Tecumseh Trail #2

It looks like I am the last Tecumseh runner to post a report.

Last year Tecumseh was my first trail marathon. Due to receiving about 5-6 inches of snow on Friday night last year, the point-to-point was changed to an out and back course. After finishing several people stated the point-to-point course was tougher, so in my strange way of thinking I decided I needed to come back this year to see if that was true. I found it was extremely accurate.

Last year I came off of my Chicago training in October to run Tecumseh. I was told to expect to add about one hour to my road marathon time. Last year I ran a 4:36:54 which was just under one hour of what I ran at Chicago. Last year I went out way too fast and ended up walking a good portion of the last 8-9 miles. This year my last major race was Howl at the Moon in August where I had a tough time and as a result my training over the past several months was less than stellar. I had no idea what to expect at Tecumseh this year, so my only plan was to start out slower and see what the day gives me.

On Friday it was great to have dinner with the other 365 runners who were scheduled to run this year: Wendy, Tim, Mark and Charles. In addition, Clark (Traveler), a couple of Tim and Wendy’s friends, Scott and Emily joined us along with other family members. I think most of you have read what happened as a result of dinner; fortunately the food issue hit me early and I got rid of it pretty fast when I got back to my hotel. After that I had a decent night’s sleep.

The morning of the race I rode the school bus to the start and quickly spotted Mark and Charles, and learned that Wendy was not going to be joining us. I also looked around for several Buffalo runners from back home that I knew were also running Tecumseh. While it was a little chilly standing around waiting for the start, it ended up being a perfect day for a long run in the woods. I wore shorts, short sleeve shirt with a long sleeve shirt over that. I did eventually push up the sleeves but kept in on for the entire race and was pretty comfortable all day.

I told Mark I would stick with him for the start but then I would see how it goes. We were probably ¾ of the way back in a group of about 700 runners at the start. The first couple of miles went pretty fast; most of it was on double track with a rocky surface. I carried a hand-held and Mark wore his camelback so we ran right through the first aid station, which helped us pass a few other runners. Once we hit the single track trail I continued to follow Mark and was feeling very comfortable with my pace; I had decided to not pay much attention to my watch and to just run based upon how I felt. This continued for another couple of miles. Somewhere around mile 4-5 I became somewhat frustrated with how slow the runners in front of us were walking the uphills so I decided it was time for me to make my move and I bid Mark farewell and picked up the pace. I was okay with walking the uphills but it had to be more of a power walk and not a stroll. The next several miles were somewhat of a blur as I began to pass people when I had the opportunity while trying to maintain a comfortable pace. I do remember making comments with several runners how beautiful the view was. I do remember some lakes/ponds and one section where it felt like running through a tunnel with the foliage growing over the trail. It was also clearly obvious to me that the first half of the course was definitely tougher than the second half, at least what I could remember from last year.

I maintained my fueling and hydration strategy of a gel every 4 miles beginning at mile 8 and an S-cap about one per hour. I drank water as needed; carrying the hand-held helped me pass a lot of runners at the aid stations.

Somewhere just before the half way point I started to feel some discomfort in my left ITB which got me a little discouraged and I almost checked out mentally. I must have had a premonition something like this would happen because I had put some ibuprofen in my pocket, which I never do for races. So I did what most people tell you not to do and took a couple of them while we were on the black top road just before we hit Indian Hill. When I approached Indian Hill I told myself I was going to walk the entire hill and try to regain my mental focus. After the hill I focused on running until it became uncomfortable and then I would walk until I got some relief. I did this until the next aid station where I finally stopped to fill my hand-held and grabbed a chocolate chip cookie. As I was walking and eating my cookie I came upon Buffalo John from my running group back home. We began to visit and almost missed the turn off the road back on to the single track trail. We continued to walk the uphills, and run the flats and downhills and eventually I began to get some relief from the ITB. I was able to get into a pretty comfortable place mentally and I just powered on, eventually leaving John behind. I began to pass other runners again and was beginning to almost feel like a runner again. Based upon my memory from last year, I knew if I could make it to about mile 20, the last 6 miles are not as difficult.

Somewhere around mile 20-21 I came upon the beer station and happened upon Buffalo Brian who was standing there drinking a cup of beer. It didn’t take much to convince me to stop for a quick cup of beer. I then followed Brian for a short distance, he was having issues with one of his legs so he moved to the side and let me pass. Again, I focused on getting back into my pattern of walking and running and I actually felt pretty decent. My legs were feeling the effects of the course but mentally I focused on relentless forward progress. The course has a considerable amount of rocks, ruts, roots, etc. to trip on which I did probably 10-12 times but I never went down once. Towards the end the stumbles would reverberate all the way up into my quads and would almost trigger cramps but I never went into full blown cramping. I remember passing some runners but I don’t recall very many runners passing me. I do recall coming upon a young runner who was walking and appeared to be in considerable discomfort. As I passed I told him my theory was if it hurts to run then walk, if it still hurts to walk, then run. So he tucked in behind me and we continued on for a couple of miles with him right behind me. When I stopped to walk a hill, he thanked me for the advice and passed me; I didn’t see him again until after I finished.

I remember hitting the last aid station which is where I had to take a toilet break last year. I knew we just had to run around the lake and then up the road to the finish. I haven’t mentioned all of the water/creek crossings. There were probably about 20 water/creek crossings but most were such that you did not get your feet wet except for a couple of spots. However, in the last mile there was a water crossing that when I took my one step in the water, the cool water actually felt pretty good so I went back and stuck both feet in the water. In the last mile to the finish I did my best to run the entire distance, however, I will have to admit I gave in and walked a little bit of the very last hill before we turned in to the finish line. As I approached the finish line I saw Tim, Clark and several Buffalo runners which helped me to cross the finish line with a smile. Official finish time of 5:06:49, a full 30 minutes slower than last year. It is funny I went out faster and crashed last year, but this year I went out slower and felt better at the end. I am very content with my performance this year given my level of conditioning and the lack of focus on my training over the past several months. I ended up 304 out of 634 finishers. Not bad for an old fart.

I stuck around for about 1.5 hours to see other runners finish. I was able to see Buffalo John and Brian finish, but was unable to stick around for Mark and Charles. Overall, this was a very positive experience and I am even thinking about doing it again next year, but coming a little more prepared. This trail will humble you but it can also be a very rewarding experience.

Later.

Great report Jeff. You did a fantastic job especially considering the lack of training and ITB issues that you faced. You didn't make much of a deal of the meal but I'm sure it had a negative impact on your race. So sorry about that. It was great to finally meet you and I'm glad to hear that you're thinking of doing it again. It is a hometown race for me so it's always on my list if I'm healthy.

It's funny that I was standing there at the finish line talking to a few people and they all of a sudden started cheering for you as you finished. I guess they are part of your hometown group and it was nice talking to them.

Good job Jeff! You did really brush off the food sickness thing, but that had to play a role on your run. Glad you had a good time - sounds like a very interesting marathon...

Nice job, Jeff.

Jeff, great job on such a tough course and dealing with the ITB issue. I'm glad that you didn't have to deal with the miserable food poisoning that caused Wendy to DNS. It looks like you had a lot of fun out there made the most of the experience.
Congrats to a not so old fart!

Nice running, Jeff. Sounds like you ran a smart race even with the ITB and other issues.

At first when I read "Buffalo", I thought NY, but I knew that you live in IL, so I was a bit confused. I'm always looking for folks in the western NY/northern PA area to run with in the summer. The races in Buffalo, NY are very well run.

Since so many of you ran it, I was curious to check out the profile. I am not sure why you guys enjoyed it.

But you had fun and were happy, that's all it counts.

Congratulations Jeff!

Great race Jeff!