Race Report: 6 Hours of Dauset Trails Endurance Run

Date: Saturday, Sept. 14th 2013
Location: Dauset Trails Nature Center
Race Organizers:  Mountain Goat Adventures
Start time: 10:00 AM
End Time: 4:00 PM
Temp at start: About 65 degrees
Temp High: About 80 degrees
Course: About a 6 mile lap of varying terrain

Participants were either solo runners or on relay teams of 2-4 people.  


I had never done something like this before, but was excited to try something new and give it my best shot.  I stumbled upon this race in the early Spring and thought it sounded fun and like a perfect set-up to try my feet at a marathon distance trail run.

I admit, I was naive in the beginning with grandiose goals in mind.  Silly me didn't realize just how much slower I would run on trails compared to the typical road surface, so I had my hopes set on completing 5 laps during the race, which would equal roughly 30 miles.  As my training progressed into the summer and I hit the trails for long distance runs, I began to realize it was very unlikely that I would be able to complete 5 laps within the 6 hour time limit.  I still thought that I would give it a try and would be ok with pushing myself to complete the 5 even if I would come in after the 6 hrs.  

Pit Row and getting our Pit area set up

I shared a table and pit area with Liz (AKA Mountain Goat) My stuff is on the left.

Since this was uncharted territory for me, my parents and niece decided to come hang out and cheer me on along with my friend, Kimberly, who volunteered to be my "crew chief" and help keep me going and on task.  I am so grateful to them all, because it was always a happy moment to hear their cowbells, see their smiling faces and see the best motivational signs ever! 

I decided to make Yeti the theme of my race.  See the little Yeti attached to my pack? and Kimberly made this sign!

Liz and I with nervous smiles and pre-race jitters

Last moments before joining the pack at the start line!

It was an absolutely beautiful morning.  When I first stepped outside before 7 AM, it was actually chilly and in the 50's.  I was so happy, I yelled out a "YES!!! Thank you GOD!!!".  By the time the race started, it had warmed up to about 65 and was expected to get up to about 80.  At least we started out cool with low humidity. It had been in the upper 80's and even reached low 90's earlier in the week, so this overnight change was VERY welcome! 

The sun was shining, birds chirping, and kids were wearing tutus--all seemed right in the world :)

Annnd we were off! I placed myself near the back so that I would not get trampled

For about the first 3 miles of the first lap, I found myself keeping up with a pack of about 5 solo runners and felt pretty good.  My legs were fresh and well rested, and I was fine.  My Garmin watch does not keep proper mph pace in the woods, so I didn't know exactly how fast I was going until I calculated it in my head.  At about mile 3 I deliberately slowed down a bit and let some people pass me, then I was all alone for a while going at my own pace.

I started to feel a pinch blister forming on my left foot and couldn't wait to get to my pit stop to rub some liquid body glide all over the hot spot.  It had never done that before in all of my training runs, so it was a bit frustrating.

I was expecting to finish each lap in 1:10 to 1:15 and came running into the pit stop at 1:06!  Kimberly told me that was way too fast and I needed to slow down. She was right.  I addressed the hot spot issue, guzzled some GU brew drink because I was already pouring sweat and starting to overheat, and then took off for lap 2.

This lap I took much slower and started noticing the hills more. I also started getting some cramps in the stomach from drinking too much GU brew at the pit stop.  I had only taken one gel on the first lap and really needed to eat another, but held off until my stomach settled a little.

When I came into the pit stop after the 2nd lap, Kimberly noticed I hadn't been eating much or following my nutrition plan, but I just couldn't.  My stomach was sensitive already and the heat was getting to me.  I had taken another gel and tried to munch on some chews, but I suddenly didn't want anything sweet.  The whole 3rd lap I kept trying to think of a food I felt like eating, but everything sounded gross.

Lap 3 was without a doubt the hardest for me.  Hands down.  I felt like I was stuck in a time warp as every mile felt like it was taking FOREVER.  When I saw the "mile 2" sign hanging from a tree with the cute little mountain goat icon smiling at me, I said out loud "There is NO f***ing way ALLLLL that was only 2 miles!!!"  and I had a little moment in the middle of the woods where I just needed to stop, take some deep breaths, and get myself together.  I am not proud of this moment, but it happened and then I moved on :)

I was starting to feel a tad dizzy and like I might pass out.  I made myself suck down another gel.  All I felt was this intense thirst and dry mouth.  I just wanted to drink tons and tons of cold water and poor ice water all over my head and body. This was also the lap where I began noticing how sore my feet were from all the rocks I'd been stepping on and my glutes and hamstrings started tightening and threatening to all out cramp up. 

All I could do was just keep going, keep moving, no matter what. These are some of the thoughts that ran through my head along the way: "Just keep moving, ahhh I almost fell into the trees--phew close call, keep moving, keep walking, try to run, agh I tripped again? get it together!,  keep running, foam roller at pit stop, pretzels, ice waterrrrrr, get to the pit stop, do it, ahh tree branch almost poked my eye out, you're fine, keep it moving, come on, go go go!" 

Somewhere in the middle of this time warp/twilight Zone better known as lap 3, I decided that 4 laps would be just fine.  4 laps and nothing less than 4 laps.  It was already apparent that I would not be able to run/walk/crawl my way through 5 laps within the allotted 6 hours.

I was sooo happy to be done with lap 3, I had the biggest smile on my face!  When I reached our pit area, I announced that I needed a 15 minute break to get myself together, and I was only doing one more lap.  Everyone agreed that was best, and there was no arguing there! My right foot had a major cramp and I rolled out my hamstrings and glutes, then laid down with a cold cloth and elevated my legs for a bit.  My dad and niece were helping out with keeping me cool and massaging my feet...bless them all!  hehehe 

While I rested, my crew informed me that a lot of people were tripping and falling and complaining about the heat, so I wasn't alone in my struggles.  I was beginning to think I was weak and ill prepared, so it helped to hear others were feeling the same way. It wasn't just me making these things up, it was the reality of the situation out there! :)

Once my rest time was up, I headed back into the woods, along with a few others who were on their final lap of the day.  I was not the only one who decided 4 laps was sufficient, and I was not the only one walking up the hills.  I ran as much as I could of the 4th lap, walking when I needed to.  

Somewhere before the 2nd mile marker, I tripped, and this time I fell.  I caught myself with my hands and luckily landed on a surface with pine straw and not rocky terrain.  My right knee got scraped, but I just popped back up and continued on.  I didn't want to take time to dwell on my knee, because other than a little stinging and a little blood, it felt fine.  Just keep running, keep moving, keep going! 

The last 3 miles of lap 4 went by much quicker than I expected.  I guess it was the excitement of being so close to the end; I got an extra boost of endurance and just kept running.  I even started to enjoy it more and was just so happy to be completing this big event! 

As I approached the finish area, I could hear my parents ringing their cowbells and Kimberly and Liz were there cheering me in.  It was GREAT!  Thank you all!  And I remember a cute little kid holding out his hand for a high-five as I crossed the line, and I made sure to participate :)  These little moments and all the little smiles added up and really took a long challenging race like this to a whole new level.  Thank you Mountain Goat Adventures for being AWESOME, and for helping me reach a new milestone in life! 

Me crossing the finish line!! Total time--5:38:11

Mountain Goat (Liz) got 1st overall female completing 5 laps in 5:06:37!

1st place prizes and smiles!

Thanking Kimberly for being awesome...I was all sweaty for some reason :P

***Race Day Nutrition Notes***

5 Salted Caramel GU gels (500 calories)
1 pack of GU Chomps (180 calories)
1 serving Gu Brew (100 calories)
pretzels (50 calories)
2 salt tabs

Something went wrong, and I didn't want anything sweet. I felt incredibly thirsty the entire race.  I may have messed myself up by running too fast in the beginning causing me to start overheating and stressing my system too early.  I am open to suggestions! :)  

There Will Be Chafing: Lessons learned from a summer of long distance trail running

There WILL be chafing...and bug bites...and spiders in the face...and random scrapes and bruises.

There WILL be painful showers (when chafing is often discovered for the first time), ICE baths!, draining of blisters, and google searches for types of poisonous insects to make sure one of the bites you have won't kill you.  :)

But, in the end, it's worth it! 

"Is it really?", you might ask. 

I suppose it all depends on the person, but to me it IS worth it!

This summer, I discovered it is pretty much impossible to avoid chafing and blisters.  It has either been raining on my runs, or has been so humid that it might as well be raining.  So, either way, I am always running in soaking wet clothing.

An example of some minor chafing on my collarbone (believe me, it was worse elsewhere and the shower after the run sucked!).  Most likely caused from my hydration pack straps and bra straps pressing into the bone.  Lovely! Must remember to lather on the bag balm and/or other anti-chafing cream!

It has been so humid that even my shins have beads of sweat pouring down them!

The rain and humidity this summer has been so crazy that there seems to be a green layer of grossness growing on everything.  Trees, my driveway, my HOUSE! 

Since I'm new to this trail running thing, I thought it might be helpful to document things I've learned about trail running along the way.  Read on if you're interested, if not, I have included lots of pictures which may or may not be enjoyable for you :)

Here we go:

It seems every place I run has a different type of trail mapping system, and I get turned around quite a bit. The first time visiting a place, I spend a lot of wasted minutes trying to decide which way to go and figure out how to get back to where I came from.  This can be mentally exhausting and waste precious energy.

                                                                  Types of Terrain:

Different running surfaces allow for different speeds (this may seem like a 'duh' no brainer). 

For example, running on compact dirt, red Georgia clay, etc is somewhat similar to running on asphalt or concrete.  The photo to the left is an example of a smooth, fast trail, with more compacted dirt.

This is the ideal terrain if you are looking for some fast trail running times, and if you are a beginner without experience on more technical trails.

Red Top Mountain State Park has some great, spacious trails that are good for beginners.




On the other end of the spectrum, Sope Creek (pictured left), which is part of the Chattahoochee Nature Area, offers a more technical trail experience.  It is probably not considered technical by experienced trail runners, but by MY standards it is tough!

Lots of mud, a few creek crossings, lots of rocks and roots and some gravel areas as well.

This was the first trail system I ran at the beginning of the summer and it almost caused me to give up all hope...but when I went back the second time after getting more experience under my belt, it wasn't as bad.  Still tough and challenging, but not hope crushing!




If the terrain includes gravel, or if it's sandy, loose dirt, or thick mud...then with each step you take you are losing more energy into the surface, meaning you go slower in general.

When you add in tree roots, rocks, pinestraw hiding roots and rocks, then it complicates things a little more :)

Sure, in my 3 months of trail running so far, I have rolled my ankles several times, tripped over a zillion things (including my own feet), fallen (only once, yippee, and knock on wood!), and had meltdown moments, but I continued on.




It can be frustrating running trails because it takes longer to go any distance. You are going to run slower on the trails than when running on the road.  It's ok.  Do not let it get to your head.  It's NORMAL.

It is perfectly OKAY and NORMAL to walk up the big hills even in a trail race! 

Sometimes GPS watches are not 100% accurate (gasp! shocker, I know!), and when running on trails in the woods, they may lose the signal more frequently.  I was suspecting this and it was confirmed on a 9.9 mile trail race course when my watch said 9.46 at the finish.  So, it is off by roughly 0.5 mile per every 10 miles.  That little difference adds up when training for a 30 mile race!  I'm not gonna lie, it was kind of nice realizing that I am running a little faster average pace than I thought :)

Physical Benefits of Trail Running:

Trail running works all kinds of different muscles, from your feet to your core to your head.  My problem knee actually hurts LESS running on trails and I also seem to get less blisters and less overuse-type pains.  My theory on this is that because you are landing differently with each step on the trail, due to different terrain, etc, then it is better for your body!

Trail Runner Body

Marathoner Body

Trail runner body vs. typical marathoner body...I mean, which of these bodies would you prefer? Without a doubt I want that trail runner body with muscular legs and core, looking very strong and sexy.

The Mental Game:

Trail running is not only very physically demanding, but it can be pretty mentally exhausting as well, since you always have to be paying attention to the trail and planning your next step well in advance. It also does a number on you mentally when you are out in the woods alone for 4-5 hrs.  You may hear things rustling in the forest, see things move by your feet as you run by, and start imagining scenarios from horror movies (not that I have EVER done this!) :) 

What was that noise?  Is there something behind me? Just. Keep. Running!!

And now back to the topic of chafing...

Chafing and Blister Prevention:

I have tried A LOT of things along the line of anti-chafing creams and blister prevention/treatment.  Here is what I finally found to work the best:  Liquid Body Glide for my feet and injinji toe socks do an excellent job at preventing blisters and the toe socks even helped correct a problem with a sore 2nd toenail/toe. 

For the rest of my body I use a recipe given to me by an ultracyclist, ultratriathlete, ultraendurance everything friend.  One can of Bag Balm, 1 tablespoon Hydrocortisone Cream, 1 tablespoon Neosporin.  Whip it all up together in the can.  Apply generously allllll over chafing-prone areas :) 

Hopefully this will be helpful to others out there who are just starting out and/or who have been searching for solutions to some common problems all of us runners seem to face!

In other news....

My 6 hour trail race at Dauset Trails is in 2 weeks!  I am hoping and praying that this weather cools down a little by then.  Other than worrying about the weather, I feel like I am as ready as I can be.  Last Sunday was the longest run before the race and the furthest I have run in my life!  I ran 24 miles on the trails at Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield and Historic Park, and it was definitely a CHALLENGE.  I did it though, and it is tougher than the race course, so I know I can do it on race day!

Annnnnd now it's Taper Time!