (10 AM @ 7:25 Pace, 5 PM)

Week in Review:

Very strong week after weaker mileage last week. Felt great on my back to back long runs and it was good to spend more time on my feet. Also had some solid runs during the middle of the week.


Week of December 28th, 2015 to January 3rd, 2016

80 Miles 
12 Runs 
Average of 6.67 Miles Per Run
8.94 Hours of Running 

Runs: 

Monday: 9 Miles (5 AM, 4 PM) 
Tuesday: 8 Miles 
Wednesday:  9 Miles (5 AM, 4 PM) 
Thursday:  9 Miles (4 AM, 5 PM) 
Friday: 5 Miles 
Saturday: 20 Miles (16 AM @ 7:13 Pace, 4 PM) 
Sunday: 20 Miles (16 AM @ 7:32 Pace, 4 PM)

Week in Review:

Hit my first ever 80 mile week this week as well as my first time doing 12 runs in a single week. Great week of training overall that is giving me confidence for this race. Running back to back 20 mile days definitely gave me an idea of what it would be like running when I am exhausted though. Taper starts now! 

Recap: 

Overall, I feel pretty confident in my aerobic base right now. I have been building up since August when I first started training for the Thunder Road Marathon. I have put in 7-8 weeks of 70+ miles since then with a few more in the mid 60s. If this race goes well I am thinking of changing up my racing schedule and entering in the Vermont 100 Mile, which conveniently has a registration date of January 17th, 2016, only one day after my 100K. 





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