Race Report: Wicked Root 50k 2017

(Also known as - how not to run a 50k!)

It's been a busy week for sure, but that's given me more time to contemplate everything that happened last weekend.  This was my first 50k event, so I guess I'm officially an "ultra runner" now.  I felt pretty prepared going into it - I've been running all my long runs on the Mountains-to-See Trail, which is moderately hilly and technical.  My longest trail run up to that point was 22 miles, and I felt pretty good after that.  Still, I know from other experiences (A2A 2002), that being prepared isn't everything.  You have to have a plan for race day.  And a plan b.  And a plan c.  There was a great quote in one of the late 90's A2A videos.  I'm not sure who said it, but she said "you have to respect the distance".  So true...

Wicked Root is held in George Poston Park in Gastonia, NC.  (Near Charlotte.)  Jaime and I drove down the night before and stayed in a hotel 10 minutes from the park.  I got my usual "A2A" breakfast of double chocolate muffins and Gatorade.  Before the race started, I also ate a Little Debbie Oatmeal Pie, and a Vanilla Gu.  I figure I had about 1000 calories before the start.

This is a small race - registration was limited to 50 people for the 50k, and 30 people for the 10-mile option.  So it's pretty relaxed and casual at runner check-in.  The race started at 8am for the 10-mile, and 8:15 for the 50k.  I arrived around 7:15, since we had to check-in by 7:30.  At 7:45, the race director went through the race information (how the course is marked, what's at the aid stations, etc).  After that, we waited around for a few more minutes to get started.

It had rained overnight, but was barely sprinkling while we were waiting.  And I think the rain stopped altogether by the time we started.  Temperature was cool - I think mid-40s.  I wore shorts, a short-sleeved shirt, and a long-sleeved jersey.  I lined up near the front of the pack, and suddenly the race director just looked at us and said "go" (or something to that effect).  And we were off.  No countdown, no buildup - just a casual "get the hell out of here", basically.  :-)

The 10-mile and the 50k courses are identical.  The 50k is just 3 laps of the 10-mile course.  We started out with a loop around the parking lot, which was useful for spreading people out before we hit the single track trail.  I was running close to 3 other guys - I wouldn't call us a "pack", but we were within 50 feet of each other.  I figure I was somewhere around 6-7th place.  We're crushing the uphills and downhills, and having a pretty good time.  Some of the downhills were pretty tricky because of the rain, and parts of the trail were a bit muddy - that's something I had not really trained for, so I was very mindful of my footing.

About 2 miles in, we came across a runner laying down on the trail.  This was about halfway down a semi-tricky descent.  We stopped to see if he was okay, and he wasn't.  Bad enough that he didn't even want us to help move him off the trail.  There wasn't much we could do except keep running to the first aid station, where we could send back help.  Later, we found out he had dislocated his hip...  :-(

The first few miles were pretty good.  I knew from looking at the route ahead of time, that miles 3, 4, and 5 were the toughest in terms of climbing.  That definitely turned out to be true.  They were also the most technical parts of the trail, I think.  Very rocky in parts of it.  At this point, I'm still with a couple other guys, so feeling good and not paying too close attention to pace, etc.  My watch doesn't pick up a good signal when trail running, so it's hard to know exactly how far you've gone, or how fast.  I'm bombing down the descents with much gusto, and running up the hills.  We get through the technical part to the "soccer field loop" - and that was really nice.  Lots of cushy pine needles, much flatter than the previous few miles...  It was my favorite part of the course.  There was one part (perhaps just before the soccer field loop) that I nearly made a wrong turn, but the guy right behind me yelled and got me on the right path.  I was following another guy - so we made sure he turned around as well. 

The three of us made our way through the last few miles of loop one. We were joined by a fourth guy a couple miles before the end of the loop.  At one point, we came out onto a gravel road for maybe 200 yards.  With more room to spread out, they all ended up passing me and put a significant gap on me before we got back on the last section of single track that led to the start/finish line.

I came out of the woods to the aid station at the start/finish line, called out my number, and refilled my water bottle.  The race director said something to me about my time, and I commented that I was pretty sure I shot my wad on lap 1.  I looked at my watch and saw it was about an hour and a half, which is pretty fast (for me) for 10 miles on single track.  But I didn't feel too bad - yet.

I started lap 2 with another tour of the parking lot.  I ran past my beautiful wife who came out to support me.  Just before the turn onto the trail, I remembered that I had intended to ditch my long sleeved shirt.  So I quickly took it off (with the help of a volunteer) and left it there near the start line.

A couple miles into lap 2, I knew I was in trouble.  Sure enough, fatigue was starting to set in with a vengeance.  I had definitely gone too fast on lap 1.  Soon, I was walking up every hill - even hills that should be runnable.  I was by myself pretty much all of lap 2.  But due to the nature of the course, I would see people running the other way on the switchbacks.  Some were ahead of me, some behind me.

About halfway through lap 2, I had my first fall - another sign I was fatigued.  BUT - I had the presence of mind to "tuck and roll" and came out unscathed.  That's the only time I've run so far that I've been able to do that.  Honestly, though, I think I was just too tired to try to "save" the fall.  But I was very proud of myself nonetheless!  And it definitely didn't take as much energy, so I'm hopeful I'll be able to do that more in the future.  A couple miles after that, I fell again, but was going so slow I basically just dropped to a knee and caught myself with my hands.  The fall was caused by me kicking something with my right toe - hard...  My right calf also started spasming after that, and gave me trouble the rest of the race.  (Similar to what my left calf did at the end of the Umstead Marathon.)

I continued my slow pace through lap 2, and eventually made it back to the start.  Lap 2 time was about 1:51.  Another refill, and a quick bathroom break, and I was off again for lap 3.  It was certainly tempting, though, to just say "screw it" and call it a day.  I literally had to run right past my truck (and loving wife).  But mama didn't raise no quitters - so I kept going.

I slowed down even more on lap 3.  I was (again) walking every uphill.  I was very conservative on every downhill.  I didn't trust my legs anymore, and didn't want to risk an injury on a descent.  I did manage to pass a couple people that were suffering more than me.  I also lapped several people.  One person told me I was in 6th place, which I didn't believe - but it still motivated me to keep going.

During the "soccer field loop", I became aware of a woman that was gaining on me.  I didn't have the legs to outrun her, so she eventually passed me.  I think that was the only person to pass me on laps 2 or 3.  I completed lap 3 without any falls or injuries - just over five and a half hours.  

Later I learned that I finished 9th out of 37 people.  There were perhaps 8-10 people that DNF'd.  My finish time was officially 5:33:15 - a few seconds faster than what I recorded on my watch.

Official results:
https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=41030

Splits from GPS:
Lap 1:  ~ 1:34:40
Lap 2:  ~ 3:26:02  (1:51:22) 

Lap 3:  ~ 5:33:21  (2:07:19) - includes (short) bathroom break

There wasn't much happening at the finish line, so I didn't stick around too long.  After I stretched out, I thanked the organizer, packed up my stuff, and took off.  Post-race meal was a bacon double cheeseburger, fries, and milkshake at Cook Out.

Other fun facts - I figure I ate around 6100 calories that day.  Garmin says I burned about 3750 calories during the 50k, which I think may be a little low.  (I would have guessed around 4500.)  

It took a while, but my calf eventually recovered - probably a week later.  Rumor is that there will be a 100k option next year.  That'll be tempting if I do that event again.  Although I'd rather do a course that wasn't repeating the same lap again and again.  We'll see what else is on the calendar that time next year.

This was a really low-key race, and a great first 50k.  The organizer did a great job, as did all of the volunteers.  Definitely recommended!

What's next?  Well, the Illinois Marathon is in a week and a half - which may be my last road marathon that I do.  (Trail running is definitely more my thing now.)  After that, Grayson Highlands 50k - which will have TWICE the ascent that Wicked Root had.  So pacing on that one will be critical.  I've been training on asphalt the last few weeks getting ready for my road marathon - after that it'll be back to the trails to prepare for Grayson Highlands.

So I think my major takeaway from Wicked Root is to not get caught up in the excitement at the start, and to be more conservative in my pacing.  Looking at the finishing times, I think I could have placed as high as 6th.  Still, 9th place is nothing to complain about!  I think I managed my eating/drinking well - though I should train more with gatorade leading up to Grayson Highlands.

Finally, there's only 361 days until Georgia Death Race 2018 - which I'll definitely be running.  Assuming I finish Grayson Highlands, that'll qualify me to participate.  And, since I volunteered at GDR 2017 this past weekend, I should have a spot for 2018.  I'll be better able to gauge potential finishing times after Grayson Highlands - but I'm guessing GDR will be a 19-20 hour effort.  So I have a year to get stronger and faster, and maybe bring that time down a little bit.