This past weekend was the second year I crewed and ran with Dave P. at the Massanutten Trail 100 Mile, hosted by the Virginia Happy Trail Running Club.<br><br>
In no particular order, here's a little bit of my long weekend in the Shenandoah Valley:<br><br>
- Drove on Thursday night with Dave, who was running MMT #2. Last year he finished in 29:03. Last year's pacer report displays an elevation chart of the MMT, along with my experience from last year.<br><br>
- An all day Friday rain dampered my adventurous spirit. I was ready to run and rack up a ton of miles over the long vacation weekend. While Dave was packing gear and drop bags, I spent the rainy day in quaint historic district of Front Royal, VA. Purchased a trail guide from the town visitor's center, a haircut, and later read up on the Shenandoah NP and the AT. Probably better for me as I needed some rest from a long work week.<br><br>
- While I have yet to run 100, I feel somewhat guilty when I run as pacer. While I know its entirely within the rules to be a pacer, and that a pacer can be of great value to a competive ultrarunner, I feel like I'm poaching on all the good fun. I get to run into the night, provide camraderie, and eventually witness an amazing feat when my fellow runner crosses the finish line. This was my fifth pacer experience going 35+ miles: Second MMT to go along with three Mohicans. Pacers at MMT can start from any aid station after 6pm (13 hours into race.)<br><br>
Click blog link for the rest of the report...
In no particular order, here's a little bit of my long weekend in the Shenandoah Valley:<br><br>
- Drove on Thursday night with Dave, who was running MMT #2. Last year he finished in 29:03. Last year's pacer report displays an elevation chart of the MMT, along with my experience from last year.<br><br>
- An all day Friday rain dampered my adventurous spirit. I was ready to run and rack up a ton of miles over the long vacation weekend. While Dave was packing gear and drop bags, I spent the rainy day in quaint historic district of Front Royal, VA. Purchased a trail guide from the town visitor's center, a haircut, and later read up on the Shenandoah NP and the AT. Probably better for me as I needed some rest from a long work week.<br><br>
- While I have yet to run 100, I feel somewhat guilty when I run as pacer. While I know its entirely within the rules to be a pacer, and that a pacer can be of great value to a competive ultrarunner, I feel like I'm poaching on all the good fun. I get to run into the night, provide camraderie, and eventually witness an amazing feat when my fellow runner crosses the finish line. This was my fifth pacer experience going 35+ miles: Second MMT to go along with three Mohicans. Pacers at MMT can start from any aid station after 6pm (13 hours into race.)<br><br>
Click blog link for the rest of the report...