#21 Iron Furnace Trail 20k Review

8 weeks left before 100 miler!
4/21-4/27 - 72 miles

 Iron Furnace 20k Trail Race

Saturday 4/26 @ Lake Hope State Park

This trip started on Friday after running in the rain through Baker's Ridge with Josh and Chris Hunter. Shortly after, Chris and myself drove into Sabraton to pick up Andrew Rhodes and then we headed south for Clarksburg. Then we ventured across the horrendous route 50 until we reached Parkersburg. That is where the road ended on Friday. We got some dirt cheap pizza at Rubi's and, especially for the price, it was damn good. We then went to our hotel in Mineral Wells and Travis from the Sunday wolfpack met us there. I passed out around eleven and was wide awake just before one in the morning. I wouldn't return to sleep until roughly five o'clock, alarm set for six. For some reason recently I have been having sleep terrors and they make it quite difficult to go back to sleep. I also think they enable my restless legs at night. Several times in the last month I have woken in the middle of the night and either spent hours twisting and turning trying to fall back to sleep or I just get up and start doing stuff. It was raining the night before the race which was bad if you preferred to run on dry trails.

Lake Hope ( I assume )

Popped up at six and was out the door shortly after. Tank followed Travis from the hotel through Athens, Ohio and arrived at Lake Hope State Park which is in some small town West of Athens. McArthur I think. I initially heard about this race through talking to Michael Owen, the meet director and founder of SEOTR(South Eastern Ohio Trail Running). He was the first person to greet us and we chatted a bit. After signing up, the four of us went on a warm up. Warm ups are funny. I definitely feel like they are beneficial and necessary, but every single warm I find myself thinking 'shit. what am I doing.' Especially that early in the morning- I never feel to fresh...down there. (my legs) I don't know what got into me, but just before the race I got a huge shot of adrenaline. Perhaps it was due to the fact that there were insomnia cookies, very fitting for my night before the race, and snowville creamery chocolate milk waiting for me at the finish line. Michael did let us know that the race was 13 miles, so it was really Iron Furnace 21k which didn't bother me before the race. I sure wouldn't mind one of these trail races being shorter. After wearing my garmin watch I crossed the line at exactly 13.00 miles. The start was awesome, every race should do a countdown. Perhaps that's what gave me my adrenaline. Everyone counted down from 15 and then we set off. This goofy guy led the first few steps because he said he wanted to lead the race. And then some idiot went out in 6:02 for the first mile. That idiot would be me.

Now deep in the woods, and a decent bit up on Travis, 2nd, I reached a point where I needed to make a decision. I think that was at the top of a hill/cliff that I couldn't have topped without digging my fingers in the side of the mud to pull me up. That was shortly after 3.5 miles; I know because at the top was the first time a took a look behind me and started to realize the damage that I was doing. To myself. I was/am not currently fit enough to be bolting out at like a Digem out of hell for a 13 mile race. So I was standing there with a shovel in my hand, grave dug below me. I could either lay in the grave or walk away and try to salvage a smarter race. I put the shovel down. Went and got a cement truck to fill the grave after I jumped in. If you didn't follow the analogy, I bolted at the top of the cliff and kept running hard even though I knew I had a couple miles left at that pace at best. Sure enough a couple miles later Travis took the lead. Then Rhodes attached to the back of us and we ran miles 5-8 together. At mile 7 Rhodes passed me and I was now the caboose of the train. The picture to the side was taken at 8 miles and the order of runners is misleading. We crested the top of a ridge and Travis and Rhodes took a few steps to far before realizing the pink markings that led us back into the woods. Well I was a few steps off of them so I just cut in on the course while they were backtracking ten feet. I knew the only aid station was right after 8 miles so I used this opportunity to give another surge and go to the station as a group. Though I am leading the pack in the picture, I am easily the worst off at that point.

At the aid station, we all stopped together. I know that I downed a few cups of water and had a GU. Pretty sure my fellow mates fueled similarly. Then we all set off on the gravel road that we would be on for two miles. The race really started there. Right before the 9th mile we started to climb easily the longest hill of the race, but easily the least steep hill. Just a long steady climb. That hill peeled me off of the lead pack and sent Rhodes and Travis. Oh I almost forgot and I'm just going to add it in here. Back at like 6 miles we ran by what I would assume was Lake Hope but it looked more like one of the swamps in Fallout 3. Once we were running in the swamp, the trail was flooded, I had my eyes peeled for a Mirelock. Those things scare the shit out of me. Though it doesn't compare to turning around and seeing a pack of deathclaws chasing you. You run away, but you can't out run them. Actually, stop reading this blog and go log a good 100-200 hours on Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas.

 Did you do it? Good, welcome back.

 

Now that your life is significantly better- I will carry on. After topping the gravel hill we went down a very long decline. And by we I mean everyone who ran in the race, personally I suffered through that portion of the race alone. Though midway through the decline I heard footsteps louder than mine, which is rare. Two guys stormed by me and made me look like I was standing still. But I wasn't... I was moving, barely. From mile 10.5 to almost 12 we were running on a single track out and back that you couldn't cheat on. At the turn around there was a heart shaped hole puncher that you had to use to mark your bib. I don't want to brag, but the night before I totally called that it would be heart shaped. I also said that I wanted to be leading the race at that point, punch my bib, and chuck the hole punch into the woods. Because that sounds hilarious to me. The extended out and back gave me a chance to see how the guys were doing. I was honestly surprised to see Rhodes way ahead of everyone else, but stoked nonetheless. Next came Travis who had a good gap on the two Ohio boys that were ahead of me. Don't worry, I had no shot at catching them. My last 3 miles were so slow that I can't post them in case there are any children reading this. I was happy to see Chris in the 6 spot since this was his first trail race and first race over 10k, being a beast. I did eventually crawl to the finishline, but not after some deep thinking up the steepest hill yet at 12 miles. That climb almost brought me to my knees, I slowed to a walk and I have never had asthma before, but I think I had an asthma attack. I was just viciously panting and hoping for death. But if a trail race makes you wish for death at some point- it's a great race and you ran it properly.

I can only assume the little girls were asking how someone can look so terrible 

Travis took second behind Rhodes who set a NEW COURSE RECORD! Granted, it was the inaugural race, so that was bound to happen. He has set the bar right under 1:40. A bar that all of us will hopefully break next year. I think if the trail is dry, we can run a hell of a lot faster. Which is fun. Post race I drowned myself in Snowville Creamery chocolate milk. Sadly I didn't drink as much as I wanted too. It was easily the darkest and richest milk that I have ever had and it just wasn't going to agree with my stomach. If it was all watered down like Yoohoo I could have had a few gallons. Insomnia cookies nearly sent me into a diabetic coma. I assume it was the dry air, but the cookies may have caused the ruining of my vneck. We are standing around for awards and a wasp flies down and smacked me in the nose. Instantly my nose starts pouring blood. I can only hope that it was coincidence. It was dry out, but my vneck was covered in blood and will probably never be the same. This, folks, is tragic. I just want to say a big thanks to Michael and SEOTR for putting up a fun event, and posting pictures overnight. Almost every race is really lazy with that, but this blog is slightly enhanced because they uploaded pictures so rapidly. I look forward to doing this race next year since it is only 3 hours west of Morgantown. I shall be out for revenge. Not against any person, but the trails! They won this round. Actually I've been losing a lot to trails, but having fun in the process.

The last time my vneck was blood-free. Also I am rethinking the amount of cookies I just inhaled.

Champion of the day: Andrew Rhodes

Yes, I am jealous of the locks.

Quick side-note to unmake someone's happiness. To the person that suggested Friday Night Lights to me, I still thank you for seasons 1-2, but I only watched the first episode of season 3 and my god... The writer may actually be the worst writer ever. How in the hell do you end season two with a team still in the hunt for a playoff spot, and starting three with the next season. Coach's wife upgraded from guidance councilor to principal, smash blew out his knee, there is a QB controversy, and worst of all- Tim Riggins a senior for the third straight year! In the first season his brother asked the coach to help him look for colleges for Tim, and Tim and Jason were brothers since forever. Yet in season two Jason graduates and Tim is still in high school. Then season three he is still on the team? C'mon. He's been 18 and buying beer since season one. That makes him a 20 yr old senior. Not to mention all of the holes in the storyline, every character got screwed in the transition. It was great first season, good second season and I won't make the same mistake I made with Heroes when I kept watching until the writers turned a show I initially loved into a crap show. To anyone who hasn't seen FNL, I would strongly recommend the first season, and probably the 2nd. But I would also strongly recommend stopping after that. The rest is fluff. 

Next on Tap:

•  No races until Mohican 100 miler (6/22)***
•  Blog on First Round of the NHL Playoffs coming later this week
•  Moving across town into a boss house in two weeks

One love!

*** there are a few trail races in early June/ late may that I may end up doing.