The day before the race Bob met me at Alameda and Union in Lakewood as I finished off some pumpkin curry soup (see recipes page). After filling up and picking up Dan we were on our way south to Pagosa Springs. We got there late, picked up our packets, and hit up a local place for grass-fed bacon cheese burgers, mine without a bun and with veggies instead of fries. We got directions to the race start, found it easily and set up camp for the night (good race already!). I really enjoyed setting up my tent in the moonlight without a light. There's a deep spiritual thing that happens when you allow yourself to adapt to nature instead of separating yourself from it.
The morning was cold and I found myself looking around for a view to inspire me. The plan was, after all, to enjoy a fun day in the mountains and run my first fixed-distance 50 miler. But the sun had another hour and a half before it would come up and there were no mountains in sight. For the first time in my life, I woke up in a beautiful place and didn't instantly feel like running, even my caffeine loaded tea did nothing for me.
breakfast:
-half my usual tea (50mg of caffeine) with a little coconut oil but not enough since it was frozen to the inside of my mason jar
-Almond Butter Perfect Foods Bar
The race started and I went through the first 4'ish miles feeling foggy and mentally sluggish, very unusual for me. Around mile 4, the top of the first climb, there was a "T" in the trail and pink flags (marking the course) went both right and left. A few guys were already stopped, looking both ways and asking if anyone had a map. I certainly didn't, and know myself as the type of person who takes every wrong turn possible during races. But I had seen the guy in front of me go right so I started running and they followed. -As long as the people at my speed are running the same course as me I don't care if we run long or short, although I hoped, if anything, I'd add distance since I'd rather screw myself than cheat.
Once the first downhill came I started feeling ready for the day ahead of me. The trail opened up to a jeep road and the downhill was the perfect grade to blast down at sub-7:00. Thankfully I was able to pass most of the people who had passed me while I'd run the extra mile.
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| The low point (10.5) was around 6800 feet; the high point (15.4) was around 9800 feet |
I had already taken an S!Cap or two and drank about 20oz of water since the start and at the top of the first climb I started taking in some plain Generation UCAN (mixed with about 15oz of water) and took about 10oz in before the 3rd aid station where I topped off my bottle with plain water. I started taking my first gel (a Stinger Ginsting) somewhere around mile 20, taking it in slowly with plenty of time between mouthfuls. -Anything to blunt the insulin response a little.
Before I knew it I was at aid station #4/7 where I knew I had an 8 mile section without aid. I downed a cup of half water/half electrolyte drink as the volunteers filled my bottle, which still had some UCAN left in it. This was my longest aid station stop at less than 30 seconds.
The out was beautiful and sparsely marked which, together, threatened to get me lost. The course for much of it was through open, overgrown fields with a small pink marker every tenth of a mile or so. A few times I completely stopped and looked before proceeding. I was consciously allowing myself to be flooded with appreciation for what I was doing every half hour or so and I feel it really helped my performance. I thought of my family memebers and friends who would never experience what I was doing. They would never know what it feels like to be this free and to truly be a part of the natural world. -As much as any other animal on the planet, fighting for my life. I was as saddend as much as elated by this, wishing I could at least be sharing it with Sabrina or my mother.
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| At the turn-around you took a page out of a book to prove you were there. Can you tell the RD is a Barkley guy?..I think I'm skinny enough for Badwater... |
At the turn-around I noticed I was about 5 minutes behind first place! I'm gona win! But after I turned around I saw the trail of people -experienced people- not far behind me. I had taken the last few miles too easy and it was time to start racing if I wanted a chance of keeping my top-3 placement
In total, I took in one plain UCAN and either three or four gels during the race, one Stinger and two or three strawberry Cliff gels. I also took about 150mg of caffeine total. My energy was PERFECT. After the first 4 miles I felt clear and "in the zone" for the rest of the race. By taking the UCAN in so slowly I feel like I gave my body the slow, stable carbs it needed to burn fat to fuel my steady effort for the duration of the race. And by taking in gels I had some sugar to get up the steep hills and through the overly technical sections. If every race I have from now on is this stable I'll be nationally competitive in the next year! I'll need another few races to know for sure if it's my diet or if I just had a good day, but for now I'm very content with myself.
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| Bob finish DFL (dead f'ing last) and gave me goosebumps when he crossed the finish line in the pitch about five hours after me. Real ultra running is about starting before the sun comes up knowing you won't finish until after it has set. |
Great day. I ended up finishing eight minutes behind the winner, in second place. Had I not run an extra mile I would have undoubtedly won. But this race, and this entire weekend, was about much more than running fast or winning.
