Mendon 50k: Loop 1 of 5

Weather: Cloudy, 36°F, 89% Humidity, Wind: E @ 5 mph; feels like 32°F
Course: One completion of the Mendon Trail Races 10k loop

Loop 1 (0:58:28)—This was my first introduction to the trail course. I had tried in a number of different ways to acquire a layout of the course for training on, with little success. In the end, all I really needed was this first time through the loop to adjust my strategy. Prior to the race, I had worked with a number of different “ a run-walk-run” strategies. All of which dealt with the currency of “time;” you know, run for 10 minutes, walk for one and so on. At roughly a mile and a half into the race, I threw that out the window and began mimicking the strategies that others had suggested and employed, electing to walk the most severe inclines and run the balance. This worked very well. AS is often the case moved up through the small pack of runners by choosing those athletes ahead of me who appeared to be of a similar pace. The intellectual “wild card” was the understanding that many of these folks had gone this distance before, while I had not—I was concerned that by following the wrong leader I might burn out too soon..

Eventually, I settle into a comfortable pace and began to develop a better lay of the land, one which I would attempt to use throughout the five loops, in an effort to stay focused and consistent. As I came through the chute to complete my first loop, I was glad to see that my wife, who had brought me at 7:00 a.m. this Saturday morning, had stayed to support me, though I had told her it would be a long day. I did not feel winded after the initial loop and giving my wife a hug, as I took a sip of water, I told her “It wasn’t that bad.” Reflecting back now, that may have been cocky, but I was elated at the familiarity I quickly gained with the terrain, especially given my trip out a week earlier with my son and the fact that course was cobbled together with pieces of previously run races.

My statement of assurance, though, would foreshadow an odd problem in Loop 3…

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!