Bloody hamstring! That was the source of my frustration from about a week after the C&O Canal 20-mile club run back in September until late October. I dropped out of the Baltimore Marathon in an effort to facilitate the healing and treatment process and ran only 6-7 times for that whole timeframe (one ten-miler). Frankly, I was unsure if I'd even do the JFK and did not commit to it until about a week and a half before the race.  Fortunately, I felt as if I was largely recovered and somewhat rested from an Ironman I did in Florida back on 9 Nov. Thankfully, the hamstring seemed to hold up during that event.  But taken together, both the injury and the recent Ironman race could very well have made my day in the JFK, shall we say, problematic.

I thought all things being equal with last year's effort if I could lop off any time at all it would be in the early going up the mountain road and the first few miles of the AT.  So I ran up the hill nonstop and avoided the backlog on the AT recovering in the early going on the AT.  I believed I saved at least 5 minutes doing this and having spoken to other runners after the race it seemed that was a common tactic - avoid the bottleneck on the AT by getting ahead of the pack.  As for the AT my feet got badly worn in the rocky areas and as I began to get sluggish I slowed a bit for fear of falling. I believe my previous race in Florida was also a factor.  Nonetheless, I exited the AT in decent shape but a little more tired than last year.However, nothing unexpected.

Since the running on the AT has a great deal of uneven running I did not expect any previous injuries to manifest themselves significantly. My concern was the long flat run on the towpath with all of its repetitive running. Around mile 22 I recall feeling a bit down mentally and a bit concerned of my previous injury. Perhaps because I was running alone and had no one to commiserate with - who knows. Certainly, I was not enjoying the experience at that point. I plodded onward walking when I needed. Somehow, despite feeling only so-so I sensed I was running a bit more than last year. Last year I ran about 80 percent on the towpath but felt I was running a bit more this year - not much but a bit more. Still I had no particular strategy on the towpath - just run when I could and walk when I must. I also made a point not to spend too much time in the aid stations - just get in and exit quickly. But it was so easy to "hang out" at these little oasis. I had a definite let down around mile 30 or so because I had so far to go and I felt pretty tired and still running alone. I was convinced that this would be my last "sortie" for this race. However, Norm Hunt and his wife were most encouraging and supportive - they said I was looking good and that helped a bit. In fact at one stop he very casually said, "I'll see you in about 6 miles or so". That seemed to indicate that maybe I was not as rough looking as I thought. Anyway, I seemed to get a modest pick up around "38 Special" and was convinced that I was running at least as well as last year - not a whole lot but a bit anyway.

Exiting the towpath and on to the final 8 mile road segment was a definite lift and I most certainly ran more on this segment than last year. Around mile 45 or so I "caught up" with Jim Bradford and for the first time ran side by side with someone - a most welcome change. Jim was supportive and could easily have rocketed ahead but stuck around and finished with me. I could not help but feel the irony of finishing gracefully with Jim this year after having gutted it out in a sprint with his wife, Anna last year. Boy what a difference - and no puking either! Anyhow, my time: 9 hrs 29 min which was about 36 min faster than last year. I finished about as well as I could have expected given the circumstances.

As numerous articles have already noted, what makes these races special is the camaraderie and bonding that take place before, during and well afterward. I don't think such comments are overstated. I think any Ultra is a special event and to do one under the umbrella of a running club is special - which makes Reston Runners special. With that, thanks to ALL of you who spent your whole day supporting runners. Finally, as I write this it is Thanksgiving and I can't help but realize that just being out there is reason enough to give thanks for good health, companionship and a little determination when you need it.