Mahlon Mayhem to Massachusetts

T and I took off for Oak Ridge, New Jersey on Saturday morning. We made good time, arriving with over an hour to spare. Good thing too as we took a wrong turn 500 feet away from the parking lot and ended up on some random backroad where we saw a bear, yes a BEAR, in someone's front yard. We're literally driving down the road, when I stop and say, "Dude, there's a black bear eating those people's plants." Obviously we took a bunch of pictures while discussing what to do if we encountered a bear during the race.

We arrived at our destination and caught a ride up to the Mahlon-Dickerson Reservation. A 100K, a 75K, a 50K, a 25K, and a 12.5K race were being offered. We had signed up for the wimpy 12.5K, but with two marathons looming, we decided not to risk severe overuse injuries. The other races had already begun and we waited for 10 AM to roll around. Soon it was our turn to take off into the woods.

I started out in the lead, but a woman who looked like an experienced trail-runner quickly passed me. I know my own abilities and decided it wasn't worth it to try to keep up. I held second place for a while until Annoying Guy in the Red Shirt came up behind me. I allowed him to pass. One of the weirder things about running while multiple races are taking place is trying to remember who you are competing against. When you see incredibly fit people moving at a slow pace or evening walking, you have to remember that they might be running over 60 miles while you are running under 8.

The course was different from the Greenbelt Trail. It was mostly flat and much more rocky. There was one stretch that was covered in small, sharp rocks that I could feel through the sneakers I am wear testing. I wish I could tell you more about these shoes, but I'm under contract to keep my mouth shut. All I will say is that they look awesome but I don't recommend them for technical trail. The course was a lollipop loop so we got to cover this lovely rocky stretch TWICE, and by the end of it I was begging for the tree roots and steep inclines of Long Island.

There was a good crowd out there, which you tend to find at trail races. T commented on how different the atmosphere is than at a road race. People are laid back and friendly, even though they must possess a certain kickass attitude to subject themselves to long-distance trail runs. I saw a guy I had seen earlier on walking part of a hill. I decided to walk too, and as I approached him he told me that there was only 1.5 mile left in the loop and to get going. I took off and knew I could come in strong. I had forgotten to eat my KIND bar so I tried to gag down as much as I could before I hit the pending wall.

As I cruised down through the remaining trail, I came across Anthony, a runner who was attempting his first 100K. I had noticed him because of his tattoos and his sick Salomon trail shoes. He was fading but I guess I inspired him to kick it up a notch because he said he was going to use me to pace him. We went hard and fast until we approached the trail head. I threw down my water bottle and my hat (which I hadn't worn since mile 1 - it was incredibly annoying!) and sprinted in across the finish line. I completed the 12.5K loop in 1:12:22, beating my goal of 1:20:00. I finished second place for women and third overall.

I waited for T to come in at 1:34:34. Her time was creepy considering her bib said 134, but sometimes bib numbers are signs of things to come. Let's remember when I wore number 21 and PR'd a 5K at 21:36. We both won beer glasses for placing. Sadly we could not stay to barbecue with the other runners because we had a ferry to catch in Rhode Island.

After lunch and shopping in Westport, we finally beat the traffic and made it to Quonset Point for the 5:30 ferry to Martha's Vineyard. Much joyous debauchery ensued. I woke up the next morning to a half and half screwdriver and things quickly deteriorated from there. We spent the day boating and beaching before heading back to the mainland. We arrived back in New York at 1 AM on Monday morning and I can honestly say I have suffered from a debilitating hangover since then until this evening. I am not as young as I used to be and this morning's 6.6 mile run almost killed me.