Tally in the Valley 6-Hour Trail Race - Sunday, July 25th, 2021

The email came on July 12th - on 13 days' notice, approval had been given by HCA for the first in-person race since February 2020!

OMG OMG OMG

Fortunately, I was only signed up for the 6-hour as opposed to 12- or 24-hours. Unfortunately, I am not actually in any kind of shape for even 6 hours. I'm maybe good for an hour, and that's still going to include a lot of wheezing and walking. With rain predicted for Saturday afternoon, getting heavier in the evening and continuing into the night (when it would cause maximum trouble for the 24-hour and Gong Show runners), then turning into a blast of heat on Sunday for the 7k and 6-hour...well, let's just say I laid my plans for a long hike, some mud puddle splashing, and eating a bunch of sour patch kids in the woods. 

Heck, I ran about six and a half kilometers on Saturday morning just to "keep my legs loose".

Then got all our errands done for the weekend so I wouldn't have to do anything after the race

I threw some junk food in the UltraCooler™ during the day, made my usual chicken fried rice for dinner, and (at about 10:30pm or so) finally decided to pull up my race pack list to figure out everything I'd forgotten. After getting at least 70% of it somewhere easily grabbable, I set an alarm and crawled into bed for a handful of hours.

I was clearly super stoked when I arose.

Big bowl of oatmeal. A LOT of tape.

Plus some in a spot of which I am not posting a photo

Out the door for a coffee stop, then down to beautiful Dundas Valley Conservation Area with me wondering how the heck I was going to get myself out of our stupid loaner Honda Civic sedan once we got home - lord knows it was difficult enough when we arrived!

ZOMG a start line! And a clock! And a @runningrowthorn!

100% out of practice at this pre-race stuff, but I got my kit, set up a tiny table with the UltraCooler™ on it, applied slippery goo to all the bits that need it, and availed myself of the portajohns. I managed to get some sunblock on, and asked one of the 24hr participants (who had finished his final lap) about bugs on the course: he said they weren't bad, so I gave myself a couple of perfunctory spritzes of icaridin-based repellent and figured I'd be good. I tried to keep hydrated, and even popped an S!cap before the race as I knew it would be a hot one. With about 5mins to gun time - after having completely missed the pre-race meeting (I heard something about "flags on your right") - I remembered that all I'd done for a warmup was a few half-hearted ankle circles, so I grabbed the upright of a pavilion tent and flailed a bit while getting my watch set up to start. 

Jeff had put out tiny pylons (as seen above) 6 feet apart down the race headquarters lane, and the idea was that each participant in the 7k (1 loop) and 6-hour races stood on a pylon in a mask to start. Somehow I ended up near the front; rest assured it wouldn't last.

A couple of minutes later, a horn sent us all scampering off across the grass to see what the day would hold..

It's a "up" year - the direction alternates for each edition - so you start uphill

It was a bit weird starting in a mask, but not really a big deal.

We had been told we could remove the masks once the difference in people's paces dispersed us along the course; I saw loads of people taking theirs off in the first couple of hundred metres, but as I had quite a stream of runners coming past me (I told you being out front wouldn't last!) I left mine on until the next grassy climb, when I dropped to a walk and stuffed it into a little zipper baggie so it wouldn't get soaked in the pocket of my skirt.

I had another one in the UltraCooler™ that I'd worn before the race as well, just in case

I rambled along, just trying to get comfortable - it wasn't super ideal that my left hip and right foot were already complaining, but those are nothing new. Running had felt very difficult ever since I got my second Covid vaccine dose all the way back on July 8th: my immunity might be up to snuff, but it seemed my cardiovascular systems were taking their time bouncing back, especially on hot, sunny days.

I was grateful for shade wherever I could find it!

The hills on the course appeared to have grown and multiplied, too - I was resigned to getting in five laps in of the 7km loop, and maybe a partial one to see if I could eke out 40km for the day. 

..and totally happy to spend some time chatting with friends, like Eric here

..not to mention enjoy the incredible scenery along the way.

The kilometers ticked past on my first lap, and my braids were already soaked with sweat. I started in on nutrition with some rather expired EFS liquid shot from a flask around 33mins in - its best before date was September 2018, but it hadn't actually winked at me when I poured it off from the jug, so I figured I probably wouldn't die. Standard plan: swig of gel on the :30s, then eat something solid at the top of each hour. After running part of the rail trail section with Eric and then losing him in the nasty climbs and muddy patches in the final mile of the course, I came through the start/finish - after a pause to pick up a full hand bottle and drop off my empty one for Tanker to fill with water - in just about exactly 51mins. 

Photo by race photographer - and Eric's lovely wife! - Sue Sitki

As the day was already heating up, I knew I'd have to stop on every subsequent lap at the spigot by the trail centre to refill my bottle for the final 2.5km; knowing that would cost me time and my pace would slow as I fatigued, I wasn't even sure I'd make it through 40km in the 6 hours.

Maybe more sour patch kids would help?

I wasn't doing myself any favours, either: I'd completely forgotten to bring my cooling sleeves, hadn't worn a cooling shirt (though my Runyon RAWR! tank was admittedly giving me a lot of joy and was super comfortable, which counts for a lot on a tough day), and had managed to flake on grabbing my bandana out of the UltraCooler™ when I came through the end of my first lap. I wouldn't make that mistake again, as I planned to drench it in water and tie it around my neck to help manage the ever-growing heat.

Thankfully there was still some shade about

Of course, once you climbed the steep, nasty hill up to the rail trail..

This mean bugger

..you were basically thrown under the blowlamp sun for more than a mile.

You enter it a bit before the 3km mark, and depart at the trail centre approximately 4.5km into the loop

I did see deer along the rail trail on a couple of occasions (including one on my second lap), though, so it wasn't without its interest. Oh yeah, and in this direction it's a 3-5% uphill for THE ENTIRE WAY.

Doesn't sound like a lot, until you're trying to run up it on a hot day..

I'd pick a flag, and tell my lazy butt to start running, and then pick another flag or other landmark which I'd have to run to. You know it's a rough day when you have to start this kind of bargaining within the first 90mins, but there I was.

..but at no point did I actually run the whole thing.

I stopped at the spigot to refill my bottle, which was about 3/4 empty; unfortunately it functions exactly the same as it always has, which is to say that turning the valve a bit results in a frustratingly dribbly spray, and turning it one single micron further turns it into an uncontrollable firehose. This did give me an unparalleled opportunity to soak down the cooling tubular bandana I'd wound around my wrist, with which I could wipe down my face to freshen up a bit.

Leaving the trail centre with a full bottle and a drenched wrist.

Some of the course flag placements were a little less than fresh.

Even by the second loop, the mud was starting to get stickier and less slippery: I'd been warned by Jeff when I arrived that the last kilometer and a half were pretty bad, but the sun and heat were drying things out.

This downhill was slick to start, but got steadily better as the day progressed

I made it back to race headquarters, fumbling in my pocket to grab my mask and put it on; I'm not very good at remembering things at the aid station at the best of times, and I'm pretty clumsy, so the requirement (as outlined in the pre-race email) to wear a mask when stopping in the aid station/drop bag/start-finish chute area was a bit tough for me to begin incorporating. I also struggled to figure out how to take an S!cap with a mask on, and settled for popping it into my mouth from under my mask, then taking a quick swig of water. Tank filled my bottle with Skratch from the aid station (as I figured I could do with some more electrolytes yet, having forgotten to take a salt cap after lap 1) and I asked about ice, or freezies; there was no ice to be had, and the freezies weren't actually frozen, but I took a red one anyway after soaking my bandana in water and tying it around my neck.

Setting off once more, I crossed the start/finish at about 1h45m, meaning my second lap had taken me a little less than 54mins. With that rate of pace decay - and considering it was only 10:45am and would get much hotter for the next few hours - I seriously doubted my ability to get in 40km. Ah well; it would still be a good long training run anyway.

Not to mention some heat acclimation.

..and definitely some hill work.

Bright side: the wet bandana around my neck was helping a bit. It wasn't a real cooling sensation as it sat against my skin (though I'm sure it had some effect), but it felt nice and cool when I'd wipe down my face with it, and it stayed wet all day because it would absorb the sweat with which I was positively drenched...to the point that my skirt was sort of raining on my lower legs as I'd run. 

It's best not to think too hard about what I was wiping on my face. Ultrarunning is gross, people. Just move on.

Less-than-bright side: it took me like 10mins to fight my way into that unfrozen freezie, which then sort of burnt my tongue and throat with its acidity. The Skratch only made it worse, tasting like it was mixed stronger than I've ever tasted before. It was the only thing I had to drink until I made it to the spigot, though, and I couldn't afford to let myself dehydrate.

I'm not saying there isn't any water on the course; I'm just saying it wouldn't be an improvement.

By this time, there was a nice breeze in some places, but in others it just seemed to bring gusts of hot air that would swirl about me unpleasantly. Oh, and I had a hot spot on my left big toe already, despite having used a bunch of goo on it to prevent such things that morning before donning my socks. 

..and I would have done unspeakable things for some ice.

With the 7k runners long since done and only about 35 participants in the 6-hour, we were spread all over the course, and I spent most of my third lap just trucking along without seeing another soul. It certainly wasn't the most convivial race I've ever done, but I don't mind running alone; it's how I do basically all of my training, so I'm pretty comfortable inside my own head for hours at a time.

Especially in beautiful places

Filer's Forest is particularly stunning

As always, the course was beautifully marked, including some encouraging phrases here and there along the way.

Though this "almost there" sign at the 6k marker felt like a bit of a bad joke for the first few laps; it must have been even worse for the 24hr people!

I developed a bit of an issue on the third lap as I made my way up the rail trail: I'd run for a bit, then walk for a bit, and when I tried to run again I'd get pain deep in the right side of my groin as I'd try to swing my right leg forward. It would settle down after a few strides, but was definitely not ideal; I hoped my day wouldn't end prematurely, but I might not have much choice if it got worse. 

Fill bottle at the spigot again, and then into the hilly final 2.5km of the loop.

The drawn-out climb is the rail trail, and then things get a bit...pointy

Map of the loop, with directional arrows for the "up" years
(The bit where it looks like I cut the course will be explained in due time)

At least the lumpy end of the loop includes the cool shade of this lovely pine forest

I was keeping up with alternating between a swig of EFS liquid shot and a handful of sour patch kids every 30mins or so, coming in from my 3rd loop at about 2h41m - so about 56mins for lap 3. I ate a half-banana, popped another S!cap, got my freshly filled water bottle and a smooch (lifting my mask for just a moment) from Tank, then it was back out again. I'm not sure I saw a single other runner on this lap, but I was definitely still smitten with the gorgeous sights around me.

This bridge - only a few hundred metres in - is one of the jewels of the course

The turn to the nasty climb to the rail trail features a pretty little stream

I was still having the same issue with the right side of my groin on the rail trail, but that was the only place it seemed to crop up.

As if it wasn't hard enough convincing myself to run; this was really just because Sue was there with her camera!

So, I kept on pushing. I had planned to take it super easy, but was actually putting in quite a solid effort, even if I wasn't moving very quickly. On this lap I almost did myself in by catching my left toes on a root, giving a nasty pull to my left hamstrings, which is where I feel the worst of the issue in my left hip. It was so painful my vision sort of sparkled around the edges for a few moments, but I was able to keep running. My right ankle was starting to give me serious grief on some of the steeper climbs - dorsiflexion is the hardest thing on it, so I was having to change things up and climb on my toes a bit, which puts a lot of strain on my calves - but I was making progress.

I knew the wheels could come off at any moment, though.

Spit out once more onto the bit of road just as I slurped back the last of the EFS liquid shot in my flask, I ditched it at the aid station after fumbling my mask onto my face. I found out later that noone else was still masking when they came through, but I hadn't been given any instructions contrary to the pre-race email (maybe I should have tried to head the pre-race meeting!), so I did my best to get my mask on as I arrived and pop it back into its increasingly damp zipper baggie as I'd leave. 

Registration and drop bag tents on the right; aid station on the left

I grabbed a couple of gels and a chocolate chip crisp rice treat (I'd failed to make my salted maple ones; this was a prepackaged thing) from the UltraCooler™, plus a full bottle of water, and got on my way again after swallowing another S!cap, leaving race headquarters just as the clock ticked toward 3h38m - a bit over 57mins for lap 4.

..and approaching 1pm.

There was still some shade around, though!

Near the start of my 5th lap, I ended up hooking up with a lovely group of ladies - Dee, Nat, and Deb were all on their 4th lap, and I was happy to run and walk along with them for awhile as I was definitely feeling my lack of long runs this past year. I got into a quite pleasant conversation as we rolled along, and actually ended up walking the whole way up the rail trail while chatting with Deb. Once I'd filled my bottle at the spigot, though, she waited for Dee & Nat to catch up while I trotted off into the woods again.

Not feeling great at all, but still pushing

Now it was time to do some math, which is noone's strong suit while also trying to run. I had originally figured that lap 5 would be my final full one - we could get partial credit for incomplete final laps by reporting the last kilometer marker we'd reached - but despite my dawdling it looked like I'd still have more than an hour left to get in a 6th. I actually wasn't sure how to feel about that: I mean it was nice that I was moving a bit quicker than expected, but did I really want to face all of those hills again? I knocked back a matcha latté ReKarb maple gel around 4h30m - now into the final quarter of the race - and tried not to think too hard about it.

There was just so much UP

By this time, Heather had gone and picked up some FROZEN freezies, and I got one (already snipped open this time) from Tanker along with a full water bottle, and was on my way out after popping one final S!cap. I even ditched my mask with him as I departed, telling him I wouldn't need it again

Happy dork

Lap 5 was my slowest by far at 1h6m, but the clock said 4h44m almost exactly as I departed, so I figured I'd probably have time for an extra kilometer after a 6th lap...just to make it an ultra, you know. But, I'd have to move efficiently. 

Under the blowlamp sun.

I followed up the freezie with a (caffeinated...and also expired) sea salt chocolate Gu Roctane gel at 5h5m, and got the heck down to it. The heat was the worst it had been all day, but there's a certain freedom in knowing it's your last lap, and I was moving better than I had any right to expect.

By which I mean I was running the downhills, trying to hang on for the flats, and trudging up the hills.

Everything was sore by now: my hip and ankle were background noise, but my neck and shoulders (likely from carrying my bottle all day) had joined a chorus with my lower back, and even my triceps. I was so ready to be done! The final trip up the rail trail was murderous.

All of the pools of shade seemed to have evaporated..

But - lord help me - I did actually run some of it.

Not much, but I RAN.

At least it got me back into the shade a little faster!

I was dragging my sore, tired carcass up the final climb before the road when I heard Eric come up behind me...and then come flying past me like I was standing still! Ok, I practically was standing still by that point, but he was ripping!

I was just trying to survive!
This sign just before the little bit of road to race headquarters let me know I was pretty much there

I walked up through the chute (because there was no way my legs were running uphill by this point) and went to grab a full bottle of water from the UltraCooler™ to get me through the last few minutes, but Tank had thought I'd be stopping after lap 6 - which took me just seconds shy of an hour - but I still had almost 16mins remaining as the clock read 5h44m as I meandered back out into the open fields. Tank actually filled the bottle and ran to catch me with it so I could have water for the final kilometer, plus the walk back! That guy is amazing I tell you.

As I ran down a hill I saw Eric and Heather - the girl he'd been running with for the last hour or so - turn around and head back. When Eric asked me if I was running to my car, I said no; I had time to get to the 1k mark to make it an ultra (technically anything over 42.2km). With a disgusted noise, he and Heather turned around again to run with me, explaining they'd gone out 200m to make it a marathon, but somehow seeing my idea as something sensible. That's when I showed him the tattoo on my wrist that reads "i make bad decisions", and he heartily agreed.

I've picked up a train!

We meandered across the bridge and through the woods, passing the outlet to the parking lot before we reached the 1km marker, so my "shortcut" back to the start/finish wasn't quite as short as I'd thought. You expect proper navigation and dead reckoning from me while running? Jeez, you don't know me at all!

In any case, we made it to the 1k marker with time to spare, but not quite enough to convince me to try for 2km.

That'll do.

So that spot where it looks like I cut the course on my GPS map? That's where we took the little outlet to the parking lot so we wouldn't have to walk a full kilometer back. 

We did have to cross the bridge once more, though, in the opposite direction.

So, I actually equaled my 2019 distance, though since that was a "down" year vs this being an "up" year, I feel like this might have been slightly more of an accomplishment.

This also resulted in about the most honest race photo I think I have ever seen.
A little bit of hope wrapped in a lot of doubt and pain.

Official distance: 43.0km in 6hrs @ 8:22/km

13/36 O/A - 9/24 Women

(Full official results are here)

(Garmin data is here)

While not everything was puppies and rainbows, I have a lot of positives to take away from this one. I had no bug bites, didn't get sunburned, and only had one hotspot and a bit of chafing at my bra line on my back. Being able to get in an actual ultra was definitely heartening, and my recovery has gone reasonably well so far; I back to running again by Wednesday afternoon, and I didn't even have to take stairs sideways!

There were more freezies at the end, too!

It was delightful to be out on a real race course again (even if it was quite an early wake up!), and to see friends I have been missing for a year and a half or more. I'm grateful that my body held up well enough to see me through, and even more immensely grateful for the relentless support of my sweet husband, without whom none of this would be possible.

This guy is just the best!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a bit of packing to do as we're heading out camping for the long weekend...in our freshly repaired car, finally returned to us just this evening after more than 3 weeks of waiting for her new oil pan.

Things are finally looking up!