On Sunday, I drove up to Chatsworth, GA to meet a small group of runners and one of the race organizers for a training run for the Double Top 100.  The plan was to run 40 miles which gave me pause initially.  However, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to run the entire “out” portion (plus extra miles) of the out and back 100K course.

The trip worked out differently than I thought but better in a way.  Due to some service road closures and concerns about runner safety, we were not going to be able to do 40 miles out.  I was a little disappointed at first.  I wanted to tackle the part of the course that included nearly 5 miles of climbing up to the top of the Pinhoti.  I like to know what I’m going to deal with when it comes to climbs!  However, I totally understood why we couldn’t do it and I got over it.  We ended up covering almost 30 miles in an out and almost back fashion.  That’s fine because that is how it will be race day anyway!

The race now has an updated website with more useful documents posted.  I pulled the mileage/elevation info from the charts their and roughly matched it up with my Polar running watch mileage and memories of the run.  From conversations with the organizer, I get the impression that the course might need to be re-routed a bit due to some unexpected road closures.  There might be some slight changes between now and March.  Also, we had a very kind volunteer (Thanks Tom!) serve as a mobile aid station.  His location and the location of the actual aid station location might differ a bit so that could change my descriptions below.

Fort Mountain Lakeside to Fort Mountain Entrance
2.95 miles, 191ft elevation gain

This was a nice section in the park and served as a good warmup.  The trails were pretty wide and the incline gain was fairly gradual.  I walked the slightest inclines (thinking that I was running 40 miles) to conserve energy at the start.  I had to climb over one huge downed tree.  Such things are never fun when you are 5’3 with short legs.  But that’s the fun of trail running, no?

Fort Mountain Entrance to Bearpen Aid Station
1.7 miles, 995ft elevation loss

This part of the trail was nice and tree-covered.  It felt like we were running along a service road of sorts but I can’t say for sure.  Most of this segment was wide-double track with minor leaf coverage and some big rocks/trip hazards to avoid.  This is lakeside running with very pretty scenery all about.  It had rained the day before so there were fairly substantial mud puddles.  There were about 2-3 small creek crossings in this section with the deepest one hitting ankle level.  More than one of the crossings left my feet wet so consider this a heads up if that sort of thing bothers you.  I’m not sure if all of these creeks are always present or if they were just around because of the rain.

The descent in this section sounds substantial but it was fairly well distributed.  There were a few longish downhill sections where you could really let go if that’s your thing.  We did not return to this section during the training run, but I would suggest saving some energy to tackle it on the back end.  This is near the end of the 100K and I don’t think it will be fun at all once this turns into climbing on the return trip.

Bearpen Aid Station to Cohutta Overlook Aid Station
5.9 miles, 668ft elevation gain

The trail opened up to a wide grassy area before connecting with the Pinhoti trail designated by white blazes and triangle turkey foot signs.  I didn’t see any turkeys during this run…wish I had!  The Pinhoti trail in this section was wide double track made soft with pine needles and lined with trees.  It was a really nice groomed running surface.

The climbing party gets started almost instantly on Pinhoti.  The total elevation gain I listed here is something of a misnomer.  There is 1028 feet of climbing over the next few miles before a gradual 360ft descent.  There are some breaks but there are a lot of long stretches that are just straight up fairly steep climbing.  This was the first time I remember thinking, “This is a climb and not a hill.”  I walked the majority of this section.  One guy was running it and absolutely kicking butt.  My calves were on fire just watching him.  Everyone else was hiking.  I don’t think most people would run this section – especially in the first 10% of a 100K or 100 mile race.

After the climbing we ventured into new territory that is apparently still being marked on the Pinhoti.  The race organizer assured me that she was going to mark the trail very well.  There were a few sections with trails that branched out in multiple directions.  The white blazes and Pinhoti markers were missing.  I had to wait up for guidance as to which way to go because it wasn’t clear at all.  Keep an eye out for markers here.

The confusion ends in a service road that runs along for nearly a mile.  I hate running service roads and this one was no exception – full on rocky gravel, not much scenery around except for a random residence or two.  Now we did miss a turn in here somewhere so I’m not sure how different the true course will be.  The course points do call for running about .9 miles of service road, maybe we ran more.  We ended up at a highway and had to run about .5 mile downhill on the highway to the aid station.    We were also driven maybe .3 miles down to the trail head (because we came out wrong and this highway is not runner friendly).  My Polar read about 10.5 miles total at this point give or take a few tenths of a mile due to minor operator errors.

Cohutta Overlook Aid Station to Three Forks Aid Station
4.9 miles, 870ft elevation loss

The race organizer told us this was her favorite part of the course and her praise was warranted.  This section was a lovely series of gradually descending switchbacks.  The trail was fairly narrow here with some slippery muddy sections around tight turns that called for caution.  But the terrain was pine needle and leaf strewn and there was a gorgeous view of trees below.  I loved running this section.  I only came across a few rocks or roots so this was a great time to just zone out and go.  The course was gently rolling and very, very runnable for long stretches.  This section went by very quickly.

Three Forks Aid Station to Double Top Aid Station
4.0 miles, 310ft elevation gain

This section marks the beginning of a residential area that has an entrance to the Pinhoti trail.  We ran on an asphalt road for more than a mile before reaching the trail head.  There was a stream on one side and multiple residences (including one with an open fence and a dog who thankfully did not chase us).  The road has a very slight incline.

Once we got back on Pinhoti, the trails were just as nice as the prior section.  They were very wide, very groomed and soft with pine needles.  This section did contain more big rocks to trip over so mind your step.  The trees were green with moss and so very pretty – enjoy the view!  This area is apparently popular with mountain bikers.  That along with the recent rain frequently left deep mud pits in the middle of the trail.  The majority of the bikers take a different route up and come down the trail.  You’ll want to look up every so often on your way out and listen out behind you on the way back so they don’t run you over.  I was not listening to music and was still startled by their presence behind me a few times.  We ran across at least 10 bikers total on our passes through this section.

There is about 800ft of gain here over a mile but I feel like it was distributed in such a way that it wasn’t very annoying…or maybe I was too busy running my mouth.  I do recall doing a fair bit of walking interspersed with bouts of running.  I don’t remember any “Oh God I have to climb that!” moments.  After the climb, there is a gradual 300ft descent over a mile.

Double Top Aid Station to Three Forks Aid Station, 4.0 miles:

We turned around at Double Top.  I wish (maybe I don’t) that we could have tackled the trip up to the top of Pinhoti which would entail going from 1900ft at Double Top to 3500ft over the next 5 miles.  I’m sure dealing with that would change my impression of this sections on the “back” portion of the out and back.

As it stands, I was a bit tired at this point and slow to get moving again after the aid station stop.  Most of the gradual 300 ft descent, now climb, became a brisk walk for me.  I did manage to pull off several long stretches of good running here so the terrain evens out.  The asphalt road back to the aid station seemed to last forever and I greeted it less than enthusiastically.  The slight incline felt more pronounced on the return.

Three Forks Aid Station to Cohutta Overlook Aid Station, 4.9 miles:

This section was very fun on the way out and not so fun on the way back.  There was a good deal of climbing since we dropped about 710ft on the way out.  It was something of a grind for a good while on the way back.  There are flat sections that break up the inclines and it isn’t as bad (or rather as steep) as that first big climb on the Pinhoti, but I did a fair amount of powerwalking here.

Running switchbacks down the trail is fun.  Running them up the trail back to the highway just makes the miles seem to last forever.  The view was still very pretty and you can easily spot other runners at various heights or across the way.  You won’t feel alone.  I encountered another mountain biker in the final moments who stated that I had about 300-400m to go to the highway.  That little bit of mileage seemed to take forever!  Most of the last .5 miles was all uphill too – not a steep hill but the very long incline variety that really isn’t fun either.

The total stated course mileage in the docs in this run is 28.35 miles.  My watch read 26.75 when I was done with my training run.  I had a few instances where I forgot to restart it after a pause for one reason or other so 27.5 miles is probably more like it.  We also missed a course turn on the way to the Cohutta Aid Station and took a detour which might have affected the mileage as well.  Most of the other runners recorded from 27-28 miles.  I recorded about 6:17 of running time (stopped the time at aid stations) for this training run. My watch recorded 4678ft of gain and 4934ft of loss for an overall total loss of 256ft.  The course information for the segments I ran indicate an overall loss of -136ft so that’s not too off!

The training run pleasantly exhausted me and made me really excited for race day.  If I were ready to tackle 100 miles, this would be a great race to attempt.  I’m looking forward to expanding my distance range and tackling the 100K.

I hope you find this “recon” report helpful if you are on the fence about this race.  Keep in mind that I’m a beginning ultrarunner and not a fast runner.  My idea of “runnable” and a really good runner’s idea of “runnable” might be two different things.

One last piece of advice.  Whatever the weather report is in Chatsworth (30705) dress for 10 degrees colder.  Another runner suggested that and after running out there, I totally agree.  The weather report listed a 58 degree high.  I wore pants, a short-sleeve T-Shirt, and a very light jacket for rain.  I took the jacket off for one short section but most often it was chilly enough to keep the jacket on.  At one point, I had on the jacket and my arm sleeves.  I didn’t wear gloves and I wished I had.  It is going cooler out there than you think!

I’ve changed.  Flash back to August at the H9 25-miler.  I remember practically shaking in my boots at the prospect of spending an unknown number of hours running 25 miles on trails.  Everyone around me was so casual about it that I had to wonder what was wrong with me for being nervous.  Flash forward to the night before the GUTS FatAss 50K.  I checked the weather report and saw that there was a 30-50% chance of rain every hour of the day.  I was looking at 31 miles of running unfamiliar trails, most likely in the rain, and I wasn’t nervous at all.  I have changed!  I guess now that I’ve done the 50 miler and spent nearly 14 hours on my feet, that fear of the unknown is gone.  If I can do 14 hours, I can run 6-8 hours in my sleep.  What a relief!

I headed to SweetWater Creek State Park on a warm overcast morning with very little trepidation about the distance.  The weather here has been crazy lately bouncing from freezing cold to T-Shirt weather.  Race day was a T-Shirt kind of January day with highs in the mid-50′s predicted.  I wore running pants, a short-sleeved shirt, and a new jacket.  I expected rain but it was going to be warm.  I wanted something lightweight and this Spring jacket (bought on mega-clearance of course) fit the bill.  I knew the course was a loop with aid every 6 miles, but I still wore my huge Nathan Hydration vest rather than carry a handheld.  I carried a handheld for short runs during the summer and it was fine.  I just really hate carrying stuff in my hands and I certainly didn’t want to hold anything for 6-8 hours.

I arrived in just enough time to use the restroom, grab my number, and join the small crowd at the starting line.  I saw so many familiar faces from other races.  I’m not the most outgoing person, but I really appreciate that the ultra community is quite small.  People are more willing to chat at any point of the race.  They remember that you gave them a thumbs up when they were struggling on the trail in a race.  It’s really cool.

I’ve never run at SweetWater before and wasn’t sure of the course so I had no idea of the elevation profile.  I knew the infamous “Top Of The World” and Powerline climbs were excluded from the race so I figured it wouldn’t be that bad.  I was looking at this as a good training run/scouting mission.  I have a couple of races at SweetWater park coming up and I always feels more comfortable having done some running on the actual trail.

The course was 5 6-ish mile loops and this was to be my first time tackling a long loop course.  Loops are good because aid (and bathrooms!) were never going to be too far away.  Loops are bad because I would have 4 opportunities to quit the race before reaching 50K.  Every time I run the Atlanta Track Club’s Resolution Run 10K (which is two 5K loops), I find myself reluctant to go for the second lap and that is only a 3 mile loop!

I viewed the first loop as a chance to learn the lay of the land.  This loop was to be a little longer to allow us to spread out a bit.  I never like the beginning of races because there are just so many people jumbled up together.  I feel (completely self-inflicted) pressure to maintain a certain pace.  I usually don’t fall victim to that pressure and willingly let faster people pass me, but I just find the whole thing a little stressful.  I am more comfortable when things have settled down and everyone has fallen in line.

The weather was warm.  I was ready to remove my very light jacket in favor of short sleeves after a mile.  The course was decent.  There was a little bit of everything on the mostly groomed double-track: dirt trail, rocky gravel road, rooty lakeside running, rushing river running and stair climbing.  There were a couple of hills and a some rolling terrain but nothing awful.  In many ways, I am glad that my first ultra (Duncan Ridge) and ultra-ish (H9) experiences featured the Coosa climb at Vogel State Park.  That climb is so obnoxious that anything else doesn’t seem that bad in comparison.

I finished the first loop in 1:25 and noted the distance as 7.25 miles.  I had decided in advance to better track the time I waste at aid stations because I know this is an area where I need improvement.  I was in and out of the aid station with peanut butter pretzel nuggets (yum!) in hand in 1 minute flat.

The field spread out a lot in the second loop and I enjoyed this lap a lot more.  I was thinking that this loop would be closer to 6 miles in length since the first loop included extra mileage.  No dice.  I circled back to the aid station in 1:22 and 6.9 miles.  I realized that meant the course would be “long” but I didn’t think too much of it at the time.  My aid station stop this lap cost me 4 minutes, but that included a pit stop at the restroom.  I figured I should go then before the issue became pressing.  I was drinking a good bit of water because it was warm outside.  It was perfect running weather (well, a little colder would have been nice) with overcast skies but unseasonably warm for January.

I felt great going into the third loop which was unexpected.  I was worried that loops might be boring but the terrain was varied enough that I didn’t hate the experience.  At this point, the course felt like an old friend and I knew exactly how I wanted to tackle certain parts.  That makes for efficient running which is always a good thing.  I started to anticipate a really good race and hope for a 7:15-ish hour and change finish.  I didn’t really have time goals going in but this seemed like a time that could make me proud.  I finished Mystery Mountain Marathon in 6:33 so completing a nearly 35 mile race only 45 minutes slower would be awesome.

Just when things seemed to be going well they turned to crap.  In spite of wearing a huge 2L hydration pack on my back, I didn’t give much consideration to the need to refill said pack.  I was drinking a lot more water due to the warmer temperatures and didn’t consider that I should refill earlier.  3.5 miles into the third loop I tried to draw water and the flow was slow.  A half mile later, I had the sinking realization that the flow wasn’t slow – the well was dry.  I was out of water on a warm day and I’m the type of person who needs to drink a lot.  I felt so dumb.  Really, really stupid.

I instantly started to try to formulate a damage control plan.  I knew I had to slow down the pace a bit to conserve energy.  I also decided to stop fueling since all of the stuff I had on me like Shot Bloks, Sports Beans, and GU require water to work properly and I feared an upset stomach.  I had recently taken an S-Cap due to the warmer temps and I figured I was covered as far as salt.  I planned to hold off on taking another one for a while since I would be dehydrated when I made it back to the aid station.  I don’t know if this was the smartest plan, but I went with my instincts and training runs are to be used as a learning experience, right?

No water for you!

I was running along a rooty lake path when I realized I was out of water.  The terrain there was a bit wet, rocky and slippery so slowing down didn’t piss me off because I could barely run anyway.  What pissed me off was running alongside a rushing river with a bone-dry throat knowing I couldn’t get any water.  I was also annoyed because I found the last 3 miles not as runnable as the preceding miles.  There was a big staircase to climb and some hills.  These miles would take some time to complete.   I estimated that I was going to face 45 minutes without water.  Ugh!

That was a hard 45 minutes and it did indeed take me about that long to complete the loop.  I felt fine physically except for a dry mouth, but I was so stressed out about the rest of the race.  Every time another runner passed me on the loop, I wanted to jack them for their water bottle to try and “save” my race.  It is really hard to catch up on hydration and fueling once you get behind.  I was also aware that in the process of getting on top of both variables, I was going to feel really crappy.  I was so angry at myself for stupidly putting myself in this position.

The third loop had taken me 1:34 to complete which is way, way off from the other loops.  I was so relieved to get something to drink that I didn’t care.  Upon my arrival at the aid station, I knocked back two cups of PowerAde in short order.  I stayed at the station for 4 minutes getting my pack refilled, drinking some fluid, and stocking up on food.  I walked away from the aid station with a belly full of drink and a handful of pretzels to munch.

I didn’t feel so great when I pull away from the aid station.  I was tired and my stomach wasn’t settled.  I broke out my ginger candies which are supposed to help reduce nausea.  I was walking and it was so hard to muster up the energy to run even though the course was flat and runnable at that point.  I forced myself to do intervals of 1 min walking and 1 min running and that worked for a while.  I still felt like crap and that minute of running felt like 10 minutes.  I vowed to keep moving though, even if I had to walk.  I knew the bad time would pass once I got my body back into balance.

I spotted the long-haired running man, Aaron, and his girlfriend ahead of me.  They were running strong and left me in the dust.  I didn’t even try to keep up.  It was taking way longer than I imagined to feel good again.  I had only covered 2.5 miles of the loop and I was still moving painfully slowly and feeling yucky.  I started to seriously entertain thoughts of not completing the whole 50K at this point.  The course was long.  Once I completed the 4th loop, I would have covered 28 miles.  Was I really in the mood for another 7 miles?

I spotted Jenn around this time.  We end up doing a lot of the same races and Jenn is usually about 15 minutes ahead of me.  I often use her as my “rabbit” because if I run into her that means I’m probably going a little too fast.  If I was dragging and had managed to catch up to her she must have been having issues too.  We ran together for a while because our paces were pretty evenly matched.  We were both taking a wait and see approach to completing the next loop.  She eventually ran ahead and I didn’t see her again.

It took way longer than I thought it would to start to feel better again in spite of my efforts to refuel and rehydrate.  I could only manage to walk/jog the first 3.5 miles of the loop.  I finally started to feel better 4 miles in.  Ironically enough, things started to turn around for me in the same spot near the river where they fell apart in the first place!   I was excited to feel up to running again but I also had it in the back of my mind that maybe it just wasn’t my day for this race.  My mental willpower was shot and I didn’t think it was coming back.  If the course were really 31 miles, I could have sucked it up.  However, I just didn’t feel like doing another 7 miles.  I was 90% resolved to bail after 4 loops at that point.

I was mad at myself for messing for making a stupid mistake, but I really didn’t feel all that bad about possibly bailing early.  I’ve already run a 50K and a 50 miler.  I have nothing left to prove to myself.  I decided right then and there to call it a day at the aid station and enjoy the rest of the loop knowing that I was home free.

I totally missed this building set right in the water on every loop but my last.

I ran on but slowed the pace enough to enjoy the scenery.  I stopped and took pictures.  I smiled and encouraged the other runners I saw heading out for another loop.  I hit the marathon distance at 5:45 and I celebrated the fact that I covered the distance nearly 45 minutes faster than I had at Mystery Mountain back in October.  I started to feel great even though I reminded myself that I could always reconsider at the aid station.

As I was covering the final portion of the last mile to the aid station, it started to rain – hard.  That did it for me.  I was 100% done with this.  Seven more miles in the rain?  If it had been raining at the beginning my attitude would have been different, but I was in no mood for a downpour at this point.  No thanks!  My final time for the 4 loops was 6:16:57.  The last loop took me 1:54 to complete.  I told you it sucked compared to the other loops!

I chatted for a minute with familiar faces from other races, Dan and Jason.  Then I went into the group shelter to warm up and choke down some chili.  I’m never really hungry after very long races, but refueling in that 30-60 minute window following such an effort is critical to recovery, so I try to eat a little something.  It was nice to have an absolute feast available after the race even though I wasn’t hungry.  GUTS was having a chili cook-off contest so food was plentiful.  The vegetarian chili and the chicken chili that I sampled were both very good!

Every training run or race is a learning experience and I’m glad I made a dumb mistake during this run instead of a more crucial run.  I will definitely be more aware of my hydration situation going forward.  This is the second time that I allowed this to happen.  It is better to stop and go through the hassle of taking off my vest than to rush off from the aid station nearly empty.  I wish my hydration vest had an easy way to gauge fullness but since it doesn’t I’ll have to be smarter about such things.

I also learned that I should probably avoid loop courses for critical races.  I don’t feel bad at all about not going out for that 5th loop.  However, I don’t like having the option to quit so readily available.  You can always quit a trail race at any aid station, but there is something more sobering about having to wait for a volunteer to give you a ride of shame back to the start.  I remember having to make this choice at the H9 with 10K remaining.  Knowing that I’d have to be assisted back was a big factor in not quitting that race.

Even with the self-inflicted issues I experienced during this race, I managed to not come in DFL compared to my peers!  That’s an absolute win.  Of the 16 racers who completed 4 loops, I was #7.  I’m a mid-packer once again.  Finally!

Even though I didn’t complete the race and “Half-Assed” it, I had a great day of running.  I felt really strong during the first few loops.  I saw so many familiar faces and met some cool new people – some who were doing this race as their first ultra.  I got to run in a new park and get a small taste of what’s to come in the SweetWater 50K (crossing that raging river – eek!).  I can’t really ask for anything more.

And that’s the story of my first DNF.