Bull Run FKT and Terrapin 50km

Bull Run FKT

2022 has been off to a great start.   For a few years, I’ve had my eye on the Fastest Known Time for the Bull Run trail.  It is an iconic local trail and the scene of many local races.  Two years back, two guys set a stout time of 2:31 on the 18-mile hilly, technical trail.  That felt like it was right on the edge of my ability, so while the outcome was uncertain I figured it would be a good goal and fun to try!

I talked Peter into joining me (thanks, Peter!), and we set off from Bull Run Regional Park at 7:30am with ideal conditions.  We banked a few fast miles in the flatter stretch at the beginning, and then it got real as the trail got hillier and more technical.  Mile 5 was a slow split and a good reminder that the Bull Run trail is just … slow.  It feels like it should be faster with no huge climbs and some quite runnable sections.  But it is twisty, turny, technical, and muddy in some spots even on the best days.  The climbs aren’t big, but they are punchy and have a way of breaking up your rhythm.

Around mile 8 or 9, Peter dropped back to continue on to his own finish, which he did in a great time!  I made up time through the fields and was right on the bubble to break the FKT.  I was pushing hard and starting to fatigue, so I decided to up the calorie intake to every 20 minutes, which actually made a huge difference and helped me keep pushing.

As it got later in the morning, more people were out on the trail.  I tried my very best to keep running hard but share some polite words as I passed.  Not sure how much I managed to succeed, but hopefully the effort counted for something?

I was feeling cautiously optimistic, but I apparently forgot how much tougher the last 6 miles are.  Before starting, I debated which way to run the one-way route and considered going the opposite way from Fountainhead to do the harder miles on fresh legs.  In the end, I opted to start at Bull Run to make time on the faster section while I was fresh.  I think I made the right call, but wow did it make for a tough last 6 miles!

I ran mile 13 in 9:45. That was way too slow to get the FKT, so I popped in my headphones to distract me, put my head down, and got to work.  My pace picked up, and with mile 14 I was back in the game.  

The next few splits were also good, but I was still worried.  There are mile markers at the end of the trail, but the last mile had a re-route several years back extending the last section.  I didn’t know exactly how far I had left, so it was going right down to the wire.  

I stumbled out at Fountainhead at 2:28:57, in the end shaving a little under 3 minutes from the FKT.  Phew!  I hope more people give this FKT a go, and it can definitely go much lower than my time.  And huge congrats to Heather Moldofsky, who just smashed the women’s FKT!

Big thanks also to Peter for keeping me company and to his wife for meeting us at the finish and driving two tired dudes back to the start.

At the finish in Fountainhead

Terrapin 50km 

I had a fantastic race here last year and was thrilled to be coming back.  The forecast looked dicey with possible thunderstorms, but the weather turned out decent if not as good as last year.  It was warm down low and rainy with slick terrain at some spots up high, but it was a good day in the mountains, and I can’t complain!

A highlight this year was running with friend and USWE teammate, Jana, for most of the first 25 miles.  Races are always more fun when you can share miles with someone, especially when that someone has such incredible positive energy like Jana.  We worked together and found ourselves in 4th and 5th overall in the back half of the race.

We were a bit apart in the lollipop section but joined up around mile 20.  I hit a bit of a low in the loop (as per usual) but some extra calories and Jana’s positive energy helped pull me out of it, and we ran hard into the mile 22 aid station.  We were right on my split from last year, when I ran 4:53.  I thought the women’s course record was very close to that, and Jana confirmed it was 4:52.  

2nd and 3rd were way ahead, so I was pumped to focus on working together with Jana and see if she could nab the CR.  She went ahead while I refueled at aid.  I caught up soon after, and we worked together on the steep mountain goat climb.

A quick note about this 3-mile section of the course.  It is unlike the rest of the course and is TOUGH.  You have 20%+ grade climbs and descents with tricky, technical, rocky trails.  After cresting Terrapin Mountain, you plunge 2,300 feet in less than 2.5 miles.  Now I’ve trained a lot on this kind of terrain and love this stuff.  It’s where I usually make up time.  But lots of people are not huge fans of this section, so this is a friendly PSA for anyone considering the race!

Jana and I stuck together to the top to ensure no navigation issues in this section, which unfortunately did happen to some runners.  Then it was bombs away down the next 2.5 miles.  Jana was right behind me, and we made it over the loose rock field.  As we hit the 1/3 mile out and back section to the final aid station, 2nd place was towards the top of the 1/3 mile stretch.  He was a good 4-5 minutes up and moving well, running the uphills, so I figured that was the last I’d see of him.

As we came to the aid station, 3rd place was there, which lit a bit of a fire.  I chugged some Coke, partly refilled a bottle, and got out of there.  There is a sneaky, surprisingly difficult 1.2 mile straight climb out of this aid station, and I managed to run the whole thing, now solidly in 3rd.

The next 3 miles are hilly with these horseshoe bends where you can see .2 miles ahead.  After the first couple, I was surprised to spot 2nd place.  I was very much red-lining at this point, but I shifted into another gear, really hoping I wouldn’t blow up.

I caught up ever-so-slowly and pushed hard to take 2nd before we hit the 1.8 mile screaming fast descent to the finish, as I doubted I could hold anyone off on that terrain!  I moved into 2nd just a bit before the stream crossing and final downhill.  I held on for dear life, and my quads were spasming and on the verge of cramping.    

I managed to hold on for second, though I found out the guy I passed at the end was one of those who got turned around on Terrapin Mountain, which is a bummer.  I was also pumped to beat my time from last year by 2 minutes.

Big thanks to Clark for putting on such a great race and Jana for the company and positive vibes!

Looking very happy after the long and runnable first descent

Team USWE cleaned up! Jana won the women’s race, nearly getting the course record. Justin won the men’s race in an impressive time.

Notes on 2022 Training & Nutrition 

My training has been a bit different the past 3 months.  I’ve run a bit less volume and vertical than previous years.  Last year I was consistently doing 2x weekly Vo2Max workouts at this point, while I’ve generally done one quality workout per week this year.

However, I’ve added a lot of strength training and cycling, doing up to 6 hours per week of non-running volume between the two.  This is largely with eyes on Tor des Geants in September to optimize training for that ridiculous race.  While my top end fitness and speed may not be quite what it was last year, I think I’m better for it, as seen in the better result this year.  

I have also continued dialing my race nutrition in, specifically upping my calories and carbs.  For Terrapin, I managed a whopping 322 calories / hr and 77 grams of carb / hr, far higher than I’ve consumed before.  I credit this to feeling so good at the end and being able to push hard and find a new gear in the final 5 miles.

I’m excited for what the rest of the year has in store!  Next up is Hellbender 100 on May 6.  Happy trails and keep on chasing those dreams!