Yesterday was the 1st Annual Staten Island Trail Run Festival at Willowbrook Park. I had just heard of this event 2 weeks before; and at first I thought … a trail 50K on Staten Island? … where? Well, it turns out there exists The Greebelt – about 2800 acres of parks and natural areas with an interconnected trail system. This event was only three weeks after my JFK50 Mile Ultra, but I could not resist the opportunity to explore a new area. My recovery after the JFK50 was minimal and I was comfortable getting back out there for a long event. I planned to use it more as a training run to safely explore a bit at first, then consider the safe plan from there.

Here is a brief event description from

the website:

“The 50 K and 25 K are technical courses with exposed tree roots, rocks and lots of ups and downs.  The 10 K course has some elevation, exposed tree roots and rocks. The 5 K course is a relatively flat course with some elevation and many exposed roots and rocks.  The course is marked with ribbons; follow instructions for navigation given at start line.

Aid stations with water, cola, sports drink and snacks will be located throughout the course.  Several of the aid stations will have restroom facilities.  There is approximately 2,300 feet of gain for the 25 K and 4,600 for the 50 K course. The trails, as of November 20, are in great shape.   There are several street crossings, some of which will be monitored by volunteers.  It will be the responsibility of each runner, however, to ensure a safe crossing.”

I am very comfortable running technical single track trails and hills, so the only thing which caused a bit of a pause was the very wet conditions caused by the recent heavy rainfall. But I thought, how bad could it really be … well, more on that below.

The course is an out and back with a big loop; the 50K event is two laps. Here is a map of the  course (click on it for a larger view); red line starting from the left, then on the loop counter-clockwise:

Pre-Event:

Sunday started at 5:30AM with about 4 oz. of ASEA, then a few warmup exercises. Then out the door to the start about 6AM for the 45 minute drive. The weather was about 32 degrees and with a high expected to be around 44. I settled on long pants, a long sleeve tech shirt, light vest, tech/cotton gloves, hat, water bottle belt, one backup Hammer Gel, old old socks and New Balance 110 trail minimalist shoes. About 60 minutes before the start I had a packet of UCAN fuel powder in water. This is a low glycemic fuel source designed to manage blood sugar and aid in the burning of fat.

I carried a 2 oz. bottle of ASEA and one bottle of about 1 oz. of UCAN with me in my water belt. The item I forgot was my Hammer Endurolytes. I had left them in a drop bag at the start/finish/loop point by mistake; perhaps thinking I would get them after the first lap.

Event:

The course started out with one lap around a pond, then onto the trails, then back around the pond, then onto the main trail out onto the main loop. The course was almost all single track, some very technical spots and generally hilly. The biggest challenge was the water/muck/mud on the course. In many locations the only choice was to run through 6-8″ of water/muck/mud. In the first 1/2 mile we had our first taste, and the cold water woke me up completely.

The wettest portions where near the start/finish, and on the main trail getting to the loop, and then again in a number of spots on the loop. It seemed just about the time the feet were drying out and warming up, another cold bog appeared. Otherwise I was dressed well, regulating heat on the southern faces and zipping up on the hill tops in a decent breeze.

Specific Notes:

• First lap: Comfortable pace but not enough fluid taken and no fuel added. Elapsed time was 2:18:xx.
• At some point early on I crunched my left forefoot between two rocks right at the first metatarsals. I could feel it was sore, but could not tell how bad it was since my feet were cold and a little numb.
• Lap loop point: At the loop point you come out of the woods past the start/finish and go right onto the next loop. But my drop bag was 50yds off course … so I ran right by it to the aid station. Here I had my 2 oz. ASEA and my 1 oz. of UCAN in water. I started the second lap running fairly comfortable.
• About a mile later, I realized I was tightening up a bit and knew I needed electrolytes. Then I realized my Hammer Electrolytes were behind me in my drop bag at the S/F and I would need to do the second lap without them.
• About mile 19 I had my backup Hammer Gel for a little fuel bonus and because I knew it had a little bit of electrolytes in it.
• At the mile 23 aid station I had a sip of cola; and packed three pieces of chocolate.
• I was a little tight here but still running well. I added the chocolate a piece at time over the next few miles just to keep the brain happy.
• At around mile 24-25 there is a interesting course turn up a 30′ steep climb (meaning hands and feet “climb”). This also existed on the first loop. At the top is a great view for about 25 yards and on the back side shortly thereafter is a steep steep 60′ descent at probably 50-60 degrees. Off to the right is a helper rappell rope. So here it gets interesting. I reach for the rope pushing off with my left calf, … and it cramps locking completely and I can’t move. So I am on this descent and my left leg is non-functional. I am lying back against the hill and trying to get my water bottle from behind me. I finally get it and take (3) big gulps of water … and about 5 seconds later the calf releases. I stand up and let the rope help me down. After that the calf was tense but luckily I don’t run (aka. ChiRunning) using my calves so it did not really slow me down too much.
• At the mile 27 aid station I had another small sip of cola.
• I finished fairly strong running about 5-6 minutes, then walking for 30 seconds. The run pace was between 8:00-8:30 when the trail allowed it. The walk was to relax out a bit, gather some energy and reset.
• Second lap overall: quite a bit muddier than the first with all the runners on the trail. Elapsed time: 2:43:xx. A bit slower but all things considered a solid effort.

Lessons:

• When I got to about mile 17 I realized my legs were  tightening up and I needed electrolytes, I initially thought the second lap was going to be long, very long. I also knew there were no salty foods or electrolytes at the aid stations. So I started to practice the tools from my ChiRunning toolbox to limit my muscular effort/tension:
1. Focus effort elsewhere: First on feeling my center (core) through my one-legged posture stance, then on an efficient arm swing for the terrain. All my focus was on my center and my upper body. I also focused on relaxation from my pivot point and allow pelvic rotation/hip extension, particularly on the runnable downhills.
2. Match my cadence: With arm swing effort and breath so that I was resting/breathing in more than I was working/breathing out.
3. Going with the “external force”, the course: I resisted the bogs less, picked my spots to be selective/safe and just focused on a light, quick turnover with balance. I ran right through more muck on the second lap. I realized once the feet are wet you might as well just run relaxed and efficient through it; the energy cost to “try” to dance around is just not worth it. The challenge was trusting there was not danger lurking under the water/muck.
4. ChiWalking: Whenever I walked I really focused on the ChiWalking technique to help release more tension. I remember a specific point around mile 21 where I was walking up a subtle incline and then fell into my run in the same way the new Chi Walk-Run DVD explains it. The carryover relaxation from the walk to the run was significantly greater; and I started to use the same transition exercise from then on.
5. When walking: Relax the glutes/hamstrings/calves by tightening them, then releasing them. Then concurrently focusing on effort in the core.
• At mile 17, I was beating myself up about forgetting the electrolytes for a few moments. Then I somehow decided to make lemonade out of a potential lemon … and created a good learning experience. Thank you universe for that. It is through adversity that we often get to experience, feel, and understand more to serve us in the future.

Casualties:

• One pair of old socks as expected.
• Possibly one pair of high mileage running shoes … a favorite shoe right now so I might try to de-spooge some lift back into them.
• Crunched left foot. Seems okay the day after.
• Sore left calf where the locked cramp was. Should be runnable tomorrow.
• Tweaked left hip on a sidehill mud slip into a trail river.
• A whole bunch of pricker bush scratches on pants, shirt, top of head, and one across my right cheek. Most occurred on the first lap as I was resisting the bogs and trying to skirt along their edges.
• Sore core … this is one I always want on this list. A sore core after a long run means I was running more from my center and building that capability in the motion in which I wish to use it.

What is next?

The next target is the Watchung Winter Ultra 50K in four weeks. I am reconsidering this based on how I feel in the coming weeks; and how much holiday nom nom occurs. My body says no problem, my brain says maybe it is time for a pause after (4) ultras in three months. Short term: run again tomorrow, rest a bit early this week, then get back to 30+ mile weeks through the holidays. Then decide, taper.

Thanks!

A big thank you to the RD and all the volunteers. The event was well managed and the course was very well marked. While running the course I also considered that getting the park system OK to run the event in these conditions … allowing so many people on the trails is not always a given. So a big thank you to all involved.

*Finish line photo above courtesy of  Greenbelt Conservancy via Facebook. Thank you Dorothy.

[And  ... the time: 5 hrs., 00 mins., 38 secs. - 5th out of 21 finishers/45 starters. Garmin FR60 foot-pod watch was way off on distance after getting stuck a few times. I guess the foot-pod does not work well under water ...]

[Day After Update: Body feels good but a little fatigued. Left calf cramp is still a bit tight. Otherwise fine.]

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David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor. For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

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