Mt Washington: One tough Run

I took part in the 49th annual Mt. Washington Road Race on Saturday. I put my name in the lottery a long time ago and forgot about it. Then one day I got an email saying I was a lottery winner. So was Shaun. We laughed and joked about it knowing it was far on the horizon. Then Saturday came.

I got up early and ate a bagel, banana, and a clif bar. We made the drive to the start of the of the race, traveling through intermittent rain. When we arrived, the sky was overcast, but no rain was falling. We checked in and wandered around the grounds wasting time until the start of the race. We finally were able to find the guy we had offered a ride down from the summit, loaded the car, and then sent Shaun's mom up to the summit. The report from the summit was that the overhanging clouds were low and that visibility at the summit was over 100 miles. I waited in line for what seemed like forever to go to the bathroom one last time before the race started and then Shaun and I walked up to the starting line.

Shaun wanted to film a bit of the start, so I went into the mass of people and he stood in front of the starting line. The MC said a few things and then a cannon fired (which scared the crap out of everyone) to signal the start of the race. I started out at an easy pace. Shaun ran back to the starting line and then caught up to me, filming as we ran the only flat (short) section on the course. Soon the course started skyward and the sweating began. From the first few steps up the mountain, I knew it was going to be a brutal run.

I quickly left Shaun behind. I actually thought I was running pretty slow, but I guess it was actually "fast" b/c Shaun didn't hang very long. The incline was steep and as I was running, I thought to myself, "there's no way the entire thing is this steep. I'm sure there are sections that will be this bad, but this has to 'flatten out' a little." Shortly after that, I think it might have gotten steeper. Mile 1 came up a lot faster than I was expecting. There were short sections where the road wasn't quite as steep, which actually felt flat, until I looked up and realized the road was still rising before me.

By the time I made it to mile 2 I was already questioning how far I'd be able to run before having to take a walking break. I started bargaining with myself. I'd see a tree or a pole and tell myself I had to run to it. I continued this until I knew I was closing in on the mile 3 marker and then promised myself I had to run until I got to that marker. My calves were burning. The muscles in my lower back were burning. My clothes were soaked with sweat, but I continued making deals with myself.

When I hit mile three, I told myself I had to run to the halfway point before I would allow myself a walking break. However, my pace continued to slow and I found myself walking. I picked it back up and went through the halfway point at 46:58. We had entered the clouds and the temperature was cooling, which seemed to breathe new life into me. I settled into a slow, but steady pace as the road continued skyward. I passed the mile 4 marker and started in on mile five.

The pavement abruptly ended and we ran along a nicely packed gravel road. It was at this point where the road seemed to go vertical. I'm not sure if the road was actually getting steeper or if I was just getting that tired. I had to walk several sections of this stretch. It seemed like one of the longest miles of my life. I kept looking for the mile 5 marker, but it seemed to never appear. Finally, I reached the marker and the road flattened. It wasn't even a faux-flat section. The road was actually flat. I picked up the pace (along with everyone else) and rounded a corner. There were several race photographers snapping away. Around another corner, the road bended skyward again and the course was full of people walking again.

I fought the urge to rest my screaming calves. Visibility had dropped to about 50 feet or so, but the temperature seemed to be warming up again. Somewhere around mile 6, I rounded a corner and the clouds were gone. Clear skies above and clouds below. The transition was so sudden that it took me a little while to look up. As soon as I looked up, I was wishing I hadn't. I could see the road twist up the mountain and the scores of tiny runners making their assault on the peak. I wisely looked away from what was coming and took in my surroundings. The clouds stretched below me as far as the eye could see. There was a single peak protruding from the clouds in the near distance, but other than that, it was a sea of cotton. I put my head down and kept putting one foot in front of the other and worked my way up the road.

I got up to a ridge and was able to look back down on the course where it emerged from the clouds. I imagined someone else coming out of the clouds, seeing my current position, and cursing. It made me laugh on the inside a bit, knowing that's where I was not so long ago. About that time, a girl running next to me blurted out in exasperation, "where is the mile 7 marker!" I laughed out loud, we rounded a corner and saw the marker. There was also a sign that said "photographers ahead, be sure to smile." I figured that meant I should look like I wasn't suffering too much, so I tried to put on my best running "face" and rounded the corner. The Mt. Washington Observatory came into view and I ran past the photographers. I knew I was close to the end, but my legs just didn't want to carry me up the incline.

I promised myself one more short walking break and then began my final assault. The course wound around the back side of the summit and then up to the top. When I got around the back, I finally saw the ridiculous finish. Almost everyone was walking up the final stretch. It was a ridiculous 22% grade. I gritted my teeth and started in. My legs burned as I went up the final couple switch backs, but I could see the finish. There was no way I was going to walk. I made the last turn and picked up my pace to finish strong. I crossed the finish line in 1:40:28.

A blistering ~13:30 pace. It was slow, but I conquered Mt. Washington. I finished 218th out of well over 900 runners. I didn't think that was too bad since I could only run bridges for hill work and since I was at sea level the previous day.