Hexenstieg Ultra 2012 Part II

After about an hour’s break Günter, Matthias and I set off without Nic for the Hexentanzplatz a much celebrated place located on the top of a lovely little hill.  The Hexentanzplatz (Witches’ Dance Floor) rests on a plateau at 454M above the Bode Gorge.  As legend has it, the Hexentanzplatz was the site of old Saxon Cult celebrations of the Forest and Mountain Goddesses.  Following the taming of the region by Christian Franks the area became known as the Hexentanzplatz.  The legend also holds that the dance floor was guarded by Frank soldiers who were chased off by Saxons dressed as witches and riding on broomsticks.  This Saxon victory over the Franks is celebrated to this day on and around the first of May.  In fact, 10,000 visitors were expected on the Hexentanzplatz on 1 May 2012.

As you can tell by the Hexentanzplatz link above normal people travel to the Hexentanzplatz via cable car to view the panoramic views and the Bode Gorge.  Thanks to Micha this was not in our cards this evening although we did have a brief opportunity to enjoy the view at the White Deer stamp station before making our way down to Treseburg and back into the Bode Gorge.

Our path into the Bode Gorge saw us rapidly losing any remaining daylight on a long hot Saturday.  While in the Gorge we got to again enjoy the frequent ups and downs of the trail and a slow ascent back up to our next rest stop at Königshütte.  Although we were slowly gaining elevation I was not feeling the elation of doing so.  This phase of the event probably saw me at my lowest point mentally during the entire race.  I was burned out from the heat of the day; had now been running for more than twenty-four hours with no sleep; and my tank was running very low on food.  The Brandenburgers and I had spent most of the day talking and enjoying the event.  At this point everyone was worn and very quite – we were running yet sleeping on our feet.  So, picture if you will three dudes running through the deep of the night.  It was very quite…  I began to hear something rustling to our right about ten meters from our path.  It seemed that whatever was making this noise was moving along with us.  I pictured Indians riding along side waiting to ride in for the kill.  “Wow”, I thought, whatever that is, it is not breaking contact with us – it continues to run alongside.  I asked Matthias and Günter what they thought it was and we were interrupted with a very loud and ugly sounding “SNORT”.  Blood now rushing; kick up the adrenaline.  That is a fooging boar!  Matthias shouted “RUN” and we took off at a sprint.  I shined my hand held flashlight over to where I thought the wild pigs were moving and caught several piglets in its beam. 

Adrenaline kicks are great in the short term.  They do however leave you wasted over time.  After running down from Boar Hill approaching the aid station at Treseburg I slipped back into a deeper rut.  I was burned out and the single blister I had identified at Thale seemed as if it was growing and was shooting sharp signals up my leg.  My focus and commitment to complete the Hexenstieg began to slip anchor and quickly drift…

After what seemed an eternity we finally made it to the aid station at Altenbrak.  I moved beyond the refreshment area and went immediately to work on the blister on my left foot.  Micha (I don’t know how he managed to be at virtually every aid station.) came over to check on me.  I told him that all was good (I lied) and that you don’t die from blisters.  After getting bandaged up again we set out into the night for Königshütte.  Curses!  

The next 24 odd kilometers are a deep dark blur for me.  The devil got on my back and road me; spinning things in my head.  I slipped into a deep pool of self-pity and bad decision making.  As we coursed ever upwards towards Königshütte I cursed myself for signing up for this race.  No, blisters won’t kill you, but they certainly provide a great opportunity to dwell on your misery.  While focused on the one on my left foot a new one developed in the same location on my right.  Matthias began to hallucinate and told us that a lighted long jump ski ramp was coming up on our right.  It was actually the moon shining through the clouds.  I really began to shut down on Matthias and Günter not talking with either.

Dick Collins advice, “Decide before the race the conditions that will cause you to stop and drop out.  You don’t want to be out there saying, “Well gee, my leg hurts, I’m a little dehydrated, I’m sleepy, I’m tired, and it’s cold and windy,” and talk yourself into quitting.  If you are making a decision based on how you feel at that moment, you will probably make the wrong decision” is spot on.  I had read and considered this passage many times.  I had not considered the fact that running an ultra like the Hexenstieg takes a very solid personal commitment to this principal.  In fact, I’d never been to this point in my thinking before.  Sure, other races have sucked, but never like this. 

Between Altenbrak and Königshütte I abandoned all principals and commitment to finishing the Hexenstieg and decided to quit, or at least go down for a while and sleep.  That’s what my mind told me, but the devil that was now riding me like a cheap circus ride told me that it was “OK to tell the Brandenburger that you are going to get some sleep.”  Once they’re gone you can sleep some more and drop because you know that there are no vehicles scheduled to leave Königshütte unless it’s an emergency, you take a cab, or you wait it out until the morning by which time you will have missed every opportunity to finish.  So quit.  It’s all good!  This ultra racing thing is stupid anyway.  You don’t need to prove that you can do this to anyone.” 

We each rolled into Königshütte in dark spirits.  When we got into the community building there were people crashed and sleeping everywhere.  “This is what I’m talking about!”  The race volunteers were again superb.  As we sat down at the first table in sight there were several of them asking what food and drink they could bring us?  I had an alcohol free beer and a cup of coffee at the same time; I don’t recall what plate (noodles or potatoes) I ate.  Günter fell asleep eating his meal while Matthias rummaged through his drop bag and then fell asleep.  My tee-shirt was soaked from sweating and by now I was wearing a wind breaker; I figured what the hell and also went to sleep.  In the back of my mind I was looking to drop and hoping that Günter and Matthias would go down for a while then I could reconsider everything.

After twenty minutes or so Matthias asked us if we were ready to go.  Sluggishly Günter wondered off to the bathroom.  It was here that I told Matthias that I was going to drop.  My hope was that he would encourage me not to; I was prepared with a number of good solid arguments; instead he simply asked if my blisters were going to be a real issue.  Günter came back and I told him while Matthias was away from the table.  He told me that I was not going to drop and that I needed to get myself together.  Period – easy as that.  I wondered off to the bathroom to actually test my feet and gather my thoughts.  While sitting in the bathroom I thought about Dick Collins’ advice and decided to head back out, “Shit this is going to suck!”.  I made my way back to our table and told the Brandenburgers that I was back in the game, but that before I made my final decision I wanted their assurance that I would not be a burden to them, nor hold them back from finishing.  Great guys!  They told me that we were in this thing together and we were going to finish it together no matter what.  This commitment to one another, to this event blew me away.  This is what ultrarunning is about.

With that and a final slug of coffee and a GU we headed out in the night towards Torfhaus...   

Hexenstieg Ultra 2012 Part I

This tough 200KM trail race took place along the famous or infamous Harzer-Hexenstieg (Harz Witch’s Trail) in the Harz Mountains of Central Germany from 28  - 29 April 2012.  The route passed from Osterode over the Brocken to Thale and back via a circuitous route home to Osterode.  The Hexenstieg contains significant elevation change of 4000 meters traveling through deep forests and into sub-alpine zones near the Brocken.  The Hexenstieg courses over well developed hiking trails (65%) and single track (25%) with the remaining 10% of the course traveling along farm or other low use roads and paths.  Navigation over the course was facilitated by hiking trail marking, GPS, maps and the road book.  There were almost no race specific markings.  Weather conditions on race weekend were as anticipated mixed with rain Saturday night, an icy wind on the Brocken and very hot (38C/100F) weather Saturday afternoon.

Nine months after my first 100 miler I felt nervous, but ready to take on what was to prove to be an exceptionally challenging, yet rewarding 125 mile ultra.

After getting up at 0600 on Friday morning, having breakfast with the girls and making final arrangements I left for the Hotel Harzer Hof in Osterode at about 0830.  I was pleasantly surprised at the arrangements Michael Frenz had made for us with Stephan Zirbus at the Harzer Hof – we had the whole place to ourselves and it was to serve as race headquarters and home away from home for the next couple of days.

Micha exceeded my wildest expectations in the set up he had developed leading up the race – a private event became a professional affair.  He had established a race headquarters with maps, instructions, sign in rosters and a super drop bag with special goodies from a number of great sponsors including WAT Läuft (Thanks Rolli!).  At 1600 Stephan and his crew served a delicious vegan or meat eater meal of which I had two portions of the vegan pasta.  Like military clockwork Micha had us in our places at 1700 for an in-depth race briefing which included a discussion of how he saw the race unfolding, a detailed description of the course and safety issues.  During this briefing he introduced the medical and massage teams that were on tap to support us.  First class pre-race affairs!  

Following dinner and the race briefing we took a quick group photo and then Micha released us to go prepare and rest prior to the midnight kickoff.  After completing the final preparation of my run kit I found it impossible to sleep during our down time.  Things were simply too loud around the hotel and I was too excited about the race.  If you’re a racer you know the deal.  Your nerves are on edge; you worry about your training and health leading up to the event; and doubt begins to creep in.  I meditated a bit and tried to relax.

At 0000 on 28 April the Hexenstieg Ultra kicked off from the Hotel Harzer Hof with twenty-eight runners.  Nineteen of this group would finish the course.

From Osterode we traveled through the night to the first rest stop at Torfhaus (33KM).  Although the elevation change was not sharp during this period it was there over the long run.  The trails were extremely dark and a light rain was falling on us most of the night.  My mind often wondered to J.R.R. Tolkien and his portrayal of many of the scenes within his stories.  It was dark (I turned off my headlamp for short period and could not see my hand in front of my face) and it was spooky.  During this leg of the race the pack of runners had spread out as it inevitably does.  Fortunately I had settled into a pace with a couple of other people including Jorg Finkbeiner.  Jorg and I had met at final registration; he is from the area where I live so we had some things in common and wound up running together to the Brocken Ramp.  At one point Jorg and I were moving over a shoulder width path that had boulders, stones, and moss all over it.  The rain had made the area extremely slippery.  I slipped and fell backwards landing on my back.  With a loud "Fook" and a short moment to regroup;  I quickly gathered my lamp and senses and was thankful that I had not injured myself this early in the race.

Following a quick break at Torfhaus our path led us higher quickly moving to the unique Brocken environment.  For a Texan it was unusual to see patches of snow on the ground this late in the spring.  I got lost in the beauty of the environment listening to the forest awake; wondering about wild boar and looking forward to my second visit to the Brocken this year.  After a brief break on the way up the Brocken Ramp to answer the call of nature I was excited to arrive on the summit (42KM or the first marathon distance of several for the day) at 0630.  The timing was perfect for an early breakfast and again Micha had taken care of everything having coordinated to have the Brocken Wirt open and ready with hot coffee and pastries.

Jorg and I split paths at the Brocken Summit as I wanted to get back out on the trail.  I wrapped up breakfast; refilled water bottles and shifted my load around a bit.  As I was getting ready to leave another group of three were setting out and tentatively welcomed me into their group.  Because of the lack of race trail marking I felt it critical to run with a partner or group.  This group “The Brandenburgers” were to be my traveling partners for the next day and a half.

Over the course of the next 158 kilometers I was to get to know and come to depend upon this merry band of Brandenburgers.  The group was made up of Günter Janiszewski, Matthias Muhs and Nic Rohman.  Unfortunately, Nic was not to finish the Hexenstieg.  Before I go on let me tell you briefly about the term Brandenburgers.  The Brandenburgers refers to the region where this group is from, Brandenburg.  They too are a world and culture unto themselves (smile).  Although at first we weighed one another out as most competitors do and there was not a lot of talking at least with me because I was an outsider to this tight group of friends, we slowly warmed to one another and spent hours talking about, well..., everything!  That, is but one thing that makes a race of this nature so incredibly wonderful.  (I’m usually a runner that has his iPod on the entire course of an event.  I didn’t use either of the two I brought with me.)  

From the Brocken Summit we set out for the next aid station at Königshütte at Kilometer 66.  As I mentioned above the day started out overcast, windy, and cold.  This was to rapidly change as we traveled with the sun coming out and basting us for hours.  I was glad to have had the foresight to have carried some Succeed tablets with me.  Succeed S!Caps are the shit when you’re running in hot weather.  They assist in the prevention of both dehydration and cramping.  And no, that was not a paid endorsement.  They are simply good stuff! 

Over the route to Königshütte we crossed the course of the Harzquerung.  It was fun to pass through this area as one of the Harzquerung aid stations was setting up as we passed and wondered what in the heck runners were doing out so early.  Like many others over the weekend, they too were a bit surprised to hear that we were running a round trip of the Hexenstieg.  Our course took us onwards to the aid station at Rübeland, through the Bode Valley and onward to the half-way point and aid station in the Sport Center in Thale.  The toughest part of the outbound course was between Treseburg and Teufelsbrücke.  Although “only” six kilometers this portion of the route was characterized by a path that went up and down (constantly), was strewn with rocks and talus and contained the pleasant surprise shown below.  Great stuff Micha!!!

At the Teufelsbrücke (Devil’s Bridge) we made our way to Thale and the half way point.  If you’re ever in Thale don’t ask for instructions to the Community Sport Center or anything else for that matter.  No one knows anything in this town that time seems to have gotten stuck in time immediately following the German Reunification.  It looks very much like what I recall the rest of the region looking like in 1990.  Very odd...

It was great to finally land at the Sport Center in Thale.  It was as if a weight had been taken off of my shoulders.  We had just traveled 100KM in the blazing sun; I had had it with the energy drinks, gels and bars I was carrying and was looking forward to something decent to eat, a chance to take off my shoes and relax a bit.

I want to pause a moment in this chronology and specifically talk about the race volunteers that supported this race.  This was the most amazing group of volunteers I’ve ever run with.  They truly made this race happen often staying up as long as we did and catering to our every need.  The group was made up of family members and friends of runners that were on the course.  When you arrived at an aid station you were treated like family and a VIP.  I could not have completed this race without your support.

In the Bode Valley Nic had run out a bit in front of us so he arrived in Thale somewhat earlier than Matthias, Günter and I.  At Thale we each had access to a second drop bag which was a huge factor for all.   In hindsight I wish I had packed a towel like everyone else because there were showers available which most folks took advantage of.  While in Thale I enjoyed a plate of pasta a whole lot of juice, water, and cola.  After eating a bit and restocking my running pack I took time to bandage up the first of what were to become five significant blisters.  Although in Thale my blister was causing me no real issues it was a warning of things to come...

The Merit...

Probably will not have time to post again until after I get back from the Hexer.  Before I take off wanted to share this excellent perspective on ultrarunning that I came across from run100.com.

Perhaps the genius of ultrarunning is its supreme lack of utility.  It makes no sense in a world of space ships and supercomputers to run vast distances on foot.  There is no money in it and no fame, frequently not even the approval of peers.  But as poets, apostles and philosophers have insisted from the dawn of time, there is more to life than logic and common sense.  The ultrarunners know this instinctively.  And they know something else that is lost on the sedentary.  They understand, perhaps better than anyone that the doors to the spirit will swing open with physical effort.  In running such long and taxing distances they answer a call from the deepest realms of their being - a call that asks who they are... - David Blaikie

See you on the other side...

Hexenstieg Ultra Live

What will Michael Frenz think of next...?

Now you can follow along with this weekend's Hexenstieg Ultra by viewing the web page below:

Hexenstieg Ultralauf

Definitely going to be an interesting weekend!

Getting Ready

Where has all the time gone?  That friends is the question.

The Hexenstieg Ultra is right around the corner.  In fact, with this post it's in five days and a wake up.

I've spent the last day or so doing some intense planning for the event; reading through the Road Book; calculating passage times and basically getting wrapped up in the event.  At this point I'm excited.  I don't know if I'm physically, mentally, or spiritually ready at this point, but there is little room to turn back now.  I chalk this worry up to nerves.  You've got to love the edge...

The Hexenstieg Ultra is a challenging competitive event that takes place along the famous Hexenstieg or Harz Witches Trail in the Harz Mountains.  The 200KM route passes from Osterode over the Brocken to Thale; back over the Brocken and home to Osterode.  

The Witches Trail contains significant elevation change and traverses the Brocken Summit which even in April can still be covered in snow.  Weather conditions are dramatic and can change abruptly with rain on one day and sunshine the next.  

There were originally thirty-eight runners signed up to run the Hexenstieg Ultra.  On Friday, 20 April the Race Director, Michael Frenz indicated that he was tracking twenty-five confirmed Hexers.  It will be interesting to see who all shows at the start line.

The Hexenstieg Ultra is a semi-self sufficiency event.  In planning for this race I've focused my efforts and plans very much along the lines of planning for the Grand Raid Dentelles Ventoux.  I've put together a pretty colorful mix of energy food and beverages to keep me on my feet for the 48 odd hours planned for the Hexer.  Fortunately the Race Director has offered to carry and place two drop bags for each runner.  The photo above illustrates the contents of both of my drop bags and my race back pack.  The packing list for the back pack is not yet complete, but I'm pretty certain I've hit all of the high points.

The Hexenstieg Ultra starts at midnight (0001) on Saturday, 28 April with the race closing on Sunday, 29 April at 2400.  I plan on leaving the house Friday morning after breakfast to travel over to Osterode; meet up with the crew by 1300; get organized and if my nerves can deal with it; get a couple of hours of sleep before we take off.

Where has the Time Gone

The last two weeks have been a blur of activity with work, travels and play.  Much to discuss, but so little time.

Early spring trail run out in the enchanted forest.

Early morning run in the Tiergarten last weekend.

Brandenburger Tor during the same run last weekend.

 Garmisch the morning of 19 April 2012.  Love that snow and those mountains.  I was in Garmisch for a couple of days last week for a conference and got in several good two-a-days.

Training Week Ending 8 APR

I went into last week as a new training experience following the Saaletal Marathon. Until now I had not turned a week of training immediately following a race. Turned out that things went really well.

Sunday immediately following the Saaletal I took it easy and only walked 5KM.

Monday I stretched and got in a slow 5KM run.

Tuesday I knocked out a 13KM and although there was a bit of soreness leading into it; the run was overall great.

Wednesday I put in a let workout in the gym and stretched.

Thursday I put in another 13KM with hills; again a bit of soreness getting into it, but things turned out well.

Friday I got in a nice 16KM (Gut Check) and felt super.

Saturday a fast flat 10KM (Sonnenallee).

Sunday I took off as we were traveling for Easter.

All-in-all a great week considering that the Saturday before I ran the Saaletal Marathon. My biggest concern was hitching on an injury, but things remain in the clear and I feel good. Here's to another good week of training...