Roger Thornhill’s McGuffin
It’s inevitable. You run a few marathons and all the playground kids taunt you for not running something longer or tougher. A sucker for peer pressure, I’m running my first ultra on June 3rd; The Hitchcock Woods 50k in Aiken South Carolina (childhood home of William “Refridgerator†Perry).
This is the perfect race for me. The 50k is like the junior varsity of the ultra set; longer than a marathon, but not so ambitious that I have to adjust my Living Will.
One kilometer equals 0.621371192 miles. So obviously 50k comes out to precisely 31.06855 miles. Realistically though, I may run slightly less, or slightly more. This is a trail race, so distances are more like estimates. The point is; it’s more than a marathon.
And how could I resist a race called Hitchcock anything? I’m a movie zealot, and Alfred was a titan of 20th century film-making. I’m pretty sure this has nothing to do with this race, or the Woods themselves, but I’ll still look for his obligatory cameo on the course.
Like any good ultra, there’s little fanfare to Hitchcock. Open to only 30 participants, it will be distinguished from a training run only by the pace and the presence of complimentary Gatorade. It’s run on trails in the June heat of South Carolina. Ladies, let me warn you now that I’ll be shirtless.
But wait Dean, I thought you were trying to qualify for Boston. Shouldn’t you stick to the marathon?
A fair question. I have failed to earn a trip to Boston largely because, in the upper miles of the marathon, I tend to fade like a 98 pound weakling with a nasty case of scurvy. Basically, miles 21-26 rudely kick sand in my face. Charles Atlas, save me.
So I have resolved to spend more time above the twenty-mile threshold. It’s simple defiance. Training for Hitchcock involves regular long runs ranging from 18.8 miles to 28.2 miles, all on trails. In a rope-a-dope with disappointment, I’m spending significant time in my breakdown zone. Failure will be my friend and trusted ally, until I blind-side it at tribal council and vote it off the island.
So Hitchcock is my McGuffin, the device that drives the plot. It’s my launching pad for autumn marathon training, careening me inexorably toward Boston.
At least that’s the theory.
– Dean
P.S.
If you like the Hitchcock artwork above, you should hire Vince at Punsh.
May 9th, 2007 at 6:04 am
Mmmm…I wonder if my next door neighbor is running it, I’ll have to ask. She has done a few Ultra events in the past and she would have “home court” advantage as she runs there all the time.
May 9th, 2007 at 8:18 am
All I know of the race is that the trails may be “sandy,” so I’m decidedly in the dark. Generally though, I expect trail runs to be tougher than I expect.
– Dean
May 9th, 2007 at 10:20 am
I checked out the website. I like:
“No restroom facilities. Lots of bushes.”
May 9th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
I never met a bush I didn’t like.
May 9th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Aiken in the summer = two words: stagnant heat. You wear it like a sweater.
May 9th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Bicycles are prohibited, but several years back myself and a couple other renegades went mountain biking in the a couple of times on summer evenings. If the heat didn’t get you, the wide sandy trails would, we nicknamed them cake icing. But fear not, there are quite a few trails that are hard packed dirt, just depends on the loop.
May 10th, 2007 at 6:34 am
Yes, I run here frequently–no trails untouched, no bushes untested, the coyotes know me well.
Alas I will be in Tanzania on a Medical Mission trip so I will not be able to participate in what is sure to be a fun event. The sand currently is ankle deep in places, and there are a few hills that are just this side of deadly, a lovely combination.
Enjoy!
Anne
May 10th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Sweater heat, coyotes, ankle-deep sand, slightly deadly hills and a runner who prefers Tanzania instead…
This sounds like my kind of race.
– Dean
May 16th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Well seeing as you want to spend more time in your “breakdown zone”, I do believe this event will definitely help you on that goal. You sure you don’t want to run Sunburst with me the day before just to seel the deal? 😉
May 17th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Oh man! That is an excellent idea, but I will be washing my hair that Saturday. Sorry.
– Dean
May 27th, 2007 at 9:31 am
ha! i knew it was just a matter of time with you, that you’d eventually be lured into the raw and honest world of ultras. another one bites the dust! 🙂 all kidding aside, i hope you have a blast, dean. chances are you’ll give up on the boston thing entirely and become “one of us”. 🙂 once you run a trail race, ultra or not, it’s hard to want to go back to pavement. little piece of advice: don’t get too excited at aid stations (mini catering stops), grab what you need and keep going. we can easily spend 2-3 minutes at each one, and that hurts our time in the end. HAVE FUN!
May 27th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
If it’s one thing I’ve learned, Ultraphiles are a distinct sect of the running sub-culture. They’re low-key purists… different from the typical marathoner, who may or may not be a runner for life.
Am I becoming an ultra guy? I don’t know. I still feel a strong draw to Boston. It’s an an important milestone for me. You’ll be happy to know that I run mostly on trails these days and have in fact, grown to dislike the road.
As for Aiken, I promise not to linger for the cheesecake at the aid stations.
– Dean
June 4th, 2007 at 8:09 am
Hey Dean,
Man, that was fun yesterday, 50k in pouring rain and wet sand. How about that “dry riverbed” that was a fast-running creek on loop 2, it just about knocked me over.
Hope to see you in NYC
June 4th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Thanks #191.
The race report will be up in a few days.
– #540