RACE REPORT: Spartan Fayetteville HH12HR (DNF), Super, HH

I don't think I did any workouts between GORUCK Immersion and my post-Immersion trail run at Kennessaw Mountain, and Spartan Fayetteville
 weekend.  My arms were sore, and I needed to rest up and be 100% for HH12HR.

I had gotten a spot at the HH12HR through a 300 burpee facebook challenge, and it was incentive to go back for redemption.

HH12HR

I left work a little bit early to head out to Fayetteville.  Fortunately, I wouldn't hit any congested areas, but you don't want to be late for a team event like GORUCK or HH*, since the whole class typically gets punished, or else you get punished.

It felt familiar.  We parked at the same treeline.  People got their gear ready, double-checking everything on the list.

• Headlamp
• Ruck
• H2O
• Food
• 20LB for women
• 2x Duct Tape
• Multi-tool
• Safety Vest
• Gallon of Water
• 5x Sandbags
• Plastic Cup
• Metal Spoon
• 5 Gallon Bucket

Fortunately, there wasn't anything I didn't have already.  I'm not a big fan of having to spend a bunch more money on random items that I may only use once, so this was a good list.  I had sandbags leftover from a previous event... last year's Fayetteville HH12HR.

It was kind of warm at the start, but it would get to 70 during the night.  I wore BDU pants for protection from spikey or poisonous plants and bugs, and for a barrier against rocks or sand against knees.

We started off with a couple of rounds of "the floor is lava", where we had 10s to get off of the ground.  We did gear checks.  We had pushups because of someone's smart commenting... typical.

Our first task was to make a couch out of firewood, in preparation for the next day's race.  Afterwards, we held a high plank with our feet on a bucket for a while.  

 

That woman in the middle, by the way, is amazing.  I remember seeing her on course at the Beast last year.  She ended up making it!  It was not easy.  She beat out so many others, out of the initial class of 45 members.

After that, we rucked out to our base camp.  From there, we rucked even further to a sandy area to fill a sandbag (1/2 way, for women) and bring it back.  After that, 8 count man-makers, with the sandbag.  That was brutal.  We had to hold the "8" count with the sandbags above our heads for long stretches of team.  I had trouble with that, and there were times where the whole class had to have it up at the same time, or else everyone would have to do it longer.  It was tough, and I thought about quitting.  I felt bad about pulling the class down.  I really didn't want to be the first one to quit, though, especially after I had been given/ had earned the spot at the HH12HR.  I didn't want to let down Bev.  Eventually, the 8-counts ended, though.  A guy named Silvay helped me at the very end, saving the rep.

 

After that, we had a mission - ruck a long, long ways, with the sandbag as well, with one arm duct taped to our hip so that it was immobile, to go to a creek and get a cup of water to bring all the way back with all of our gear, to a bucket, for who knows how many laps.  There were some sketchy parts of the path with roots and sandy, steep, irregular uphill and downhill... you had to be especially careful about your water then.  It would've been so unfortunate to have rucked like 0.75 mi to only spill at that point.

 

Since it was 2x out and backs (there were 2 laps, in the end), you got to see everyone else.  Some were super strong, almost running the task and full of energy.  I was glad to have held my own.  I took a short break after the first water drop-off, before proceeding.  Challenging, but you can push yourself through it.

After that, we rucked back out to the sandy area and did burpees with the sandbags, with our ankles duct taped together.  The last step where you jump involved throwing your sandbag forward, and doing a broad jump to join it, all of us in unison.  

The last task that I was involved in had us with ankles duct taped again, with a sandbag, and we had to somehow make it like 0.3 (or who knows) of a mile like that.  Ideally, you could hop your way there, but it was pretty jarring for the spine, since each time you landed, the sandbag and 20lb ruck would slam down.  I switched to waddling 1 in at a time, which sets certain muscles in your hips on fire.  I think the weight of the gear was more difficult for me than the lactate in my hips.  I had to get down on the ground to rest a minute at one point, before continuing on.

Cookie had told us that who knows (other than he and Amy) what the time limit would be, but to not give up, so I kept going.  The hay bales and cluster of trees that we passed went by so slowly, because it was a hard-earned inch at a time.  During this movement, I thought about wars fought in trenches, where inordinate amounts of time were spent with only inches or feet or progress.  Eventually, I got to the point where we were allowed to take off the duct tape and make the final run to the finish line.  It turns out that I missed the hack by 15 min... well, it's less difficult to swallow when you miss it by a lot vs. by a little, I suppose.

Failed again.  I had wanted to quit multiple times during the event, but I had told myself better to go down fighting and missing a hack, rather than giving up.  I had read about what happened with the Green Berets in Niger, and something that the article kept emphasizing was that the one hero went down fighting.  He wasn't captured or hadn't surrendered.  I thought about that, too.

After I was out, I recovered while watching the remaining peoples' next task.  At this point, maybe half of the original class were left.  They had to stand on their 5 gallon buckets, with the sandbag, for what seemed like forever, with the rule "if you step off, you're out".  Imaging staying balanced... some of the buckets were on sand or on uneven ground.  And imaging holding still with all of that weight.  Maybe there are bugs, or sweat, or maybe you have an itch, and you can't easily move without potentially dropping your sandbag.  I can't believe that nobody fell. 

I only know a little bit about what happened after that, because we had to evac the area for secret stuff.  I went with Silvay for a nap in the car before the Super and the rest of the weekend.  At least one of their tasks was to push their bucket with a sandbag in it, while their knees and ankles were duct-taped.  They did that for 4 hours, or something like that.  When I was cut, I couldn't imagine surviving for more hours.  Who knows if I could've made it, had I gone on.

Oh well, you learn something at each one.  You learn about yourself, you are inspired by amazing people like Scotti, you have more of an appreciation for people who go through tough stuff like this as part of their job.

SPARTAN HONOR SERIES SUPER

I woke up to bright sunlight and the noise of the festival in the background.  They had a special parachute drop for the event, since we were in the Fort Bragg area.  I watched the tail end of the jump through my dashboard window.


I went into the festival a couple of times to get more water, register for my race, etc.  I hung out at the Team Southern Spartans tent a bit, seeing friends.

At the tent, I met a fellow HH12HR, and we decided to run the Super together before moving on to the HH.  At this point, all we really cared about was finishing the weekend, especially after what we went through at the HH12HR.  It was the first time I've run a full race with someone else.  I have run parts with Marie before.  It was fun, getting to chat and take on the obstacles together.

 

It was a very hot weekend.  We left with the 11:15 wave, and it only got hotter as time went on.  We took it smart, with the goal of finishing, by stopping for water, taking walk breaks, etc.  After all, we still had the HH ahead of us.

I'm still a fan of the capped buckets.  I wonder if in the past, when we had to fill them in the past, if I had always been over-filling.  

 

I like the Fayetteville course a lot.  Spring Lake (here) and the Smith Lake venues were great... flat, which is to my liking.  I'd like to try to run competitively here some time.  

My buddy was a beast... her callouses had ripped off at the monkey bars, but she still made it through every obstacle after that!  I would've called it by then.

Eventually, we finished.  We didn't have tons of time left before the HH... I had about an hour to shower off and go back to my car for my gear.

HH

The HH is mostly first-timers.  They're in for an experience!  Most HHs that I've been a part of have been mostly first-timers, it seems.  This was the most fun I've had at a HH, though, I can say. Less focus on beat-downs, more focus on team work and fun while doing hard exercises.

I met a guy who was visiting from Germany on a work trip... that would be cool, to throw in a weekend like this!

 

We did Floor is Lava, Human Conveyor Belt, Tunnel of Love in a circle, and Circle Pushups at the initial meeting point.  Then, we went to the Festival, where we did Sally and Thunderstruck, followed by a dance party of a couple of songs hosted by the DJ.  Definitely a more fun atmosphere than usual.

After that, we went on course, where we did the barbed wire crawl (I think I crawled through a bunch of fire ants!), the human conveyor belt through rolling mud, and then slip wall without ropes!

 

After these challenges, we had to carry 2 logs and 2 giant tires as a class.  As usual, I wasn't able to contribute very much on the logs.  I was at least able to help with navigating.  We had a unique challenge, too, where we had to figure out a way to cross a road without touching the ground, where only the tires and logs could touch the road, and we had to get the logs and tires to the other side by the end.  Surprisingly, we made it!

We finished with a carry back to beat threats of lightning, plus what looked like a fire off in the distance. It was satisfying to at least finish this, even if I did DNF the HH12HR.

 

 VOLUNTEERING SUNDAY

After a luxurious-feeling hotel stay after long days with little sleep and car napping and dirt, I volunteered on Sunday.  I was glad that I didn't sign up for the race this time.  I normally do, but I've done it before, and I didn't have anything additional that I needed to prove this time.  It was good to stay relatively clean today, even if it was hot.

Also, I got home at a reasonable time, and treated myself to some real food for the first time in what felt like a long time at "Pho Real".  Salt, vinegar, broth, and spiciness to counter palate fatigue is just what I needed.

GORUCK IMMERSION - Atlanta 2018 (plus MS Walk, Float Hopes, Kings Mt NMP, MLK NHS, Kennessaw Mt NB)

GORUCK rolled out a new series of events that teach survival courses.  I completed Constellation, their urban survival course last year, in Cary, NC.  It was the first one that they held after their beta event, I believe.  This year, they added two more events - Immersion, the water survival course, and Expedition, the wilderness survival course.  Constellation was a lot of fun.  Grinding it out through PT and heavy carries at Tough and Light events teaches you things about teamwork, leadership, and grit, and you learn nuggets of wisdom all along the way, and that's great and special.  However, since I was a kid, I've always been really into cool gear, going on missions, and survival.  It was fun and useful and cool, and I wanted more, so I signed up for Immersion and Expedition this year.

Constellation was a nice change in that it wasn't a beat-down like the Tough and similar events that I've done before (HH12HR).  They called it a gentleman's event, in that it's not about the PT.  I came across a chart that summarized the differences between these events, and it suggested that Expedition and Immersion would be more physical, but I wasn't sure how so. Immersion would be first, on May 5, and Expedition would be afterwards, on May 19.

Immersion was the evolution of Beached events that they tried last year.  In my head, I pictured being out on a raft for a good bit of the time learning how to survive on a raft, and being on land some of the time, learning stuff about surviving on shores after getting marooned.  Haha... I'd be wrong.

TRAINING LEAD-UP

I wasn't training for Immersion or anything, but this was what I did in the weeks leading up.

Tuesday, Apr 24:

50 min strength session

• Pullups: 4 + 5
• Crunches: 400/side
• Plank: 2.5 + 4 min
• Lunges: 100
• Pushups: 20 slow and deliberate were hard
• Adductor/Abductor Leg Lifts: 95/130
• 6 in: 75s
• Single Leg Squats: 75 + 80 shallow
• Russian Twists: 40
• Assorted Dumbells

Thursday, Apr 26:
5.0 in 41:27, 8:18 ave, 2 degrees of incline.  My heart had to work hard.  Legs were achey at first, but were fine in the second half.  Did it after 8 not-all-the-way-down perpendicular bar pullups.  After the run, I did 6 normal pullups.

Saturday, Apr 28:
In the morning, I participated in the MS Walk at Upstate USC.  It was good to see old friends again from SC.  I got in about 1.5 mi of rucking there.

 

After that, I went to Kings Mountain National Military Park.  It happened to be the end of National Park week, so I started with a photo scavenger hunt along their Battleground Trail (2 mi).

It's a beautiful and underrated park and trail system.  Many in Charlotte talk about Crowder's and the Whitewater Center, but this place is great as well.  The National Park System never disappoints.

After finishing the scavenger hunt and getting my bookmark prize, I wanted to get in some more rucking.  Their parking lot closes at 5pm, and it was 2pm, so I hustled to try to get to Lake Crawford and back before closing time.  It was good incentive to go at a decent pace.  I did my shuffling jog when I could, and walked more on the way back. 

The trail goes along some little creeks, and my turnaround point, which was within the SC Kings Mountain State Park, was a dam.  I had done this ruck with my dad once before, so I knew what to expect.

You don't need to be in rucking shape for Immersion, but I had a HH12HR coming up, plus a bunch of GORUCK challenge events the rest of the year.  Now that I usually go to the gym at work, I don't get in the 1-mi periodic rucks that I used to get when I'd ruck to my subdivision's gym.

Sunday, Apr 29:

I went to the USNWC to watch a rubber duck race that benefited charity.  It was something to see!  The show lasted longer than I expected, because the ducks took a while to all make their way through the rapids and eddys.  It was quite a spectacle, seeing all the ducks get scooped up afterwards, too.  It looks like a fun job.  There were a ton of people there, watching.  

Afterwards, since I was already there, I decided to go bouldering, using my season pass for only the second time so far this year.  I ran across some Spartan friends there, which was fun.  My legs weren't runnable after the rucking yesterday, so bouldering was a good option.

Monday, Apr 30:

I went back to the South End Pub Run for the first time in a while.  With the big race weekends recently, I hadn't felt recovered enough for a Monday run, but it was a good day to go back.  I was still at work at 5:45pm, so I might as well.

5.1 in 42:10, 8:16 ave.  

I sometimes dread the paces that I end up going at the runs, like feeling my stomach turn.  We went easy today, though.  I still don't fully know all of the turns on the route, so I was happy to follow.  Glad to not be going suicide pace today (7:17 last time).  

Tuesday, worked until 6:45pm and tired, so no gym.

Wednesday, team bonding at Sycamore Brewing.  Good beers.  Good to get to know my colleagues better.

 

Friday, May 4:

The treadmills at the gym got some new features pushed to them, including RunTV, which shows a screen that makes you feel like you're running through various beautiful venues.  I usually watch Food Network TV, but this is better.  You get some benefit of feeling like you're out in nature, and you're incentivized to finish the run to not miss any of the scenes, not that the scenery changes much within a show.  The shows last for somewhere between 35-40 min, and the treadmill must stop between shows, so you can't do multiple consecutively.

I ended up doing 2, so that I could start to work my way through the 6 options.  I did Above the Snow (alpine run) and Beach Buzz.  The former went up to 9 degrees of incline, and I found out for the first time that the treadmills could go downhill, too!  It was quite a suprise.  

8.5 in 1:12:34, 8:32 ave.

Since Immersion wouldn't be leg-intensive, and I'd be up all night so I probably wouldn't have much energy for workouts the rest of the weekend, I wanted to get in a more substantial run beforehand.

MLK JR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

As I mentioned, I'm a big fan of the NPS.  Since I was driving all the way down to the ATL area, I wanted to swing by nearby NPS parks.  On the way there, since I was still clean, I went to the MLK Jr. National Historic Site.  It's located in the neighborhood where he grew up.  Exhibits talk about the history of Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, and his life.  It was really powerful.  When I saw examples of the separate but [not] equal stuff that was imposed on fellow humans and the degrading way in which they were treated, it broke my heart as much as learning about the Holocaust was.  It was so wrong... not much better than the Holocaust.  

GORUCK IMMERSION

I got to Red Top State Park a little early.  I scoped out the meeting area, visited the gift shop for a hiking medallion, and then grabbed a quick Letterbox Geocache before heading back to the meeting point to prep my gear.  More people assembled.  I saw one car that clearly had some 6 hr people in it... they were drying their clothes.  Since they were still around, they must be sticking around for more. While we got ready, the 6 hr duo shared their experiences and tips.

It was going to be in the low 60's that night, and we'd be getting wet.  Although it wasn't on the packing list, I brought my fleece jacket in case.  Good call.  

Once we met the cadre, we carpooled to a place where we collected some firewood for later.  Then, we had a swim test, to assess our comfort in the water, since we'd be there a while that night.  It's one thing to swim in a pool in a swimsuit, but swimming in clothes and shoes is outside of one's comfort zone.  It's not as bad as I thought, though.

We learned how to waterproof our rucks and make them good flotation devices.  We swam with buddies, to keep each other safe.  My buddy Frank was really nice and looked out for me the whole time.  We doggie paddled for a long time while the cadre taught us how to improvise flotation devices with pants, kickboard rucks, rucks behind, rucks in front, and contractor bags.  It was chilly and physically demanding to paddle, but it was exciting being in a new environment like that.  I was already shivering, though, so I wondered how easy it would be to make it through the whole night.

We had a few fire breaks throughout the night, where we could warm up, rehydrate and refuel, and learn more modules.  We learned about first aid (tourniquet, superglue, splint above and below the impacted joints, arm sling via bandana).

Our first water session had been chilly.  I was glad to have my fleece.  When it was time to get back into the water in the cold air and the cold water, I wasn't sure how it would go, but you just start going.  Once you get into the water and start doggie paddling, you magically start warming up, and it isn't so bad.

We learned various rescue techniques, getting the person to swim to you, or catching them from behind and pulling them along with a strong, one-arm, over-chest grip, and neck splinting.  Like with Constellation, we got a lesson and demo, followed by practice with coaching, all the while, doggie paddling with our floating rucks.  When I read on the Immersion site that we'd be swimming with flotation devices, I thought we'd be using PFD's... this was much cooler and much more realistic in the case of an emergency.

At another fire break, we learned how to make improvised oars and rafts (with the benefit of an air mattress for most groups, although one group had to use logs).  We assembled this in teams, and then the teams had to race each other.  I'm proud to say that Boat Crew 1 finished first, so we got to be captains for the final challenge!  

Each of the survival events end with a CULEX, where we put all of the new skills into practice in a culminating scenario.  We found ourselves in the water in the cold night with nothing, and then wreckage and rucks came raining down on us.  We had to assemble a raft, give first aid to casualties with various medical issues, navigate the raft to a specific point, then come back.  

Many times, in situations like this, leadership is tested.  How do you manage when many people have ideas on how best to handle the situation?  Who can be decisive, start giving assignments and organizing people, etc?  I was really impressed by my fellow Boat 1er who would soon be off to Ranger School.  It had been a long, cold, and wet night, but we all pulled together and got the job done.  Everyone worked hard.

Someone else who really impressed me was this funny girl from the West Coast.  In the middle of miserable conditions, she'd say something funny and make everyone laugh, and it would turn the whole thing around.  In challenging times, it's good to have people like that around, who can see the light through the darkness and lift people up.  She had ridiculous amounts of energy, too.  Turns out that she's a Spartan and a marathoner, too, although my demeanor is kind of the opposite.  I'm more of the suffer-in-silence type, so I have much to learn from people like her.  That ability to help people is powerful.

It was a really cool and unique experience.  I understand why this event is on the high end of physicality.  Our shoulders were all sore by the end, maybe from doggie paddling (plus rowing).  We were tested mentally and physically more than I expected, with the cold water.  I had some doubts about whether I could make it through without giving up out of being cold, but the team and the cadre supported everyone and showed a lot of determination and grit.  Whatever we were doing, the cadre made sure that they had it even tougher, so that they could make sure that we weren't put into any unreasonable situations.  They are experienced like none other and looked out for us.

I didn't expect to have to fight so hard to get this patch, but I did, and I'm so much more proud of having earned this because of it.


KENNESAW MT NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD

We must've burned a gillion calories during the event, between the swimming in the cold.  Normal swimming makes you really hungry.  Swimming for that long in the cold is something else.

I was thirsty, too, so I re-hydrated and warmed up with Starbucks.

Afterwards, I wanted to hit up another NPS site.  Kennesaw Mt National Battlefield was on the way home.  I had stopped by the museum on the way up, but now, I'd get to do some trails.  The battlefield trail goes up a steep rocky mountain, and then Burnt Poplar trail is fairly flat on the way back.  I tell you, it's gorgeous there.  The flora is green, there are wildflowers, the rocks are picturesque, and from the top of the mountain, you can see downtown ATL, too.  It meant even more, knowing the history of the place, too.  In the closing days of the Civil War, the Union wanted to take Atlanta, which was the Confederate hub for industry and train transportation.  This was one of the Confederacy's last stands.

5.7 in 1:34:46, 16:37 ave.  1,000 feet of elevation change.  It was about covering the trail and exploring, rather than speed.  Georgia is beautiful.

RACE REPORT: Tuckfest 2018

TRAINING LEAD-UP

Monday, Apr 9:
I went to the Charlotte Running Company's Shoes & Brews New Balance + Lenny Boy run this Monday.  The course winds all around the neighborhood next to the shoe store.  It was hillyl, too.  I was still feeling it from the Spartan races over the weekend,  but I'm competitive and can't help wanting to do well even on training runs.  Plus, I didn't know the route, and therefore had to keep up with the pack in front of me to not get lost.  I hung on for dear life and made it back.  I mean, I could've used my phone to find my way back no matter what, but I wanted to do the official running route.  It turns out that it's marked on the roads, but I didn't know that going in.

4.4 in  33:14, 7:47 ave, though it felt much harder.

The store is maybe the coolest running store I've seen.  They have a 2-tap bar right inside, and the corner of the store that's a bar is decorated with lots of cool running paraphanelia.  It's like how I'd decorate a running-themed bar if I had one.  We got beers afterwards, plus raffles.  New Balance had also been there with demo shoes (880's, size 7).  It was good to have its cushioning on the roads, since I normally like soft surfaces.  A little more narrow of a shoe than I'm used to, though.  It was nice to try a new route today and experience the store.

Thursday, Apr 12:

6.0 in 48:51, 8:09 ave, 2 degrees of incline.  A hectic few days at work.  Legs relatively fresh, despite body not feeling that energetic.  Needed the stress relief.  Stretched and foam rolled beforehand.

Saturday, Apr 14:

Whitewater Center trail run.  10.1 in 1:56:04, 11:27 ave.  Figure 8->Carolina Thread-> Main -> tiny bit of parkway.  First time wearing the Brooks Mazama.  Wore Prism shades for the first time, too... it was partly cloudy.  The glasses actually make cloudiness brighter and sunnyness darker, pretty interesting.  Had nutrigrain and electrolyte water beforehand.  Upper 70s at 4pm.  

Rolled right ankle once, but not all the way, so it was ok.  Shoes were light, roomy, with good ankle stability and grip.  I could've forced myself to run further, but I didn't want to overdo it before the Tuckfest races.

Monday, Apr 16:

45 min Strength Session

• Pullups: 6 strict + hang + 10 semi toes-to-bars, and later, 5 perpendicular.
• Crunches: 450/side
• Plank: 3 + 3 min
• Single Leg Squats: 2 x 65 not deep
• Pushups: 15 + 5 hard - still recovering from burpees?
• 6 in: 75 + 75s
• Adductor/Abductor Leg Lifts: 75 / 145
• Russian Twists: 50
• Assorted dumbell rows

I could've potentially run today slowly, not in the mood for a Pub Run which typically becomes a tempo run.  I was overdo for a strength session, though, so I went with that.


TUCKFEST

Tuckfest is a 4-day festival that celebrates the outdoors lifestyle, with competitions from various sports, music, live music, and demos.  This was the first year that I've been able to make it.  You pay a single registration fee, and you get to do as many competitions as you like!  They do medals for top 3 M/F.  I wanted to take advantage of as much as I could soak in.

THURSDAY: Tuckfest 4 mi Night Trail Race

I started my Tuckfest with the Thursday night trail race.  It was my second night race (Iceland in December being the first), so I'm still new to it.  I saw some Spartan regulars there, which was nice.

We started out at 8pm (at sunset), when there was still light out.  We didn't need headlamps for the first mile or so, but they were definitely needed for the rest.  After a short stretch on the parade loop, we went into Figure 8.  It felt crazy going that fast on the winding single track.  I imagine that this is what mountain biking may feel like.  You had to be very alert the whole time going at those speeds, since turns were constantly coming left and right, and you were dodging trees.  It was adrenaline-filled. 

Not much congestion, which was good.  After Figure 8 came North Main.  I used my light belt for the first time.  It worked fine.  One thing to note is that unlike with a headlamp, it won't turn where your head is looking, so a few times, I manually turned the lamp towards where I was headed next, if it hadn't been time for my hips to turn yet.  The angle of the light was fine, though, and the Ultraspire was very bright. 

The last part was really dark, and got a bit eerie at times, running through the woods alone, when gaps between people had grown.  I ended up finishing 2nd, far behind (like 4 min behind) a girl with a Stanford jacket.  A sports bra was fine during the race, but afterwards, it was cold.  They had a toasty firepit going, though.  I didn't stay for night 1 of the music afterwards, since I was cold and wet from sweat.  I also wanted to rest up for the next evening's race!

It was a fun way to kick off the weekend.  A novel experience.  4.0 in 35:31, 8:53 ave.

FRIDAY: Tuckfest 5K mi Twilight Race

There was a half marathon earlier in the day, at noon.  To do it, though, I'd have to drive 30 min there, be there at least 30 minutes before the race, run for maybe 2 hrs, stay another 45 min for awards, and then drive 30 min back... it would pretty much take most of the day.  So, I decided to save it for the Twilight race, which was held at 7:30pm.  It was about a mile shorter than the previous night's race, so I figured that I could probably finish in about 30 min, which would still be at 8pm, when it had been light out the previous day.  Therefore, I didn't go with a headlamp.  

We took South Main for this race.  I wasn't sure that a podium was guaranteed this time.  There were some reasonably fast looking people.  3 waves, self-seeded.  I started near the front, was passed 0.75 mi in, but passed back at around 1.25 mi.  It was a flatter course than the previous day, so I'm surprised that I was slower, even with better lighting.  Maybe it was due to the energy that I spent the previous night.  

Since I had a good lead, though, and placement was all that mattered, I could've backed way off and reserved energy for the weekend's races.  However, I'm too competitive and can't let myself do that.  I came in 9th overall among chipped racers, vs. 18th overall the previous day.  I red-lined again.  It was chilly after the race again, but I came in with a long sleeve tee as a warmup shirt this time, so it was slightly less cold.  I warmed myself by the chimney fire.  I again chose not to stick around for the music.  The next race would be in the morning.

3.1 in 27:39, 8:55 ave.

SATURDAY: Tuckfest Flatwater Kayak Race

They had a Quarter Marathon trail race at 8am, and a Flatwater Kayak race at 9:30am.  I could've potentially done both, but I wanted to guarantee a spot in the kayak race.  It's not often that you get a chance to jump into a kayak race like this.  I know I can do well at running events, but I've always been curious about how I'd do at other endurance events.  

They had plenty of spots available for the race, but it was good that I didn't over-exert myself before the race, anyways.  There were a good number of participants.  We had 2 options: 1x1.25 mi loop, or 2x1x.25 mi loop.  There was even an open water swimming event before the race.  It was cold, and apparently, the currents were strong, too.  Even some seasoned vets bailed shortly after jumping into the water. 

I decided to go for the 2 loop option, hoping that my forte would lie in endurance.  Apparently, all of the other women went for the 1 loop option.  I think I was third after lap 1?  But since I was the only 2-lapper, I ended up being 1st anyways for the 2-lappers.  The currents weren't terrible... not much different from what I consider normal for kayaking.  It was nice that everyone was required to use the same USNWC kayaks.  We were all on an even playing field.  That's why I've never been that tempted to try anything bike-related, like triathalon or cycling.  Those are sports where spendy equipment can give you faster times.  It's not cheap, either.  I could see myself really getting sucked in.  I do as it is, with the cheap sport of running, so I can only imagine where I'd take it with biking.  

Anyways, the race started going upstream up half the length of the island, then downstream, turning around at a sandbar, then going back upstream... times two.  It was fun... a nice little workout for the morning.  I could spend the rest of the morning enjoying the festival.  The crowds got huge.

2.5 in about 45 min.

Afterwards, I did a Bell's Brewery Scavenger Hunt, taking photos based on a sheet of clues.  Beer-related fun! 

I also watched deep water solo seeding and a 13-lap kayak & SUP race.  I don't know how those guys manage to stay upright on the channel!

 

SUNDAY: Tuckfest Flatwater SUP Race

The fourth day in... lots of Tuckfest so far.  Now was the final stretch.  There was a 5K trail race at 8:30am, but I opted for the 9am SUP race, for the same reasons as yesterday.  This time, people were encouraged to bring their own SUPs.  I used one of the Whitewater Center's.  Maybe half of the people brought their own, though.  The Whitewater Center had new ones for us to use, which was nice.  

I went for the 2 loop version again.  I've only SUPed 2 other times before, even though I have my own plastic one.  Nobody who brought their own used a plastic one, though.  I'm not familiar with the differences in SUPs and what contributes to speed.  My main goal was to not fall into the water in front of all the serious SUPers.  One kid close to me did fall in when a wake came in.  I had to catch my balance a few times, but I stayed dry.  It was tough, and I felt like I wasn't moving very fast given the effort, but I made it... dead last, but I'm satisfied with the effort that I put in.  Who knows how much good gear helps, but even the others with rented SUPs did much better than I did.  

2.5 mi in 50:12.

To finish my Tuckfest, I watched more competitions... mountain biking, citizens slalom, and bouldering.  They had a 1-hr Survival 101 class, too, which was good.

 My haul for the weekend: