Ultrarunning training recap

Once again it's been ages! I would lie and say I would try to fix that but I just hate turning my computer on when I come home from work and I hate dealing with uploading pictures. However, since I am now a week away from my 50 mile run, I wanted to make sure to recap this training/my experience before my thoughts get skewed by the race itself. Overall, this training has been a roller coaster, with real lows and real highs. However, I have followed my training plan, have prioritized taking care of myself, and will toe the line next weekend with no regrets/shoulda/woulda/couldas. Hopefully I will finish the race (ahead of Abe so I get free beer), but if something goes wrong I can be happy with the journey.

Here are the random thoughts that have run through my mind (I might add more as the week goes on but 10 seems like the right number):

Hello! It's been awhile. Here's a recap of the last 10 months (through May).

Hello! It has been awhile. When I last wrote, I had just had a stellar Ironman experience at Mont Tremblant and was planning to sign up for Ironman Maryland to build on that great training. Boy have things changed. Instead, when it came time to sign up for Maryland, I realized my heart wasn’t in it. As I volunteered at the finish line, I fully expected for that fire to be reignited and that I would sign up for it. In reality, all I felt was happiness I was helping them achieve the same feeling (confidence, pride, etc.) I already had. Simply put, my main goal would be to get a faster time, and that motivation wasn’t enough for me to commit to the training schedule and the money.

Instead, I changed gears. In the back of my mind I have been planning to tackle a 50 mile running race (a form of ultramarathon) in the next few years, and I decided this would be the year. As part of the training for that, I signed up for a 50k in April. One thing I didn’t realize is that it was all on the trails, and that I needed to quickly get familiar with running on the trails. Luckily, Team Z has decided to support the ultra distance, so I had a few training partners to help me with that (thanks Abe, Michelle, Johnny, and Jimmy!) and a great set of people to get advice from (thanks Sally, Nicolas, and Iwan!). Of course, I acquired the knowledge that to run a trail race you need to run on trails right before our big winter onslaught occurred so I wasn’t able to get the time on the trails I wanted but the race went well. I gained enough confidence to sign up for the Tussey Mountainback 50 miler October 25^th. As I write this I am on my way back from an ultrarunning camp in Flagstaff, where I got to play in the variety of trails they have for four days (and run with the elites of the sport!). (Airport delays are the best! Said no one ever.) (I am laughing because it has taken me over a month to post what I wrote - hence the 10 month delay)

However, post Ironman my life seems to have become busier than ever in a really good way. Overall, I have experienced an overall attitude enhancement after experiencing the loss of a former coworker/mentor way too young and attending a Leadership event at work that has led me to be much happier in general. While there were several lessons learned, the big gist of it was realizing that you can only control what you can control, and the one thing you can always control is how you choose to look at life. Everyone vacillates between “self-focused” (drained, dragging, negative) and “mission-focused” (energized, positive) and you have the power to switch out of the “self-focused” mode and to find the opportunities in the challenges. Also, it's our idiosyncrasies that make us stand out/excel, and boy, do I have a lot of them! I have a fantastic life, the majority of my problems are small in the grand scheme of things, and this attitude enhancement has allowed me to feel grateful every day and to just enjoy the moment as I am in it. I highly recommend it!

Given my poor memory, this post will serve to remind myself what I have been up to the last 10 months (!!) since the race. As a warning, this will be long, but since it is for me I don’t really care.

Northface Endurance Challenge 50k DC race report

Well, I can officially say I am an ultrarunner! April 18^th 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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Also, I have really grown to love trail running. What better way to combine my loves of hiking/being in nature and running?! Here are some other trail running pics from this winter:

Non-Cooking: Ironman Mont Tremblant Race Report!

Well, whaddya know, I finished another Ironman!! Long story short, it was a wonderful experience to chase a PR versus a time cutoff, I took an hour and 25 minutes off my Ironman Wisconsin time (gaining a small amount of time off the swim and the bike, and a whopping 55 minutes off the run!), stayed mentally strong through some tough moments, danced at the aid stations, skipped through the finish line, and really freaking enjoyed my race!

Now for the longer story. (Thanks in advance to Miro who is a fantastic photographer and who took the majority of the best photos below!)

Non-Cooking: Looking back at the Mont Tremblant training, and looking ahead to race day - 7 days!

We are now 7 days from race day. This time next Sunday, I hope to be out on the run, feeling strong and bringing home my second ironman. Before that, I wanted to do a pre-race training wrap up, and talk about how I am feeling about getting ready to toe the line to my second Ironman.

Physically, my body has held up remarkably well. I have felt strong during most of the long rides and runs (minus the 50 milers in the 200% humidity), and KILLED the 127 last long run. Minus some weird early season shenanigans with repeated flu-like dehydration symptoms (?) that I have seemingly resolved by taking NUUN all day hydration tabs throughout the week, I never felt like physically I couldn’t do this training or missed a long ride/run. Last taper, I couldn’t physically stay up past 8 and had no energy, and this taper I am staying up (too) late and feel pretty good energy wise.

Mentally, this training has been HARD. Having the fear of Mountains of Misery during this ridiculous winter weighed on me. With that plus other general life stress, I have been battling mental burnout much more than the last go round, where I didn’t hit my mental burnout until the 20/120 weekend. I am considering signing up for IM Maryland next year with a bunch of my favorite training buddies, but I am really going to have to think long and hard about if I want to put that stress on me again and how I will manage the mental burnout.

All that being said, this training experience has been all I had hoped for and much more. I signed up for this race partly because I feel like I didn’t have my best race day in Wisconsin, but more so because of training partners I would have and the bonding experience IM training creates. In Wisconsin, I felt like that bonding came the June/July before the September race. For this one, especially with MOM thrown in the middle, I have felt like it has come every day since January. I have really strengthened my existing friendships, and have created so many great new ones. I have felt well-loved and taken care of this entire experience, and I am so grateful for the strong support network that I have. In addition to learning how to push my mental/physical barriers during the Ironman training, I have learned it is okay to ask for help, and that it will be there for me without even have to ask.

Now, on to the race day itself. People keep asking me if I am ready, and to be perfectly honest, I feel 100% like I am. I don’t feel nervous, or worried, or stressed. I feel excited! I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any time goals. I have worked so hard in this last 2 years since IM Wisconsin, and I would love to take at least an hour + off my 16:11 finishing time. My dream is to finish with a time in the 14 hour range. However, I refuse to put pressure on myself and will take the day as it comes. I truly feel the race is a celebration/culmination of a year long journey. If it doesn’t go according to plan or if I don’t finish, I know without a doubt it will be due to something outside of my control (i.e. a mechanical issue) because I have PUT IN THE WORK. The beauty of the second Ironman is I am an Ironman whether I finish this race or not.

Really, I believe you become an Ironman during the long/hard training leading up to the race day, not on the race day itself. I reinforced my status as an Ironman this year when I:

Non-Cooking: Ironman Mont Tremblant 70.3 Race Report

Just shy of a month ago, I headed up to Mont Tremblant to do the 70.3 or Half Ironman (which follows the same course as the Ironman). I did this for two reasons. First, Ironman gave you an option to register early for the race if you registered for both the 70.3 and full Ironman and I was super paranoid it would sell out. Second, I learned from Wisconsin that it is really great to preview the race course and the venue in order to figure out the logistics of the trip/race day and to give you some perspective on what to expect on race day. However, as the trip came up, I got more and more stressed out and I was not looking forward to it. That week was super stressful at work and between that and the stress of the trip/Ironman training, I ended up breaking down in tears in front of my boss. Woops! (As a 32 year old ex frat boy, this REALLY freaked him out but he handled it well. Don't worry - it's just that time in Ironman training!) Time for a vacation.

I have to give a major shout out to my mom and dad. I had already roped them into coming for the full Ironman, and had planned on doing the half ironman trip solo (including the 13+ hour drive home the Monday after the race). About a month ago, however, I was at our Sunday dinner solo (the brother/sister-in-law/baby nephew had other plans) and they volunteered to come up with me. Hallelujah! It was fantastic to have them there during the weekend to help take care of all of the logistics. It really made the short break feel like much more of a vacation. 

Papa Bear and Lead (only) Driver

Momma Bear and Lead Navigator

Non-Cooking: Mountains of Misery Ride Report

So a little more than a month ago (Memorial Day Weekend), I biked 102 miles around Blacksburg, VA. This ride wasn't just any ride, it was the Mountains of Misery ride. What made those 102 miles miserable? What made it stand out from other century rides I have done? Oh you know, just a major 2ish mile climb around mile 58 as a warmup, then a 4 mile mountain climb to the finish. What was I thinking?! Why do I sign up for these things?! These are just a few of the questions I asked myself before, during, and after the race. I am actually happy I haven't had time to write up my ride report because I am pretty sure it will be much different/more accurate now with the perspective of time. 

Asking myself why at the start of the ride

While this ride may have just been one day, it guided all of my training decisions through the winter. When I had first heard of this race when I joined the Team, I thought "HELL NO" I could never do that. Well, becoming an Ironman has changed my perspective. The real game changer though was surviving the Garrett County Gran Fondo, which Mary informed me was more feet per climbing than Mountains of Misery, and where I proved I was a BADASS. She convinced me if I could do that, I could do Mountains. I figured with the Ironman training, if I was going to do this ride, this was the year. Luckily a ton of my friends felt the same way. Little did we know we had the winter of hell in front of us, with winter storms ruining chances of outdoor riding through March. We spent most of April/May scrambling to ride hilly courses that would prepare us for this ride. Luckily there was a solid group of us committed to getting it done.

The ride was on Sunday, but I headed down Friday in order to make it as much of a true 4 day weekend/holiday as I could. Friday night, I had dinner with Coach Ed (later joined by Jordan), and then Saturday I had the morning to myself before my friends arrived. I went on the easy 4 mile Cascade Falls hike and really enjoyed the time to myself. With all the training and work I find myself constantly surrounded by (wonderful) people and I really needed a break. I brought a book and enjoyed reading it next to the waterfall.

After the hike, I enjoyed some delicious BBQ then waited for the others to arrive. John mentioned he enjoyed rereading my old blog posts from training for Wisconsin, so I spent the afternoon going through those. Memories! Once John and Aileen got to the hotel, we headed to packet pickup and then on to Team dinner. I will say, before the dinner I was feeling calm about the ride. Mary sent out some great tips, and I was treating it as just another ride. We have survived tough rides before, and I knew no matter what we would get through it. I got my heart rate zones tested during the week and planned on staying within Zone 2 (easy pace you can ride all day) as long as possible. However, my friends were FREAKING out about it and started really stressing me out. We planned on just taking it real slow and getting each other through it (patience!). Poor John's wife got to listen to us saying the same thing over and over for 4 hours. She is a saint!  Despite the stress, I can't overstate how great it felt to have a pact with John and Aileen that no matter what, we would stick together. I always have a fear I am holding people back (hills and I are not the best of friends when it comes to speed), but this ride (and many others) have proven I don't need to worry about asking us to slow down. My friends will be there for me no matter what. 

Race morning arrived and we headed to the start of the race. Everyone had that nervous energy as we waited for the start.

John and Aileen dropping their gear bag

John

Kathy! She is FAST

We started off and soon John, Aileen, and I found ourselves at the back of the race as we stuck to our plan to keep it slow. I am so proud we were able to hold back! The first 58 miles of the ride went smoothly, and we enjoyed the well stocked rest stops (PB&J and Pickles!) along the way. The one particular highlight was when John informed Aileen and I that if we tell him we are in "Zone 1" he might have to tell us to "Shut the F*** Up." Given John's usually chipper/encouraging attitude, I found that hilarious. And I have made sure to inform him when I am in "Zone 1" (mostly jokingly) on other rides, particularly while climbing long hills!

Joel and Aileen are all smiles early

Linda!

<3

Well stocked!

Gorgeous

Then we hit our first major challenge of the day, a 2ish mile STEEP climb that winds its way up the mountain. I managed to get through it, but there were definitely points I thought about putting a foot down. I just channeled my gran fondo experience and just kept pedaling. This actually led to one of the highlights of the day - my teammate Joel reached the summit of the climb and burst into HYSTERICAL laughter, as if he couldn't believe what it was and that it was over. Aileen attempted to comfort him but it was like attempting to calm an animal in the wild. The pictures below don't do it justice.

After that climb, s*** got real. While the next 40ish miles were not crazy difficult before the final climb, that climb had set a fear of the last climb into my mind. How was I going to survive 4 miles of it?! I also ended up getting super dehydrated because I allowed the aid stations to throw off my nutrition plan. This stress/the dehydration led me to a breakdown at mile 95. Instead of Joel's hysterical laughter, I found myself sobbing uncontrollably. It was the type of crying where if anyone said ANYTHING to me, I would have burst into tears. "Is the sky blue?" "I....sob sob sob...don't...hiccup sob sob....know!" John asked me how I was doing and I just sobbed/said "I just need it to be done." So I ate a gel and we kept going. (I still don't know how I feel about the fact that I expect to have moments such as these during my leisure activities. My boss also got treated to a similar breakdown at work the other day. Ironman training strikes again!) The first 2 miles of the climb were actually not bad at all. And then I got nauseous and started to really struggle, fearing getting sick with every pedal stroke. I made it one more mile before I called it quits on the bike and started walking. I informed people riding by I was just starting my recovery early (which got some laughs), and walked about the same pace they were riding. Right before the finish I passed Mark who insisted on me riding through the finish (essentially "Wouldn't it be a great finish photo if you were vomiting?!"). When I got to Linda who was also getting back on her bike, I sucked it up and rode until the end. 

Preparing ourselves at the last aid station

Finished!! She KILLED the final climb, despite the mental suffering. 

Alright Joel, you can celebrate with us too :)

Not me but looks cool!

Even the strongest riders were worn out

Sadly, while the ride finished at at the Dirty Dancing resort, I didn't get to explore it (too tired!). After hanging out at the finish for awhile, I raced to Outback to enjoy some bloomin onion with my teammates and to swap race stories. The one downside was the lack of good beer. When I got back to the hotel, I had a Snickers Ice Cream bar, the thought of which kept me going. Then it was bed. Monday morning I met up with some teammates for Breakfast, and John, Aileen, and I swore we would NEVER do that ride again. I think the last four miles had all of us wondering why we do this to ourselves. All it proved to me was that after Gran Fondo/Ironman Wisconsin I have NOTHING to prove. I am a badass, and finishing this ride just adds another exclamation point to that statement. The drive home also provided a lot of time for soul searching/crying as I hadn't quite recovered from the dehydration.

John's wife Jen got the three of us flip flops as a gift after the ride! (A lot of our conversation was about whether to bring flip flops.)

If nothing else, this ride proved Baby Nephew and I are related. This is especially awesome because he is in the separation anxiety phase where he only wants mom and dad. Guess what kid, you can't escape me!! 

Now, as I noted up top, if I had written my race recap that day, it would have ended on that note. However, with time comes perspective/revisionist thinking. John, Aileen, and I have changed our tone from never to maybe (still not yes!). Ultimately, it was a very difficult ride. However, I truly think the difficulty really came with the mental unknown of the final climb. The entire ride we lived in fear of it, and that fear drained us. When I finally got to it, I was already done emotionally. Even with that feeling, I realized the first 2 miles of the final climb were not awful, and I have no problem with walking the remainder if it comes to it (see above about nothing to prove). For the most part the ride was absolutely beautiful, the company was wonderful, and the bonding was great. I truly enjoyed the first 70 miles. I also love my teammates, and this ride has further solidified our sense of togetherness. Will I do it again next year? Probably not but never say never - you do have to really commit to the training and I haven't figured out my plans for next year yet. I might just cheer my teammates up the final climb. Will I do it again ever? Probably, unless I find another equally badass/beautiful ride to do instead.