Treasure Coast Ultra Race Recap, Part 2…
In Part 1 I talked about the race itself… Part 2 is “What I Ate, and What I Learned.” Eating-wise, I focused on the four basic food groups of long distance running: calories, carbohydrates, electrolytes, and caffeine. I started off with Tailwind: The “Dauwaltermelon” flavor is named after Courtney Dauwalter, the GOAT of ultrarunning! I love the name, and I love the taste. Tailwind is a powder that you mix with water. I carried a hydration vest with two flasks. In the beginning of the race, I filled one with water and one with Tailwind. This worked great until it got hot- then I needed both flasks filled with water, one to drink, and one to pour over my head. I aimed to take in at least 200 calories per hour, and I got these from gels (the pumpkin spice Gu was good!) pretzels, potato chips (I was craving salt) and this magical elixir: Energy-wise, my fueling strategy worked, and I had no gut issues during the race. But ever since Saturday, my stomach has been really off. Well, that’s what happens when you eat total crap. It’s hard, because in the middle of a run you just have to eat something that will give you quick, easy energy. It’s not like you can sit down and eat a salad. Any suggestions on this issue will be appreciated! So, what did I learn? I’m glad I took an extra day to write this part, because my feelings have shifted a bit. As a reminder, I quit after six 4.3 mile loops. Since my longest training run for this race was only 15 miles, 25.8 miles seemed like a great distance for the day. When I handed in my chip, I asked the timing guy if I was the first one to drop out, and he said “Well… yes. But some people are still on their fifth loop.” Huh. I finished my sixth loop, and there were people still out there on their fifth. I promise you I wasn’t running fast, so this means they must have taken longer breaks between each loop. I started to wonder… if I had rested a little, cooled myself down, and had something to eat… could I have gone on to complete one more loop? ABSOLUTELY. Yes, I was hot and tired. But I wasn’t limping or crawling. I let the thought “my longest training run was only 15 miles” limit me. It gave me an out, and I took it. The problem with quitting early is, you’ll always look back and think you could have done more. I’m not beating myself up over this. If I had gone one more loop I would have run a 50K, and I wish I had done that. But I’m still happy with my day- I showed up, had an adventure, and learned something for next time: You can always go farther than you think you can. And then, you can go even farther than that. Do you have any races or situations in your life where you wish you had pushed yourself a little harder?
Treasure Coast Ultra Recap: Work With What You Have
On Saturday, I ran the Treasure Coast Ultra. There were several different races in this event: a six hour run, a twelve hour run, an adventure race, and a 5K. In the days leading up to the race, I got a couple alarming emails saying things like “You will pick up your kayak…” WAIT. My WHAT? Oh, that’s for the adventure racers. I signed up for the twelve hour run, but there was something for everyone. Because of my recent injury, I was in no condition to run for twelve hours, but the format of the race was in my favor. We ran a 4.3 mile loop over and over again. We were given chips to velcro around our ankles: … and after every lap we ran over a timing mat so our distance could be recorded. The start of trail ultras is always very chill: And we were off! Although it was only a 4.3 mile loop, the terrain varied. There was a nice, grassy section: and then a section where service vehicles had obviously driven on, making the ground rutted and uneven. There were also three of these: The first time I tried to go around, but it was impossible. The only way through was through, so everyone learned to just wade right in. As the loops went on, I came to look forward to these huge puddles, because they cooled my feet down. Also, the three puddles (or, mini-ponds) were towards the end of the loop, and each time I came around I was looking forward to regrouping. Unfortunately, it was a hot day. Sometimes we have temperatures in the 50s and 60s in November, but not today. It got up to 85, and for the most part it was sunny. After two loops I started serious heat mitigation strategies, which included getting ice from a cooler at the start area, and putting it in my bra. That would cool me down for a while, and by the end of every loop I was looking forward to getting more ice. On the first loop, I was running along happily when some runners behind me called out to me- I had missed a turn and had to re-trace my steps. I felt really silly, since it was marked! But then… a little while later I saw some runners cutting across the park towards me- they had also missed the turn, and ran quite a distance before realizing it. The second time around, I MISSED THE SAME TURN AGAIN. This time I ran for a while before I noticed that the runner who used to be in front of me wasn’t there anymore. Uh oh. I then looked back and saw him way off in the distance, behind me and to the right, ARRRRG! I retraced my steps, took the turn and continued on. The third time… I missed it AGAIN, but realized it very quickly, and turned back. What in the world is going on at this turn? Well- it’s hard to tell, but the turn is actually a very sharp right, and it also looks like the arrows could be telling you to veer gently to the right (which is INCORRECT.) I’m happy to say that after three times, I didn’t miss that turn again. The first couple loops, I wasn’t feeling great. I just reminded myself that the way I felt at that moment was NOT the same way I would be feeling in an hour, and I was right. I ran a third loop, a fourth loop, and fifth loop, which put me just over 22 miles. But I knew I had one more loop in me. I wanted to run the last loop knowing that it was my last. I amused myself by saying goodbye to each part of the trail- “Goodbye, wooden bridge. Goodbye beautiful green grassy area. Goodbye TRICKY TURN THAT I MISSED THREE TIMES. Goodbye least favorite part, where the trail is so narrow and the grass is so long that I can’t even see whe- GAAAAH!” Yep- I fell. I stumbled over a root and went down, landing on my right side. I felt a jolt of pain in my low back and hip, and I had some scrapes- but luckily I was okay. I got up and kept going, but it confirmed my decision to make this the last loop. Goodbye puddle-ponds! You can see some of the adventure racers here (I believe their race included running, cycling, and kayaking.) Goodbye sandy area. I won’t miss you! Right before the end, I saw this guy: And then, I was done. As I said, my Garmin showed 27 miles, but my official total was 25.8. Looking at the results the next day, I found that my 25.8 miles put me last in the standings. There were seventeen of us altogether who ran the twelve hour option, and a couple people ran one more loop than me. If I could have hung in there for one more, I wouldn’t have been at the bottom. But… six loops is probably more than I deserved to run, given my training, so I’m happy with it. OH. And the overall winner was a WOMAN who ran 55.91 miles. GIRL POWER. To keep these recaps from getting WAY too long, I divide them into two parts. Coming up tomorrow, Part 2: What I Ate, and What I Learned. Question: if you HAD TO run one of these events, which would you pick: one of the runs, the adventure race, or the 5K? (If it makes your decision easier, some people walked the 5K.)
Weekly Rundown- I Ran a Race!
Hello! It’s Sunday so of course I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Rundown. I’m also joining San and our fearless and creative NaBLoPoMo Crew for 30 posts, one for each day of November. The week started with some aches and pains, and ended with a race! In between, there was very little running. If you remember, last week my sleep was terrible, I had a mysterious pain in my hip, AND, my foot hurt. Believe it or not, I don’t mention every single ache and pain on this blog. Between work and working out, there’s always something. The outside of my foot had been hurting after every trail run, and I deduced that it was probably from my trail shoes. I hoped that a lot of rest would heal it up before my race on Saturday. Let’s see how that worked out… Monday Leg day at the gym! I did this more out of fear than anything else. I didn’t get to the gym last week, and I knew if I took TWO weeks off, I’d be so sore I wouldn’t be able to sit down the next time I went. Squats, deadlifts, abs, and hip stability exercises. Tuesday Sigh. Instead of running, I did this: 40 long minutes. I don’t like the stairclimber, but I like the endorphins I get from it- ALMOST like running. I followed this up with the abs machines. Wednesday In the morning I did Caroline Girvan’s deadbug workout, then spent the rest of the day grieving my loss of faith in humanity. I was going to wait one more day, but in the afternoon I decided a run would be just the thing. 3 miles, and nothing hurt. Victory! Thursday I did this MadFit standing abs and arms workout. I’ve really been neglecting upper body lately! And I did my hip stability exercises. Friday I did Caroline Girvan’s deadbug workout, and that was it. Saturday Race day! This was a race in the same state park where I ran the Dunes 50K two years ago. Luckily no dunes in this one- we ran a a 4.3 mile loop on a trail over and over again. I ran 27 miles! Well. According to my Garmin. My official mileage was 25.8, but let’s not quibble. Let’s just say I ran an ultra and call it a day, ha ha. Part of the discrepancy is due to the fact that I took a wrong turn TWICE and went off course (more details coming in the race recap tomorrow!) Given the fact that my training for this event was sub-par- my longest run was 15 miles- I’m very happy with 27. That’s somewhere between my conservative prediction, and what I was thinking in my wildest dreams (if the weather was great-it wasn’t- and if I were feeling amazing, I had toyed with the idea of running 50K.) Anyway, I’ll happily take 27 miles (or, 25.8- whatever.) I ran this race in my road shoes. It was a little dicey at times, but I think it was a good call, because my foot was fine. Next on the agenda: finding new trail shoes. Sunday On tap- oh, maybe a little 10 mile run. JUST KIDDING. I will obviously be taking today off. I’ll sleep in, eat waffles and enjoy some football. How was your week? Do you have any races coming up?
A Little Joy
Ohboyohboyohboyohboy!!!!! The Starbucks holiday cups are out! It’s one of my favorite days of the season. We need all the cheer we can get right now. Speaking of which… last night was our final high school football game of the season, and we WON, Our team had a perfect season for the first time ever!!! (The regular season, that is- playoff games start next week!) I always sit near the band because I love watching them. Not only do they play (obviously) but they have all sorts of choreographed moves and vocals. They look like they’re having so much fun. At the end of the game, after the teams congratulated each other, the band was still playing and the football team came over and danced. After the week we’ve had, it felt good to see everyone so happy and celebrating together. If you’re reading this on Saturday morning, I’m out running 4.3 mile loops around a trail right now! Maybe I’ll still be running in the afternoon as well. I’ll be back on Sunday for a report and the Weekly Rundown. Happy Saturday! I hope you find a little joy today.