December 2, 2017 - A race run outside the gates at Quantico by Marines, for Marines and trail dawgs like us.... I had to be there. No stranger to PW Forest Park, I had run there dozens of times when I lived in Woodbridge. The trails are woodsy and runnable. Not too much climbing, but just enough to keep you honest. I needed this kind of race to wrap up the year to regain confidence after much of the year had to be scuttled to heal and rehab an injured knee.

After two fifty-mile efforts in October I felt ready to push it out a bit. While I signed up for the hundred mile race, I dropped it down before arriving so that a finish was within reach. With a plan to take off serious running and racing until spring, I could run with abandon without trying to protect injuries.

Wrapping my left knee well, both above and below, I felt I had no excuses. I was still running a low grade fever from an infection I had been miserable with for a week, but that was not going to slow me down. From the off-site parking lot I rode over to the start in the pre-dawn hours with Bryan Slotterbach. It was good to get jazzed up with someone you knew. The start temperature was right about freezing; it felt good. A couple hundred of us channeled immediately onto single track down the hill and across the bridge to begin the first of either three or five loops through the park. With an hour of darkness after the 0600 start I was content to get into queue and follow the line of lights ahead of me. My vision at night is becoming problematic; more and more I need company with additional lighting to see where I am going.

The trail is rather tight for the most part and the group that I was following lost contact with the field ahead. The conga line seemed to be too slow for too long and walking far too much after two and a half miles, so I broke out and forged ahead with several people in tow. With the increased light of early twilight it was enough to give me confidence in my foot placement and pick up the tempo. I did lose footing and hyper-extended my bad knee (of course) on the icy surface of a boardwalk early on, which would bother me through the first lap, but not thereafter. Once I found my rhythm I could relax and engage in conversation while at the same time focusing on my game plan for the day.

There were Marines everywhere - active Marines, retired Marines, spouses and girlfriends of Marines, Marines at the aid stations, and then there were the SIGNS (see at right) - very motivating. At times it felt very much like being back in the Corps for one of those early morning 0400 runs in darkenss in formation. Thoroughly enjoyable.

The single track trail meandered back and forth through the park, down to and along streams, climbing up to higher ground before once again returning to and across the streams on several bridges. Yellow oak leaves still clung to their branches giving the entire day the feel of an extended cross country meet. While there were some technical sections with rocky outcrops to slow you down, it wasn't necessary to walk very often, even on some of the longish climbs. It was just a good day for a long run and I could find little reason to walk just because I became fatigued.

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