Li'l Rhody Runaround

NOTE: This post was ready to go three weeks ago. Three weeks! Yet it took an illness that has relegated me to my bedroom to put the finishing touches on it before the year ends. Muddy can say what he wants, but he at least got his recap done in a timely manner. 

I thought this could be the year. After four consecutive fourth-place finishes from 2012-2014, and then a three-year hiatus, I actually thought I might have a chance to win in my return to Li'l Rhody this year. With no Mike Galoob, no Matthew Walker, no Ryan Woolley, and a possibly mortal Greg Hammett, I figured I could at least be in the mix, and if I played my cards right, take the victory. Of course, this would also mean fending off challenges from the usual cast of characters -- Jonny, Muddy, Brightman, and Tommy -- which would be no small feat on its own.

For my 2014 recap, and proof that I was once creative in my race recaps, go here. I laughed a few times in re-reading it.

The biggest wildcard would be the trail conditions and our ability to handle them. Wet snow and rain in the week leading up to the race made for water-logged trails and slippery bridges and left many of us guessing what footwear to don. After much deliberation (up until 5 minutes to the start -- I brought four different options to the race with me), I settled on my old XC spikes with 1/4" pins. I figured this would make a huge difference on the bridges, wouldn't hurt on the rolling trails of the race's first half, and would be endurable on the roads. I didn't know how they'd do on the rocks and roots of the second half but imagined they'd be at least as good as any other option I had. Time would tell.

I planned to go out at 5:40ish pace, which based on previous years I figured would put me in the top 5 through the campground. This year, though, the peloton's pace was fairly conservative in the opening mile, and I wound up trailing just Greg after a half-mile. I even pulled ahead before taking the trail toward the campground. I led Greg past the playground and through the campground roads until I embarrassingly realized I didn't know where I was going. I took a fairly indirect line, admitted to Greg I needed help, and then got back on track when he went by. I ran through the leaves and branches on the side of the campground road to avoid the spikes-on-pavement awkwardness, but this was almost equally awkward.

Finding my position in the early going. The Hammetts are in the lead in their customary tight tights. (Pics grabbed from Seth's video.)

Greg had a couple of seconds on me at the Vin Gormley trail entrance. [NOTE: I somehow still don't actually know any of the Burlingame trail names, and there are NO maps on the internet that I could find, so forgive this total guess at the trail name.] This was fine by me, as I always prefer being the chaser, especially when the person I'm chasing is the better runner. When the roles are reversed, I spend far too much mental energy thinking and worrying, and I was reminded of that for the brief stretch I'd led earlier in the race. Besides, this is a long race, and Greg has had a dominant history here, so I needed to exercise patience/minimize stupidity as much as possible.

We were fairly well clear of the rest of the pack by the time we'd reached the bridge section. It was here, though, where I made my biggest blunder of the day. I had worn the spikes specifically for these bridges, and they worked magically. But I reaped no reward, as I was stuck behind Greg and his slip-sliding shoes. To pass, I would have needed to run through the rocky muckiness on the slide of the bridges or hope Greg would slip off like he'd hit a banana peel on the Banshee Boardwalk. I didn't really hope for this and even grabbed on to his arm once to help out when it looked like he was headed for the pits. I really regretted not sprinting ahead before the bridges and opening up a lead. It was earlier in the race than I would have liked to go to the front, but it was still a huge missed opportunity.

Watch out for those peels, Greg!

Regretting my indecision before the bridge section. (Pics from Matthew's video.)

Despite my strategic gaffe, I was still running comfortably and biding my time until I felt confident I could make a bold move. Greg seemed just fine as well, so I continued to be content to follow.
Just before the water stop and short Buckeye Brook road section, Greg took his hat off and then tossed it to his parents at the side of the road. This brought back memories of a mild-mannered girl on the Williams XC team while I was there. She was one of the quietest, most polite people I knew, but was a fearless racer who was known to emphatically toss her gloves just before making a move in big cross country races. (She was an 11-time All-American, too, so her boldness was not unrewarded.) I started worrying that Greg’s intentions were the same, and he soon proved me right, quickly accelerating on the road and opening a gap that grew throughout that entire stretch. I had no illusions of matching his pace, but I also discovered just how poorly the spikes were handling the pavement. I was grateful to re-enter the woods, where I would try to chip away at the lead.

Shortly after Greg's big move, and already looking back. (Pic from Seth's video.)

There was still a lot of race left, so I tried to be patient and not work too hard on the tricky rock sections. My goal was to reel him back in by the road and then hope I had enough of a kick to pass him before the finish. I occasionally marked the time Greg passed some landmark on the trail and then counted the seconds until I reached the same. At one point, his advantage had been cut from 12 seconds to 8. I was moving in the right direction. But then the next check-in was 12 again, and the one after that 15. I lost track of him eventually and started worrying more about the runners behind me. I was disappointed in my mental weakness, but it was based at least somewhat in reality. My legs just didn’t have what I needed today. What’s worse, my spikes were far worse than I’d imagined they’d be on the rocks and tough footing in the second half of the race. Instead of gripping the rocks, they slid right off them. I recalled how so many boulders in the mountains are covered in scratch marks from winter hikers in crampons. Why didn't I think of this before? I was getting what I deserved.

Learning that spikes and rocks don't mix. (Pics from Matthew's video.)

When I finally reached Kings Factory, I could still see Greg up ahead, but with an insurmountable lead. There wasn’t much of a shoulder available, so I clicked away down the pavement. I got a little bit of speed back but didn’t even make a dent in Greg’s gap. I got the usual hand-slap from Mikey at the park entrance and a nice shout from Schonning as I made the final left to the finish. The final time was 48:39 -- 25 seconds behind Greg. I have no idea if this was a good time. It’s far slower than the last time I raced here (47:01), but the conditions were as non-ideal as they were ideal that day four years ago. How much time did the puddles, streams, and slippery bridges add? How about the spikes? Speaking of the spikes, as frustrating as they were, there is no chance I would have gotten the better of Greg in different footwear. After all, he had to run through all the same muck and probably slipped in places that I didn’t. He straight up ran the better race and deserved the win regardless of our respective shoe choices. I was really impressed with his go-for-broke move midway through the race, especially given the worries he expressed in his post-race Strava commentary. That's how to race like a champ. Maybe I'll someday learn to do the same.

It is said the most efficient foot plant location is directly beneath the torso. Oops. (Pic and caption from Seth's video.)

Many thanks to WTAC and race director Jeff Walker for a fabulous race, and to Seth Acton and Matthew Walker for their awesome videography!

Final Note: I put together a little summary table of splits throughout the race for the top runners but left it at work (yes, it was handwritten). Maybe I'll someday update this post with those stats. Maybe.

Results