Wish I wrote this right after the run. I’ll try to
remember as many details as possible. Also wish I took more photos during the run.
Date: 11/17/2012, Saturday
Time: 5am start-time
Start point: Xin Beitou MRT Station
Highest point: Datun Shan, Yangming Mt, Taipei
Running mates: Andy Dickinson and Tom Hasinski
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| Race Profile |
I hadn’t been nervous for a race in a long time, but running
a 65k of mostly up and down hills certainly got me tossing and turning a bit the
night the before. It was the longest distance I had yet run.
Nervousness is a good thing though, I believe. Ellen Forney
eloquently wrote in “The Absolute Truth Diary of a Part Time Indian”, the
difference between being nervous and scared is that nervous means you are eager
to do it. So I was nervous, but not scared.
I woke up at about 3:15am. Tried to take a number two, but
was unsuccessful. “Ahoh...not a good start…” I thought. I changed, ate a light
breakfast of water mixed with chia seeds and lime juice, banana, mixed nuts and an
energy bar, prepared my hydration pack, and stepped out the door.
It was chilly with a light drizzle. Somewhere around 18-19
degree Celsius. I hopped on a cab and arrived at Xin Beitou MRT station around
430am. Tom and Andy were there already.
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| Tom and Andy fueling up, November, 2012 |
It was not the most popular race. I’m estimating about 200-300 participants, which wasn’t that surprising. After all, who would want to run 65k up mountains in such crappy weather? I decided to go with a tank top to start but had a long sleeve warm up in the pack.
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| Not the biggest crowd, November 2012 |
Many familiar faces since the ultramarathon community is quite small, especially when it gets up to 50+ km distances.
The race kicked off on time, and right away it was a steep
5km climb. It was still dark and the rain continued to fall. Not a pleasant
start, but I felt fresh and chattered with a few people as we ascended the
first hill.
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| 3 Dudes before our longest run, November 2012 |
Then it was a 5km downhill, a welcome breather before the biggest climb of the run, a 17km continuous climb to the summit of Datun Shan with a set of monster vertical stairs at the end.
I quickly learned to shut up to save my breath. There were no distance
markers along the way, so I had no idea how far I had run, which made this
section seemed endless. I was able to keep up a steady pace, but every switch
back leads to another switchback then another switchback. I don’t remember all
the things I thought about, but I’m sure “THIS F@#$%$& SUCKS!!!” came up a
few times.
Finally we arrived at the visitor center, so I knew the top wasn’t far away, but a long set of stairs awaits.
The walk up was much steeper than I expected but also a bit
shorter than I had imagined. On top, there were hot coffee and a nice spread.
It also got foggier.
I didn’t stay long on the summit. After the long walk, I was
ready to start running again. I don’t generally like downhills, but it was a nice
change of pace after 17km of up and up.
The enjoyment was short live, as my knees, feet and quads
began to talk back. During this steep 6km descent, I was a little worried
about quadriceps failure that I had read so much about, and I was just a little
more than half way done at that point.
The next 10-12km was mostly up and down, which made it
really difficult to get into a comfortable zone. The first turn around was also
somewhere along this section.
This was where I stupidly thought that I had a chance
to place in the top ten. I knew the turnaround was not far ahead, and I had
only seen 2-3 runners coming back. Then of course, as I got nearer, I saw more and
more runners, so that was that.
More downhills. I didn’t study the course thoroughly, but I
knew one major climb remains. I just wasn’t sure when and where.
It was at kilometer 50. I asked the volunteer, she said only
3.5km up to the next turnaround. “3.5km, not so bad,” I thought. Wrong!! It was
straight up!!
Almost everyone that I encountered on the hill had to walk.
“Who the hell puts a vertical climb at 50km?!?” The race director was truly
sadistic. Race volunteers and runners on the way down tried to cheer
me up, telling me the top wasn’t much further. “All a bunch of liars!” It
just got steeper and steeper, with no end in sight.
I was empty when I got to the top. I had some fruit and
sports drinks. It never really stopped raining and the temperature had dropped
to 15-16 degrees Celsius. I put on my long sleeve warm-up and chowed down an
energy bar. My quads were real tired, and I was having a difficult time negotiating the steep winding descent.
I stopped to the take a piss, stretched a little, and
finished the energy bar. It was pretty foggy at that point with roughly 20
meter visibility.
“About 10 more kilometers…mostly downhill…it’s the same distance
as most of my evening runs…Time to suck it up” I mumbled something like this.
I started running again, and I think I hit the so-called “flow
state”. My body felt a little lighter, and the sourness in my quads subsided gradually
as I moved. I was running a good pace in the fog and couldn’t see who was in
front or behind. Next thing I knew runners appeared ahead and I began to pass a
few people.
The last 5km or so was a blur. I was just trying to survive,
and the race finished with a steep 80 meter hill. Like I said, the director was
mean.
Since it was a small race, it didn’t have the usual crowd at
the finish line. But by then I just wanted to sit and get some peace and quiet.
Take away from the run: It was both harder and easier than I
expected. I beat my target time, but didn’t expect to be so exhausted. The
3.5km climb really killed me. I’m fairly confident with my ability to run
hills, but that kind of vertical gain at 50km was much tougher than I had imagined.
The mission to run 100km doesn’t seem so impossible now, but
still got work to do.
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| My first top 20 finish, November 2012 |
You can also follow my running adventures on https://www.facebook.com/pages/3-dudes-on-ultra-mission/271137916280936 or https://twitter.com/williewenli
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