Chasing The Beast - Terrapin Mountain 50K

 

The Bib Mugshot - A Requirement

Now this race scared me a little. The second in the Beast Series, Terrapin Mountain 50K is where shit starts to get real. Holiday Lake was like a teaser warm up with its rolling hills and a mere 2000ft of climbing. At Terrapin, oh we were going to climb that much right out of the gate before we even get to the first aid station. This race was going to be a true test of my mountain fitness and I was eager to see how things shook out. Strava Link

The race begins at the Sedalia Center with the amazing Blue Ridge Mountains as a back drop. Runners are able to come up on Friday evening and camp out in the grassy parking lot prior to the race. We took advantage of the ample space and drove up in the RV, finding a nice roomy spot in the back to park our "medium sized" RV. Having my queen sized bed and own bathroom would prove finer accommodations than we had in the Dinghy at Holiday Lake. We arrived around 6pm and I grabbed my race swag bag containing my bib and the beautiful yearly collectable Terrapin Mtn Race mug. We headed back to the RV for some delicious pre-race pizza and an early night to bed. *There was some cell signal at the race closer to the building so we were able to check in with Marleigh and find out about her soccer game that day. A nice 7-0 win for the Crusaders!

Beautiful Blue Ridge Mtn Sunset from Camp

 

This race started at 7am due to day light savings time, so I actually was able to sleep in compared to my normal morning alarm. I was up around 5:45 and saw a few little headlamps bopping around in the field. It was SO much nicer getting race ready in the RV. Karl helped me fill all of my bottles and bladder, while I was able to get dressed like a human. VS a cat in a sock like at HL50k. The weather all week was calling for high 50's and rain at the start, warming up to the 70's and cloudy by mid day. Deciding on clothes is always the biggest gamble at races. One wrong move and your day can be over. We woke up to barely a sprinkle and the radar didn't look like much rain was on the way. So I started in a short sleeve and shorts. I was torn on whether or not to wear a tank top, and I can gladly say my choices were perfect. We headed over to the start with 15mins to go for a quick stretch and warm up. Everyone was milling about under the pavilion ready to get started.

Terrapin Mountain 50k Ready

 

I lined up mid cattle herd, so that I wouldn't be stupid and go out too quickly. I was able to meet an IG friend Sarah, who recently completed the Beast and has been a total inspiration. The gong sounded at exactly 7am and we were off down the country road heading toward the mountains.  I knew that there was a 1.25mi stretch of road & gravel road leading us to the beginning of the trails and planned to run at an easy warm up pace. Once you hit the gate at the forest you start your first big climb from mile 1.5 - 4 gaining about 2000ft right off the bat. The trail was nice and wide to allow for passing and maneuvering all of the very wet and slippery rocks. This climb was a GRIND and everyone just locked in for the hour to the top at the Camping Gap aid station. I was trying to alternate running and hiking on this climb but it was damn hard. I didn't want to blow all of my fitness in the first few miles and have nothing left for the other 26 miles of racing ahead. I made it to the top in 58mins which was right at my 1hr goal, so I was happy that I was pacing well. 

Mile 2 and CLIMBING

 

Once we reached the top we were treated to a nice 5mi cruise down Hunting Creek Road on some gravel fire road. I hooked up with two guys at the top and we headed down together at a nice downhill pace. I did NOT want to fly too fast on this downhill and blow out my quads like I did back at Rim to River 100. (That resulted in walking the last 40 miles of a 100. Long ass day!) So sticking with the fellas kept my pace in check and also helped pass the miles with some good conversation.  I usually do not run with others in a race. I'm not a asshole, it just stresses me out. This time it didn't and I was glad that we were able to share some miles. Once we got to the bottom aid station, it was time for a LONG 10 mile climb back up. We did a little lollypop loop and were back on Hunting Creek for the climb back to Camping Gap for the second time. During this time the weather became pretty ominous and a light mist and heavy fog settled in. I was able to stay pretty warm but the mist turned to drizzle and I heard that it was sleeting at one point at the Camping Gap aid station. 

 

Race Friends are actually FUN (cred Jay Profit)

I grabbed some hot broth at the CG aid at mile 15 and headed on toward the White Oak Ridge (WHOR) Loop. What a great name, because it was fitting for this part of the course. It was a single track trail through many freshly cut vines, weeds and briars. With the thick fog and the drizzly rain I totally felt like I was racing Barkley. Kinda felt a little badass! LOL I was alone, very ALONE, on this section and had no clue where I was at in the race as far as placing. Since the start I had passed maybe two or three ladies and a few fellas. The WHOR loop sent us up and back down to CG with a nice long downhill section. Here I was finally able to see other runners on the way back down and able to get a gauge on how I was running.  I passed by several strong looking ladies on the trail back to the aid station so I felt confident that I was racing well. I snagged another cup of warm broth (so good) and was on my way to climb to the Terrapin Mtn Summit. 

WHOR Loop Looking Very Barkley

 

This climb started around mile 22 and was a straight vertical ass kicker to the top in about .7mi with 600ft of climbing. I was in the flatlanders death position with my hands on my knees, my head bobbing up and down and expletives flying out of my mouth left and right. I knew this part was going to be a doozy, but holy hell, it was a hard climb. I passed by another gentleman that remarked that living in Virginia Beach didn't do him any favors. I tried to laugh, couldn't because I was breathing like a dead woman, and was only able to get out, "same, me too"! I pushed ahead knowing this was the last big push of climbing and then I was home free. (Or so I thought). Once at the top I bypassed the overlook because, well FOG, and was ready to take on the grueling downhill ahead. 

This downhill section was real damn scary on the elevation profile. 2.5 miles of sheer drop with about a 2100ft decent. All single track, on wet muddy rocks with switchbacks ready to end your life. A girl came bouncing past me saying that she got lost at the top. I let her by because well, she was essentially already ahead of me earlier in the race, and she was moving like a damn mountain goat. I tried to stay on her heels and keep the pace, flying by dudes left and right. (That shit felt good, real GOOD!) I was trying hard to stay in control, grabbing and swinging from tree trunks to slow me down. Sooner or later she was out of sight but I promised myself to keep up the pace. Legs were a little sore, but my feet felt like they had smoke coming out of them. I finally landed, safely, at the Terrapin Mtn Lane aid station, the last on the course, ready to cruise the last 5.5 miles home. 

The Elevation Profile, Mile 25-30 not bad right?

 The final stretch on the elevation profile looked like a breeze and the course map looked like we dipped in and out about 11 times along the side of the mountain. We would turn away from the mountain for a short smooth climb and then turn and descend toward the mountain and a water crossing. I did this eleven times, and seriously thought it would never end. I tried hard to alternate hiking and running on the climbing sections, and splashed hard through water each and every time. My feet were on fire running in my Brooks Cascadia GTX's and I realized that I definitely should have chosen a different shoe for this warm time of year. I kept my eyes behind me on this entire section making sure no one was on my heels. 

I finally hit the section of trail we entered the mountain on and knew that it was all downhill on the road back to Sedalia. I tried to fly as fast as possible on the trail section but the rocks were much wetter from the early rain and slick as hell. I cruised through one more deep water crossing and down the rocks and mud to hit the gate for the gravel road. Down, down, down I went trying to push the pace as fast as my quads would allow. I felt like I was running 7min miles, but was actually at a 8:17 pace. Once I hit the pavement and the last stretch of road I heard a yell behind me and saw a chick on the approach. Oh Hell NO! I kicked it HARD toward that arch as fast as my tired little legs would go. I crossed the finish line 35 seconds ahead of her and ran right into Karl's arms! I immediately sat my tired ass on the grass proud as fuck of my finish.

Yay, I beat a 4 year old!

 

My finish time was 6:27:13, right under my A goal of going under 6:30! I finished 1st Masters and 8th overall. They handed me my Patagonia finisher shirt and yummy Terrapin cookie as I laid on the grass catching my breath. After a few minutes I got up and got my picture with Clark Zeland, the RD for three of the Beast Series races. Told him thank you for an awesome race, and that I would see him again for Grindstone and MMTR. (Results were not posted until the following day, so I had no idea I was first Masters. When I got home I saw my result and emailed Clark about missing my Masters award, a nice Orange Mud embroidered towel. He said I snuck off too quick and he couldn't find me to give me my towel. It is now on the way via mail. Thanks Clark, you are awesome.)

RD Clark Zeland

 

I tried a little different fueling strategy for this race based on some info I heard in a podcast with Chris Roberts, the founder of Long Haul Sports Nutrition. A brand I recently started training with and was excited to try on race day. In all of my previous races I relied solely on solid food and gels for nutrition. After reading many race reports and listening to Chris, I found out I was missing the mark on adding liquid nutrition and calories. So I used my normal waffles and Spring gels every 45 mins in the race, but added in bottles of Long Haul. I was constantly sipping on a bottle containing 200 calories, trying to finish a bottle every 2hrs. This was a GAME CHANGER! I really felt like I had so much more energy due to the increase in calories. I think I might have even gone a little to long on switching bottles and will try to switch them sooner during Promise Land.

Speaking of Promise Land, I have exactly five weeks until race number three. If this race is a predictor of my racing fitness and ability, I am pumped for what I can do in April. I also snagged myself a badass lady crusher coach who has the knowledge and experience I need to help me train and race strong in this series. (More on Coach Rachel in a later post)

So to bring this race recap to a close, I am so happy with how this Beast Series has started off and feel like 2022 might be one of the best years of racing of my life. My results at Terrapin gave me a huge confidence boost and has most certainly propelled me into the next race with confidence and courage. LFG!

Beast Series Race 2 - DONE!

Chasing the Beast - Holiday Lake 50k++

What is this Beast you speak of? The first mention I ever saw about the Beast Series was in 2018 on Instagram by this badass chick Shannon Howell. She was going to race 6 hard as hell Virginia ultras throughout the year, part of the "Beast Series" in honor of her 40th birthday. I was in total awe and admiration. I wanted to do something epic like that for my 40th. These were some of the most historic, iconic, and gritty East Coast races and finishing any of them was NO GUARANTEE!!! I had two years to get myself trained up & I was totally going to go for it. And then I got injured, stress reaction in my femur. Maybe 2020 wasn't the right year to go chasing big mountain races with brittle bones for legs, naw that would be stupid. And then the pandemic hit! I was so thankful that I wasn't attempting the series that year, only to be left with a totally empty race calendar and crushed dreams. I put it on the back burner, very leery about what the state of the world or running would be in 2021. It wasn't looking good. The races I had signed up for in 2020 were deferred to 2021 and would not work with the series schedule. So I packaged that dream up and put it away for one more year. 2022 was going to be my year. Marleigh would be heading to play soccer at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton in the fall and I would have tons of chances for hard mountain training when we visit her for her games. So at the end of the year I signed up for the first of six races, The Holiday Lake 50k++ on February 19th 2022. 

Those finish line feels!

Clicking register for that first race on Ultrasignup.com was so invigorating. I subsequently signed up for three more of the six total races, but had yet pulled the trigger on signing up for the actual "Beast Series" on Eco-xsports yet. See last year at Holiday Lake there was a massive ice storm. Many of my friends were not even able to make it to the start due to the dangerous conditions. Those that did get to run were treated to a day of cold misery, many dropping to the 25k distance. So my plan was this, get to that start line, finish the first one, and then it was go time. I HAD to register! I finished & I registered. Fuck Yeah! So here's how the race went... Holiday Lake is a beautiful Virginia State Park and home to the race start at the 4H Center.. Lodges, bunkhouses, restrooms & showers all surround the start finish line banner. It felt like ultra running summer camp at packet pickup on Friday, seeing old friends, and making new friends. We planned to drive up & car camp in our "Dinghy" (our Honda Pilot that we use to dinghy tow behind our motor home) as to avoid any race morning travel issues. We bought a nice brand new air mattress made for SUV's and packed a ridiculous amount of blankets with the forecast calling for 24 degrees. It was a tight squeeze & quite the scene watching us through the illuminated car windows getting ourselves settled for the first night car camping. Thankfully we had a pretty restful nights sleep and awoke to our 5am alarm for the 6:30am start. (Pro-tip: there is zero cell reception but there is wifi, just check inside the lodge for the login. We didn't figure this out until post race.)

Mug Shots in the back of the "Dinghy"

 Now if you thought watching us through the windows going to sleep was funny, let me tell you, you ain't seen nothing yet. The two of us refused to exit the vehicle on race morning until the absolute last minute so that we wouldn't freeze our asses off. So two grown adults awkwardly attempted to get dressed for an ultra in a 3 x 7 ft confinement. We looked like two cats trapped in a sock trying to wrestle our way out. "Where's my socks?" and "Move your ass" could be heard from the steamy dinghy. It was a delight. Nonetheless, we got our shit together and made our way to the bathrooms for a pit stop and the lodge for pre-race activities. 

One of the things that I love the most about ultras is the feel before a race. It is so dramatically different from that of a road race. The lodge was filled with around 300+ people, conversation and laughter, meeting new people and running into local run friends at the start line. I live for those 15 minutes pre-race. A quick race brief & national anthem and we were off. 

Pre Race Lodge Fun w/ All the Cool Kids

One important thing I am missing before we go running off into the woods. What to wear?? The good thing about ultras is that you most certainly have the opportunity to change clothes if you chose to, so no decision is mandatory. However, you want to reduce or eliminate the need for that in shorter races. The starting temps were around 25 with feels like temp of 17. We would have a guaranteed water crossing at a depth ranging from ankles to thighs. Temps would be rising into the 50's midday so that threw us for a loop. We decided on shorts with ripoff waterproof pants, short & long sleeve shirt plus a light wind shell, gloves & hat at the start. It ended up being a perfect choice.

All the clothes & gear

 When the race starts, the 50k and the 25k runners start together about half a mile up a asphalt road. Then at the top, Dr. Horton stands turning the 25k to the left and the 50k to right. All of us head in our respective directions and begin our day. The conga line onto the single track wasn't too terrible, and everyone was very courteous letting runners pass. We all spread out by the first aid station at mile 4ish. This race had a nice mix of single track, jeep road and powerline running. At about the 5 mile mark Karl told me that he was having a hard time breathing and for me to push ahead. We said our good lucks and good bye's and I was on my way. The water crossing was around the 7 mile mark and was not bad at all. I was able to keep my feet pretty dry in my Brooks Cascadia GTX's and had no issues all day. 

This race is a 16.5 mile loop around the lake and into the mountains. The 50k has a few +'s after it seeing that the final distance on my watch was 32.79 miles. It is run washing machine style where you back track your second loop.  The 25k runners do only one tour around the lake in the opposite direction of the 50k runners. It was fun seeing all of my friends running the 25k coming toward us halfway through the first lap. High fives and fuck yeahs definitely filled me up. I arrived at the halfway aid station back at the lodge and knew it was time to ditch the extra clothes because it was heating up. I grabbed some food and pulled aside to quickly de-layer and stuff my clothes in my pack. In less than a minute I was back on trail and ready to finish this thing.

I saw Karl about one mile from the halfway mark. He did not look like he was having a good day. He told me breathing never got better and he was pretty sure he was going to bail. I felt horrible for him. I told him to get some food in him, take a breather, and if he still felt done, it was OK to call it a day. I gave him a quick hug and I love you, and was on my way again.  

I was doing quite a bit of leap frogging with other women in my pace group all day. Some were super strong uphill runners and I felt strong on my down hills. On the second lap my energy was starting to drain and I was finding myself walking way too much up the hills. So I dug in my tool box and pulled out a Sally McRae tip. I started counting my steps and using a ratio of run to walk steps. I counted sixty run steps on the right footfall. Then I allowed myself 30 walking steps on my left footfall. It kept my mind occupied and my legs moving. I also used a mantra of Smart, Steady, Strong all day. Dividing up the race into three 11 mile sections. I wanted to run really smart in the beginning, not going out too fast and using up all of my fitness. In the middle I wanted to remain steady.  Keep the pace, keep moving and don't quit. For the final 11 I committed to staying strong. Keep my motivation high and my legs constantly moving strong. Hike strong and run strong. Saying these three words over and over in my head was such a huge mental victory for me throughout the day.

Finishing up the race you have to decend that same half mile asphalt road. I thought my legs were going to fall off, but I sprinted my ass as fast as I could across the finish line. I was so stoked to finish this race with a solid start to the Beast Series. Finish line high fives from the RD Brenton Swyers, and a post race picture with the legendary Dr. David Horton. I introduced myself, told him that he would be seeing a lot of me this year! 

First (of hopefully many) Horton photos

 I can't say enough about this race. Amazing organization from the RD's, kick ass volunteers from start to finish, awesome food at the aid stations, and a great post race burger and soda! (My favorite!) We got some sweet race swag, a Boco beanie, & Goodr glasses. And I have to mention, pay the extra for the hoodie, it is so comfy and soft!

So with this race in the books, 6:12:47 finishing time, 23rd female & 4th masters in a race stacked with lady crushers, I am proud to be off on my journey chasing the beast. Next up is Terrapin Mtn, 50k on 3/19 with triple the elevation of Holiday Lake. Time to get back to training and prepare to crush the next one.

Jill's Holiday Lake 50k Strava Link

Follow along as I Chase the Beast