Michael Collin

Author: Michael Collin

  • Cape Cod Rail Trail Ultra

    My 2022 running journey was awesome and I was eager to build upon the experiences I had heading into 2023. I talked myself out of a marathon in the spring and an ultramarathon in the late spring/early summer. With a baby boy on the way I knew that I wasn’t going to be doing any big adventures come september. So I started looking into creating my own. 

    I am an avid browser of the FKT (fastest known time) website. The site has routes from all over the world for endurance athletes to take on and post their times. If one wishes to, they can try to set the fastest known time of any given route. During my searches I thought about possibly doing my own marathon in Cape Cod during our family vacation in August. Sure enough I found out the Cape Cod Rail Trail was just over a marathon in distance from end to end. While I knew I was not fast enough to set the FKT for the Cape Cod Rail Trail I felt like this was perfect. 

    The thought of my first marathon distance being on Cape Cod was exciting, but a month before heading to the Cape I ended up running a marathon, unexpectedly, on one of my friends birthdays. Once that happened the next logical thought in my brain was that I needed to extend the route in Cape Cod beyond just the rail trail to make it at least 50K (31.07 miles). And so I did just that, I came up with a route that started at the beginning of the rail trail in South Yarmouth and ended at our house in Wellfleet. The Cape Cod Rail Trail Ultra was born. Here is how the adventure went. 

    Miles 0-10

    The nerves were high. All I could think about was why am I so nervous. This wasn’t an event I had paid to be in, this was a route I had drawn out and wanted to run, just another one of my adventures. I also got to choose when I was going to do this, so why am I so nervous? 

    My plan was to run for 5 minutes then walk for 1 min for as long as possible, if not the entire distance. It took me a few miles to settle in. I knew I needed to hold myself back to avoid starting too fast. 

    The first few miles there was a golf course on either side of the trail. It was overcast and the temps were still fairly cool. A nearly perfect way to start.

    In my vest I carried two hours worth of nutrition and water.  I was also lucky enough to have my parents in law (Jim and Kris) biking the path as well. They would check in on me at times to make sure I was ok. My wife (Lauren), 36 weeks pregnant might I add, met me at different spots throughout the run. She had extra nutrition and water for me at each stop. 

    At mile 6 I got to see the whole crew, this was a quick stop, really just a check in. I was feeling good and didn’t need to restock anything in my vest. This section was really just about settling in and getting comfortable and I felt like I was able to do just that. 

    The next stop would come around mile 10. My crew had set up at a picnic table and it felt like I was running into a legit aid station at a race. Every option laid out, all hands on deck to get me anything I could possibly need. I realized at that moment how lucky I was to have them along with me for this adventure. 

    Miles 11-19

    The majority of this section was shaded and despite the sun being out now it still felt cool under all the tree cover. I was able to zone out and just flow. Feeling good, sticking to my run 5/ walk 1 method. Nutrition was on point, consuming something every 20-30 minutes. 

    It was somewhere around mile 16 that I got stung by what looked like a wasp, you could say I was no longer in my flow state when that happened. I got stung on my knee, it took me about a minute or so to get going again and oh my did it hurt. I chose to keep moving forward and by the time I got to see my crew again the stinging sensation had subsided. At mile 18.6 my crew was set up with another awesome aide station. At this point I needed to restock my entire vest. I also took a few minutes to take in some nutrition. Cold applesauce to-go packets were tasting amazing at this point. I was starting to feel a little tired at the end of this section but getting to see the crew helped lift me up and provide me with some good energy for the next section. 

    Miles 20-28 

    The first 5 miles of this section were rough. Much more sun exposure, and multiple gradual uphill stretches. These uphill stretches were like false flats, energy depleting, doubt inducing false flats. Mile 22.8 was a quick stop, my wife had gotten some ice cold water and at that moment it was one of the best things. Even though it had not been that long since seeing the crew I was again grateful to see them and got another energy boost from them. 

    The views were great along the remaining portion of this section, a couple of large ponds, and plenty of wildlife management areas. I also got to see a turkey on the side of the trail. This was a much better, painless, interaction than the one with the wasp. 

    Aches and pain started to settle in, especially in my feet,  but I knew forward was the only way I wanted to move. I knew going into something like this the battle would be just as much mental, if not more, that it would be physical. Like I mentioned earlier doubt crept in at times, but I was able to right the mental ship pretty quickly each time. Some mantras that got me through were, “you can do hard things”, and  “you’re choosing strong today”. 

    The miles were clicking by slowly, I continued to follow the run 5/ walk 1 method, although a couple times I walked for an extra 10-20 seconds. I told myself that was ok as long as I was moving forward. At mile 27.7 I got to see the crew again, this was the last aid station set up for this adventure. Again, all hands on deck to get me whatever I needed. I grabbed more cold water, some nutrition and a hat. I had basically finished the rail trail and knew what I was heading into for the next section. 

    Miles 29-32

    Once I finished the rail trail I turned around and headed back, about one mile, to Lecount Hollow Road. I quickly realized how lucky I was to have the shaded areas along the rail trail. Lecount Hollow left me fully exposed to the sun and man did things heat up! When I turned on Ocean View Drive I could only laugh to myself. The hill at that point seemed more like a mountain in the Rockies, but I knew it was going to be there and knew what I needed to do. I could have easily taken a different route but Ocean View Drive is special to me. I have run it every year since I started coming to Cape Cod in 2018, and I wanted Ocean View Drive to be a part of this adventure. 

    I made it to the top of the hill on Ocean Drive and was feeling everything, the heat, the pain in my feet, the heaviness of my legs…all of it. Consuming calories became nearly impossible during this stretch. I was only taking in water. 

    Although I was hurting, I got the biggest uplifting surge of energy when Lauren rode by me on a bicycle. She ditched the car for a bike at 36 weeks pregnant! Incredible. The crew followed me closely during this stretch, probably wishing I didn’t go this way this far into the adventure. I did need a water refill and I was so grateful to have them close by, they came up on their bikes and grabbed my flask so I didn’t even have to stop moving. 

    I made it through the stretch on Ocean View Drive to Cahoon Hollow Road and through all the pain and discomfort I smiled. 

    The finish 

    The last two miles were painful, amazing, emotional and slow. My feet were throbbing, every time I walked the pain would intensify. “You got this man, you can do hard things.” I said to myself at least two dozen times in the last two miles. I even started saying it out loud. I was familiar with the final stretch of road and all of its rolling hills. I had a great view of a pond with just over a mile to go. This part of the route also had much more shade which made it feel significantly cooler and probably a life saver. 

    The last mile or so is when I ditched the run 5/ walk 1 method I held on to for so long. With multiple rolling hills I started to run the downs and walk the ups. Breathing was getting hard. When I started to walk the last hill I knew at that moment I was finishing this thing, for the first time in 6 hours I could feel the finish. I also got a bit emotional which didn’t help my breathing. Once I got to the top of the last hill I could see the finish line. My amazing crew had an extra long dog leash spanning across the road and were cheering me on right through the finish as they had the entire time. Again emotions started to rise, which was making breathing quite difficult, but I was able to control my emotions so I could get my breathing under control. 

    Once I was done I walked for a couple minutes and thought about how awesome the past 6 plus hours had been. From my support crew to the scenery and actually completing what I set out to do. I am so grateful for my wife and parents in law, their support throughout this was incredible. 

    I learned just how much my body can handle, I showed myself that when things get hard I can keep going, even when it hurts. This was easily one of the toughest things I’ve done, and if presented with the opportunity to do it all over again I wouldn’t think twice about it, I’d lace up the shoes and go!

    It’s incredible what we can endure. The human body is an amazing machine. I encourage you to find something that will take you outside your comfort zone. The lessons learned and growth that comes from doing hard things is unmatched. You can endure anything you set your mind to, you were built to endure.

  • Not Your Typical First Marathon

    It’s 4:15 in the morning, the air is cool for late July. Headlamps are on, here we go. 

    The location and the people, the two other people, were unfamiliar to me. The task however, was very simple. Run on this trail around a pond many, many times. That was in some weird way, familiar. 

    We walked the first few laps to warm up. Hearing only our shoes on the dirt and our whispers to each other. This park was technically still closed for another hour until sunrise. 

    I didn’t know the other two very well, most communication up to this point was through text messaging, but it was one of their birthdays. We seamlessly became acquainted, thinking it would be fun to run as much as we could around such a small loop likely played into how easily we got along. Each lap being just over a half mile and we all agreed this was a great way to celebrate a birthday. The farthest I had run before was 16 miles. My goal for today, 20, more if I’m feeling good. 

    The first eight miles went by much faster than anticipated. The scenery around us changed with each lap as the sun came up. What was once a pitch black wall ahead of our headlamps was now a nicely shaded trail, with the views of a pond at every moment. With the sun came more people, walkers, dogs and other runners. Family and friends of the birthday boy even showed up just to help us celebrate by joining for a few laps. The stoke was high. We were holding a good pace and continued to click off laps.

    As mile 20 approached I was surprised at how good I felt. The consistent food, water and electrolytes were the secret. Every thirty minutes I was drinking and eating something and had plenty of energy to continue past the 20 mile mark. 

    23 miles in we were welcomed by bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches. I was uncertain how this would sit in my stomach but once I started eating it I could not stop! 

    The next handful of laps things slowed. We started getting tired, maybe the weight of the egg sandwiches played a role. The table of snacks and water became easier to stop at with every lap. The energy from new people showing up to run with us kept us going. 

    As mile 26.2 approached I felt grateful to be doing this and was so proud, not just of myself but of everyone running with us. For some today marked their first miles in a long time, for others today was used as a training run for something bigger or simply just to help celebrate. For me today was about helping celebrate and getting to connect with others using a medium we were all familiar with, running. Today also marked my first marathon, for a runner that’s a day you never forget. It was different from all the videos and pictures on social media, there was no finish line with hundreds of people yelling and music blasting. There were no finisher medals and swag bags being passed out. There were six of us now running around the same dirt path and pond we had been looking at for hours. When we hit 26.2 there was no big celebration, we quickly mentioned it, I got a few congratulations from others as they knew it was my first, and we continued onward. Looking back I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

    Despite feeling ok at this point I stopped shortly after, at mile 27, not knowing how my body would feel the next day or how recovery would go. The others continued and reached some incredible distances. The birthday boy exceeded his goal of 32 and ended with a big 38 miles! 

    Certainly an unconventional but very cool way to hit your first marathon. Whenever someone asks me about my first marathon I get to tell them this story of friendship, hard work and joy.

  • My Experience at the Macedonia Trail Race

    This race scared me. 25 kilometers with over 3500 feet of elevation. I had never done anything like this before. 

    May 2022

    I had recently finished my first half marathon and was on the hunt for my next challenge. Many take the leap to a full marathon, but I wanted something a little different. After some searching I found the Macedonia Trail Race. There were three distance options and the middle distance (25k) caught my eye. This was a little bit longer than the half marathon I just finished and had the added element of being a trail race which I was eager to try. 

    So I signed up, took out the giant white board from my basement and came up with my training plan for the next 14 weeks. I looked at it once I finished writing it down and thought… what the heck did it get myself into!

    Looking back now, those 14 weeks of training were some of the best weeks of training I’ve ever had for any event. I was all in, or maybe just running scared. Either way, I ended up falling in love with the process. I knew this race would test me like nothing I had done before and committed to training like I had never done before. 

    September 2022

    It’s race day! All the work is done. I knew this would be a physical and mental battle. 

    As we were corralled at the starting line to get the pre-race brief my heart was pounding. I was certain the people to the left and right of me could hear it. As we get told there was one minute left before we start, the rain begins. My first thought was, this is cool, I didn’t run in the rain at all during the past 14 weeks. 

    The gun went off, the first two miles were out and back on a gravel road and I planned to start out really slow, and I did relative to the rest of the pack. When I took a glance at my watch I realized I had just run the first two miles about 4 minutes faster than I wanted to…

    As we entered the single track trail I slowed my pace considerably. This course was a loop and we had to complete it twice. The entrance to the trail was a slow gradual incline. I was already breathing heavily. I knew getting my breathing under control now was the most important thing if I wanted to have a chance at finishing, so I walked for 5 minutes to let myself reset. 

    At times I was literally running on giant rocks. The rain made for some slick conditions. I fell…twice. Luckily nothing but some extra mud on my hands and shorts. 

    As I made my way through the first half of the loop I started to find my groove, the groove I had hoped to settle into originally. I started to enjoy the trail despite the rainy conditions. Heading into the first aid station Lauren, my wife, was there cheering me on which was a great boost in energy. I didn’t need anything at the aid station so I moved through it quickly. The second half of the loop was a big climb up and over Cobble Mountain. As I made my way toward the first part of the climb I was feeling confident. 

    Climbing up Cobble Mountain is pretty brutal. The path is steep and there is a rock scramble that made me feel more like I was bouldering than running a trail race. About half way up Cobble Mountain the legs are burning and breathing was labored. My mind wanted to jump ahead and think about how I had another lap to do after this, but I kept trying to stay in the moment and not think about the second lap. I just wanted to get to the top of Cobble Mountain. 

    The rain had let up. At the top of Cobble Mountain the view is spectacular on a clear day, today didn’t give much of a view with the cloudy sky. The descent down Cobble Mountain is significantly easier than the climb up. The trail becomes softer and more runnable with less tree roots and rocks. I was tired from the climb but felt good enough to pick up the pace a bit. 

    Once at the bottom the scenery became familiar as I got back to the gravel road we started on. Again, getting to see Lauren gave me a boost of energy that I needed at that moment. There was another aid station at the beginning of the second lap. Again I didn’t need anything, I was carrying everything I needed in my pack. 

    Lap Two

    I found comfort in knowing exactly what to expect on this lap. I knew where the slick spots were and where the tough climbs were. I was able to plan my nutrition better in an effort to help me with the climbs. My legs felt heavy but I knew there was only one lap left. 

    The first half I fought my mind. I didn’t want to think about climbing Cobble Mountain again, but at times I couldn’t help it. Like the first lap I was in a groove by the time I got to the first aid station. I ran through the aid station and headed for Cobble Mountain. 

    At the base of Cobble Mountain I was honestly exhausted. I started the climb up and kept telling myself, “just take one more step”. This course had pulled everything out of me and the only part left was arguably the toughest part. 

    “Just take one more step”.

    Getting up Cobble Mountain the second time took much longer.

    “Just take one more step”. 

    My legs did not want to move, my whole body was feeling tired. I wondered why my shoulders even felt sore. Up the rock scramble I gripped the rocks as if I was on a giant cliff. I had to get up this mountain, after that it would be smooth sailing. I was having trouble keeping my HR low on the climb. I wanted to sit down and rest. 

    “Just take one more step”. 

    Once at the top I took a deep breath and smiled, I knew the toughest part of this race was over. I just had to get down and to the finish line. I was not able to pick up the pace like I did on the previous lap but I maintained a steady pace on the way down the mountain. A light drizzle had started again and this made the descent a bit more slippery than the first time, happy to report no falls though. 

    The Finish

    I got to the gravel road and was filled with emotion, I just got my butt kicked. I wanted to give up so many times on the second lap. I kept taking one more step and found myself staring at the finish line. I ran through the wet grass pumping my hands in the air. Crossing the finish line I had given this course everything I had. I didn’t win this event, and that was never the goal, but as I crossed the finish line I felt like I won. I persevered through all the tough training runs and strength sessions, made it to race day healthy, and completed two very tough laps around Macedonia State Park. On that day I learned that I am capable of so much more than I ever thought possible.