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