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Category: Trail Race

Damn the torpedos! Blues Cruise 50K – 2022

Damn the torpedos! Blues Cruise 50K – 2022

Published by Patrick Durante on October 5, 2022

What went right?
It was cold at the start so I took arm sleeves, gloves, and compression for my legs. This was my 9th time doing Blues Cruise, and I decided that I was going to throw caution to the wind. I didn’t really care if I got an age group award. I knew I had the training in the bank to PR and this was going to be the weather for it. I set the “virtual partner” on my Garmin at a 9:00-minute pace for the race. Only 4 out of the 31 miles were slower, either because of an aid station or a big climb. I was FAST at each aid station, no chatting, just grab n’ go. Things really started to pick up once I met Zach Landis. He was moving FAST, so the two of us shared some miles together pushing the pace. It was hard, but it never felt THAT hard. Eastern States 100 increased my propensity to suffer. I can hurt 10X more than I thought I was capable of. I ran with that mindset of, “this isn’t ES100 pain”. I also used music at the start and just stayed in my little world and kept grinding. Watching the pace of each mile and I kept hitting my target with relative ease and comfort. A large majority of that was related to the weather. The conditions of the day will dictate your performance in these things, and I think people sometimes forget that.

The list was light for what I carried:

This was an extremely light kit for this race. I think one of my biggest issues in past seasons is not utilizing aid stations. I tended to carry too much food/water. I would rather keep it light with just the bare minimum for weather like this. A first-time mistake is to take way more than you need, but I think I only realized that after 9 of these damn races.

Patrick Durante in Blues Cruise 50K 2022
Running with my little action cam on my head.
Photo Credit: AC Squared Photography

What went wrong?
I didn’t need my gloves. I forgot the race was cupless so I couldn’t take soda at one aid station. This was almost a perfect execution of a race, not much went wrong. My Insta360 Go2 died halfway and I missed some funny moments, that might be the extent of what went “wrong”. The camera is tough to shoot with because you have no screen. That’s why I also bring the pocket DJI camera as a backup.

What would I have done differently?
NOTHING! This was a year of a bunch of PRs and I attribute that to new running friends (Alex, Kellen, and John), a change in mindset, and gratitude to be alive and able to do this. My mantra this year is “I don’t mind what happens” and I just kept saying “Funk it! LET’S GO”! I told myself that racing is exciting but really doesn’t matter in the whole scheme of things. Who cares if I bonk or blow up, it’s just another BC in the books, and in a few years nobody cares, hell a few days I won’t even care. Live in the moment! Live in the mile! SMILE because there’s only a handful of these types of races you will do in your life!

The best moment in the race for me was when someone said I was in 12th place. I knew it was only halfway and I could catch a few people. I started to visualize holding the oar. I WANTED to hold the oar! I would NOT be stopped from holding the GOD DAMN OAR!!! That just kept repeating in my mind, “OAR OAR OAR”! Does anybody need an oar? NO! WTH am I going to do with this thing?

This type of performance comes from perfect weather, good rest, and NO MENTAL DAEMONS! I had just read The Relationship Handbook, and this part really stuck out.

Insecurity is the source of distress and all counterproductive behavior. Thoughts of insecurity periodically pass through our minds. If we dismiss these thoughts, we will remain secure, our ideal selves: easygoing, joyful, compassionate and wise. If we harbor our thoughts of insecurity, we end up in a state of distress.

George Pransky

Another way of saying it is “Change your thoughts, change your world”. You actually don’t have to listen to what your mind is telling you. Realize that low moods pass. Just because you have a bad day or bad mile, doesn’t mean you will have a bad race. I kept this mindset with me the entire time and I think it paid off.


This feeling can not be described.
Photo Credit: AC Squared Photography

I have been recording almost all my races and throwing together a little montage for myself and my kids to enjoy. I do this to show them how running can change your life if you let it.

Trail Runner Nation – Tips for Racing and Running

Trail Runner Nation – Tips for Racing and Running

Published by Patrick Durante on May 1, 2015

My favorite running podcast is Trail Runner Nation.  If you haven’t heard of it stop now and go check it out.  I’ve listened to most of the shows in their library.  There are so many good quotes and tips for training.  Here are just some of the ones I’ve written down, and my thoughts on the different topics.  I’m sorry I don’t know what episode, or who said them, but just go listen and you’ll find out.

  • You never know where your last finish line will be. You are lucky to get to do this so enjoy it, smile, and have fun out there.
  • If you plan a quality workout also plan quality recovery. The day following a hard workout needs to be easy. You need more recovery as you age. Listen to the signs your body gives you!
  • Invisible training – it’s getting sleep and everything we need for recovery.  That could be lots of rest, yoga, foam rolling, etc…
  • Road and speed require more “invisible training” than trail.  The trail is not as hard on the body as road running and racing can be.
    • ** This made me think about giving up all road racing next year.  I really agree with this. **
  • Work on leg turnover, it needs to be in your schedule. Try the Yasso track workout.
  • If you put miles in the bank you will pay interest on them later. So go out slow in a race.
    •   Don’t be an idiot first half, and dont be a wimp the second.
    •  “Run with the mayor” at the start of the race. (Run in the back and work your way up through the crowds.)
  • Cramping occurs from dehydration , low electrolytes, or running at an intensity the body can’t sustain.  Train for race and test the pace!!!!!
  • Listen to your body. Take note of what you are doing during training. How much you sweat, pee, and how much food you need. It’s all rehearsal for race day. Adaptations happen over time and you need to know what you were doing when things go right, just as much as when they go wrong.  Have a change log if you modify things with your routines/training.
  • Even if it’s just 5 minutes a day try to start a routine. A body in motion stays in motion.
  • Save music for later in a race when you are not feeling good, or as a reward at a certain mile marker.  It may give you more motivation.
  • As mileage increases so should rest, stretching, good nutrition, and massage. Take care of the body more so it recovers better from the stress.
  • Have an “A” race and “B” race. Focus the effort and training to the more important race.  Have an “A” goal then “B” goal for the race itself.
  • More supportive shoe on race day.
    • You should have many shoes that work the foot in different ways. Race in a shoe with heel support because of added strain. Train in zero drop if you can work it in slowly.
  • Finish fast on long runs. Simulate what happens in a race. In training test running hard while you are dehydrated and have tired legs.  This will help you train for race day.
  • Good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgement.
  • Drink to thirst.  Don’t be waterlogged and wash out electrolytes come race day. You should not be peeing clear come race day.  Don’t eat too much fiber. Take S caps before the race will prevent the need to pee. You need electrolytes to process fat and food, if you don’t you may have stomach issues. If you don’t have electrolytes then water and food that enters the body will be rejected. Take an s cap or hammer tab so you have the right balance.  (Really applies to longer races).
  • Visualize the race and how it will play out. Do it daily up until race day. See yourself successful and running the course to completion.  A good time to practice this is when you go to bed at night.
  • Race specificity – mimic the next race course and conditions during your training.
  • Don’t let your feet or arms cross over the middle of your body.  Perform an inventory check while running on your form every 10 – 15 minutes.  This is even more important as we start to fatigue.  When we get tired our form starts to suffer.  
  • Your training should be on a cycle.  3 weeks at regular intensity with the 4th week at 20 percent less mileage/intensity. This allows time for the body to adapt to the training.  The benefits from training come when you take a break.  It gives your body a chance to rebuild.  If you’re always going at 100% you never give your body a chance to repair.
  • Mental rehearsal before a big event increases chances of success.
  • Be autonomous!  Know everything there is to know about your body.  Know how much sleep you need, how much recovery, water, and food you need on a run.  You’re an experiment of 1.  Use your training to test different methods of fueling and pacing.  Practice!  This comes back to the idea of rehearsal for success.
  • Slow weights – see Phil Maffetone
Tussey Mountainback Race – 50 Miler Race Report

Tussey Mountainback Race – 50 Miler Race Report

Published by Patrick Durante on January 4, 2014

I was very excited for Tussey.  It was the first race, where I would need to travel and spend the night in a hotel.  It’s a nice drive up to State College, as it’s very scenic from Philadelphia.  You get a sense of the terrain as you pass the mountains, on the drive that makes up the “Mountainback” part of the race.  Our destination was the Nittany Budget motel.  The best, cheapest place, if you are thinking about doing this race and need a hotel.  The other perk is that it’s a bottle shop, to bad I couldn’t drink, with the race the next day.  After check in, we made our way to packet pickup, which was located at the Toffee Trees hotel.  I thought maybe this would be an expo of sorts, since it’s considered the championship race for 50M, but the race really isn’t that large of an event.  We grabbed a bite to eat at the Allen Street Grill, which was excellent and not too expensive.  It was also next to a convenience store to grab some last minute race essentials.

Once back at the motel, I tried to get some sleep, but the constant stream of cars to the bottle shop kept me awake.  Someone also decided to let their motorcycle idle outside our hotel room for 10 minutes at 12AM.  It didn’t really matter much, as I wasn’t going to sleep well, with the race constantly on my mind.

Morning came and our breakfast was delivered via a double sided lock box accessible from outside.  We headed off to the race start, which was at the Tussey Mountainback ski lodge.  I said goodbye to my Dad, who was driving the support vehicles, and the race was off to a start.  Looking back, it’s both good and bad that they allowed vehicles on the course.  Great when you can see your support at every check point, not that great when a car needs to pass every few minutes.

Dad made the trip up to drive the support vehicle.
Dad made the trip up to drive the support vehicle.

It didn’t take long until we hit our first climb and passed the first aid station.  It wasn’t that far into the race, maybe 3 or 4 miles that I met my new best friend for the day, Shaun Sauer.  We got to talking and realized we both had around the same time goal for the race.  The more we started talking we both realized the larger goal was just completion, and barring no major problems, we were going to complete the race together.  Shaun’s farthest run at the time was 27 miles, mine 31.  We both had some doubts about what would happen once we were past the farthest distance we had covered in training.  It’s uncharted territory for any runner and you don’t know how the body will respond.  That was the part I was fearing the most, what was I going to feel like when I passed 31 miles.  This would be where your mental preparation comes in, which should be a part of your training, but I’ll post on that some other time.  Running with Shaun, we just kept focused on the course and climbs that we needed to conquer.  Both of us were in shock at the long hill in the middle of the course (2300FT from my Garmin). This was the hardest, longest climb I have run to date.  I would recommend hill training in your routine, at least once a week, if you plan to do this race.  I used a hill near my house to do repeats once a week.  The hill takes two minutes to climb, with about 100 ft of elevation. I also did long runs done on a pretty hilly trail system.

Patrick Durante Shaun Sauer Tussey Mountainback
The two differences between my training and Shaun’s was that he did upwards of 70 MPW, and I felt he pushed the pace more than I did.  The training plan, that I was on, had me at 50 MPW.  In hindsight I’d say this wasn’t enough, and at the time of the race, I regret not getting in more.  I’m sure most people say the same thing after the fact, but I fit in as much training as my schedule allowed.  As the saying goes, don’t force it where it doesn’t fit, and I definitely couldn’t fit in any more mileage.  I did get in multiple runs over marathon distance and think that was my only advantage.  Also, my training had more technical terrain.  For Tussey, I would call this more of a road race than a trail race.  This is a perfect first 50 mile race because it’s not rocky or difficult terrain.  Personally, dealing with the distance was tough enough, so I didn’t want to add technical terrain on top of that.
Patrick Durante Shaun Sauer Tussey Mountainback 5
For me, the race became a death march around mile 36.  I developed a blister on my pinky toe, that caused pain with every step I took.  I decided to change shoes because I could feel the hot spot coming on at mile 27.  I put Vaseline on it, which seemed to help for a few miles, but didn’t completely resolve the issue for me.  At two different aid stations, I had to cut the blister to relieve the pressure. It was still painful but bearable.  I did try to patch it with moleskin, but it didn’t seem to stay on my toe.  Next time I would try to prep with more body glide. I have also picked up some feetures socks since then to avoid this in the future.  In training I had zero problems with blisters, but I never ran farther than 36 miles.
Allowing cars on the course is both good and bad.  It’s nice that you get to see your support crew at every aid station, but having to deal with cars passing every few minutes was annoying.  If I had to choose, I would say it’s still more of a benefit. It was nice to be able to tell my dad something as he drove past, and he would have it ready at the next aid station.  This is also necessary for the relay portion of the race, so I understand why it’s needed.
For the last 10 miles of the race, we switched to a run/walk combo.  Almost everyone that I know that does an ultra walks at some point.  In your training you should practice walking fast.  It’s a tool you can use to give your legs a break.  We reached the final aid station, which is 5 miles from the finish, and my last chance I had to check my blister.  I cut it again to relieve the pressure and try to put some moleskin on it.  I picked myself up, and joined Shaun after he met with his wife for the final time.  This was the last leg of the race and it was all downhill.  We pushed the pace as much as we could, but my quads, at this point, were destroyed.  The pain was horrible, so much that it was really turning me off wanting to attempt something like this again.  I just couldn’t wait for this thing to be over, I felt so much of  relief when I turned the corner and could finally see the finish line.  I asked Shaun if he was going to go for it and, and one second later we started sprinting toward the finish.  Behind us I could see there were two runners that were gaining on us, and then, finally it was over.  We crossed the finish line in 8:26:33.  This was faster than I thought we were going to run it, and a great time for my first, and possibly last 50 miler.
Patrick Durante Shaun Sauer Tussey Mountainback 3
I could not imagine having to do this race alone, I actually think I had such an advantage with having a running partner.  It’s less time you would have to listen to your own internal monologue telling you, “This is painful”, “Please stop”, “Why are you doing this?”.  If I had to do it again, the only thing I would change would be upping my weekly mileage to 70-80MPW.  I think that played a big factor in the amount of pain I was feeling in the end.  My final thoughts on this race/distance is that it takes a ton of time to be competitive.  More time than I’m willing to commit, I’m happy with the 50K distance.  I’ll try to perfect my 50K before I would ever attempt another 50 miler.  I keep going back to my first experience at Blues Cruise, and nothing compares to it.  So for next year I think that’s going to make that my main focus and set a goal to place in the top 10.
Patrick Durante Shaun Sauer 2 Tussey Mountainback
There’s three people I have to thank for my big success at this race.  First, it’s my wife for giving me the time with a newborn to train for this race. Second, it’s my dad for making the trip up to State College to support me.  Finally, it’s Shaun for running an entire race with a complete stranger.  This was the most difficult race I have ever run, but running with Shaun made the experience easier.  It did not feel like 8 hours when the race was over.  His support helped me through some really tough patches during the race.  He said I did the same for him, so I’m glad that I could help him achieve his goal.  I really don’t think I would have completed this race otherwise when the pain became almost unbearable.  Running is not a solo sport when you think about it, it can be a team effort.  So if I didn’t have my wife, Dad, and Shaun helping  me I could not have completed this race.
Post race I didn’t really like their food selection.  The soggy hoagies from Subway didn’t taste that great, but they did have live music and beer which was great.  I quickly proceeded to burger king to get a greasy burger and fries with a tub of coke.  I was pretty sure I earned it since I just burned upwards of 7500 calories.  Overall, this race provided me with a very enjoyable first 50 miler experience.  So if you are looking for your first 50 that’s not extremely difficult I would say pick this race for sure.
38 PATRICK DURANTE ********* 65 32 M 23 0-39 2:58:22.17 8:26:33.48 10:08/M
39 SHAUN SAUER 158 47 M 7 45-49 2:58:23.19 8:26:34.50 10:08/M