2019 Ethan Allen 6-Hour

Who needs to taper for a race?

I entered this race only two weeks before, almost on the spur of the moment. It fitted nicely in between Loopy Bunny 6-Hour two weeks prior and Endless Summer two weeks after. As another supported training run in the heat, it was perfect for my build up to North Coast 24 in September. In conjunction with that I did not taper for the race, already logging 36 miles for the week up to race day. This limited my expectations since I wouldn't be racing fully recovered on fresh legs. I still hoped for at least 20 miles, anything beyond that would be a nice bonus.

The drive up was uneventful though the worst traffic was not in northern New Jersey or near New York City, but after I exited I-787 at Troy, NY. It must have taken me 15 minutes to drive a mile with traffic lights every two or three blocks and very heavy traffic. The motel where I stayed felt like I had traveled back to the '60s, complete with registration card to fill out and an actual key, not an electronic card, for the room. It was convenient, though, only three minutes from the high school track where the race was being held. After picking up my packet and chatting with the Adam and Eliza, the race directors, Mike and Bill, the timers, and a few other runners who picked up their packets while I was there, I found an Italian restaurant nearby for my pre-race dinner. It didn't take long to organize my gear for the race, so I thought I'd check on-line for updates and messages. Unfortunately internet service was sporadic, so I finally gave up and read until bedtime.

With the 24-hour starting at 9:00 A.M. and the 6-Hour at 10:00 A.M., I had plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast, even with heading over in time for the start of the 24-Hour race. After putting my knapsack down where one of my friends had set up her tent, I managed to remember and take a few pictures before my race started. I ended up taking more photos here than I have at any of my other races, including some from the start of the 12-Hour which began at 9:00 P.M. until the camera battery charge got too low to focus on a moving object. I had hopes that the weather might cooperate and stay overcast. I knew we had no hopes of avoiding temperatures in the mid-80s.

After the pre-race announcements and instructions we lined up as the 24-Hour runners were approaching their first direction change guided by the OWGD (Old White Guys Dancing). Mike and Bill put on a hilarious show for the turnarounds. The first few laps felt slower than they actually were, but it wasn't too long before perceived effort and pace matched, unfortunately on the slower side. I was running about 250m, then walking the remainder of each lap, timing it so I walked past the aid station on the far side of the track. The first few miles were around 14:30 pace. It wasn't until mile four that it dropped under 14:15. I was able to hold that pace through mile 16 before the heat prompted me to stop running and only walk. Running generated too much heat, especially when we lost the cloud cover. With an ice bandanna, cold water poured on my head and back of the neck, and a volunteer who sprayed us with cold water on request, I was able to keep moving at a 16 minute pace. When I slowed even more, I promised myself I would take a break once I reached 20 miles. I wanted to limit my break to about 10 minutes, but it was about 16 minutes before I stepped back on the track and started moving slowly. It took a while to loosed up and move more naturally, but once I did I was moving as fast or faster than I had at any time during the race. With my kick over the last lap and a half, my average lap time for the final 6.5 laps was under 3:10, about a 12:36 pace. My final total with partial lap was 22.6061, a distance I was very pleased to run under the conditions.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the race was how I recovered and bounced back after my short break. In hindsight I probably should have taken the break sooner, but I was focused on first getting to 20 miles. Also I lacked the confidence that I would be able to continue in the heat once I sat down. With two more summer races scheduled, Endless Summer 6-Hour at the end of July and Lean Horse 30M/50K in mid-August, I'll have two more opportunities to refine my adaptations to heat, as well as assuring me a couple more extra long runs in preparing for North Coast 24 on September 21st.