An Umstead Race Report By Tom Nasuta
The Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run was the second race on the schedule for members of the Maryland Adventure Trail Run Team (MATR). This race is held at Umstead State Park in Raleigh, North Carolina in early April. The race is organized by the North Carolina Ultra Running Association and the race director for this event is Mr. Blake Norwood. Over the past 20 years, Blake Norwood has guided this race and mentored many volunteers and runners in endurance running. His attention to detail has resulted in this race becoming one of the most popular 100 mile races in the United States. In fact, when race registration opens, the event is full in less than 1 minute!
In 2010 I had registered for the Umstead 100 miler and was forced to withdraw due an injury. As a result this race had been on my bucket list for some time. The Umstead 100 Miler is sometimes referred to as an “easy 100 miler”. I can’t believe people combine easy and 100 in the same sentence. I have successfully completed 100 miles in a race before, but I was not underestimating how difficult this event would be.
The Course
This race is held on a 12.5 mile groomed trail similar to the Northern Central Rail Trail in northern Baltimore County where we train several times a year. Runners complete this loop 8 times on their way to 100 miles.
While this type of course might be considered easy compared to hilly technical trails, it is challenging. The Umstead hills are deceptive and as the race develops, runners need to be prepared to keep going when very tired. Runners are allowed 30 hours to complete this course and if you are not able to complete the entire 100 miles, you do receive credit for 50 miles if you at least complete this distance.
Preparation
I actually started preparation for Umstead in September of 2013. The MATR Team meets every weekend at 5:00am to run trails in the Baltimore Area. I followed a 26 week 100 mile training plan publicly available on a website from a trail ultra-running group in Southern California (http://www.trailrunevents.com/ul/schedule-100m.asp). I also read numerous articles in Ultrarunner Magazine regarding race strategy, pacing, nutrition, shoes, etc. Most importantly I trained with fellow team members and spent many hours on the roads and trails. My weekly mileage averaged 40-50 miles a week and I was able to reach 70 miles in training twice.
During our weekend training runs, I bounced many ideas off of my training partners. Hugh Wilson, Casey Fisher and Harry Good and are the most consistent members of our team. Harry and Hugh have previous experience with Umstead so I listened attentively to their suggestions about pacing, changes to expect in weather conditions, need for food during the event and what to anticipate. We log many miles together practicing the classic long slow distance on trails. Casey is much younger and very fast. There are times when we run together that I struggle to keep pace with him as he glides up the hills. The variety in abilities of my training partners keeps these long miles fresh and interesting.
At other times I trained with runners in the Baltimore Road Runners Club. Over the past year the club created a Middle Distance Training Group where runners prepare for 5K, 10k and half marathons. We log miles together at Loch Raven Reservoir and run speed work on the track at Goucher College. Their stories are exhilarating and proved to be critical in this race.
The Plan
My plan was to try and set a goal of finishing this race under 30 hours. My previous time completing 100 miles in a race was 31:23:35 at the Oil Creek 100 miler in 2011 and this wasn’t easy. I decided to break the event down into 8 parts and planned to have a theme for each loop in my head. After each loop I would check-in with the officials as required, change clothing if necessary, eat, drink, check my time, and start again with fresh thoughts to focus on.
The race results from previous Umstead races was quite useful. I looked at the times that it took other runners that were successful at Umstead to complete the distance under 30 hours. Those that were successful paced themselves smartly for the first half of the race. I could see how runners gradually slowed as the race progressed and anticipated this.
Two weeks prior to Umstead I had participated in the HAT Run, a local 50K race here in Maryland, as my last long run going into Umstead. During this event I went out too fast and struggled in the unexpected warm temperatures. Little did I know how valuable this experience would be as the Umstead race progressed.
Nutrition
Nutrition is one of the topics that our training group has discussed and experimented with a great deal over the past year. Fuel during a 100 mile race is critical. The food items at many ultramarathons typically include cookies, pretzels, candy, sports drinks and water. Umstead is known for the excellent assortment of food choices at the aid stations so I did not anticipate a problem here. In preparation for this run, Hugh Wilson refined his nutrition bar recipes and brought several versions of his high quality fuel products. These bars worked well in training and previous races. My hope was to use these nutrition bars for fuel during the race rather than rely on snack foods.
What Happened
Loop 1. The theme for this loop was to start conservatively and observe every turn, water stop on the course. “Don’t go out too fast!” Coach Harry’s voice was in the back of my head this entire loop. In fact I started in the very back of the 286 runners participating in the race. It was still dark at 6:00am so most of the runners were dressed for the cool temperatures and we carried flashlights or headlamps to guide our way. My target was to complete this loop under 3 hours. I easily completed this loop in 2 hours and 35 minutes. Faster than I planned, but it was easy. I was averaging 13 minutes a mile which was well within my ability. Enthusiasm was very high among all of the runners and it carried me along.
Baltimore runners Pete Mulligan, Catherine Cohen, Serge Arbona and Christian Creutzer were also competing in the race and they all looked comfortable as well as I caught glimpses of them during the race. Glen Davis, Amy Cook, Vanessa Kuhn, Joel Richmond, Hugh Wilson and Sue Nasuta were also here supporting the runners in various capacities as crew, volunteers or pacers later in the race. So far so good!
Loop 2. “Remember, this is a long race and you want to finish the entire thing”, I kept telling myself. Stay relaxed, don’t go too fast, and think about what is happening back home. The theme for this loop was the Brigance Brigade 5.7 K Run. Some of my friends in the Middle Distance Training Group at home were participating in this race to raise funds to support families dealing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). I thought about these runners nervously arriving at the beginning of their race and successfully completing the distance. How lucky we are to be able to work together as a team and prepare for these races. I thought about many of the conversations we have had during the Saturday Long Runs and realized we have much in common no matter what race distance we are preparing for.
This loop came easily as well. I had hoped to finish under 3 hours again and completed this loop in 2 hours and 43 minutes. At every opportunity I was eating Hugh’s nutrition bars, drinking water, and at the aid stations I was eating grapes, bananas, and other good food items. 25 miles completed and I am still floating through this race.
Loop 3. Things were starting to get interesting now as the temperatures started to rise. Instead of dwelling on the heat, I thought about the HAT Run and the experience I have acquired over the years. Umstead was my 26th race with a distance over 26.2 miles. Some of the runners that had set a faster pace early in the race were now struggling and I could see this in their faces as we passed each other. At the HAT Run 2 weeks ago heat was a factor as well, so I was anticipating it today.
If you can’t train in the heat, you don’t have time to acclimate yourself to it. I knew I was ok and pleased that I had learned from my race two weeks ago to expect the heat. I kept my head covered from the sun and I wore sunglasses. I also completed this 3rd loop under 3 hours as planned. 37.5 miles were completed and I knew I was one more loop away from 50 miles, a significant milestone for me.
Loop 4. I completed loop 4 and reached 50 miles in 11 hours and 15 minutes. This was my fastest time ever covering 50 miles in a race and part of me was worried about this. I realized I would not be able to maintain this pace for the next 50 miles, and anticipated that I would slow down. Theme for this loop was to stay positive. There was even a sign that playfully reminded all of the runners that “hills are your friends”. During this loop I met several other runners from Michigan and California. We shared some stories and worked together toward our common goal.
I know that some runners run courageously and use expressions like “No Risk, No Reward” or “Go as fast as you can for as long as you can”. My mantra was, “Just do what you do in training. I feel good so far and I want to just keep going. Stay under the cutoff times. I just want to finish this thing”.
In Scott Jurek’s book Eat and Run, he discusses the importance of nutrition and also mentions a mantra in his mind. “Sometimes you just do things” and “This is what you came for”. I was very pleased that I was comfortably ahead of the cutoff times and I was having fun. I really believe the new approach to food in training and during the race is helping me to be more successful.
Halfway Through – So far so good
After completing 50 miles I was pleased that the plan was working. I was running faster than originally planned, and I was pleased that the winter training and nutrition bars were paying off. I did notice that the temperatures were getting much warmer so I started to walk more. Things were about to change.
Loop5. At this point the temperatures were expected to get cooler as the sun went down so I took the time to change socks, added a jacket and long running pants, and stated again. I knew I would get credit for 50 miles if I stopped now, but this wasn’t the plan. Even though I was getting very tired, this is where my thoughts really drifted to my friends in the training group.
Sometimes the simplest things at the right moment are the perfect solution. I recalled that Deneen Keaton mentioned that she drinks green tea during her runs –I remembered that I had brought tea with me and this worked for a while! I tried to eat a few gels that were at the aid station, but did not find them very appealing. Then my thoughts drifted to conversations that I had with Tammy Edwards, Heather Radebaugh and Lauren Hoffen. I remembered that we discussed honey rather than gels and this worked like magic. I also recalled conversations that we had about various desserts that we liked and before I knew it I had finished another loop! Training partners are like angels. This wasn’t the original theme I had planned, but it worked like magic.
Loop 6. The theme for this next loop was the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in Washington DC.My training partner Hugh Wilson had planned to join me at this point of the race and we both volunteer as coaches back in Baltimore. Members of the training group would be starting their race soon and we discussed the progress that so many of our new friends had made over the past few months. Hugh had been recovering from knee surgery in December but was back to walking so I agreed to his offer to be my pacer for a lap or two. I was mostly walking at this point, so I was pleased to have the company and glad that he would not injure himself more by helping me.
Even though we have logged many miles together over the past year, we very seldom lack for things to talk about. In addition to the training group, we talked about metal detecting, books we had read recently, events in the news and bacon. As this loop progressed, I was becoming very sleepy and having the company was an incredible boost. Occassionally I closed my eyes and followed my pacer's voice. When I heard him say "You are drifting off the course Tom." I decided it was time to pay more attention. There was coffee at one of the aid stations that was very helpful.
Loop7 and Loop 8. “Luck starts at 5:00am”. I had read this sentence in another ultrarunners blog and adopted it for myself over the past month. Everytime someone wished me luck as I was preparing for this race, I thanked them, but privately said to myself - “Luck starts at 5:00am” Over the past year the MATR Team met at 5:00am to become accustom to running in the dark and running when tired. This was critical to completing these last two loops. I knew I was well ahead of the pace that I had set for myself, but very conscious that I needed to keep moving forward or this cushion I had built would quickly slip away. My pacer stayed with me and when possible we continued to run the downhill parts of the course. But mostly we walked the last several miles to the finish.
Conclusion
My 1st attempt at the Umstead 100 Miler was a success. I finished 100 miles in 26 hours and 47 minutes. This was an improvement of over 4.5 hours over my previous time at this distance. I had a plan going into the race that was probably too conservative, but it boosted my confidence throughout the race not having to worry about missing the cutoff times.
The training plan that I used to prepare for this race was perfect. Each week we gradually increased our mileage and the slow long-distance trail running over the winter was perfect preparation for this early Spring race. I managed the warm temperatures well this time and I was able to make adjustments that resulted in a successful finish.
If I have anything to share, here are three recommendations for others to learn from my experience.
Work with a Training Group – It is very hard to stay motivated over 16, 20 or 26 weeks to prepare for a long distance running event like an ultramarathon. The Baltimore running community is very generous with their time and ideas supporting one another. I was lucky to have my training partners from Maryland Adventure Trail Run, the NCR Trail Snails and the BRRC Middle Distance Training Group to run with. My crew and pacer knew what I needed in advance and took very good care of me.
Break large distances into small manageable parts – By breaking 100 miles into 8 parts, I was able to focus on a different subject in each loop. I looked forward to each theme and as a result it was like enjoying a different collection of ideas, memories or conversations throughout the event. Changes in weather conditions were expected and it became something to look forward to.
Enjoy the success of the runners around you – Seeing the other Baltimorerunners throughout the race and their spirit of encouragment to one another was very positive. I was very proud of the runners, crews, pacers and volunteers from Baltimore.
100 Miler Finishers
Serge Arbona 18:46:31 2 of 36 in Age Group 20 Overall
Pete Mulligan 24:38:32 28 of 36 in Age Group 84 Overall
Catherine Cohen 26:27:18 13 of 17 in Age Group 98 Overall
Tom Nasuta 26:46:59 17 of 30 in Age Group 102 Overall
50 Mile Finishers
Christian Creutzer 8:51:10 1 of 16 in Age Group 4 Overall
I was very pleased with my overall performance. The experience at the 2014 HAT Run in March and the Umstead 100 Miler in May will be beneficial in the next race on the schedule. The next challenge for the MATR Team is a 48 hour race taking place in New Jersey in May called 3 Days at the Fair.
Multiday running is not new. In fact events like this date back to the 1800's. For 2014 the group from Baltimore traveled to a race called 3 Days at the Fair, a multiday race held from May 14th to May 17th at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in northern New Jersey. Rick and Jennifer McNulty are the event founders and organizers. Working alongside their family and other race volunteers, this multiday running event has evolved into a running event that attracts many of the top runners in this segment of the running community. The event includes races ranging from 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours and the goal of these races are for runners to see how far they can run during the allotted period of time.
