Running With Jack

Today was the 33rd Annual Neckargemund Mountain Run near Heidelberg, Germany. Being hill-deprived where I live, I figured this was a good way to get in a hill run. The 11.8K/7.3M race route started at 128 meters above sea level and ended at 568 meters.

So at noon I drove to Neckargemund, about a 70 minutes drive, and quickly found the sports center next to the school.

I recall wondering if I had a screw loose in my head as I got out of the car and looked at the hills surrounding the town – I was definitely no longer in Kansas.

I picked up my start number and took a look around, not much going on - it was a small race. I decided to go outside and snap some pictures of the start and the town. It started sprinkling (rain) as I walked around, so I hurried up and snapped some pictures than went back inside.

About 20 minutes before the race I returned to the car and made a final decision on the “outfit”. It was about 10C/50F, the sprinkling had ceased and the sun was out. I decided to go with short pants, long sleeve running shirt and a running vest.

I ran for about 10 minutes trying to warm up a little, the race was almost entirely uphill, so I would be working hard right away when the race started.

I took my place in the back of the other racers, I would guess around 300-400 people. I was in no hurry, my only goal was to run the whole distance, e.g. no walking. As I waited I noticed a women that I have seen recently at a race. I couldn’t remember which, so I asked her – turns out she ran the 50K race that I ran two weeks ago, it’s a small running world!

So promptly at 2:15 p.m. the starting pistol went off and we were off, first down a little asphalt road leading out of town, then quickly up the first hill. It was the last asphalt that I would see until the finish, and, with the exception of a tiny section at kilometer 8, the last downhill section too!

So up the mountain we went, the hill has fairly gradual, I kept a steady hill-climbing tempo and just concentrated on not wearing myself out too quickly. Almost the entire course was leaf and dirt (mud) covered logging trails, it was a pleasure to run these trails. Well, almost, from about 200 meters after the start until kilometer 4 (2.5 miles) we crawled upwards.

Just past kilometer 4 it appeared to level out a bit, I picked up the pace, but was passed by several racers. This section continued on for maybe 5-600 meters then we started climbing again. And we climbed, for almost 3 kilometers, then the trail weaved down a slight decline at around kilometer 8, then we climbed again.

As I began the last 3 kilometer climb to the finish line I could feel myself slowing down a bit. My breathing was good, but I was getting cold – the sun had long disappeared and the wind had picked up. I was wet from sweating and I felt chilled, despite the hill climb. As I passed the 9K/5.6M marker I decided to pick up the pace, maybe working harder would warm me up! I concentrated on reeling in a few runners – I passed a few, a few passed me – I passed the 10K marker (61:06) and kept puttering along.

Did I say the last 3K were uphill? By kilometer 11 my fuel tank was empty, diets phooey! I still managed to fight off a couple runners who tried to sneak by me. I kept my pace up, as the trail steepened I knew from talking with a couple people before the race that the finish was only a few hundred meters in front of me. I pushed ahead, encouraged by the ever increasing number of spectators, and crossed the finish line marking the end of a very satisfying run.

My time was 1:11:30, 97/109 in the M40 class (40-49 years old). But this race wasn’t about the clock, it was Mountain vs. Jack and Jack won!

I thought about running the route back down to the start, as several people did, but after waiting 3-4 minutes in line for something to drink at the finish I really started to freeze, so wimped out and took the bus they were offering back to the sports hall.

When I got back to the start I jogged for awhile then stretched. After a shower (cold water), some hot soup (yeah) and some warm, dry clothes I felt good to go and drove back to the house. I can’t wait until next year!