Whispering Grace 100k Recap

I was looking at my summer training plan, and I wanted a run at least 50k in distance or longer for July. All of this being part of my grand Yeti 100 miler training plan. 

Scanning through UltraSignup, I came across the Whispering Grace 100k in Massillon, Ohio. Based on the description, they would be holding this race on a little 2 mile loop. There would be only one aid station. I had run Jeremey's Zelda 4 hour run on a nearly 2 mile loop. That had be pretty fun since I was constantly seeing others during the run. Additionally, there were some things that I wanted test out so this would be a good opportunity to do so. 

The drive up was pretty easy. Turn on to 77 and head north. Followed by a 20 minutes of driving to get to downtown Massillon. I stayed at the weirdest Hampton Inn. The hotel was located on the top of a parking deck. They had just a little door to enter the lobby 

On Friday evening, I drove out to Whispering Grace ranch to pick up my race packet. I met the race director, and he shared a little about the Whispering Grace, the race and the course. After dinner, I settled in for a good night's sleep. For tomorrow was going to be a long day. I was expecting to be running for somewhere between ten and half and eleven hours. 

I left the hotel a little before 6 am for the short 10 minute drive to the ranch. There are a few others already parked when I pulled in to the parking lot. I got myself a nice little spot next to the course where I would setup my own aid station. 

15 minutes later, my stuff was setup, so I settled in to the back seat, stretched out my legs, and rested until the start at 7 am. 

The temperature was a nice 55 degrees but would be getting up in to the mid 80s during the mid day hours. The downside of this course, there was little to no shade. I would be feeling every bit of the sun's burning rays. 

7 am arrived, and after a short pre-race meeting, we were off an running. There were two guys a head of me leading the race. They seemed to be going back and forth during this first lap. I was in no rush so I set back and watched. 

At the end of the first lap, one headed for the porta-jon, the other stopped to grab something so I found myself leading. 

The course was a combination of pasture land and paved roads. The morning dew was being slow to dry off. I was trying to stay in the other runners tracks. Interestingly, by the end of the day, the grass was beaten down to a nice path. 

I ran 4 miles before grabbing my first hand held bottle. Starting the 3 lap, I pushed away the thought that I had 29 more laps to do. I just focused on the current lap only. 

One of the guys caught up to me, but only within about 20 yards. I invited him to come on up. I thought we could run together for a while. He never did. He eventually dropped away as he was spending more time at the aid station. 

The cool morning temperatures felt awesome. I felt like I was cruising along. 

That is until after 50k, and the temperature pushed higher. I was starting to feel less enthusiastic. I was drinking more and trying to do more to keep myself cool. 

About 40 miles, I felt a twinge in my left hamstring. I slowed to a walk and worked it out. 20 yards later, I was able to go back to running. I noticed it more on the downhills than the uphills which put me in a different strategy and most other runners. I was running the uphill and taking a short walk break on the downhill. It worked.

My hamstring felt well enough that I could be back to running full laps over the last 10 miles. 

Heading through for the final lap, the race director asked if I wanted to carry their horse shoe for a lap. Seems everyone was taking a turn at carrying this horse shoe for the a lap. At first, I hesitated. He was holding the horse down so the "luck" was running out. He didn't seem to understand my reluctance to take it but turned it up. So, I accepted it, and carried it for a lap. Let me just say that horse shoes are heavy 

Crossing the finish line, I was pretty happy to take a seat and talk with them for a while. My legs were tired. 

I ran faster than I expected. I finished in 9 hours 38 minutes and 51 seconds. This was about an hour ahead of what I expected given the heat. One of the things that I think bothered my legs was the asphalt. I am not use to running 31 miles on the road. My long runs have been exclusively on the trails for the last several years. 

They did a super good job with this race. I wish the world could be a little more like the running community. I visit a place where I don't know anyone yet they treated me like they have known me for years, and I made a whole bunch of new friends. After all, we spent an entire day seeing each other and giving each other encouragement. 

Cool Down Runner Adventures