Fight Club

EARLY A.M.

At 4 a.m. I surprisingly woke up ready to go and actually excited to see what I was getting myself into.  I had been graciously extended an invite from Jeremy earlier in the week to tag along on what people called the CRA.  I was intrigued to say the least with the little Jeremy had talked about it.  It was just enough to keep interested but not too intimidated.  CRA is an interesting event, I learned from everyone who participates in the CRA that their actually is no CRA.  It’s kind of like fight club in more ways than one.
I had heard it was just going to be a pretty chill training run that was brutal if that makes sense at all.  It started out as just that.  The pace was nice and easy and it was fun meeting some new people in the ultra community.  I chatted with Adam Cassidy for the first mile which I have to give a shout out and thanks too for the article on Holiday Lake, and also just want to say good luck on the AT trail adventure. 

The Start:

There was a group of 5-6 guys until about half way up the first big climb at dragons tooth and then it started to split up a little on the technical section, especially on the downhill.  AKA I got dropped hard.  I am not very good at technical downhill, so it was not very long before they lost me.  It wouldn’t have been a big deal and I probably would have just taken it easy but I had no clue where I was going and I didn’t have a map!  Once the technical part cleared up I had to really dig and scrounge up some old track speed in my legs to catch up.  By the time we reached the first aid station I had finally reeled them back in.  I quickly took down a couple pieces of PB&J and rolled on towards North Mountain. 

North Mountain:

Feeling as if I had to run in all out 3k to catch up I was looking for a little recovery.  There wasn’t going to be any sort of recovery for the next few miles as we began to climb North Mountain, although the pace was very methodical so I did get to relax a bit.  It felt good to climb for awhile after that long descent.  Up on top of the mountain the weather seemed to change drastically with temps dropping while we were getting sprayed with a light mist.  Fog crept over the whole mountain and the breeze began to pick up.  Lucky for me I wasn’t sure how long we were going to be up on the ridge.  I say that because I know if someone told me it was going to be 7+miles I might have said the heck with it!  I was pretty chilly running in just half tights, a shirt, and some moeben arm sleeves. 

Up on top of the ridge the trail seemed to roll on forever.  I had to take a pit stop at one point along the ridge but it was quick and my stomach did not seem too upset so I wasn’t worried about a replay of Holiday Lake.  Frazier picked it up a bit on the ridge and I tagged along but at a trail intersection we had to stop and wait for a few minutes because we couldn’t figure out which direction to head.  Eventually Neal and Jeremy caught up and after some deliberation between the four of us, Jeremy  directed us down a long descent to the next aid station.

Tinker Cliffs and MacAfee’s Knob:

(How far is it?)

Frazier was in and out quickly and off to Tinker Cliffs.  I could tell Neal and Jeremy were just out for a good time and were just taking it real easy so I decided to rush ahead to catch up to Frazier.  I caught up to him by the time we started the first climb and we began to slowly grind are way up Tinker Cliffs.  We walked quite a bit of the steep climbs inching our way toward the summit.  Because of the nasty weather there would be no beautiful views today, but I was enjoying the company of Frazier and the random conversations about life. 

I am not even sure where Tinker Cliffs ended and the climb to MacAfee’s Knob began due to the fog making it very hard to even catch a glimpse of where you were.  Heading up MacAfee’s I decided to pick it up a little bit.  I was taking a chance not knowing the way but Frazier said if I just stayed on the trail it would take me straight to the next aid station.  Reaching the summit I continued to press on deciding it was not even worth taking a glimpse at the lookout not being able to see more than 50 feet in front of me.  The descent off the Knob was steep and a little technical.  There were signs posted claiming it was 3.4 miles to RT.311…this was the longest 3.4 miles of my life.  Somehow those 3.4 miles took me over 35+ minutes at a sub 6 min. avg. per mile.  That adds up right?  I agree with Jeremy, Horton had to measure this section!

With it being my first time doing the CRA I was starting to wonder if I took a wrong turn.  I reached for my bottle of gel and realized it was gone!  Somewhere down the descent off MacAfee’s Knob it must have slipped out of my pack.  I was hoping the road was soon because I was starving and knew my energy level would be crashing quickly if I didn’t get something in me soon.  Luckily I got a tip from a hiker that 311 was only about a ½ mile up the trail.  I was relieved to find out that I was still on course and wasn’t going be lost out there for hours!

The Roundabout:

Reaching the last aid station I took my time taking in as much food as possible before heading out towards the finish.  I was grabbing anything from Pringles to oatmeal cream pies, knowing without any gels left I would need to up my energy store.  Frazier made it in just a couple minutes behind me with Jeremy and Neal descending right on his heels.  I decided after eating for a few minutes to stuff a few cookies in my pack and head out towards the finish, hoping I wouldn’t get lost.

Unfortunately about a mile later I did take a wrong turn.  Lucky for me it was less than a mile loop and I popped out right behind Frazier at a place I had just came from.  If the CRA was a real race I might have been a bit upset but I just chuckled to myself and began to stride on up next to Frazier.  I decided at that point only being a few miles from the finish it would probably be better to just stick with him and ensure I actually make it there!  Descending off the mountain with a road in sight I knew we had to be getting close to the finish.

Running of the Bulls:

We reached a field crossing coming out of the woods and began to run towards a herd of cattle that were right in the middle of the trail.  Trying to make some commotion to get them to stir a little, I was startled to see there were quite a few bulls in the herd.  Frazier didn’t seem to care too much charging ahead making some noise and swinging his arms as if to shoo them off.  I am not going to lie I was a little hesitant to do the same so I just stayed right behind and hoped for the best.  Luckily the bulls weren’t feeling to frisky and let us pass on by.  Coming out on the road with less than a ½ mile on up to the finish, we began to pick it up and stride it in up the road.  I was still feeling great and I knew I had finally got the nutrition side of the race right.  I was shocked to see 6:43 on my watch when we finished.  To be honest I was surprised we even broke 7 hours.

Reflection of the first fight:

Hanging around after reminiscing about the run, I was greatly appreciative to be a part of it.  I can’t wait to do this again when the spectacular views will actually be visible.  That was the only disappointment of the run today.  Jeremy and I hung out for awhile bouncing back and forth between the car and socializing in the rain, trying not to freeze waiting on Micah to finish up.  We decided to head out early instead of hanging around in the rain when Micah finished up.  It would have been great to hang around and chat some while people finished up, but the weather was putting a damper on plans. 

Reflecting on the first experience of the CRA, it was to say the least one of my favorite runs of my life.  Surprisingly I was not to sore afterwards and was able to resume training the very next day.  Not to say I didn’t have some minor aches and pains, but all in all I felt pretty good.  It was great meeting guys like Neal and Frazier and I look forward to racing with them sometime in the future; and as always it is always good to get out for a training run with my teammate Jeremy (thanks for the invite).  Thanks to all who make this event happen, I can’t wait for next year.