Pine Mountain 40 mile trail race

So it's less than a month since Pinhoti 100, and I am supposed to run the Pine Mountain 40 mile trail race. I had signed up for it quite a bit in advance because they cap the race at 150 runners and it always fills up quick. I ran this race two years ago and loved it. The GUTS crew always does an awesome job putting on races, so I was eager to come back. However, in the days leading up to the race, I was not sure how recovered I was. Except for a 17 mile training run the weekend before, I had not done any runs over about 12 miles since Pinhoti, so I had no idea how my legs would feel midway through the race, much less at the end. I decided to just give it a go and run how I felt. If I felt good, I would push it a little, but if not, I planned on just enjoying the day. This really helped to relax me and remove any pressure I might put on myself to run well.
Because we had a basketball game Saturday afternoon, I had to wait until after to leave for the race on Sunday. I met up with my dad, Dreama, and Shane to drive to Pine Mountain. We got to the hotel about 9:30 or so and didn't waste much time before going to bed. The race starts at 7am, making for an early wake up. The alarm went off at 5am, and after a quick breakfast, we drove to the race start in FDR state park. It was still pitch black dark and freezing cold outside when we arrived to check in and pick up our packets. Thankfully, there is a cabing where runners can hang out until just before the start.
About ten til 7, we were all told to head outside and up to the top of the dam where the race would begin. I kept my huge jacket and sweat pants on until the last minute before handing them to my dad. Race director Sarah Tynes said "Go" and the group of 150 or so runners set off along the road for about 400 yards before hitting the single track. It was still dark, so everyone had a headlamp, but because we were so close together for the first few minutes, I never even turned mine on. I went out moderately hard to try to get a decent position before entering the trail where it is really hard to pass. It was still frigid outside with strong gusts that chilled you to the bone. The forecast didn't look too bright either as the high was only going to be about 40 with a wind advisory and overcast skies all day. Oh well, at least I was moving enough to stay pretty warm, except for my hands which stayed numb for the duration.
I felt pretty good early on and ran with Shane and Dreama for the first bit. The trail is flat for the first 3 or so miles before climbing up to a road crossing. I think this one was manned but the others were not, so you had to pay close attention. After crossing, we ran along a gorgeous bluff overlooking the city below. The sun was rising and coloring the clouds all sorts of beautiful colors. Although I really wanted to look, the trail here was treacherously rocky, and I knew that if I took my eyes off it for long, I would surely bust it. For the most part, the course is very rolling. You climb a bit then descend again before long at all. It is very runnable but also deceptively hard because there are no extended flat sections. Also, the leaves were THICK to say the least. At times I swear they were at least a foot deep. You couldn't see anything below, so the only thing to do was just run and hope for the best. I don't know how many times I rolled my ankle on some hidden rock or root. When it wasn't totally covered in leaves, the trail was often like a small boulder field, very technical. There were also some really nice sections of soft pine needle covered trail that is a runner's dream.
I came through the first aid station at around mile 6 feeling good. I still had water and didn't need any food, so I just said hi to my dad and kept moving. Runners were still pretty close together, so I wanted to keep moving until we spread out a bit. The next aid station was in 5 miles, and I planned on refilling my handheld then. This section was rolling and leaf covered like the rest. At one point the trail got hard to follow due to all the leaves and I had to stop and look for the white tape used to mark the course. When Shane and I got to the 2nd aid station, my dad helped me refill with gatorade, and I was off again in no time. The GUTS people do an outstanding job at aid stations. Volunteers are always helpful and encouraging and have great food. I don't remember much about the next couple of sections other than it was a lot of up and down, a lot of rocks, but absolutely gorgeous.
I was still feeling pretty good when I got to around mile 19 at an aid station manned by Jeff Bryan and some other familiar faces. It was nice to see him again and here all the encouragement. He told me it was about 4 miles to the next aid station and that this section had 11 creek crossings. "Surely not," I thought to myself as I headed out thinking they must be exaggerating. Well it took about two miles before I realized that they were dead serious. This 4 mile stretch was probably the prettiest as it passes by several waterfalls that had a significant amount of water in them due to recent rain. However, you do cross over the same creek 11 times. It makes for pretty slow going, and I was starting to get a little down and could feel the miles in my legs. The aid station at mile 23 couldn't have come at a better time. Tom Wilson was there making grilled cheese sandwiches were amazing. Seeing everyone and eating some real food really lifted my spirits, and I set off on my way back to the same aid station I had come from at mile 19. The course is essentially an out and back with a slightly shorter route on the way back, so you hit most aid stations twice. I got to see several runners making their way out.
After passing through this aid station, I think runners take a different trail for a few miles before rejoining the blue blazed Pine Mountain trail. About mile 30, I was really getting tired. My legs did not like the uphills, and my mind was doing it's best to put me in a bad mood. I had run most of the day alone, but was now with two other guys who would leap frog me several times before ultimately pulling ahead. It was also around here that this really young looking boy blew past me like I was standing still. I asked him what on earth he was doing behind me and he replied that he had been running with a friend who decided to drop, so he figured he would pick up the pace a little. I swear he looked so fresh you would have thought the race just started. At one of the aid stations, my dad told me that the lead woman had taken a pretty nasty fall and hit her head. She was experiencing some signs of a concussion, and thus made the smart decision to stop. I asked if she was okay and he said he thought so, but it made me realize just how costly a bad fall on these rocky trails could be.
My dad said he may not see me at the next aid station, so I told him I hoped to see him at mile 35 and kept plodding along. For some reason, I didn't eat anything here and was absolutely starving and on the verge of totally bonking when I hit the mile 35ish aid station. Thankfully, they had some delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies which I gladly helped myself to. From here, runners have 2.9 miles to the last water only stop and then another 2.8 or so to the finish. I was still feeling kind of low when I met up with a man and started talking. His name was Ken and I found out that he is a history teacher in Alabama. I am planning on teaching, so it gave us something to talk about and pass the time. He said he wanted to beat 7:51 and asked if he thought we could do it. I asked him what our time was so far and after he said it was around 7:08 I replied that we should have no problem because we had gone a mile or so from the 35 aid station. For whatever reason, this gave me a goal to work toward, and I was able to pick up the pace a bit for the first time in a while. The 2.9 miles to the water stop are pretting rolling, but we ran fairly strong.
Once you hit this last stop, it's pretty much flat or downhill to the finish. I started pushing pretty hard now just wanting to be finished. Before I knew it, I heard my dad yelling and knew the finish had to be close. He said it was a little over a mile, and I started running about as hard as I could without totally blowing up. He ran with me and we passed two or three people in the last mile or so. I say "or so" because I'm pretty sure his estimate was a bit off. It was more like 1.5 miles but there is nothing I could do about it. Finally, I could see cars off in the distance and a clearing in the trees. I ran the last stretch to the finish followed closely by my new friend Ken, and we crossed in around 7:34, well under his goal of 7:51.
Overall, it was a good day. I definitely didn't feel 100% recovered but I also didn't feel horrible. The trail was prettier than I remembered but also more hilly than I remembered. I met the girl who won and set a course record by 17 minutes! As it turned out, she lives very close to me. Because it was still miserably cold outside, I quickly went in to the cabin to change clothes and get something to drink. Very shortly after doing so, Dreama came in followed by Shane. We chatted with some folks for a bit before heading home. I had a great time at this race and would definitely recommend it for anyone who hasn't tried it. I would also say be prepared to fall several times. It seemed like half the runners who came in had bloody, busted up knees, elbows, or even chins from taking a spill or two or five out on the trail. Nevertheless, they all had a smile on their face and no regrets for running a tough but rewarding race.