Running for the hat of it...

I've been chasing this race for four long years.  Yes, the first (and only other) time I ran this race was back in 2009.  I'm reminded of the post I wrote at the beginning of that year, excited to try a new adventure and vowing it would be a one shot deal.  Ha! 

That first adventure didn't end well for me.  The HAT course has a lot of tough hills (at least in my mind) and I left the course after 18 miles in a lot of pain (hamstrings felt like they were tearing), but not so much pain that I followed through on my plan to never run anything like this again.  While I struggled with injury off and on, I've never quite slowed down.  In fact, I just keep coming back for more.

Start of the HAT Run

So, why did it take me four years to hit the HAT run course again?  Well, even though I've run 50ks and marathons in the interim, I was never quite healthy enough or home long enough at the beginning of the year to tackle this one again.  Until this year.  At first I was super sad that the race went to a lottery system for entry.  I was certain it wouldn't be my year....but low and behold I got it! 

Then it was a sprained ankle that I was determined not to sideline my efforts to cross the finish line.  And then it was a very late night at work the night before the race.  But with only 3.5 hours of sleep, I dragged myself to that chilly start line (where I ran into Ron Bowman...who helped me achieve my first 50k finish back in 2009...THANKS RON!).

If you've run HAT before, you know that it starts with a pretty easy 3.6 mile loop before heading out to the main show.  You almost have to have that loop to spread runners out, because the vast majority of the race once you head into the woods is all single track trail.  Not a lot of run to pass people. 

This is a pretty course.  All ups and downs, windy trails that plummet down to the Susquehanna River.  Multiple stream crossings.  Wide open fields with views out to the foot hills of the mountains.  Stone walls.  Oh yeah, and mud.

You also never quite know what you are going to find out on the trail...you may run into that pack of horseback riders out enjoying the semi-dry trails.  You may find your foot connecting with many roots and rocks if you're not careful.  But by and large, the dangers and the joys of the trails should be under foot or in front of you (in the case of the logs you may need to maneuver over). 

You shouldn't have to look up, though, right?  Not usually in my experience at any rate.  Wrong.  After another stream crossing, at mile 19ish, I was heading back up a hill when I started to hear a crack.  By instinct I jumped back about a foot, which is good because that is when a tree limb came down about 3 feet in front of me.  That would have hurt if it had hit my head.  And can you believe it wasn't the only falling tree limb I had to deal with?  I guess mother nature is keeping me on my toes.

Through it all...all 31 miles...I had the best support system you could imagine.  With each aid station I came into and multiple early passes in the beginning, I could always count on my husband and the diva being there to cheer me on.  There's something horribly motivating about your four-year old yelling "run faster mommy" to keep you moving.

If that's not enough, I really do need to thank the two women I ran the final five miles with.  I know your names are Deborah and Diana, I know little else about you, but I appreciate the conversation, the compliments and the company.  Thank you, also Diana, for paying me the greatest compliment I could recieve when telling me I'm setting a good example for my daughter.  And to Deborah for recognizing I have the best cheering section you could ask for.  And then there are the HAT run french fries...lord do I love french fries.

As I neared the finish line (which moved slightly since the last time I was at this race), the race director told me "You can stop running now" and I recall telling him "Oh thank God."  It was a great race, and I was thrilled to accept my new hat for finishing the HAT run.  Will I do this one again?   Maybe, but I can think about that later.  Now I need to worry about putting on a dress and wearing heels to a wedding celebration tonight :)  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  31
Time:   7:06:40 (average pace of 13:45 per mile)
Feeling:  my ankle is in a lot of pain, but that is outweighed by my happiness at conquering this course.

Happy Marathoning....

Happy 2009! With another year behind us, and another year unfolding before us, this is generally a time to reflect on where we'd like to go. Well I'd like to go the extra mile...no seriously, I'd like to go even further with my running this year than last and will do so in approximately two and a half months.

About four years ago I was nothing more than a 5K runner...and happy to be just that. And, I happened to be pretty decent on the small race circuit. Then I entered a 5 mile run and came in second in my age bracket. That race opened a whole new world of distance running. While still running my 5Ks, I set my sites on the holy grail for distance runners....the marathon.

DC is home to the Marine Corps Marathon, which is perhaps the ultimate marathon for the casual distance runner. Without the pressure of the professional runners from Africa, I decided to enter the marathon. I trained and trained. I ran more miles than I'd ever run before, and then I ran more. On marathon day I packed the required gel shots, extra socks, and confidence in my ability to finish 26.2 miles.

Miles 1-9 were great, miles 10-16 were okay...I was still on pace to finish in about 4:15. Mile 17 killed it all for me. (I should note that my legs aren't really built for major distance running...I've always had knee and hamstring problems...this day was no different.) At mile 17 I could feel my hamstring going...pain, pain like you wouldn't believe. Did I stop? Of course not, what kind of person do you think I am? I walked a little until I found the next aid station, took a Tylenol 8 hour (I highly recommend them for the casual marathoner), gave it ten more minutes of walking to kick in and then got moving when a Marine Staff Sergeant bellowed into his bullhorn "girl in the red shorts, lets get it moving."

So I completed my first marathon in 5 hours. Rather ungracefully, though ahead of Captain America. Immediately after crossing the finish line I told my husband to make a psychiatry appointment for me if I ever signed up for another marathon. I was never doing that again.

But guess what, I did. Two years later. Only this time I stayed ahead of my hamstring and the after-marathon sore muscles.

Does that mean I plan on running another marathon? I'm a realist, so not quite. My legs can't take the wear and tear.

That said, this year I decided to up the ante. I'm checking the box of "things to do before I die" and running an ultra-marathon. Oh yes, the non-marathoner, bad legs, 5K runner is hitting the trails for a 50K. I'm definitely not doing it alone. With a couple of my running side-kicks, and a few Tylenol 8 hours in my pocket, I shall brave the trails at Susquehanna State Park on March 21. Around and around the park we go, eating our way to the finish line and fording a river (okay a stream). I shall check that box.

And on March 22, I will return to my happy life as a short long distance runner and hang up my marathon shoes FOREVER (please do remind me of this if I mention signing up for anything longer than 15 miles again).

So the moral of the story....my new year's resolution is to add more miles, complete that one and only ultra-marathon and stay healthy. Meet you on the trails as we run into 2009!