I only recently really started running.  I had dabbled in it here and there while in high school and beyond, but truly found a passion for it in January of 2006.  At first my distance goals were modest, 15 miles a week, then 20 miles a week.  It wasn't until a conversation I had with my wife in the last week of February of 06 that I really set my mind to doing some serious distance.  Since marathons seemed to be the vogue thing to do, I chose the commercial route and set my goals towards running the Disney marathon on 1/8/2007.  Flash forward several  short races, 3 half marathons, many long training runs, and 10 months, and I find myself in 80 degree heat with 1000% humidity in Orlando of last month.  Long story short, I was convinced a sub 4-hour marathon was well within reach, but the heat got me hard and early, and slowed me to a crawl by the finish, a disappointing 4:38.  Now I have never been an extremely fast man, but I was so disappointed with my performance that I needed to reach a little further for satisfaction. So....I found Dr. Horton's Holiday Lake 50k which I had emailed him about in September, and decided to sign up.

 

As a consultant in the DC metro area, you learn to live with uncertainty and surprise.  I had planned to come down early on the day before the race and meet some of my fellow runners, enjoy the dinner, and pitch a tent on the field to truly grasp the experience as a whole.  Needless to say, work prevented me from doing so.  When my alarm went off at 1:45am on Saturday morning, for an instant, I almost didn't make the trek to Holiday Lake. But I dug down, grabbed a Red Bull, packed my bags and was out the door at 2:30 en route to Appomattox.  The drive was quiet and I arrived as anticipated at 5:30.  When I stepped out of my car, the cold hit me like a ton of bricks.  This would not be a day like Disney.  I walked to the lodge, checked in, grabbed my number and some doughnuts and headed back to my car to mentally prepare, and figure out how to appropriately dress.  After drinking about 80 oz of fluid I headed over to the start area with my grab bag, bloated and in need of a pit stop, and listened to the last minute instructions, and beautifully sung national anthem.  We all headed to the starting line right on time.

 

At 6:30 the race had officially begun.  I had thought this whole race plan out in my head, and wanted to avoid any kind of bonk like I had experienced at Disney, so I appropriately took my place at the back of the line.  With the cold stinging my face, and a uncontrollable feeling of excitement, we all headed off into the darkness.  Casual conversation was abundant for the first mile, and I listened to people talking about how happy they were to be doing this.  I quietly wondered how happy they would be 25 miles down the road.  The frozen lake was truly a site to behold, and for the first time in a long time, I felt truly at peace.  I will never forget coming to the lake crossing and seeing the mist rise off the lake, it gave me the chills.  I easily fell into a comfortable pace.  The nagging pains I had experienced during training were gone, and I felt like I could run all day.  The course at Holiday Lake is truly beautiful.  Although there was something to be said for running through Disney theme parks (and sewage treatment facilities), I rather enjoyed "pine tree alley," or whatever it was called, and the scenic views of the forest.  I reached the first aid station and was feeling good about the day.  The first time I looked at my gloves or water bottles was at AS1.  It was so cold that the sweat that was matriculating through my glove liners and knit outer gloves, had turned into frost, and my water bottles were full of what looked to be a 7-11 slurpee.  Wow......  Until this race I didn't even know it was possible for men to have icicles in their beards...

 

I continued running, mindful of the cut off time at the turnaround.  Through the first creek crossing and up to the second, where I abruptly stopped.  I swear that water was thigh high.  The photographer laying in wait on the opposite side of the creek coaxed me in by telling me it was all or nothing, I needed to go full tilt through the water.  I did, and the water was thigh high.  It was an interesting dynamic running with frozen pants.  At any rate, it started to warm just a bit after that and my pants thawed nicely, despite dealing with a bout of upset stomach that landed me in the woods several times, and cost me a pair of gloves, I hit the turnaround at 3:10, 20 minutes under the cut. I was still feeling very fresh and was in no hurry to get back out on the trail since I had come in easily under the time, so I sat down, changed socks and shoes, grabbed some Pedialyte and Power Gels, hit the porta potty and headed back out on the trail.  Despite taking my time, I quickly caught up to the group of runners I had been with before the turn.

 

It wasn't long after the turn that I started to get a bit stiff.  I guess I sat too long, but maybe 2 miles into the 2nd loop, I was dying for an aid station so I could eat the whole bowl of M&Ms.  I found it, filled my pockets with chocolate and headed back into the woods.  The sugar high kept me rolling for about 20 minutes, but I was flying (for me anyway) for that 20 minute stretch.  Inevitably it gave out, and the running demons were in my head.  My hips hurt, my feet hurt, I was cold, and I wondered why I was running a 50k.  After all, I only ran more than 40 miles in a week twice over the last year, and hadn't run more than 30 in the month between the marathon and 50k.  I thought of inspirational things.  I thought of my 2 year old son and the energy he has, and I thought of the struggles of the family of my recently deceased boss (he was only 57).  I also thought of the book I had recently read "Ultra Marathon Man" and kept forging ahead, despite wanting to stop.  After hitting AS3 the second time around, things got better.  The soreness in my hamstrings went away, and my upset stomach had seemed to calm.  I began running at a better pace and engaging in conversation with runners again.  AS2 came quick, AS1 even quicker, and before I knew it I was back at the lake crossing that was still vivid in my head from that morning.  It was even more beautiful the second time around, I darted across it and gave a little bicep flex to the camera as I passed.  Adrenaline was setting in, and before long I could see the finish (although, it was still on the other side of the lake).  I danced up the trails, passed a runner that I had been going back and forth with all day, and set my mind to the finish.  I knew I was going to do it.  I was elated, not because I would be finishing in great time, and not because I knew I could have gone a little harder, but because I had stuck to my plan.  I had swallowed my pride, and focused on finishing, and I was happier than ever.  As I emerged from the woods and headed down the hill I heard words of encouragement from others that had finished.  I hit the gravel and saw Dr. Horton.  I was numb from head to toe with pride.  Dr. Horton yelled my name, I gave a quick fist pump, grabbed my finisher's shirt, and had finished the race.

 

In what seemed like a matter of days, I had finished in 6:45.02.  Not my best effort, but I was proud.  I am still proud, and the Holiday Lake 50k has made me even hungrier than before.  Like many before me, I am hooked.  I will be back.  The people were great, the aid station help was fantastic, and the experience is one of a kind, incomprehensible for someone that has never done it.  I packed up, stretched, and headed back to northern VA.  The 3-hour drive seemed longer on the way back.  I was tired, sore, stiff, and longed for a hot shower and greasy food.  Despite not being able to camp out the night before, when I arrived home, I pitched my tent (in my basement) and my son and I went camping.  To me, this weekend, the whole experience, is what truly makes life special.  Working, chores, obligations, and struggles, are all things humans have to endure.  Its what you do with your time outside of these obligations that makes us who we are.  The Holiday Lake 50k was one of these defining moments for me.  I will be back, hopefully to run the LUS next year, but I will definitely at least be back for the Holiday Lake 50k.

 

Special thanks to Dr. Horton for putting on the truly memorable race, and to all the wonderful aid station workers that sat in the arctic cold, and joked with me at the aid stations.