Well, I can officially say I am an ultrarunner! April 18th
I completed my first 50k. I didn’t realize it when I signed up for it, but it
was completely on the trails, which adds a whole new level of challenge. I
signed up for the race (or thought I did…more on that in a second) in January
once Team Z added it to their race calendar. My end goal was to do a 50 miler
in the fall, and I thought this would be a good first step.
However, my training started off rocky when I went to an
ultrarunning clinic where they stressed specificity and the only way to get
good at running on the trails was to run on trails and we should go to the run
the following weekend that was on the race trail. And then the team proceeded to cancel that
run. I freaked out and e-mailed Sally to see if there was any way we could
still do it, and she and Nicolas took pity on me and agreed to do a short trail
run on Sunday. That Saturday I discovered an amazing trail is 15 minutes from
my house (Fountainhead) that follows the Occoquan river for 18 miles, which has
quickly become a go-to training spot for me. The run with Nicolas and Sally
took place after a huge rain storm so the trails were ice covered. This was
scary/beautiful, and I picked up so many great tips from them in the hour we
ran that really increased my confidence on the trails. Nicolas also told me
about a ultra trail running camp in
Flagstaff (one of my favorite places in the US) put on by some elite athletes I
have heard on my podcasts. I went home and immediately signed up for it and as
I write this I am sitting in the airport coming back from it (and you know, posting it a month after that). What a crazy turn
of events!
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| One of my fearless leaders |
Anyhoos, the winter weather really limited my ability to get
out on the trails and messed with my confidence leading into the race. I was
more nervous about this race than for Mont Tremblant! I don’t know what I would have done without
Abe, who was my partner in crime at getting out on the trails and just made the
few trail training runs I could do possible. My favorite was the 22ish miler
with Abe and Jimmy, where Abe put together a run entirely in DC mostly on the
trail. Due to the cold, the last 7 miles were really trying, and it really
helped having Jimmy and Abe tell me “It’s okay if you want to walk, we do too!”
as we made it through together.
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| Who wore it best? |
Finally, the weekend of the race approached and I went to
figure out where I had said I would pick up my packet. After a few minutes of
desperately searching my e-mail (and e-mailing Abe to find out where his
confirmation e-mail came from), I realized either I didn’t sign up for it or my
registration didn’t process and online registration had closed that morning.
Talk about a major panic attack!! Thought that went through my mind included:
“I have been training for this race all winter, I can’t not run it…I am taking
tomorrow off of work to run errands, I am NOT going to work…should I just run
the course Sunday on my own?” Luckily, the packet pickup was by my office and I
was able to register in person as the race hadn’t sold out so the crisis was
averted, with just me paying a $40 stupidity tax due to the increased
registration fee.
The night before the race I got a Facebook message from
Sally saying she and Nicolas would be there at 3am to be all set up for the 50
milers that were starting at 5am. Yikes! I set my alarm for a 3:50am and
planned to get there around 5:30ish for my 7am start.
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| Sally and Nicholas being awesome team captains |
The race started in Sterling at Algonquian Regional Park,
went along the Potomac heritage trail to Great Falls, and did a 5ish mile loop
through Great Falls. I got to the parking lot and Debbie was there with her
Team Z bunny ears, preparing to spend the day Sherpa-ing for Abe (and
ultimately me as well). It was so great to see her and I was grateful when she
said she could bring me stuff to pick up at Great Falls so I could lessen my
overwhelming nutrition load (be prepared?!).
We met up with Abe and headed over to the start where we
were joined by Sally/Nicolas/Michelle and I ran into Danny. Sally and Nicolas
were ROCK STARS as team captains for the day. I did my usual “why did I sign up
for this, I am so nervous, OMG” routine while the rest of the crew worked to
psych me up. Finally it was time to start! In true ultra fashion, the start was
very low key.
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| Newbies! |
Despite the winter of training in freezing temperatures, the
day was scheduled to be in the 80s and humid. Yowzas! This would play a key
role in my and everyone else’s races. I started off at a comfortable pace and
fell into a rhythm. I was nervous about the single track nature of the race and
the etiquette of passing and being passed. However, except for the one time
when I was joking about being a road runner and believing in a good elbow to
the gut that made some woman think I was dying to pass her, it never was much
of an issue.
I had run the trail a few times in the winter and the trail
conditions were awful each time (either super icy, muddy, or just frozen over
with hoofprints). However, the trail was PERFECT on race day, smooth and only
muddy in few places. We really lucked out. I was able to keep a steady pace
over the first 13 miles, except for on the giant hills, which I had already
mentally prepared to walk and was joined in that endeavor by the rest of the
racers. A highlight of the first half was when we reached a trail crossing I
had previewed with Nicolas/Sally on our run. While everyone was getting stopped
waiting to cross at a difficult point, I simply walked through the water and
went on my way to applause from the other races.
When I got to Great Falls, I ran into Melody, Iwan, and Ryan
who told me I was doing great and to keep going. I didn’t have a chance to
connect with Debbie, but I figured I had enough nutrition to get me through the
Great Falls loop. This is when the heat started to really set in, as well as
the blisters the unexpected sweat caused on my feet. The loop was a lot hillier
than I expected, but I kept my “walk the uphills and run the downhills” routine
and enjoyed running into Eric and Jimmy as they were deep into their 50 miler.
The highlight of this loop was the aid station at mile 17 that had cold
sponges. I kept looking for these at the remaining aid stations but was sadly
disappointed. (As a note, the aid station volunteers were unsurprisingly ROCK
STARs, taking my pack and refilling my water as I was in my heat induced haze.)
I connected with Debbie after I completed the loop to re-sunscreen/nutrition,
and began the way back.
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| I assume this was at some point in the race |
Like everyone else, I struggled on the way back. My legs
actually felt great (I think my focus on strength training this winter really
paid off), but the blisters made every step (particularly the downhills)
painful. (As TMI, let’s just say I can no longer say I have never lost a
toenail from running, which is super exciting for sandal season!) My stomach
was also not behaving and I was feeling nauseous. However, I just kept moving.
Highlights of this section included running into Joel as he ran the marathon and
bonding over the last 2 miles with a marathon runner and a fellow female 50ker from
Baltimore that caused me to keep running.
Finally, about a quarter mile from the finish line the girl from
Baltimore felt me picking it up and said “I feel a surge coming, get going” and
I ran through the finish line in 6:50! Given my goal for the race (without
considering the overall heat) was 7 hours, I was SO HAPPY and pleased with the
race.
Once I crossed the finish line, I was greeted by
Nicolas/Sally as well as Keri/Janet/Rich/Lisa. I really can’t express how
grateful I have been for their support over this and all my endeavors and it
was fantastic to hang out with them at the finish line while we waited for the
rest of the racers. Everyone had a rougher day than expected due to the heat,
but I think we were all ridiculously proud of ourselves.
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| Abe finishing! |
Once it was over, I headed straight to John’s to celebrate
his birthday (and to use his shower for the sake of the other guests) and
managed to stay up pretty late considering the long day. I definitely felt the
dehydration though when I woke up at 2am for 3ish hours before falling asleep
on my couch until 10ish and I felt the soreness of a job well done the next few
days.
I am pretty sure I had committed to Sally I was going to do
Tussey right as I crossed the finish line, with no need to really think about
it. The 50k was a test for me, and my legs and spirit passed it. This next race
will be daunting, but I know I will get through it, one step at a time. If I
have learned one lesson from all this training/racing about myself, that is it.
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