Going in to the race I actually felt under-trained and I don't really know why - although I suspect it's because I didn't train specifically for this race. I still have a lot of miles on my legs from the previous long races and several long runs in between but it just felt strange that this wasn't THE big event of the season for me that my training would be geared for. Just a mental game I guess. Last year I ran the 50 mile event and was eager to kick back and enjoy the scenery more this year. The race starts off along the Potamac Heritage trail that is mostly single track through some steep but short hills with nice views of the river caught between the trees. Moca and I ran this section pretty strong and a bit over paced so we had great start going into the Great Falls section.
For me I was really looking forward to this section. The 50 mile event has you do the Great Falls loop 3 times which is very tough mentally as well as physcially as there are a few steep climbs along this section and it also contains what I feel is the most technical part as well. Three times is exhausting on every level - so doing it once was going to be enjoyable! You 50 milers rock! Last year Matt and Moca ran together and both did the 50k and finished in just over 9 hours. It was the first ultra for both and a respectable finish for a day that reached the high 90's with horrible humidity. This year Matt couldn't make it (look for him at CAT50K!)and Moca wanted to best her time from last year. In the past her IT bands have acted in up towards the 18 mile mark slowing her down considerably and making the raced difficult to finish - although she has pulled through for some tough races. This year we stayed on pace, ran strong and spent little time at the aid stations - and - she was pretty much pain free (aside from some flare of the IT bnads and the generaly aches of 30+ miles.) It was leaving Great Falls and entering the Potomac Heritage Trail for our return where we fell off pace a bit. This is a tough section with 7+ miles between aid stations. I made the mistake of not fueling enough and allowing my sodium levels to drop and this section got to me some. Steamed potatos dipped in salt fixed this and I was able to bounce back though. I think maybe Moca was worried as she rarely sees my energy dip much in a race. Lesson (I hope) learned. Too often I allow myself to cost on the minimum amount of fuel and water and this just gets a runner nowhere. S-caps would ahve been handy and I regret that I left mine at home.
At this point my Garmin said (yes, it talks to me) we only had 3 miles to go - an aide station sign said we had 4 miles to go. That was a bit disheartening especially as we would have to tighten our pace on tired legs to meet out goal. At 31 and some change (according to my Garmin)we hit our goal of breaking 8 hours. An hour+ off of Moca's time from last year and 30 minutes better than Seneca50k. However the race wasn't over. We ran maybe another quarter mile when a volunteer appeared and rang a bell and told us the finish was 700 meters further. We kicked it up a gear and ran it in strong with Moca pulling ahead with a sprint at the end- my sprint was a little less than hers. That put us in at 8:07 for the official time. Moca ran a hell of a race and I'm proud of her and proud to have been a help with her achieveing such a great race.
This year I got to meet and chat with ultra great Dean Karnazes and thank him not only for his inspiration but for writing the blog post on Mike Arnstein whose diet philosophy changed my life. Here we are practicing our flexing without looking like we're trying to flex routine - ok, maybe that was only me.
some race and gear notes -
I wore my Merrell Trail Gloves again and once more expereinced some minor foot rubbing (top of toes and side off my feet)after they got wet from a stream crossings. I may have to coat my feet in vasoline for the next ultra I run in these or maybe go up a half size larger.
This was the hardest race I have done in minimal shoes and aside from the rubbing and a few rough steps on some rocky areas my feet are fine but tired.
More and better fueling for me at aide stations is a must and S-caps on hot days as well. I tend to think my diet and training make me bullet proof and past expereince has made me a bit cocky in this regard. So I want to learn this lesson while it's "minor" instead of ignoring it and learning it with a big boink and DNF at some later race.
If anyone is looking for their first ultra or trail expereince than North Face Endurance series is a great optionn and the support you recieve will make is an unforgettable expereince and allow your whole family to expereince it with you on some level or another. For expereinced ultra runners the Great Falls loop provide a serious challange and will definitely test all runners. It's a great race and should be on everyones "to do" list.
Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment