Done with the Grind!! It’s been 3 weeks of go go go from Cow Chip Bingo, a Carnival, MSU & Hamlin Lake to the George Washington Forest in Virginia and the Grindstone 100k, by the end it feels like we’ve been living in a whirlwind!
I’m currently feeling very sore and exhausted but very happy that we’ve hit on our goals over the last couple weeks and for the year overall. Securing another entry for Western States lottery has been the goal for my crew and I. Completing the Grindstone 100k happily gets that goal back on track! I’m very appreciative of everyone who has supported us and ran miles and miles to keep this goal rolling.
A little about the race experience, it was as advertised, a grinder. The hikes were no joke, just total crushers. My goal was to really try and bank as much time early to be sure and get under the 18 hour cut off. It poured down rain twice while I was out on the trail, the last of the storms knocked down trees and made descending the mountains much more technical. I used hiking sticks after 25 miles and it was a life saver, the sticks made the up hill climbing much more manageable and coming off the mountain when the trail was flooded with rushing rain water, I had the sticks for support. Making my final decent and getting out on the road that led to the Natural Chimneys campground. I knew I could hike it in and would have plenty of time to make the 18 hour cut.
Results: 105th Overall Time: 16:08:03
The best part of the trails are always the other runners that you meet on the way to the finish line and the stories we all share. My proudest running stories that I share while I’m on the trail are always about our Cross Country teams. The worst part of course is the recovery after the race, sore on top of sore, this seems to some how pass and fade to the point that it doesn’t seem so crazy to run another ultramarathon.
On To Fast Times….
Sometimes we can get caught staring at times, sometime we get caught up in how we feel, sometimes we get caught up on social events and sometimes we need to just drop all of those things and just run fast! The Denny Steven’s race is just the right place for that. You start out on top of Reservoir Dam and run down hill for the first mile. At the bottom of the dam you will realize your out fast and all you have to focus on is going, not backing down, and checking the clock when you cross the finish line. I don’t want to ramble on so focus, fast, and seasons bests or PR’s!
Weekly Goals
Focus
Fast
SB’s & PR’s