Normally " I raced" Is nothing to shout on the rooftops, however in 2020, after 9 months of canceled races, it's a BFD! It was not a triathlon, but it was a 100% legitimate race with check-in, timing chip, aid stations, and a finish line.
And it was a first for me—a 50K, 31.6 miles with 3200 ft of elevation of fun and adventure on the trails.
I have wanted, or at least of wanted to want, to run an Ultra for a while, but I was afraid. Not afraid of 31 miles but afraid of 31 miles on the trails. The idea of a 50K on the road was not appealing. I found every excuse to not run a 50K over the years; however, this year, it was soon apparent that this may be the ONLY chance I would have to race. So suck it up, buttercup!!
My training was NOT conventional for an Ultra. My longest run was 3 hours in the trails and only 17 miles. But I did some colossal strength during our September Gladiator Strength Challenge- think 1000 squats in one day and 500 burpees another day. The month was peppered with all kinds of strength, along with a marathon in a day, a 3K hike, 2 hours of stairs with 20lbs, and more. October I did R2R2R, a 48 mile 10K of ascent and 10K descent, mostly hiking. November was 4.4.48, 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours.
I had zero expectations for the race. I wanted to enjoy the day, suffer at times, not get hurt, appreciate that I was out there, and soak up the finish line. I did ALL of that!
Every runner had a buff + a mask at the start. Groups of 10 spread out went off every 5 minutes. Complete social distancing and no spectator allowed, so zero crowds.
For the first 5 miles, I felt sluggish and was a bit worried. Was I too tired, not tapered enough? Could I really do 31 miles? I put that out of my mind and tried to find my groove. With Road Trip Songs Playlist in my ears, I found my happy place. The trails were runnable until mile 18, not too technical or rocky, and I felt great. I ran a pace that was comfortable and seemed sustainable. I was fueling with UCAN for calories and Precision Hydration for sodium + PBJ for supplemental calories. I had my first uncrustable at aid station 1, and it was horrific- OMG, it tasted like paste and chemicals! Thankfully at the subsequent station, they had real PBJ.
At mile 18, we started really climbing, and it was now single track and really rocky, those pokey jarring rocks that I could feel on the bottom of my feet. Ugh, this is where I struggle. I was only pissed for a few minutes and remembered my mantra, and power hiked like the others I could see ahead; whenever there was just dirt, I jogged and then resumed hiking. Once we crested the summit, I saw the descent was similar jagged rock terrain, and I suck at this. I tried to jog and simply quit for fear of a wipeout. I was hemorrhaging time, and my sub-6-hour finish was slipping away, but I kept working on staying positive.
Mile 22, aid station, the last one was mile 10, and I was out of fluids. I was thrilled for ice water to fill my pack + a PBJ. I mixed 180 Cal of UCAN with 2x Precision Hydration, 3 times. I felt my legs but happy to see I was back on runnable terrain and surprised to see the guy kicking back smoking a joint. He soon passed me so, who am I to judge. My legs were tired but feeling okay; the trial was good and bad, so I pushed the pace when I could run and hiked/walked when I was too scared I could not run. Last aid station, I filled up ice and took a caffeine tab of 175mg.
5 miles to go, and on an uphill, I could see bodies ahead, and I went to work. I passed 5 people in the last 3 miles; now I was racing, pushing through that pain, knowing it was only a few miles, and then I was done. Mile 28, looking ahead at my next target, I clipped a rock and went down! Boom, thankfully on dirt and not rocks. Tore open my knee and slammed my elbow, but I was up again and back to the hunt.
I loved that they gave out finisher glasses and not medals!
1- I am not a good trail runner
2- My endurance is good, and I can suffer a long time
3- I can steal energy from other people suffering; I see them walk and use that to fuel myself. Unless it is really rocky and steep, and when I walk too.
4- Only 1 BLISTER!! Seriously, that is a miracle
5 This was COVID - safe; everyone wore a mask, kept their distance, and was so appreciative!
6. Trust your coach!!! Marylin was right; the cumulative running + strength had me 100% prepared for this. When I was tired and hurting, I could hear here her voice and just kept pushing.
I was quite surprised to see that I was 1st in W50-59; I am stacking this up to the
"weak COVID" field, but nonetheless am proud of my day!
As PSA, this run was really well done!!! Registration was easy. Great pre-race communication and COVID updates. Safe, efficient packet pick up- outside. The run was well organized and so well marked, ribbons on trees every 200 yards, so you always knew you were on the right trail; at any turn, there were signs and then signs that said "wrong way" if you missed the turn sign, there was tape across turns that seemed like the right way, in case you missed the sign and wanted to go that way! Well stocked aid stations with incredibly helpful volunteers. AND ice old Diet Dr. Pepper at the finish- my 100% favorite!!! Lots of other food and drinks too. I was not cutting calories; that is just one of my favs on a long ride or post-race. I still ate all the calories and continued to eat Sunday and well today too. I woke up at midnight Sat starving, was surfing the kitchen, and settled for pancakes with nut butter and chocolate + a protein shake.
No comments:
Post a Comment