Run Your Age - Year 40 - Wachusett Mountain Edition

Pre-Run

For the 6th year in a row, I ran my age on my birthday.  Originally we had planned to have a party to celebrate the big 40, but unfortunately the world had other plans.  

Every year I take this opportunity to run a new and interesting route and combine it with a fundraiser.  This year I decided I would run from my house (Belmont) to the top of Wachusett Mountain.   The route ended up being just under 44 miles (hitting the 40 mile requirement).  Again this year, I chose raise money for Neurofibromatosis Northeast and at the time of writing this have raised just over $700 (If you would still like to contribute, click here).  Huge thank you to all that contributed.  

 

The Run

The run started at 4:20am on a warm / humid (74 degrees / 80% humidity) day.  A few friends joined from a safe distance for the first 7 (Donal), 13 (Duane), and 29 (Keith) miles before heading back to go about their day.  The nice thing about starting that early was you really could spread out all the way across the street as there are very few cars before 5am.  

Morning Mist

Most of the early miles were uneventful as we crossed from Belmont into Waltham then Lincoln.  As we ran by Moody St in Waltham, I looked to my left to see the Brewer's Tap and Table where I was planning on having my party. Next year I said. 

At mile 12, we crossed the Sudbury river and had an amazing sunrise behind us.  While already drenched with sweat, it was nice to take a few minutes and enjoy the simple beauty it provided.  

Unfortunately the next few miles were a bit of a pain as rt 117 doesn't really have much of a shoulder.  Now that it was getting a bit later and traffic was starting to pick up, it made running here a bit unpleasant. As we crossed into Maynard and across rt 27 we were greeted with a sidewalk again.  A welcoming site. 

Around mile 17.5, Doug appeared on his bike with bottle of Powerade for me.   I must have drained the whole 32 ounces in under 30 seconds.  While it made me feel a bit better from a hydration standpoint, I could feel it sloshing around in my stomach for the next few miles. 

Sunrise over the Sudbury

Mile 19.5 was our first big stop.  We hit a Dunkin Donuts in Bolton and refilled out packs: more Powerade and more water.  The next 5 miles were a bit slow and quiet as we ran along the shoulder of rt 117.  Between the time on feet and the sound of traffic whizzing by, we largely kept to ourselves.  

Finally, at mile 27 we turned onto a side road and were done with highly trafficked streets for the day.  Keith and I enjoyed a nice 250' drop over his remaining two miles (clocking our fastest mile of the day, an 8:04, for mile 28).  

After a quick liquid replenishment at a Cumberland Farms in Lancaster, I was back on the road. It was now 9am, around 85 degrees, and I had about 15 miles with the bulk of the climbing to go.  Mile 31 was the first time all day I was really starting to feel it.  I was able to still hold a 9:30 with 260' of climbing, but knew I was running to hot and I would eventually have to pay for the effort.  

1st view of the Mountain, Mile 38.5

During mile 36, another 250'+ mile, I finally broke and took a short walking break.  I felt like the sweat dripping off my head would never stop.  I wrung out both my neck gaiter and my hat and muscled on. 

The mountain first came into view at mile 38.5.  I could see it taunting me off in the distance. I had gone nearly ten miles since my last hydration stop, had not run by a single store or gas station, and was starting to run dangerously low.  It was now over 90 degrees and I really was felling it.  Luckily, I was greeted with a nice 270' descent over the next mile before the final set of climbs began.  4.5 miles to go.  

Miles 39.5 - 43 were fairly uneventful.  I walked the uphills and jogged any flats and down hills.  I held 9 minute pace until mile 40.5 and then watched my avg pace go up quickly. 

Hot and dehydrated, I finally made it to the mountain.  Due to the fact that I was coming from the east, I reached the mountain already at 1300' elevation (instead of the normal 800' at the base parking lot).  From there, I took the Pine Hill Trail up to the summit.  It was steep, but not crazy, with a total of 626' in that final mile.  

As reached the auto road, Amy came walking up with a full 2 gallons of ice water for me.  I was elated to see her.  As I finally reached the summit (a minute or so later), my sister was waiting with a cold beer.  The three of us sat, from a distance, enjoying the breeze for about 25 minutes before heading home.  

Run your age, year 6, 40 mile (really 44) / Wachusett Mountain Edition Complete. 

-- 43.95 miles -- 7:03 moving time (9:37 / mile) -- 7:45 total time -- Strava -- 

 Scot

Top of Wachusett Mountain