The North Face Endurance Challenge 50K OR Mud, mud, and yes, more mud

June 4, 2012 by 20 Comments

I am stubborn. Anyone who knows me would most likely agree that I’m as intractable as they come. But even my stubbornness was tested at The North Face Endurance Challenge 50k in the Washington, DC suburbs after miles of not just shoe-sucking but body-claiming mud, followed by twisty, hilly, single track….and the thought of having to go through all that again after an all-too brief 7 mile respite in Great Falls Park.

Add to that the fact that my longest training run this year was 13 miles due to an injury (now healed) and my TFL had flared up again, and you, too, will consider me hardheaded…or perhaps other attributes come to mind. Yes, I’ll admit, more than once I mentioned to myself that I was stupid to be doing this.

Lisa walking through finish area pre-race...The next time she passed through here was after finishing her first 50K!

And yet I was relaxed and calm prior to the race. I was not planning on a PR…I do have some boundaries; but Lisa and I had run most of the course on two separate recon runs (both of them 13 miles!) and considered it fairly benign…so I felt confident I could tackle it. Last year I ran Capon Valley 50K – which has some wicked hills – in 5:27. Granted, I was trained for that…but The North Face 50K course seemed tame in comparison.

Lisa and I hung out near the portapotties (my favorite spot) and I was so relaxed I took a pic of the potties, posted it on Facebook and, for fun, tagged one of the pots as Lisa! The portapotties had been placed on a bit of a slope which I hate because I feel like the thing is gonna keel over when I’m in it. But I had to go so I put my fears aside and went in the portapot that you see on the end in this pic:

Once in the portapot it really felt like it was leaning so I hastily did my thing and exited. Something made me turn around and look as I walked away, and what did I see? A woman leaning against the back of the pot stretching out her calves! Nice! No wonder it felt like it was going to fall over with her pushing against it!

A few minutes before our 7am race start, Lisa and I got to chat briefly with UltraMarathon Man Dean Karnazes! He was super nice, warning us about the nettles (what about the mud, Dean??!!) and wishing us a good race. I felt exuberant after talking with him…as if I could do anything…note to self: talking to amazing ultrarunners does not make you one!

The start...the only part of the race where my socks were white...

Not long after setting off we encountered THE MUD. The course takes you along the Potomac Heritage Trail from Algonkian Park in Potomac Falls to Great Falls Park, where you run a 7 mile loop, including a very rocky stretch alongside the Falls, and then head back the way you came. Most of the trail is low-lying, which means a little water will get it very wet. After all the rain we had Friday, the course was in bad shape. Gigantic puddles ringed by ankle-deep mud, you get the idea. Normally I love splashing through puddles but there was miles of this stuff. Running through mud is exhausting. It grabs your feet so you have to pull them out, and you slide a lot, torquing your hips to stay upright. It’s a workout any day, but when you’re running 31 miles, it’s a show-stopper. People DNF’d because of the mud; they just didn’t want to hurt themselves, which I completely understand. I’m too stubborn to do that.

Only 4 miles in, I mentioned out loud that my hip flexor was talking to me. Because it’s not unusual for strangers to chat to each other during an ultra, someone asked, “what’s it saying?” To which I replied, “What are you doing, you stupid woman? You’re crazy!” Later on, I was the one talking to myself, saying those exact words…

On we ploughed through the mud, diving into creeks and hauling ourselves out by digging our fingers into the clay to get some purchase, since our mud-soaked feet weren’t finding any. At one point we must have run through some nettles because I felt the familiar sting on my arm. Having grown up in England I’m familiar with stinging nettles because they grow everywhere. If you get “stung” you look for a dock leaf, which always grows by a nettle. You rub the leaf on the sting and it goes away. If you’re not near any doc leaves, spit will do the trick. So I spat on my arm. Lisa also suggesting peeing on it, but I’m not that flexible, not when running through mud, anyway, and spitting was the most viable option.

    

These little buggers can hurt!

...but a dock leaf makes it all better...

We reached Great Falls at mile 12 and I felt relieved to be off the single track and out of the mud. The Great Falls loop is pretty, wide, and drains well so was mud-free. But I was hurting. I had some Biofreeze with me and used that on my hip flexors, both of which were very tight and complaining loudly. Here I am applying the Biofreeze when I noticed my friend Matt, husband of Melissa who was also running the 50K, taking pictures of me and Lisa:

Caught with my hand up my skirt...

The majority of spectators were at Great Falls, since most of the other aid stations were on the trail and very difficult to access, and so I felt like a rock star running through the cheering crowds. They were all very exuberant and told us how great we looked and how well we were doing. Even if that was a total lie, it’s what you need to hear when you still have a long way to go. I told Lisa I was going to cry, which is very unlike me. She told me to save it for the finish…very unlike her. I think we had a little role reversal going on!

Like I said, the Great Falls loop provided some welcome relief. It was here that we caught up with the 50 milers who had started 2 hours before us, as they had to run the Great Falls loop no less than THREE times! What was amazing was how friendly and chatty they were…one guy ran with us for a while, chatting away (he was on his second loop) before he said he should stop trying to keep up with us! There was another aid station at the 16 mile turnaround, which is where I refilled my Camelbak and grabbed some chips. The weather being as cool as it was, I didn’t feel the need to take a lot of extra salt, but figured it didn’t hurt to take something.

We passed through the main Great Falls aid station again at mile 19, and enjoyed the cheers of the crowds once more. But then we faced the return trip, and although it was only 12 more miles, for me, it was by far the hardest 12 miles of the race. I could no longer maintain the pace of the previous 19 and by mile 20 Lisa had gone on ahead. It was actually during the Great Falls loop that I sensed Lisa pulling away from me. Most of the time I would close the gap, but it was evident I wouldn’t be able to keep doing this, and I told her to go on ahead. She said she was hurting too and would stay with me. Much as I wanted her to do this, as I was very much using her to pull me along, I knew I wasn’t going to be very good company in the later miles and also did not want to hold her back. This was her first 50K and I didn’t want to keep her from running her best race. It was a bittersweet relief when she pulled away from me around mile 2o. I did not see her again until the finish. She ran the last 11 miles almost 30 minutes faster than me…and I’m so glad she left me when she did.

My legs were screaming at me to stop but I shuffled on. I think I was running 10 – 11 minute miles at this point. Then, with 8 miles to go, I decided to eat some sport beans that I’d packed just in case. I had eaten 5 of my 8 GUs but was getting a little tired of them. The sport beans were sweet and tasty and I popped about 4 of them without thinking. Immediately my stomach twisted itself into a neat little knot (probably from the sugar) and would not let go.

I won’t go into the gory details of the last 8 miles, lest you’re thinking of running a 50k and might be put off. Just moving forward was excruciatingly painful. I walked. I shuffled. People passed me in waves. I hit that awful point where you cannot imagine feeling any worse. And then you do. Negatives swirled around me. The thought of all the mud ahead of me was hell, and I let myself dwell on it. I told myself that walking was fine since my race was over anyway.

At some point while I was wallowing in my pity along with the mud, a woman passed me and I said “good job,” which is what you say in trail races, and she didn’t respond, which is really poor etiquette. When you’re passing someone you always say something, even if it’s a grunt. You make the effort. So I got mad and started chasing her. In hindsight, what she did really helped me because I refused to let her go. I stuck on her heels for a couple of miles and, when I felt I had enough energy, I passed her.

I hadn’t felt that good since the start of the race. Make no mistake, I was still hurting, but the fire in me had been reignited and I wasn’t going to let it go out this time. Climbing out of the creeks was proving really difficult. I fell in one of them and really wasn’t sure if I could get out. One of the guys in front of me stuck out his hand, I grabbed hold, and he pulled me out. This is what’s so wonderful about (most) ultrarunners. It’s a very altruistic community.

I had to walk through the mud because it was so slippery, and sliding was really painful at this point. I figured it wasn’t much slower than my run/shuffle anyway, as I wasn’t slipping. The mud and puddles had combined to form a thick, glue-like substance that was really heavy. Fun times. Let’s move on.

The last aid station was 1.7 miles from the finish. I grabbed a coke to try to calm my cramping stomach and started walking. A guy who’d been behind me for a while (and reminded me of my friend Lester because of both his accent and physique) came up alongside me and said, “come on, let’s go,” adding much-needed fuel to the dampening fire. I started running. People like him are amazing. They are hurting just as much, and yet they motivate people around them. Every walker we passed, he encouraged. Some started running, others refused, but he kept urging people on. After walking much of the previous 6 miles, I ran all of the remaining 1.7. I left him and the others behind and got down to a 9 minute mile for the last turn. There was, of course, one more giant puddle to run through, which actually made me laugh, and then the finish was there and I was DONE.

Where's my stretcher?!

After finding out that Lisa had finished in 6:06 (her first 50K!), SRRC president and runner extraordinaire Adam had placed 2nd overall in (4:22), and Melissa was still out on the course, I got my drop bag so I could call my husband and let him know I was ok. When I didn’t finish in 6 hours as (kinda) predicted, I knew he would be worried. Then I sat down in a chair and Lisa kindly took a picture of my legs. After that I hobbled over to the washing station, peeled off my shoes and socks while hanging on the side of a tub of muddy ice water, and then gingerly climbed in the water, but not before shooing off a girl who was washing her shoes in it! When I nicely informed her that this was the tub for people to SIT IN NOT FOR SHOE WASHING, she informed me that she couldn’t get her shoes clean in the shoe washing tub! Seriously, some people need to stick to roads. That also goes for everyone who threw their trash on the trail instead of holding on to it. Such a shame. In road races it’s ok to throw stuff on the road (although I usually wait for a trash can at a water stop) but at trail races it is definitely NOT.

Yeah, that's gonna need some bleach...

My stomach was still cramping fiercely so I could only manage a bit of the post-race food they had for the runners. Seriously, The North Face knows how to put on a nice spread. Food at aid stations – chips, cookies, and all sorts of other goodies – was also plentiful. Here’s the sweet race swag:

Nice shirt that you get screen-printed with your race distance on-site, arm warmers, and sweet medal

Injuries, muds, and lack-of-preparedness aside, The North Face Endurance Challenge was a great event. With all the mud, the course wasn’t ideal for first-time trail runners, although under different conditions I would recommend the course for first-timers. The Endurance Challenge offers almost every distance: 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon (including a 4-member relay), 50K, and 50 mile.

I will be back. I am stubborn that way.

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A "Few" Words About Ultrarunning

November 3, 2011 by 4 Comments

I spent today at Epcot with my family. Epcot is my favorite Disney World park because I LOVE the World Showcase. I like to admire the different buildings, look at all the stuff in the shops and taste all the food in the restaurants. Today we ate in France because we saw Remi, the rat from Ratatouille, through the window, and just had to meet him. And yes, I had the cheese plate or Assiette de Fromage de France.

Remi could only nod or shake his head but still very cute!

Then we went to Germany so I could chat with the Germans working there in my formerly fluent but now mistake-riddled German. It was painful listening to myself but I kept blabbering away. Sometimes it’s hard to stop. Like when I was writing an ultrarunning article for the fabulous online magazine This Mother Can Run. The magazine’s editor told me to write about 600 – 800 words but I got writer’s diarrhea and wrote about 2000…

Anyway, indulge me and check it out (subscribe for free using the gift code “racingtales”) and let me know what you think. It’s my first running article outside this blog…hopefully not the last…

So speaking of painful stuff, I know I still have to write about the run leg of Ironman 70.3 Austin. That will be coming soon, promise. In the meantime, enjoy reading about ultrarunning. All I can say is, I’m glad I didn’t have to run an ultra at Austin.

 

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Capon Valley 50K OR I am an Ultrarunner!!!

May 9, 2011 by 17 Comments

Capon Valley 50K Race Report, short version:

1. I finished. My time was 5:27:41. I was 3rd female and 28th overall. Whoop!
2. It hurt, but not as much as I thought it would. I definitely hurt more 1 day later than during the race. 2 days later, I hurt even more…
3. Yes, I peed in my shorts. I couldn’t find a tree I liked.
4. I consumed 8 GUs (4 of them Roctane – my new best friend), 2 packs of Honey Stingers, 3 S-Caps, and enough electrolyte-fortified water to fill a small bathtub.
5. They weren’t kidding when they said the course was hilly. 4500′ elevation gain, 4400′ loss, according to another blogger.
6. I am happy. Also possibly delirious. I want to run another 50K even though I can hardly walk right now.

Capon Valley 50K Race Report, long version (put your feet up):

My Garmin read 28 miles as I exited the trail and turned onto a main road. I looked up and realized, to my amazement, that Yellow Spring Ruritan Park, where the Capon Valley 50K started and finished, was just up ahead, and I only had about a mile to go. (Garmins are great, but they’re not very good at measuring distance on trails, especially when they’re very hilly!) I picked up the pace and, following the markers, scooted around a gas station and through a field, crossed the final creek, and sprinted along a gravel path to the finish!

Five hours and twenty-seven minutes earlier, standing at the start of my first ultra, I had no real idea what was in store. I knew it would be long and slow. I knew I would have to walk the hills. As a novice, I knew I would make some mistakes and hoped they would be small and insignificant rather than stinking huge doozies that would make me question my decision to run an ultra in the first place.

I hate the few minutes before a race start. I am generally an anxious, restless bundle of nerves. But ultras are different. Everything about an ultra seems more casual, from the 6:30am pre-race briefing that actually happened around 6:45, to the casual hanging out and picture-taking just before the start. I didn’t even realize the race had started until someone said, “we’re off!” I don’t even know if there was a start line. I just started running and pressed Start on the Garmin.

Hills
We got to the first hill before we’d even hit a mile and immediately everyone started walking. It may seem odd to walk so early in a race, but I’ve talked with/harrassed enough ultrarunning friends to know that, in an ultra, you walk every hill. Long, short, steep, not steep, when you arrive at a hill, you walk. I took my cues from those around me. I quickly realized that good ultrarunners know how to walk uphill fast. I learned to take small, quick steps and not lean over or swing my arms wildly. It was more like a march. Most of the hills were manageable but a few were so steep I had to dig my toes into the dirt to stay upright. And of course, since what goes up must come down, some of the downhills were toes-smashed-at-the-front-of the-shoe freefalls. Yep, I’d heard this course was hilly and it wasn’t a lie!

Aid stations
I arrived at aid station #1, about 4 miles into the race, very quickly. Aid #1 (which was also the 6th and last aid station) was at a barn, and I marveled at the smorgasbord of food – peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, M&Ms, Pringles, cookies, crackers – but decided it was too early to stop. I actually didn’t stop until Aid Station #4, at almost 19 miles, to refill my Camelbak. Why didn’t I stop earlier? I really didn’t feel the need. I had everything I needed in my Camelbak and felt that moving all the time was the best thing I could do. I was kinda anxious not to fill up my Camelbak too much at aid #4 because I didn’t want it to be too heavy, so I turned off the tap on the nice volunteer who was helping me fill the reservoir. Mistake. I ran out of water before I even hit aid #5. So I had to stop and refill again. This time I made sure I had enough water to get me to the end but I forgot to put an electrolyte tablet in it. Since I didn’t feel like reopening it, I just grabbed some Pringles instead.

Whaddya mean you don’t need a drop bag?
Being an ultra virgin, I had a drop bag that would be transported to Aid Stations #2 and #5 for me. The contents of my drop bag: spare pair of shoes, 2 pairs socks, 2 pairs shorts, shirt, 2 GUs, sunglasses. Before the race I was chatting with a running friend from the now-defunct (I think) Mid-Atlantic Dead Runner’s Society. Jeff and I used to run with the group in Rock Creek Park way back when. Being the experienced ultrarunner that he is, Jeff said that a 50K is too short a race to need a drop bag. I told him I was too afraid not to have a drop bag.

Within the first few miles I decided that I was a bit warm and was going to change from my capri tights into shorts at Aid Station #2, about 10 miles in. Temps were in the 40s but it was supposed to warm up to around 70. Then I changed my mind and decided I wasn’t going to bother. Then I changed it again. The problem was that the elevation changes were so great that there would be at least a 10 degree difference between the temp at the top of a mountain out in the open and the temp down in the valley in the shade of the trees. When we got to Aid #2 I ran straight through without stopping. Truth was, I really couldn’t be bothered. When I’m moving well, the last thing I want to do is stop. I knew I’d have to take off my shoes to get my capris off, and then I’d probably want to change my socks, too. I figured I was comfortable and always had Aid #5 if I changed my mind. Anyway, we were running through countless streams which were pretty chilly, so my wet feet were keeping me cool. Long story short – Jeff was right. I didn’t need the drop bag and the only thing I took from it was a GU – which I had to run back and grab after leaving Aid Station #5 – and which I certainly could have carried in my Camelbak.

Pacing
Throughout the race I averaged 11 minutes/mile. I did not let my Garmin dictate my pace but ran completely by feel, and just used the Garmin to get information…which, as it turned out, wasn’t all that accurate! I also used people around me to gauge how I was doing. I would catch a group, run with them for a while, and then pass them. Later on in the race I knew I was doing well when I was still passing people, and no-one was passing me. At this point I knew I was 3rd female but had no idea how far ahead #2 was or how far behind was #4. I tried not to focus on my placing because I wanted to run a good race without any competitive pressure, but I admit that knowing my placing did encourage me to push a little harder. I also really wanted to run under 6 hours and so the Garmin helped me work out whether I was on track. When I had (what I thought was) 5 miles left I got a bit nervous because I was at about 5 hours and 5 miles would take 55 minutes if I maintained 11 mins/mile. I realized I really wanted sub-6 and so pushed a little bit more. As it turned out, I only had 3 miles to go!

Making friends on the trail
When you know you’re going to be running for several hours, you want to talk to people around you. Ultrarunners are a friendly bunch, but the nature of the way I was running meant that I just had a few short conversations with several people. The person I ran with the longest was Erin from DC. This was also her first 50K. We ran together from about miles 10 – 15. We mostly talked about the trail – like when we found ourselves in some shoe-sucking mud – but then I must have pulled ahead and never saw her again.

Trying (very hard) not to get lost
At the pre-race briefing the RD held up a strip of surveyor’s tape to show us how the course was marked. The tape was white with orange stripes like a barber shop pole, and inside the building it was easy to spot. However, turns out that when it’s hanging from a tree where there are 500 trees and only the white part is showing, it’s very hard to spot. Early in the race I yelled at a couple of guys up ahead who missed a turn, and later in the race, when I found myself alone, which was pretty much the last 10 miles, I would quite often lose the tape trail and have to stop and look around me to find the next piece of tape. It was hard work to look ahead all the time to try to spot the tape, when you also needed to keep your eyes on the ground. In a way this was good because I was so busy looking for tape hanging from trees that any thoughts of how I felt or how long this was taking were pretty much impossible.

Eat, drink, repeat
I was also kept very busy with the constant need to eat and drink. My plan was to consume 200 calories/hour, which is basically 2 GUs. You’d think it would be easy to eat 2 GUs an hour, but it turned out to be quite challenging while trying to pay attention to the trail and the tape. Every time I looked at my Garmin I realized it was time to eat again. I was switching up regular GU with Roctane, which is specifically designed for endurance events. It worked great and I had no GI issues. I also ate some Honey Stinger chews to mix things up a bit. Not sure I want to look at another GU for a while, though. When I finished the race and took off my tights, I remembered I had shoved the tabs from the GU packets in my waistband (no littering!) and they were all stuck to my leg. Mind you, I had peed in my tights as well so the sticky GU tabs were hardly the grossest factor.

Where on Earth am I?
Because much of the race was held on private property, there was no opportunity to look at a map until the morning of the race, and even then I really didn’t know where the course went. It certainly was beautiful and varied. One minute we were running on a gravel fireroad, the next we’d be up on top of a mountain, and soon after that we’d be down below the tree canopy in a completely different ecosystem. Sometimes we’d run through people’s front/back yards. In the middle of the woods with no roads. One such “yard” had a camera mounted to a post with a sign that read, “Security Camera #1 of 2.” There was a pile of old vehicles, including a school bus, and beyond that was a shack. An old guy was sitting on the front porch so I said “hello” as I ran by, figuring it was kinda rude to run through someone’s front yard without a greeting. He responded, “they’re getting away from you.” I wasn’t quite sure what I meant so I joked, “I’d better start running, then!” I must admit I was relieved when the guy running up ahead in front of me stopped and waited for me to catch up. At another point we ran past a trailer. At first I thought it was an aid station because there was also a portapotty, which was kinda silly because there were no portapotties on the course. Then I saw a sign with an address on it, so I’m guessing it was a permanent residence and the portapotty belonged to the resident.

Yellow Spring, WV, where the race was held and Capon Springs, WV, where we stayed, had its share of trailers and dilapidated shacks that were clearly permanent residences. The proceeds from the race, including leftover food and shirts, went to local charities, which was clearly much-needed. After my initial annoyance at not getting a medal or any kind of award besides a certificate, I realized I was being incredibly selfish given the obvious poverty in this area and the fact that this race was a fundraiser for the local people in need.

Recovery
Soon (like, 30 seconds) after finishing the race I realized I hadn’t brought a change of clothes with me. Correction, I had several changes of clothes but they were in my drop bag at aid station #5 and wouldn’t be brought back for a while. With no cell phone service I couldn’t call Stuart and ask him to bring me some clothes from the resort where we were staying. I was pondering what to do when I saw my car coming up the gravel road. By some huge stroke of luck, Stuart had decided to come and see if I was finished yet. So I got in the car and we headed back to Capon Springs and Farms (kinda like the Catskills in Dirty Dancing, check it out!) where I showered and ate lunch before heading back to Yellow Spring to get my lovely certificate and chat with some of the other runners. Later that afternoon I took an ice bath and followed that up with a 30 minute soak in one of the hydrotherapy baths at the spa at Capon Springs. On Sunday we hiked up a mountain on the resort (going up was fine, coming down hurt like hell!) and then I gave my legs a dip in the spring-fed pool, which was a cool 62 degrees. My legs are still very stiff and I am walking like an 86-year-old with severe arthritis, but hopefully I’ll be better in a couple of days.

Most of all, I’m pleased with the result from my first 50K and am so proud to finally be an ULTRARUNNER!

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The Long and the Short of it

May 8, 2011 by 4 Comments

I’m still working on a full report, but here’s my Capon Valley 50K Race Report, short version:

1. I finished. My time was 5:27:41. I was 3rd female and 28th overall. Whoop!
2. It hurt, but not as much as I thought it would. I definitely hurt more 1 day later than at any point during the race.
3. Yes, I peed while running. I couldn’t find a tree I liked.
4. I consumed 8 GUs (4 of them Roctane – my new best friend), 2 packs of Honey Stingers, 3 S-Caps, and enough electrolyte-fortified water to fill a small bathtub.
5. They weren’t kidding when they said the course was hilly. 4500′ elevation gain, 4400′ loss, according to another blogger.
6. I am happy. Also possibly delirious. I want to run another 50K even though I can hardly walk right now.

More – much more – later. :)

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It's Going to be Lovely, Hilly, and Wet!

April 26, 2011 by 2 Comments

An image from Capon Valley 50K

I finally got around to reading the course description for Capon Valley 50K. You’d think I would have read this before signing up, but I like surprises. Here are some excerpts that I noted:  “There are 2 steep but relatively short hills…you will run up and down some good (but not long) hills…You will leave the railroad bed and climb a good hill…after you pass a hunter’s cabin on a very old road, you will begin the most significant climb of the day, climbing almost to the top of North Mountain…You will continue on the Tuscarora Trail with some serious up and down hills for about 2.5 miles…”

I used to be known as a hill lover; in fact, I’m pretty sure people have used my name in a not-very-complimentary way on several occasions while running hilly routes I’ve created. It’s true that I don’t like flat courses. But I think a combination of living in a flat town and running a lot of fast tempo runs that have forced me to seek the flats to maintain the pace, has resulted in my, well, kinda sucking at hills nowadays. I’ve noticed the last few times I’ve run Manassas Battlefield, which isn’t all that hilly, that I’m getting dropped. So hills are going to be a problem. Then again, ultra runners walk hills, so maybe they won’t…

I also noted that I could be getting wet: “You will then run onto wooded dirt trails with several creek crossings…You will leave Aid #2 on a beautiful 2 track dirt path (an old railroad bed) along a lovely creek, and there will be several creek crossings….You will leave Aid #3 on a wooded dirt path, with a bit of mud and a few creek crossings….you will follow this path (with one road crossing, and a few creek crossings)…” If you’ve been near a trail recently, you’ll have noticed that it’s very muddy and wet from all the rain we’ve had. Just a couple of days after my “adventure” at Bull Run trail, much of it was underwater from a day of rain. I may need to put some dry socks in my drop bag! 

In any case, it’s going to be beautiful. Aside from all the hills, the course describes “lovely dirt paths in the woods…a beautiful 2 track dirt path (an old railroad bed) along a lovely creek…You will cross a wonderful field with spectacular views…wonderful old wooded dirt roads…”

I’ll have to make sure I look up once in a while!

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Wipe Out But Never Wimp Out

April 16, 2011 by 2 Comments

When I talk about trail-running, people often ask me if I fall. Of course I do. Not often, but yes, I do fall once in a while. When I do, I make sure it’s really good. I used to run in Rock Creek Park and a hill there was renamed “Butt Hill” after I fell at the top and slid on my butt all the way to the bottom. I still have a scar from that one.

Yesterday I made sure it was a fall worth talking about. Less than one hour into a 3.5 mile run on Bull Run trail, I slipped while rock-hopping across a river, smacked one leg under the knee, the other above it, and fell butt first up to my waist in the river. What’s worse, I ripped my shorts. ;)

wipe out

Looking at my legs after 3.5 hrs of running

Thankfully, my running partner Adam rescued my sunglasses. What a relief! Actually, it was good that he did because 2 hrs later, the gnats came out in force. Although it was dusk I put my sunglasses back on so they couldn’t fly into my eyes. They still flew into my mouth but I was tired of eating GU anyway…

Once I extracted myself from the river and checked that I hadn’t broken anything, Adam and I continued on our way. My knee was a little sore, which made running downhill hurt, and my other leg was scraped up badly, but the river water had stopped the bleeding. We had run less than 5 miles and I had no plans to wimp out and turn back.

The hills and my knee slowed us down a lot, so when we turned around at 1 hr 45 mins we had only gone 9 miles, but the sun was due to set right at 3.5 hrs from the time we started and I didn’t want to run the trails in the dark. We were working hard but walking the hills like ultrarunners are supposed to, so I wasn’t really concerned about mileage. I did expect to run more than the 17 we ended up running, but the run was for time, not distance, so I didn’t feel the need to go and blast out 3 extra on the road or anything like that. I did say to Adam that I was a little worried about the fact that we will have to run 14 miles further than that in 3 weeks, but I’m hoping that the adrenaline that goes with racing and morning (rather than evening) running will help.

Aside from the scrapes and bruises, which are a wonderful shade of purple right now, my legs aren’t at all sore from the run. When I got home, even though it was 8pm and I was getting cold, I made myself sit in an ice bath. Some people think this is torturous but I have found a way to make it less painful. First, I fill the bath with cold water high enough to cover my legs completely. Then I get in with my clothes still on and a hooded sweatshirt on top. This is important because clothes do take the edge off. I find it especially essential to keep my socks on, as my feet really sting otherwise. Once I’m in, I dump a bag of ice in the bath. Then I grab my hot chocolate (really helps!) and phone and check e-mail, go on Facebook, etc. It’s amazing how quickly those 15 minutes go by!

Once I’m out of the ice, I take a hot shower. The ice helps to remove all the waste products from your legs, while the heat helps pump in fresh blood to promote healing and recovery. Now I just need some warm weather so I can show off my latest war wounds…

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Eating Cookies on the Battlefield

March 30, 2011 by 7 Comments

I was going to post this yesterday but my husband convinced me to watch an episode of House, which I haven’t seen in ages. When did House and Cuddy get together? Honestly, I watch them flirt around for years and then miss the actual event.

Moving on…

Last Saturday I joined my Manassas Battlefield running buddies. This weekly get-together is organized by Ian Connor, the manager at The Running Store in Gainesville. It’s a great group. Even though I attend their runs sporadically they are always welcoming. Ian is one of the nicest guys on the planet. In college he was named All-American several times in Cross-Country and Track, has qualified for the Olympic trials, and could run up front with the fast guys if he wanted to, but he hangs back and keeps the group together, making sure everyone has a buddy to stay with and no-one gets lost. He is like the group shepherd. Or maybe the sheepdog, since he does a lot of herding.

Unfinished Railroad Manassas Battlefield

I LOVE these trails!

I always enjoy chatting with Ian but feel guilty about monopolizing his time because, since I rarely come out, there’s always a lot for us to catch up on and I will bend his ear for miles. After talking about nip guards and body glide, we got onto more serious stuff. He asked me why I was running at the back of the pack instead of up front and I explained I’d just run Shamrock marathon and was training for a 50K so needed to take it easy. Then he told me he was putting his coaching hat on and suggested I bag the ultra stuff until I’m burnt out on marathons and run 2 marathons a year instead. I protested that I AM burnt out on marathons, even though I’ve only run five, and want to try something different, something off-road. It was an interesting conversation because it made me realize for the first time why I want to run 50K. I absolutely LOVE trail running and want to get off the road for my longer races. I could keep running road marathons and try to get faster each time but my heart isn’t in it.

I was practicing eating different foods, even though on a normal 10 mile run I’d just manage with one GU. When I pulled out the chocolate chip cookies Ian asked me if I’d brought milk…yeah, yeah. Everyone was squeezing gels and chewing shotblocks and I was eating cookies. I need to get used to eating regular food because I figure that’s what you need in an ultra. As those of us who have experimented have discovered, your stomach can only handle so many GUs. I managed five during Shamrock Marathon, the most I’ve ever consumed in a race. But the ultra will take me much longer, probably more than five hours, so I need to practice eating different stuff. But what, exactly?

I decided to enlist the help of some ultrarunners whose blogs I follow. Dan Rose is a seriously fast guy who runs seriously long races and ran for Team USA in last year’s 24 hour world championship. He lives near me and we both run Bull Run trail, but I’ve yet to meet him. Dan said: “Alison, I’m a ‘liquid only’ guy during ultras. For a 50k I’ll just mix in 6 or 7 hammer gels into my camelbak and sip that throughout. For a 50m, I’ll do the same and refill along the way so it works out to 250 calories per hour. For 100 milers I’ll mix in a little Perpetuem after the 50 mile mark to get a little protein & fat in my system. For 24 hour races I’ll usually drink a recovery drink like Ultragen in the middle as well. Overall the goal is always 250 calories/hr. Oh, and I’ll take an SCap every hour for electrolytes no matter the distance of the race. My fuel plan isn’t for everyone, but it keeps things simple and efficient for me and my stomach!”

What?! I was so looking forward to combining my two loves: food and running, and now I’m hearing that ultrarunners don’t really eat? Note that a 50K is small potatoes to Dan. Also note the food analogy. ;) I once tried mixing GU in my water and it was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted. Love you, Dan, but don’t think that plan will work for me!

So I asked Neal Gorman, another fast ultrarunner who lives in the area. Neal said, “On longer runs I usually start off with a Clif bar or two then mix in Clif blocks and GU gels from there after. During long races same thing but during a 50k I will go with only blocks and gels, with gels only towards the end. Calories absorb into the blood more quickly. I also consume one to two (depending on heat) s-caps per hour for electrolytes.”

OK, so at least Neal eats a Clif bar, but he doesn’t eat any real food, either! Amy Sprotson is another phenomenal ultrarunner for whom a 50K is a warmup. She is a member of the Montrail-Mountain Hardwear Team. She recently ran the Chuckanut 50K and experienced “stomach issues” for much of it, so my “hey, what do you eat during a 50K?” may have been poorly timed. ;)

Amy said: “I usually stick to gels or shotblocks. Usually gels, if I’m carrying a handheld water bottle, as they are easier to carry. For a 50 miler and above, I actually don’t vary that too much and still prefer gels and shotblocks. I nibble on real food depending on how I’m feeling, but usually rely on gels/shotblocks/liquid calories (Ultragen). For me, they seem easier to digest.”

OK, three hits and I have totally struck out. So I guess I will be saving the cookies for after the run, and loading up on GU and Honey Stingers. How boring. And a bit disappointing because I was expecting a 5+ hour foodfest where I could look forward to each aid station’s offerings with wild anticipation. On the bright side, it looks like those s-caps I’ve never used will come in handy. Do they expire?!

Stonewall Jackson monument

I wonder what Stonewall Jackson ate?

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