(Day one report is here: https://marksibert.blogspot.com/2019/03/race-report-wicked-root-5050-day-one.html)
I was mentally prepared for the second day to really, really suck. But I woke up Sunday morning (minus 1 hour of sleep due to the time change) and felt semi-human. Not great by any means, but I could actually move without too much discomfort.
There were fewer runners on Sunday (23 instead of 36). Most of the runners (18) had run on Saturday. So the start was a bit slower than it was on Saturday. I was in the back third of the pack, and in no particular hurry. The first 30-40 minutes were fairly uneventful, and there were 3 of us running within sight of each other for most of it. Then we caught up to another group that was stopped on the trail. One of the runners had slipped and injured her ankle. There wasn't much we could do, other than help carry her to the next aid station. As we slowly made our way, other runners caught up and joined the procession. Of course, that's when we got the only rain of the day. It took about 30 minutes to get her to the aid station.
At that point, everyone took off again - kinda like a race restart after a NASCAR crash. The faster people soon were out of sight. I was going at a very conservative pace - walking the uphills and only running the flats and downhills. The course itself (as the injured woman could attest to) was very slippery in places. I was walking down some of the muddy downhills that I ran down on the first day. "Walking" being more of a controlled slide at times.
My right ankle had been bothering me right from the start, but that was the only thing hurting (so far). It was relatively uneventful getting to the next aid station. I caught up to a few runners there. I quickly refilled my water bottles and took off while they lingered at the aid station.
I don't remember seeing anyone else for the rest of lap 1. I finished the first lap around 2:28. Even with the injury delay, that wasn't bad. I was fully prepared to take 8-9 hours that day. I didn't stay too long at the start/finish line, but I did ditch my long-sleeved shirt. Then I started lap 2.
By this time, everyone was pretty spread out. Every now and then, I'd see someone on a switchback, but they were really far ahead or behind me. The sun was finally out and the temperature was perfect. The course seemed even more slippery. My ankle was even more sore, and I finally took a couple Tylenol. Most of lap 2 was fairly uneventful. About halfway through, I did get a "low battery" alert on my mp3 player - so I knew I'd need to swap it when I got back to my truck.
With around a mile left in the lap, another runner (Jon) caught up to me. We ran the rest of the lap together. I took a little extra time at my truck - I changed into a dry shirt, ditched my hat for a visor, and grabbed my spare mp3 player. Jon was probably 2-3 minutes ahead of me. When I started my lap, I saw a women (Elizabeth) arrive at the start/finish line, so I figured she'd end up being a couple minutes behind me.
From the start to AS1, I didn't see anyone ahead or behind me. My ankle was still bothering me, as was my right knee. It was too soon to take more Tylenol, but I thought about taking some Ibuprofen. I opted not to, since Ibuprofen isn't recommended during endurance events. When I got to the "Deja Vu" loop, I saw Jon and a couple other guys - they were still several minutes ahead of me. I kept watching for anyone behind me, and didn't see anyone until I was passing the "Deja Vu" loop on my way back to the finish - so it was very unlikely anyone behind me would catch me.
Shortly after that, I arrived at AS2 and did the usual quick refill routine. As I left, I saw Jon again - this time, maybe 45-60 seconds ahead of me. A couple minutes later, I got to a switchback and he saw me and said 'hi'. We're about 2 miles from the finish now. Jon is still moving pretty good, and I figured I probably couldn't catch him. But I could "keep him honest"... :-)
I would narrow the gap on the flats and the downhills, only to have Jon increase the gap on the uphills. With a mile left, I estimated that I was 30 seconds behind him. When I got to the gravel road, he was even closer and I actually caught up to him on the downhill part. We ran together briefly and then I passed, but I expected him to catch (and pass me) when the road turned uphill.
I saw 2 other guys at the far end of the gravel road, right before it turns into the woods. Again, they were probably 20-30 seconds ahead of me. Now we're 0.4 miles from the finish. Again, I didn't think I could catch them, but I'd try. Plus, I was very close to finishing under 7.5 hours - so I figured if I pushed a little bit I could still make that time goal.
I pushed on the flats and downhills, and even ran some of the gradual uphills. I got within maybe 10 yards of them before we hit a short but steep uphill. I walked up the hill, and they increased their lead again. They were too far to catch before the finish. There was no sign on Jon behind me, but I looked at my watch and saw it was going to be really close to 7.5 hours. I picked up the pace even more for the last tenth of a mile and got to the finish line just seconds under 7.5 hours.
RACE RESULTS:
On day 1, I finished 10th out of 36 starters. On day 2, I also finished 10th - but of course there were fewer (23) runners that day. My official times were 6:34:22 and 7:29:52.
The race director scores these as two separate events. To satisfy my own curiosity, I pulled the results into Excel to figure out combined times and placement for all the 2-day runners. (These are all unofficial of course.) My 2-day combined time was 14:04:14, and it was good enough for 5th place out of 18 runners!
So the 2 guys I was chasing at the end had combined times just a little slower than mine -- I apparently finished just ahead of them on the first day. Same with Jon...
Sorry there are no pictures this time. I had my phone in a ziploc bag the whole time just in case it rained or I wiped out in the mud. A couple people got some pictures of me (I think) but I haven't seen them posted online yet...
I've said it before, but it's worth repeating. This is a great 50K whether you're a beginner or veteran trail runner. (Granted, the slippery conditions this year made it more challenging than usual.) The race director and volunteers are awesome.
Registration is already open for 2020. You can sign up here: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=66979 I'm sure I'll be back again... :-)
Next up is Umstead 100 in 4 weeks. That should be just enough time to recover and prepare for my first 100-mile event!
So this seemed like a good idea months ago when I signed up... LOL Two 50km trail runs on consecutive days. I just finished day #1 (a few hours ago) and I'm seriously questioning my sanity. :-)
Seriously though, this is part of my ramp-up to Umstead 100 next month, and the Veterans Memorial 150 on Memorial Day weekend. I swear, though, it would be easier to run a 100k straight through than it is to break it up over two days. I say that only having run 50k today, of course! But we'll see how miserable tomorrow is when it comes. As an added bonus, DST starts tonight, so I'll have one less hour of sleep!
So without further ado, here are some thoughts on DAY ONE:
We got lucky at the start - it had rained overnight, but the rain had stopped. It was still very humid though, so it felt colder than it was. In fact, I was wondering if I should have dressed warmer. I was wearing running shorts, a short-sleeved shirt, and a long-sleeved shirt. My hands were cold, and I didn't bring gloves. I was debating whether to grab an extra pair of socks to use as mittens... :-) I didn't, though.
Once we got moving, I warmed up pretty quickly. As usual, I probably went out too fast on the first lap. To my credit, though, I did start walking the uphills a lot earlier than previous runs of this course. It's really hard (for me) to resist the urge to chase people down, or to try to stay ahead of people that are behind. I figured I wanted to finish somewhere around 6.5-7.0 hours, which means averaging 2:10-2:20 for each 10-mile lap.
I felt awesome the first lap! And my heart rate was pretty low. The course was a slip-n-slide though. Super muddy. Downhills were tricky - I couldn't safely "bomb" down them like I normally would (of course, no one else could either). I'm pretty weak on uphills anyway, so I figured the slippery conditions were probably a bit of an equalizer there. I suspect people were walking up the slippery hills, since it was hard to get traction anyway. So that probably helped me to stay solidly in the middle of the pack despite being a lot heavier than I'd like to be.
The RD has measured the course and verified it's a 10-mile loop, but the GPS signal in the woods is kind of sketchy, so it only comes out to around 8.5 miles on your watch. (Mine measured 8.6 miles for laps 1 & 2, and 8.85 miles for lap 3.) There are 2 aid stations on the course, in addition to the aid station at the start/finish line. So no need to carry a lot of stuff. I had my running vest with two 10oz bottles, and it was just enough liquid to get between the aid stations before refilling.
I've had a lot of problems with getting dehydrated during races over the last couple years. I now have a 4-minute timer on my watch to remind me to drink. The cool temperature helped today too - but I was certainly hydrated! (Perhaps over-hydrated...) I did manage to complete the first lap before stopping to pee. Lap 2, I had to pee twice. Lap 3, I peed three times... Of course, when everything hurts (like it did on lap 3) having the urge to pee is just that much worse.
The first half of lap 1 there was some shuffling of the pack, but not much after that. In fact, I don't think I passed anyone (or got passed) at all in the 2nd half of lap 1. I finished lap 1 around 1:55 - which was faster than I planned on. After refilling, ditching my long-sleeved shirt, and peeing - I started lap two almost exactly at 2 hours.
On lap 2 I still felt pretty good, although my right ankle was bothering me a bit. (I broke it in high school, so it's always been a little problematic.) Maybe 1 mile into lap 2, I slipped on a muddy downhill. My feet slipped out sideways to the right - I almost saved it, but ended up having to catch myself on my hands. I popped up pretty quickly. There was a guy behind me that asked if I was okay. I was just laughing - mud runs are fun, after all. :-)
The rest of lap 2 was fairly uneventful. I might have passed 1 person - it's a little fuzzy even though only a few hours have passed. :-) Lap 2 took 2:10, more in-line with the target pace I was trying to hit. I spent less time at the start/finish aid station since I had already peed out on the course. :-) Probably 1-2 minutes at the most.
Lap 3 was tough. My quads actually felt okay. But my ankle was really bothering me. Also, my forearms were sore. I'm guessing maybe the fall on lap 2 tweaked them a bit. Every now and then, my hamstrings would ache, but it didn't last too long. My pace slowed even more, but I still managed to pass 2 people. I went a long time without seeing anyone ahead of me or behind me. But there's one part of the course "deja vu" where you can see people pretty far ahead or behind. That's just shy of the halfway point. I didn't see anyone in front, but I did see the two guys I passed - they were about 1/3 mile behind me.
So I figured I wasn't going to catch anyone, but I also wanted to stay ahead of those guys. I kept moving, albeit slowly. I still ran the flats and downhills. I walked all the uphills. I kept looking behind me in case I saw anyone closing the gap, but never saw them. There's a gravel road section with about a half mile before the end - it's probably 1/10 mile before you turn back into the woods. I didn't see anyone behind me, so I figured I was probably safe. :-)
I still jogged the flats and walked the uphills in the last 0.4 miles. Pretty soon, the finish line was in sight. Without much fanfare, I arrived and collected my day-1 finisher medal. That's not entirely fair - the people that were hanging around the aid station did cheer a bit. :-)
I immediately started stretching out, so that maybe I'll have a small chance of not being completely screwed tomorrow. :-) Of course, I'm doing this on the cold cement under the pavilion where the start/finish aid station was. By the time I finished, I was shivering. I changed into some dry clothes and drove back to the hotel. (Heater and heated seats cranked up on the way.)
I did make a pit stop at Five Guys on the way, and had a ridiculously decadent bacon cheeseburger and fries. I took a hilariously long hot shower when I got back to my room. Fortunately, chafing was almost nonexistent - so I have that going for me.
So I'm pretty sleepy now (at 6:50pm LOL). But I'll force myself to stay up a while so I don't wake up at 2am. And I'll probably eat again - I'm already hungry again!
So stay tuned for the day two report. I predict epic suffering... :-p
Well, just 3 weeks after doing the South Mountains 50k - I found myself at the start line for the Rut Rogue 40s. This event has several distances you can do - I of course signed up for the longest one - the 40-miler. (You can also do 40km or 50km.) Was 3 weeks enough time to recover? It didn't matter, because I was going to do this regardless.
We started off just a little after 7:30 am. The course starts at a park and does one out-and-back segment to the east, and then another out-and-back segment to the west. I didn't count the number of people that lined up, but it was probably around 20. I started off toward the back of the pack, which was good because most people were running a pretty fast pace. It didn't take long before they drifted away from me.
Prior to the start, I threw on an extra layer because I felt pretty cold (it was about 38 degrees). So I had a short-sleeved shirt, and *two* long-sleeved shirts. That turned out to be a mistake, as I was already getting pretty warm within the first mile. I also had some ear warmers on, and some gloves. The ear warmers came off at mile 1. The gloves came off a half mile later. I left the shirts as-is, but unzipped the outermost shirt to cool down a little bit.
The first mile was *fast* - 10:04. Way too fast (for me) for a 40-mile run. My heart rate was pretty low, though, and the course was very flat and non-technical. So it definitely encouraged a fast pace. Mile 2 was almost as fast - 10:37. I'm running by myself now, so I've got some music playing in one ear.
I hit the first aid station (~ 4 miles) at 44 minutes. I had a goal of being very efficient in my stops, and I definitely achieved it here. In & out in 1 minute. A volunteer refilled one of my bottles while I grabbed a PB&J sandwich, then I started walking while I ate the sandwich. Once the sandwich was gone, I started jogging again.
My pace slowed to around 11:30-12:00 as the miles ticked away. I arrived at aid station 2 (which is the turnaround for the first out-and-back, around 8.5 miles) at 1:37. After another 1-minute stop I was heading back to the start.
It was difficult to judge where I was in the race (position-wise) since the 40-mile runners started 5 minutes before everyone else. So I was getting passed by the 40k/50k runners. There was also a 40-mile relay, but those runners were usually pretty easy to identify because they were running much faster and usually only had a handheld bottle (as opposed to a running pack). I figured I was somewhere in the middle to the back of the 40-miler runners though.
It also started warming up some more, so I took off my outermost long-sleeved shirt and tied it around my waist. I knew I'd be able to ditch it when I got back to the start (before I started the western out-and-back section).
I tripped a couple times, and then actually fell. (It was a soft landing fortunately.) I kept thinking "the easy trails will fuck you". The problem with a nontechnical trail like this is that it lures you into complacency. Then, you start getting lazy and stop picking your feet up as much as you should. Pretty soon, your toe catches a tree root and sends you sprawling.
I hit the 10-mile mark at 1:55. That's what I would normally run for a 10-mile distance (when I'm stopping after 10 miles). For a 40-mile run, it was blazing fast. I start wondering if I'm going to regret it. Still, my heart rate is at very reasonable and sustainable level.
Things are starting to hurt now, though. My lower abs for some reason (those never bother me) and my right ankle. (I broke my right ankle in high school, so sometimes it gets temperamental for no reason at all.) I took a tylenol to try to take the edge off. I figured I'd take another one in a couple hours.
I got to aid station 3 (which is the same as aid station 1) around 2:37. Another quick stop - this time a minute and a half. I'm 13 miles in now -- one-third of the way. Still going at an 8-hour pace. "Only" a marathon left to do...
The first tylenol isn't helping much, and now my left shoulder has also joined the pain party. So at 3 hours I take another one. I'm sorely tempted to take a tramadol, which I also carry in case of dire emergency. But I also consider that "cheating" in a way. I stick with the over-the-counter stuff for now.
I keep thinking it would be so easy to quit once I get back to the start. My truck was right there, after all. Mentally, this was probably the low point of my day. One thing I realized was that I didn't have any caffeine yet, other than the minuscule amount in the one gel I had eaten between aid stations. I had a 5hr Energy shot in my pack, so I drank that. Hopefully that would also help with my concentration and reduce the number of times I was tripping over rocks and roots.
I get back to the start line, which is aid station 4, at 3:32. I had a lot of stuff to take care of, so it ended up being my longest stop - 7 minutes. I ditched all 3 shirts and changed into a spare short-sleeved shirt I had in my truck. I used the bathroom. Finally, I did the normal aid station routine of refilling bottles, grabbing some food, and walking while I ate said food. I'm 17 miles in now.
All the volunteers are so helpful and friendly, it's hard to feel 'down' when you're at the aid stations. Mentally, I'm feeling much better now. (The caffeine shot probably helped too.) The next segment is the longest between aid stations - 7 miles. I see the occasional relay runner fly by me, but no one that looks like a 40-mile runner. I keep trudging along. My pace has definitely slowed a lot -- 13:00 and 14:00 miles for the most part. I'm still running the flats and downhills, but walking even the slight inclines.
Around mile 20, I tripped over another root and barely saved myself from falling. MOTHERFUCKER!!! I was mad at myself for losing concentration, and certainly mad at the root for existing. Even when you don't fall, those trips take a lot out of you. It takes a lot of energy to stop from falling, your heart rate spikes, and it's a mental drain too. I walked for a minute to calm down... "Serenity now..."
Pain-wise, I'm still struggling, and I shouldn't take any more tylenol for a few hours. So I take an ibuprofen at hour 4. Now, I said in my last race report that taking ibuprofen during endurance events is not recommended. It puts strain on your kidneys when they're (usually) already stressed from dehydration. Now, I was feeling exceptionally hydrated (I had already peed 3 times) - so I figured it was *probably* okay.
Around this time, I'm giving serious thought to just walking the second half of the race. There's a generous 11-hour cutoff and I figured I wasn't going to catch anyone in front of me anyway. Why torture myself? I dismissed the thought for the moment...
Less than a mile later, I caught up to another runner. It was on a (slight) incline, so we were both walking, but he stepped aside to let me pass. "You're going faster than me", he said. "Not by much" was my answer. He went on to describe how he tripped over a root about a mile back, fell, and bashed his knee on another root. "I think I probably tripped on the same fucking root", I told him as I moved ahead.
I'd be lying if I said that I didn't get a mental boost from that exchange. It's not that I took any pleasure in his misfortune. But it is motivating to know someone is feeling worse than you are. And then I start thinking "he's still going - what's my fucking excuse". And "time to harden the fuck up". So I pick up the pace a little bit.
At hour 5, I'm still hurting, so I take another ibuprofen. I'm not willing to play the tramadol card just yet...
I finally get to aid station 5 (24 miles) at 5:18. I had a drop bag waiting for me if I needed it (which I didn't). So it was a quick stop (~ 1 minute). I started to leave and realized I was still carrying my gloves and ear warmer, so I turned around and stuffed them into my drop bag. I also realized I had a pocket full of trash I had been carrying for a while (gel wrapper, empty 5hr energy shot, etc). So I dumped the trash before finally getting back to business.
Just one more 4.5 mile section before I hit the turnaround and start heading back. I'd also get to see who was in front of me, and how close they were. (So I'd know if I had any chance of catching them.) Sure enough, I eventually started seeing people coming the other way, but they were far enough ahead I knew I'd never catch them. I did see one couple about a half-mile from the turnaround. (So they were 1 mile ahead of me.) Still probably too far ahead to catch, unless they took an extended break at the aid station - or had something unexpected happen. I'm really just more concerned about finishing, though.
I hit the turnaround (AS6, 28.5 miles, 6:14) and one of the volunteers is making pancakes on a camp stove. That was great! I made it a quick stop as usual, probably 1.5 minutes. Now I would get to see who is behind me, and how close they are.
I met a woman coming the other way 0.6 miles from the turnaround, so I was 1.2 miles ahead of her. I'd definitely need to keep moving at a decent pace to keep her from catching me. I also ran into 2 guys about 1 mile from the turnaround (one of them was the guy that bashed his knee). They were *probably* far enough back I didn't need to worry about them.
It occurred to me than I hadn't peed in a long time. It had warmed up quite a bit, so I was definitely sweating more - but I had been pretty diligent about drinking. (I have a reminder on my watch that beeps every 4 minutes.) Where at the beginning of the race I was peeing about every 75 minutes, I hadn't peed in over 3 hours. I didn't really *need* to go, but I stepped off the trail and tried to go so I could at least see how dehydrated I was. I was able to pee a little, and it wasn't super dark, so I figured I was probably okay. Still, I had to wonder if it had anything to do with taking the ibuprofen...
I kept moving and got to aid station 7 (the last one, 33 miles, 7:11). One of the organizers arrived (by car) just as I got there and we chatted for a minute. He asked if I had a headlamp (I didn't) but said I probably wouldn't need one. (I also had been watching the time and had already figured I'd get back before dark.) I told him if I needed to, I could use the flashlight on my cellphone. I had refilled one of my bottles, but left the 2nd one half-full (thinking that's all the hydration I'd need to get back.) The organizer convinced me to fill the second bottle as well. I thought it was unnecessary, but didn't want to argue about it. I grabbed a couple oreos and started walking.
I ran a few 15-minute miles, then started to pick up the pace some more. I knocked out a couple 13-minute miles. The last 0.8 (ish) miles I ran around a 10:00 pace - so I had a relatively strong finish. I didn't catch anyone (or even see anyone) in that last section - in front or behind me. My finish time was around 8:47, so I definitely slowed down a *lot* from the first 10-13 miles. My watch showed I only had about 12.5 minutes when I was stopped, so I really was very efficient getting through the 7 aid stations on the course.
I did some stretching, changed clothes, and grabbed a little food before hitting the road. I had another endurance challenge ahead of me -- driving 5 hours back to NC after such a long day. Fortunately the drive was uneventful and I was sufficiently caffeinated that I never felt unsafe driving.
Side note: I have to give Garmin a ration of shit for their shitty "LiveTrack" implementation. It has failed on me for the last two races (and some training runs). Basically, it'll work for about the first two miles, then it stops updating. So sorry everyone that I tried sending the link to. Maybe next time I'll just use Endomondo for the live tracking. Sometimes I really wonder which 3rd-world shithole Garmin uses for their development. Maybe it's time for Garmin to consider getting better software engineers?
Anyway - the results were posted a few days after the event, and I was able to verify that I was 14th out of 19 people who started. (3 DNFs.) My official time was 8:47:48. I was the second oldest runner - one guy was 50. That's still not really considered "old" by ultra running standards.
I also can see that there was no danger of anyone behind me catching me. The next person finished 43 minutes later. I was "only" 5 minutes behind the couple that finished before me. Considering that they were probably 15 minutes ahead at the 28.5-mile aid station, I did pretty well at closing that gap on the way back to the start.
My next event is the Wicked Root double 50K in 5 weeks. (50K Saturday, 50K Sunday...) That should definitely be sufficient time to recover.
Speaking of recovery, I'm pretty sure 3 weeks was *not* enough time to recover fully from SoMo 50K. So I'm not sure if I would plan to do events so close together again in the future.
Huge thanks to the organizers and volunteers at Rut Rogue 40s. This was a well-run event and I'd recommend it to anyone. The organizers had a lot of challenges this year and even had to relocate the event. (We did not run the usual RR40 course.) It would have been easy to just cancel it, but they found a way to make it happen!
So a January 50K always seems like a good idea. Something to keep me motivated to train throughout the late fall and winter. In practice, it doesn't seem to happen. In fact, I read through last year's SoMo race report and it echoed pretty much what happened this year.
3 week vacation around Thanksgiving with no training. Christmas & New Year with minimal training. Go into the first race of the year very undertrained.
I did do a little better this year - got a slightly longer long run in, and had a 31-mile week (actually 5 days) as my "peak" two weeks before the race. I also hit the stair climber at the gym several times, since this course has a fuckton of climbing. (7500 ft total ascent.)
All things considered, I felt okay going into the race. I drove out the night before so I could sleep a little longer. Temperature was right around freezing the whole day. But virtually no wind. And, at the start at least, no precipitation. Really, the weather was perfect all day - or at least as perfect as you can expect for January in North Carolina.
This was the first year for the 50K, which just adds an additional 6-mile loop before joining the usual marathon course (which I did last year).
I wasn't sure what to expect for that first loop, but it was pretty similar to the other segments on the course. Pretty challenging, sustained climb for a couple miles - then it kinda flattened out a bit. Then, a long descent down to the aid station.
I was in the back third of the pack on that first climb. I was purposely taking it easy. I knew it would be a long day, and didn't have the training to push myself too hard on the uphills. I definitely got passed more than I passed other people. When we would get a (brief) downhill, I could make up a lot of ground, catching up to people that had put a pretty big gap on me.
The descent into the first aid station was a blast! A little technical, but very runnable. At this point, I'm feeling great and I'm all smiles as I get to the aid station. I quickly refill my two bottles with gatorade, grab a handful of potato chips, and start walking as I eat the chips.
A note on gear... I opted to not use a hydration bladder in my running pack. Bottles are much quicker & easier to fill. My pack has pockets for 2 bottles on the shoulder straps. I modified the pack a little bit so I could use 20oz bottles without them falling out. I wasn't sure that would be enough, so I had a third bottle in the big outside pocket in the pack itself. It wasn't reachable unless I took off the pack, but I'd have it if I ran out of fluids.
Aside from gatorade, I had 7 or 8 Gu gels (vanilla) to eat between aid stations. I also carry a 'hot shot' for cramps and a 5hr Energy. (I also drank a 5hr energy before the start of the race to get a little kick of caffeine.) I carry some bandages, space blanket, and some miscellaneous stuff in the pack. Not too much - it's pretty light, but enough to deal with common stuff that may happen on the trail.
Back to the race - I start the second leg of the course about 20 minutes ahead of the cutoff. SoMo 50K has some pretty tight cutoffs, so you can't screw around. You need to keep moving, and can't take much time at the aid stations.
Since the remainder of the course is what I ran last year, some of it is familiar. In particular, there are a ton of steps you have to climb to get to the top of this waterfall. It's hard enough doing that at the beginning of the course (for the marathon option) but even harder with 6 miles and probably 1000ft of climbing already completed. It's uphill almost the whole way to the second aid station - probably 5 out of the 6 miles. Once you finally crest the hill, you stay on the ridge and cruise in the 11-mile aid station.
My 2nd pit stop was pretty much a repeat of the first one. I topped off my bottles, grabbed a PB&J sandwich, and started walking. It's downhill, so I actually was jogging as I was trying to eat, so it took a little longer to choke down the sandwich. It turns out that it's downhill almost the whole way to AS3, and I passed several people on the way.
On that descent, I noticed my left heel was bothering me. I could tell a blister was forming. This was almost certainly because my foot was sliding slightly inside the shoe on the downhill descents. I knew I'd need to take care of that.
The organizer does allow runners to have 'drop bags' with whatever supplies they want to throw in there. I had put a complete change of clothes, and some other supplies, in mine. I thought my bag would be at the 21-mile aid station.
So when I cruised into the 15-mile aid station, I was delighted to be wrong. All the drop bags were there. So I grabbed a chair, sat down, and got my shoes & socks off. I figured as long as I was going to take my left sock off, I might as well put dry socks on both feet.
I had a really big blister that pretty much took up my entire heel. I put an extra-large bandaid on it to try to protect it as best I could. Once I had my shoes back on - I decided to change my shirts, jacket, and hat too - the ones I had been wearing were soaked already. (I may have overdressed slightly.) I didn't change my shorts - but those were soaked too. I started sleeting ever-so-slightly during all this. Not a big deal. It would have been worse if it was rain.
I quickly topped off the bottles again and grabbed some chips. Total time at the aid station was only 10 minutes - not bad considering. But many people I had passed had come and gone in the meantime. At this point, I'm still 40 minutes ahead of the cutoff, so in a pretty good position to finish in time.
The next part of the course is another long climb, broken up into 3 parts. So a long climb, partial descent, another long climb, another partial descent, and another long climb. I leapfrogged a few people along the way, catching (or passing) them on the downhills, only to be passed again on the next climb. I did manage to stay in front of them on the 3rd part of the climb, even stopping for a picture at the top. (They had a guy taking pictures right before you got to the aid station.)
At some point during the section, I felt like my brain was getting "fuzzy". I'm 4+ hours into the event, so well over 5 hrs since my initial 5hr energy shot. So I grabbed one out of my pack and downed it. Concentration is so crucial - one misstep and you can take a fall. 15-20 minutes later, I could definitely feel more alert.
AS4 (Fox Ridge) was awesome. Aside from the usual far, there was a guy cooking up bacon and pancakes on a camp stove. So after filling my bottles, I made a "sandwich" consisting of 2 pancakes and a bunch of bacon. (The pancakes were probably only 3" in diameter - they weren't huge.) I think I was about 45-minutes ahead of the cutoff at this point.
The next section has a 1-mile road section, mostly uphill, before it goes back on the trail. After I ate my 'sandwich' I dug out a tylenol from my pack. My left shoulder was killing me (I broke it several years ago skating). And, of course, just about everything else hurt too. Left heel, right ankle, right hip, quads... But mainly I took it for the shoulder. Ibuprofen used to be my painkiller of choice - but there have been some recent studies that taking it during endurance events is especially hard on your kidneys (since you're probably dehydrated). So I've been using tylenol instead.
After the brief road section, there are about 5 miles of gentle downhill. (Maybe with a very brief climb in parts.) In other words, it's a very fast section. I was able to run (jog) most of it, and caught a few more people before I got to the next aid station.
I didn't waste any time at AS5. Just the usual refill drill. I grabbed some chips and started walking... I think I'm 50-55 minutes ahead of the cutoff now. Probably far enough ahead that I could walk the rest of the way if I had to). That wasn't totally unthinkable. During that long descent, I could feel my left heel slipping again. Now, I think the bandaid was probably doing more hard than good. I decided I would just grit my teeth and bear it, though. There probably wasn't much I could do about it at this point.
I'm also regretting not changing my shorts (or at least re-applying some anti-chafing stuff) when I changed clothes. Running in wet/sweating shorts for hours makes you chafe in places you definitely do not want to chafe. At this point, it's a minor nuisance, but I figured the shower after the race would be pretty painful.
Last year, I remember someone had given me the advice to save my energy for the climb in the last section, which starts shortly after the last aid station. So I was ready for it - or so I thought.
That last section is a real asskicker. There's a 500ft climb, over probably 1.5 miles, followed by a 500ft descent. That's the climb I remember from last year. At this point, I was about 3 miles from the finish and I thought it was flat the rest of the way. Then I hit the next climb - probably 600ft over 1.25 miles (so, steeper). It seemed to go on forever. About halfway up, I saw another guy in front of me, and I was slowly gaining on him. I caught him at the crest of the hill, and started running the downhill, leaving him behind.
The surprises weren't over yet, though. After a short runnable section of downhill, it turns into a very steep technical descent. Steep and technical enough that I can't run it on my tired legs. So it's a long tedious hike down. I had been hoping to finish under 8 hours, but it appeared that would not be possible. I could see quite far in front of me, and there was no one in sight to try to catch. The guy I had just passed was already out of sight, so no real danger to him catching me. And I certainly didn't want to take a fall this late in the race. So I was patient and cautious as I made my way down.
Once I got past the technical stuff, there was probably a half-mile of runnable trail to get to the finish. I crossed the finish line around 8:06.
I changed into some dry clothes, which was a challenge in its own right. Everything wanted to cramp/spasm as I'm trying to get these wet clothes off of me in the handicap stall in the bathroom. I was able to assess the chafing and blister damage too - which was significant but actually not as bad as I thought it would be.
They had chili at the picnic area near the finish, so I grabbed a bowl and sat by the fire to warm up a bit before finally packing up to leave. I saw the organizer and asked how many people were still out, and if everyone was safe. There were still about 15 people on the course with about 40 minutes remaining before the 9-hour cutoff.
So despite being unprepared, I was able to finish. On one of the podcasts I listen to, the hosts insist that if someone can run a half-marathon, they can finish a 50K. Now, that might depend on the 50K - this particular one has a LOT of climbing. But I think the point is that most of this is mental. You have to have the will to keep moving. You have to be able to adapt to changing conditions. You have to take care of small problems before they become big problems. You have to be mindful of your pace, nutrition, and hydration.
I struggled with hydration in several events last year. I think I executed it almost perfectly on this one. Two 20oz bottles were enough to get from aid station to aid station. (I never needed my "reserve" bottle.) I peed a couple times during the event. (~ 2.5 hrs and 5 hrs.) Both times, the color indicated I was sufficiently hydrated. Just the fact that I needed to pee was a good indicator. There was a point early (1-2 hrs) in where I felt a little "waterlogged", but kept drinking anyway, and it went away. I have a 4-minute timer set on my watch and drank almost every time it went off.
Nutrition is rarely an issue for me, but I have a 30-minute timer on my watch as a reminder. If I'm between aid stations, I eat a gel. If I'm close to an aid station (before or after) I may skip it because I grab & eat food from the aid station. I felt pretty good from a calorie perspective the whole day.
Pacing-wise, I think I executed pretty well too. I didn't get caught up in the "irrational exuberance" of the start. I took it easy on the uphills, and saved my legs for the downhills and flats. I minimized my time at the aid stations. I had some fuel "left in the tank" at the finish - so I maybe could have gone a little harder, but to do so would have been inviting injury or a DNF.
I think the only thing I could have done better would be to take care of the blister and chafing earlier/better. If it had been a longer race (50-100 miles), it would have definitely been a problem. Since this was "only" a 50K, I could get away with abusing my body and still finish. Looking ahead to the other races I signed up for, I'll need to be better about it.
Huge thanks to the SoMo race director and volunteers. This course kicked my ass, but it was a great day! I'll probably sign up again next year, and probably go into it just as unprepared. But I can pretend that it'll motivate me to train over the holidays. lol
And one last treat for you, since I had to run on this damn blister for 15 miles, you get to look at it. :-) The loose skin is just what broke open during the race - the blistered area is about twice that size... And, no, there are no pictures of the chafing! Hahaha
Left - Saturday night after the race.
Right - Monday morning.
Looks like I placed a slightly worse than I did last year. But events with lots of climbing like this definitely don't play to my strengths. Last year, I placed 65th out of 100 starters (8 people did not finish). This year, I placed 66th out of 89 starters (10 people did not finish). Looking at the other finishing times, there was no way I was going to catch anyone ahead of me in that last section.
Next up is Rut Rogue 40-miler on February 2nd! That will have half the climbing that I did in SoMo 50K, so should feel a bit easier. :-)
