WWC Tread Nightly & Tread Brightly ½ Marathons Recaps


This weekend, I was off doing something that I hadn't done since the Dopey Challenge at Disney World. I raced on successive days. This time I was running the Whitewater Center's Tread Nightly & Tread Brightly ½ marathon trail races.

Tread Nightly started just before sunset at 8 pm. Then, I had sleep fast because the Tread Brightly race started at 8 am the following morning.

After a long day at work on Friday, I packed up my CRV and headed for the WWC. The race was still several hours away but I needed to arrive early for other reasons. I would be camping out between races. Granted I only live about 15 minutes from the WWC, but the opportunity to crawl in to bed just after the race and then crawl out for the morning race was just too tempting.

After checking in, picking up my packet & hoodie, I headed for the camp site area. A few others had already setup their tents so I found myself open site and begin setting up my own camp. Roughly 25 minutes later, I settled back in to my lawn chair to relax for a bit before the evening race and watch as others runners/campers arrived.

About 7:15 I headed out for a few easy miles on the trails. For some reason, I like to hit the trails before the race. Some how, I think it helps remind my brain that I need to pick up my feet. Running on the pavement makes me rather lazy, but being lazy on a trail makes going down almost a certainty.

Dawning two head lamps, one on my head and one on my waist, I headed for the starting line. The announcer was telling us that we must be stout at heart since we were tackling the East Main Trail and doing in the dark. I couldn't find a reason to argue with her. East Main can be tough on a runner in the day time. Running it at night would just upped the ante.

Making manners worse, the temperature was still hanging around 90 degree, and my sweat was lathering up like a second skin. Instead of evaporating, my sweat hung around until it congealed enough to run off.

The race starts at one of the WWC's event area. The race has a down hill start, and plenty of runners were taking advantage of it. We go barely a ¼ mile, and we are already entering woods. Darkness had yet to settle over the country side, but entering woods, the runners in front of me were already turning on their head lamps. I could see the reasoning in their decision and followed their example.

We followed the South Main trail for the first couple of miles. I was picking off runners one or two at a time as the opportunity presented themselves. We swung on to the Weigh Station loop. Weigh Station is not particularly difficult loop but it is rocky. Off the Weigh Station, we were back on the South Main for a couple of hundred yards before ducking off on the Toilet Bowl loop.

Runners were getting really strung out now. I could only occasionally see a head lamp of a distance runner in front of me and few head lamps of the runners making their way along the South Main trail behind me as our two trails paralleled.

Off the Toilet Bowl loop, I was starting to settle in to a nice rhythm. With no one close beyond or a head of me, I could run my own pace.

We followed the South Main trail back past the Lake Loop and by the WWC to the Parkway Loop. We ran on a short distance on the Parkway Loop before picking up the East Main trail.

Normally, this is the section where I slow down. The humidity was terrible. The air was stagnate, but temperature was slowly dropping. I was taking both Powerade and water at every water stop.

I was also catching a few more runners. Henrique, who had beat me at the last River Jam 10k, was drifting back to me.

His little group would open up some distance on me in the downhill sections but the uphills, I was making up more ground than I was losing. If you have ever run the East Main trail, it seems to be more uphill than downhill.

Just before we arrived for the Tributary Loop, I caught them on an uphill. I went right by and kept on pushing up the hill. I knew coming up that the first half of the Tributary section was downhill to flat. They could well come roaring back on me.

By the time, I started the back half of the Tributary trail, I could see no head lamps either ahead or behind me.

I worked the up sections of the Tributary back to the East Main trail. My legs were starting to fatigue now. I had to concentrate harder to see the roots. I found myself stumbling or putting my feet at the wrong angle a few times. Both served me to refocus my attention on the trail ahead.

Upon exiting the East Main trail, they sent us up the gravel road. I thought climbing up the trail was hard but the road gravel road was harder and steeper. I felt like walking near the top.

Then, we picked up the tiny trail section that runs along side the WWC. This was the section where I fell twice during the New South Marathon. Those two spots are permanently etched in my brain. I had no intention of falling again.

My Garmin had already clicked over 13 miles so I knew they were giving up some bonus distance. Exiting the final trail section, I followed gravel channel path until I came to the section leading back to the finish line. I thought back to the runners that charged down this hill at the start. I had no charge left in me. I simply “willed” my legs to climb the hill to the finish.

Crossing the finish line, I came to a halt. My body was down running, and my only need at the moment was water. I must have drank 6 or 8 cups setting there on the bench.

I was physically tired, but I believe I was even more mentally tired. Concentrating so hard on the roots, rocks, and the path ahead, had left me wiped out.

I took the long walk back to my car, grabbed my gear back, and headed for the shower. Taking a hot shower made me feel a little better, but I was tired and even more so dehydrated. Circling back by my car, I dropped my bag, grabbed some food and water, and headed for my tent. I didn't even think about going to the awards ceremony. I crawled in side, ate dinner, and then laid down for some much needed rest. I had hoped to sleep straight through until morning, but I found myself walking up to drink. I went through 3 water bottles during the night.

I was very pleased with my finish. I was 2:02:11 and 5th overall. I hadn't realized just how many runners that I had passed during the race. I was 1st in the 50-54 age group.

At 6:30 the next morning, I rolled out bed, broke down my camp site, and packed my gear back to my car. Then, I headed over to change for the race.

I bumped in to Marcus who told me about falling during the race last night. When his head lamp hit the ground, the batteries came out. He was left feeling around in the dark attempting to find the head lamp, and then the batteries. He eventually found the head lamp but not all of the batteries. He then had to wait on the 3rd place runner before he could make his trek the rest of the way out. But his story didn't end there. He thought it was all road back to the finish. But when he neared the finish, he realized his mistake. He back tracked hoping to catch up with the the 3rd place runner before he entered the woods section but he was too late. Marcus was left feeling his way along in the dark until the 4th place runner caught up with him.

After talking with Marcus, I jogged ¾ to mile just before the start. My legs were tired, and I wasn't imagining it. Scanning the starting line area, there were plenty faces from last night but I also saw a few new faces.

The weather was better the wind had picked up, the skies were overcast, and the temperature and humidity were better.

Not as many people rocketed off from the start this time. Not knowing how my legs were going to react to racing again, I went out in a conservative pace. By the time I had entered the East Main trail, I was in 4th place. Catching an occasional glimpse of the 3rd place keep me pushing forward, and I finally ran him down on backside of Tributary trail. I never saw either the 2nd or 1st place runners, but the rest of the trail doesn't lend itself to seeing them.

I popped out on the gravel, picked up the final trail section, and then made the final climb up to the finish. Tread Brightly had been far easier than I had expected.

I finished in 2:01:57 for 3rd overall and first in my age group. I was only a slight faster than last night's race but then I was running on tired legs. 

I had run two trail races less than 10 hours apart and had stayed up right for both races. A fact, that gave me a huge sense of accomplishment after hearing about so many falls during the night race.

I knew the conditions were bad for the Tread Nightly race, but I heard that some runners were out on the course for 6 hours. The awards were pushed well into the night which made me glad for choosing sleep over waiting on awards ceremony.

Some race I do once, create the memory, and move on. Never thinking about doing it again. The Tread Nightly & Tread Brightly plus the option to camp out creates a neat experience. I will certainly consider doing it again next year.

Before I wrap up this post, there is one more story for this weekend that I want to share with you. These two races have what is called the TreadMeister category. Runners score points for either running the ½ and 4 miles races for both events. The top 3 runners received a TreadMeister awards. I was lucky enough to walk away with a 2nd place in this category. This is a unique award, and one which I am especially proud. 

That wraps up this weekend's adventure

Stay tuned for more training adventures.

The Cool Down Runner







Comments

You never cease to amaze me man!! You are a beast!! Keep up the great work! Your passion for running is awesome!

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