Holy effing crap. I went off course while leading by ~4:00 at mile 16... feeling incredible, controlled and just jogging. I came back on course well back and 100% mentally defeated. I'm a complete mental marshmallow... I gave up. I was caught maybe 15:00 later by Karl Meltzer... who went on to win!? Smart dude, he bided his time and was the smartest guy on the day. I just watched him go and didn't care.
At maybe mile 25 I heard someone coming up on me quickly. It turned out to be the guy who was behind me (in 3rd) when I went off course... he also got lost but a little worse than me. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone but Karl went off course. My original plan to hold back with the express purpose of NOT going off course went out the window when I talked to the race director who assured me the course was well marked. Even after I pulled up to just get in a long workout, there were MANY times when I had to stop or back track to find the next pink ribbon. At one point I was with Todd Gangelhoff and another runner and we all missed a turn. Ugh.
I'm furious less at the course and more at myself for being so mentally weak and giving up when I got back on course. I should have gone with Karl too who ran awesome and is the wiser of us all! Shit.
And to top it off I'm stranded in Glenwood Springs in a blizzard because they closed I-70.
11 comments:
This makes me incredibly angry, just as a fan. When an athlete like you goes off course, that is almost always an indication of bad marking. Still, that is an exciting start to the season! It will be tons of fun to follow your build-up to Leadville.
How did the foot hold up?
Tough break with the course marking, but at least you know you can hang with the big boys.
Eric
Well, glad you were out there. Following the trail is probably the most important skill one can have. I got dizzy at the end of my 50 miler and was just looking flag to flag. At one point, no flags and I freaked out.
Anyway, you have more great runs to come.
Dave- Foot is 100% but we had a 4 mile section of ~1 foot deep snow with hard crust over powder and I torqued my calf when I post holed. Other than that, legs feel nothing. The course was horribly marked from the perspective of a focused runner. The RD has run that course 1000's of times probably and knows it like the back of his hand, so he sees no problems. He needs to take the perspective of a focused, not-thinking clearly runner who has never run the course and mark the course through the eyes of a first timer. When I asked about this issue last night he was kind of a dick in his response too.
Eric- Ya... as long as I let the big boys lead :) Thanks.
Brandon- Ya, it was fun and I learned a bit. I met Karl who is pretty cool too. Thanks.
Shitty to hear about going off course, you are VERY right about the perspective that RDs need to take. I've done way too many races where I've been cross eyed and suffering and missed a turn. It is a part of trail racing, but it always sucks.
Have to give serious props to guys like Karl M. Their patience, strength and experience is definitely worth respecting.
Definitely Adam. All props to Karl, smart and strong race! He rocked! It ain't just about being fit. It's class and smarts too and Karl had it all.
Nice to meet you Tim. Sorry things did not go your way. I think you're wise to chalk it up as a learning experience and get on with the business of kicking ass at Leadville.
Todd
What happened to you yesterday is probably the worst thing that could have happened to your future competitors.
Mental marshmallow is the best term. I love it!!!
But not that you were a mental marshmallow... that is not good. But I think maybe you're being a bit hyperbolic anyway?
Getting of course IS deflating.
Next time.
When you said the RD said the course was well marked, I figured that meant that for once they did mark it well. If it was the same as usual, that was a very misleading statement. Every blog report I've ever read talks about how many people get lost.
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