G.A.C Fat Ass (30) 50K

The morning of the GAC Fat Ass 50K was super cold but thankfully sunny and not too windy. I had given KZ a lift to the race where we met Michelle and Bill H. I also finally got to meet Kevin ‘Pathfinder’ before the race and we chatted a bit about our goals for today, gear we were using and of course the cold. I never did see Rob at the race but found out later he did run. I waited in the parking lot for my friend Mary to arrive while most everyone else moved to the starting line. By the time we got to the start the race had begun. It wasn’t a problem because the course quickly narrowed to single-track and backed up the entire field. We were able to latch on to the rear of the train as it entered the woods.

It didn’t take long to realize it was going to be a very tough run. The snow was deep and dry making any forward motion an energy draining experience. With each step I never knew what direction my foot would slide. I really had to work hard to maintain my balance and forge ahead. After only one mile I had doubts about my original plan to run the marathon distance or more. After working my way through the long line of runners, and expending a ridiculous amount of energy, I caught up to KZ, Michelle and Bill around mile two.

I finished the first loop about 3 three minutes slower than planned. That wasn’t bad but I worked much harder than the pace indicated. After eating a few boiled potatoes with salt, and grabbing a handful of pretzels to go, I ran off in pursuit of Michelle who didn’t stop for aid. Conditions on the trail had deteriorated from the pounding it took from 100+ runners on the first loop. About half way through loop number two I realized I wasn’t having any fun. It was frustrating trying to run in the deep snow. I believe it would have been easier with snowshoes, and if I had them in my truck, would have tried them for a loop. The best description I heard of the trail was, “This is like running in sugar!”

The second loop was a little slower than the first but I was much more tired now. I didn’t want to run any more but also wanted a bigger mileage day than 20K. I was determined to do one more loop no matter how difficult it was going to be. KZ and Bill called it a day at 20K but Michelle was willing to go out for one more and off we went. The trail was even worse now although I would not have thought it possible. For the first 3 miles we leap-frogged one another but ran the last 3 miles of the loop together. I tried talking to past the time but sensed Michelle preferred some quiet time on the trail.  I can respect that as I am often introspective when running in the woods. On one particularly difficult, long stretch of trail we did talk about how we were soooo done with this run. We couldn’t wait for the third loop to be over.

With a little less than a mile to go, and without saying anything to one another, we picked up the pace and finished strong. I guess we both could smell the finish line. With the end in sight I felt a huge sense of relief. I was tired and hungry and just wanted to eat something from the incredible spread at the aid station. Some hot soup and a grilled cheese sandwich made everything feel better. I hung out for a while watching runners come into the aid station and head out for another loop. Anyone that completed the full 50K really earned it (and must have wanted it real bad). Thanks to the folks at G.A.C for hosting another excellent event!

G.A.C. Fat Ass - No Fees, No Awards, No Wimps

Have you ever wondered why you do some of the things you do? I was in this state of mind as I stood at the starting line of the 11th annual (Coach Gilly thinks it’s only the 10th) running of the G.A.C. Fat Ass 50K at Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield, MA. It’s easy to question your thought process when the temperature is a windy 17 degrees and you’re wearing nothing but a long-sleeve shirt and pants, a headband and gloves. I quickly got over this foolishness and took pride knowing the tradition of the hearty New Englander lives on in me and the 80 to 90 other trail animals toeing the line on this frosty morning.



The FA course is a pleasant mix of single and double track trails, open fields and a short stretch of pavement, all neatly wrapped up in a wheel-measured 10K loop. The terrain is tame by most standards but it does include one long, steady climb along twisty single track to the top of Moon Hill. (UPDATE: it's just an unnamed hill, not Moon Hill) This was my favorite section of the race, except when I was getting tired on my 3rd loop ;-) Although the race course is relatively easy the difficulty of the run was bumped up a notch due to the snow and ice covering the entire route.



This is a low key event, no entry fees and no numbers. Runners were asked to make a donation to the aid station table which made for a vast variety of tasty treats, a hallmark of all GAC races. The registration process consisted of writing your name on a blank sheet of paper. At the end of each loop you had to check in with one of the volunteers so you could get credit for completing the 6.2 miles. I imagine this also served as a way of keeping tabs on who was out on the course in case someone went missing. Getting lost would be a difficult task as the course was well marked with bright orange ribbons and flags. These markers really stood out against the pure, white backdrop of snow.



My friend Kevin Z and I had planned to run at Bradley Palmer a couple of times during the past few weeks to check out the course but the weather never cooperated. We finally got our opportunity on race day and it was worth the wait. The course was very runable despite the snow and ice. In fact, running on the icy patches was easier than running in the soft snow. The sheet metal screws in the soles of my Brooks Cascadias gave me excellent traction on the treacherous ice. Most of the runners I saw had some type of traction aid like Yaktraxs, Kahtoota microspikes or screws. These were a real help navigating icy stretches of trail but were useless in the open fields. In the fields, the powdery snow was so dry that even after hours of trampling by thousands of footsteps it never compacted. In some of the deeper areas it felt as though you were running in mashed potatoes. At one point Kevin sunk past his knees in the white stuff.



The race served as a good training run and we maintained a fairly even pace on the first two laps. We were in no way pushing the pace, just enjoying the scenery and stopping to take some pictures along the way. We finished the 1st 10K in 1:11:45 and the second loop in 1:08:29. We stopped at the aid table after each lap to sample some of the goodies. I had the best ever molasses cookie, made nice and chewy by the cold air. Yummy! On the 3rd and final loop we started to tire. The open fields that were tough going on fresh legs were getting very difficult to run with fatigued quads. We slowed to 1:14:01 on the final loop that included a lot of walking breaks.



I was very pleased with this run and happy that Kevin motivated me to do a 3rd loop. I was ready to bail after two! Even after six weeks of minimal mileage I was able to dig down and pull off a 30K in snow. Not bad. I guess I’m in better shape than I had assumed. I will be resting most of the upcoming week to see if I can shake this vicious cold in my head and chest. For anyone keeping score, Kevin Sullivan must have melted some ice blazing his way to a first place 50K finish in 4:03:30. And this was just a training run as he preps for the Western States 100 this summer. Nice job Kevin! Paul Young was 1st master and 2nd place overall.

Also, a special thanks to race director Roger Martell and all the volunteers who braved the cold weather for hours so we could enjoy a beautiful day of running on the trails.

Ok, now where’s the remote?

Stone Cat Trail Marathon Race Report

"I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite." - G. K. Chesterton

My day began in the early morning darkness. I awoke at 2 AM and had a difficult time returning to sleep. It wasn't that I was nervous about the upcoming race; I was just concerned that it may fall back to sleep and not wake up in an hour as planned. Since I was feeling hungry anyway, I decided to get up and eat a little early. I got the coffee started while I prepared some food for breakfast. I had packed all my gear the previous evening so that there was no need to rush this morning. After finishing breakfast I gathered all my gear and brought it out to my truck. I couldn't believe how much stuff I packed for this marathon! I didn't think I would need everything I had but I would rather have something and not use it than need it and not have it.

It was still very dark at 4:30 when I left for the race. There was a light but steady mist in the air. At least the temperature was pretty mild. I started thinking about all the great weekends we've had in the past two months. Bright sunny skies, with cool temperatures perfect for running. Today would be nothing like that. Driving north on Route 1 virtually alone was in sharp contrast to the daylight hours when tens of thousands of cars pass along this busy stretch of highway. I had a difficult time keeping my eyes open and was yawning constantly. I should have had a second cup of coffee.

I arrived at the Doyon School around 5 AM. Two men in brightly colored vests and waving flashlights were directing traffic. They asked me if I was running the 50 or the marathon. When I told him I was running a marathon I was told I had to drive down the road about a quarter-mile and park at the soccer field. Parking in the school lot was reserved for 50 milers only. The soccer field was pitch black but there were a few other runners gathering their belongings. There was a minivan waiting to shuttle runners back to the school. I hopped into the van with three other runners. It turned out we were all first-timers to Stone Cat and would all be running the marathon distance. We were dropped off at school lot and headed immediately to the gym.

I picked up my race number and was handed a very nice Brooks technical tee shirt. I claimed some floor space along the wall and settled down for a little rest before the race. Stone Cat is as much a reunion as it is a trail race. It was obvious that many people have run this race more than once as they greeted fellow runners like old schoolmates. There was a large contingent of Lynn woods runners as well as other familiar faces from previous trail races. I introduced myself to Ian of Trail Monster Running fame. He's an excellent runner and getting faster all the time. The gym filled quickly and the excitement started to build in preparation for the start of the race. Gilly, the race director gave us some last-minute instructions before we headed out to the starting line. He is certainly a character that lives up to his reputation.

We lined up in the soccer field around 6:15. Darkness had lifted and the mist had almost ended. I wanted to start out slowly so I got near the back of the pack. The command to go was given and the pack slowly moved across the grass field. At the end of the field was a narrow trail head. This created a huge bottleneck as runners tried to funnel their way into the narrow path. My decision to get the back of the pack cost me over two minutes as I had to stand and wait for nearly 300 runners to squeeze their way into the trail. The race course is a 12.5 -mile loop in Willowdale state forest. The 50 mile runners went straight into the woods and to complete four loops. Marathon runners would run two loops. Before the marathon runners could start onto the loop course we were directed to make a sharp left hand turn to first complete a 1.2 mile rectangle route around the front of the school and then back to the soccer field. This was needed to make the race 26.2 miles.

Course Overview. School loop in upper right corner.

I settled into a steady comfortable pace. The course turned left up a long gradual hill. There was a long line of runners ahead of me making it difficult to pass on the single track trail. I decided to just go with the flow and hang back until the course allowed for easier passing. The course consisted of several miles of twisting, turning single track trails over gently rolling terrain. No major hills but a few good climbs were mixed in to make thing interesting. It was difficult to maintain any rhythm on the single track. The constant zigzag of the trail kept the pace pretty slow. Occasionally the trail opened in onto wide paths where the running was easier. I decided my strategy for the race would be to run harder on the wider trails that tended to be straight and run a slower, steady pace on the narrow single track.

View Larger Map Course Terrain View

Elevation gain: 2240 feet

About 40 minutes into the race I approached a long straight trail cutting its way across two ponds, one on either side. Recent rains had raised the water level to a point that water was over spilling into the trail. I tried to stay off to the side where the mud was thick and deep. It was nearly impossible to stay dry as my feet kept slipping into the water on the trail. I decided it was ridiculous to try to tip-toe my way across 200 feet of trail since I would lose time and in the end still be wet. After about 20 feet I just started running through the water, passing and splashing runners off to the side. I'm sure this didn't endear me to any of them but what can I say, this is a trail race! With heavy, wet feet I lumbered along wondering if this would cause blisters later on in the race. I continued to click off the miles running a pretty even pace along the way. Around mile 10 I realized I had been running most of the race alone. This sort of amazed me that with 300 people on a 12 mile loop, I would be running alone. Just another long training run!

First loop past very quickly and soon I was entering the soccer field and heading for the start finish line. I checked the finishing clock and noted the time, 2 hours, 13 minutes. At this pace, I definitely had a shot at running 4:30. I walked over to where I had left a drop bag with a towel, a shirt and shorts and Succeed Ultra electrolyte drink. I refilled my hydration pack with the Succeed and debated whether I should change my shirt, socks and shoes. At this point I was drenched from head to toe. A combination of sweat and humid air made me look as if I had taken a swim while out on the course. In the end I just toweled off. I didn't think it would be worth spending all the time to change my clothes knowing I would be running through that long stretch of water again in 40 minutes. I looked back at the clock before I headed off for my second loop. The time was now 2 hours, 15 minutes. I only lost two minutes in transition which wasn't bad.

I was only about 4 miles into the second loop when I started to feel fatigue setting in. My quads were feeling heavy and my hamstrings and calves were tightening up. I also started feeling a little pain in my right knee and my left hip. I think the sharp left and right turns on the tight single track were throwing off my SI joint and causing the hip pain. The knee pain was probably caused by my IT band tightening up. By mile 18 I was really beginning to struggle. I was a little worried knowing I had another 8 miles to go. I got a little energy boost when I hit mile 20. I'm not sure if this was physical or psychological but I felt good for about 2 miles. By mile 22 I was feeling like crap once again. At this point I could barely get my feet off the ground and tripped over a rock and went down hard on my right knee and elbow. No real damage done but it took the wind out of me.

The last 4 miles were very tough. I resorted to many short, swift walking breaks. I tried to calculate what my finishing time would be but mentally I was too fatigued to do the math in my head. I didn't think I had a shot at 4:30 any longer, and finishing became the only goal. Up ahead I saw a runner and a bright orange shirt. I thought if I could keep him in sight he could pull me to the finish. Unfortunately, he was having difficulty and started taking walking breaks as well. To finish this I would be on my own, as well it should be. The last 2 miles passed very slowly and painfully but eventually I was nearing the finish. I felt a sudden burst of energy and started to kick it in. In the distance I could see the finishing clock but it was difficult to make out the numbers. I kept running hard and soon I could read the time. I was a little surprised to see I would break 4:30. After downing 80 oz of Succeed, 10 oz of water, 4 strawberry-banana gels and 2 S-caps along the way, I crossed the finish line in 4:26:59!!

Complete Results Here: 50M & Marathon

Stone Cat Race Photos Courtesy of Emily Trespas: Click Here

This has been a come back year for me. I have overcome injuries and setbacks and made slow, steady progress. Stone Cat has been a year long goal and the culmination of a lot of hard work and determination. I am happy to have finished and thrilled to have broken 4:30. This is not the end, but merely the beginning of a new phase in my training. I will take some time to relish in the accomplishment and to rest my weary body before readying myself for the next challenge. Now that I have a marathon under my belt I'm looking ahead to a 50K (maybe).

If I had followed the advice of some medical specialists, I would not be running right now. So much for years of education, training and practicing medicine. No one knows my body as well as I do, what it is capable of, what pain it can endure and overcome. How much farther can it go?
Stay tuned.....

G.A.C. Mother's Day 6 Hour Race

My plan was to use the G.A.C. 6 hour race as another test of my recovery from plantar fasciitis and a cervical spine condition. I planned to run the 3 mile loop course in Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield at an easy pace and monitor my arch and neck pain. Earlier in the week I completed a 6+ mile trail run at Breakheart Reservation on difficult terrain and did not have any negative side effects. The loop for the G.A.C. run would be on easy non-technical trails. I thought I would be able to run at least 3 loops and possibly a 4th if I ran conservatively.

I arrived at the park a little later than planned. I called my friends Mary and Robyn who I was meeting for the run. Mary and I had been regular weekend training partners until I got injured last year. Robyn and I also logged many miles together during our lunch time runs in Boston. Both are accomplished runners with numerous marathon finishes, including many Boston Marathons over the years. Mary has also coached many new runners to successful first-time marathon finishes. Robyn has even finished a 50 mile trail Ultra in the rugged woods of Minnesota. Both had just arrived at the park around the same time as me. We all laced up out trail shoes and walked to the starting area.

The weather on race day could not have been better. The sun was shining brightly, there was very little wind and the temperature was a comfortable 55 degrees. This being just a training run for us the start should have been uneventful. There was no need to get to the front of the starting line and race to the narrow trail head. We stood in the back of the pack waiting for the start signal. The race started with a simple “GO” from Coach Gilly. I looked down at my wrist to start my Garmin and noticed I wasn’t wearing it. I then realized I left it on the hood of my truck while it acquired a satellite fix. I yelled to Mary and Robyn that I forgot my watch and had to go back to the parking lot to retrieve it. They both looked at me in amazement with a “Way to go Dan” look on their faces. So as they headed off into the woods with the rest of the pack, I ran in the opposite direction to my truck. Thankfully, my Garmin was where I left it. I grabbed the watch and headed back to the starting line. I noted that 5 minutes had already elapsed on the finishing clock. I then walked an additional 2 minutes as I fumbled with my watch trying to get it set correctly. I had a lot of ground to make up.

I would have to run the first loop much harder than I planned if I was to catch up with the pack. I was hoping I could get a glimpse of where my friends were on the course. I was passing slower runners and searching for Mary and Robyn through the long line of runners whenever the trail straightened. I could not see either of them. There was no way I could make up 5 minutes on them in a 3 mile loop. I knew I couldn’t maintain this pace for more than one lap if I wanted to complete 3 of 4 loops. I decided to run the first 3 miles hard and then slow to a manageable pace whether or not I met up with Mary and Robyn before then.

As I worked my way through runners, I meet up with Emily Trespas. I first met Emily last fall at the Stone Cat 50 miler and marathon. We were there supporting some friends running the fall classic. Emily took some nice photos at the race. You can view them HERE. We chatted for a while but got separated as the trail got more crowded with other runners. She is a nice person and I hope to see her again at future races. Emily went on to finish 50K at the race. Great job Emily! (Complete results HERE.) A short while later I caught up to my friend Larry. Larry is a regular at the weekly summer cross-country and trail races at Lynn Woods Reservation. He is a very determined runner, tough as nails, in my opinion. He always runs with a lot of heart. I hadn’t seen Larry since last summer so it was a pleasant surprise to run into him here. We discussed how many laps we would attempt to run today. We both said we would be happy to do 3 or 4. I later learned that Larry did 5 loops (15 miles). Hey Larry, keep up the good work!

As I was completing my first lap, and approaching the start/finish line, I saw Mary and Robyn standing nearby. I was happy to see them knowing I would have company for the next lap. We stopped at the aid station for a quick drink and some pretzels for me before heading out for our second lap. Robyn took the lead and picked up the pace once the trail widened. Robyn is mainly a roadie (don’t hate her for that) and I thought she would be taking it easy. I was wrong! We were passing many runners all the while Mary and I were thinking “Why so fast”? She was really moving. I thought maybe she had a bee up her shorts. Or am I just getting slower…Hmm? Despite the quick pace, the run was going well until suddenly and unexpectedly Robyn’s toe must have caught a rock. She fell hard onto the trail. I though for sure she would be hurt. Fortunately, she landed slight off the trail on a grassy patch. She had some small scrapes and a little blood, but nothing major. We laughed it off, sort of, and were on our way again.

As I said earlier, the course was easy, relatively flat with some gentle slopes and only one steep, short climb. I wanted to walk the steepest hill. Not because it was very difficult, but because I was worried running on such a steep incline would cause problems with my plantar fascia. The ladies were kind enough to walk up the hill with me although I knew it must have been killing Mary to do so. She is like the Energizer Bunny on hills. I mean she can really tear it up. If you don’t believe me check out my Countdown to Northern Nipmuck post.

The next two laps were uneventful. I was just trying to hold back Mary and Robyn. This was a training run for us but they can get pretty competitive at times. If they see a female runner ahead of them they usually will pick up the pace and run her down. They weren’t interested in doing that today so I was thankful. We debated about doing a 5th lap but I was feeling lucky that I had made it to this point with only a slight pain in my right arch. I didn’t want to press my luck going any longer and perhaps making my plantar fasciitis worse. We all decided to call it a day at 12 miles.

G.A.C. events are always a great time. Their organization, volunteers and aid stations are the best of any trail races I’ve run. I had a great time running in perfect weather with two good friends. I was encouraged by the lack of pain I had during the run. After all, I have been trying to heal from my injuries for 10 months. I have been very careful with my training, pushing my body when it seemed capable of being pushed, and resting when I felt that was the best course of action. Perhaps this run was an indication that I am finally turning the corner although I’m not completely out of the woods.

Run Gently.