I wasn't quite sure what to wear. It was chilly at the start, but I knew it would get slightly warmer. It still probably only got into the mid 30s. I wore a very lightweight long sleeve shirt with my jacket over it and tights on the bottom. Gloves came on and off throughout the race. I was hot early on, but pretty comfortable as the race wore on.
Last time I ran there was in September. My friend Christina ran two loops with me that day. I was thrilled to see her at the starting line. She signed up at the last minute for the half marathon. This was perfect because I could start a little slower and run with her and chat for a bit.We started off with a bunch of pavement. It was good to catch up with Christina, as she now lives near the race course. I was going nice and easy, trying to hold back.
Then, we got on to singletrack. We had started kind of in the middle of the pack. It was a long day and I was in no hurry. There was an icy section in the beginning. I didn't plan to leave Christina yet, but people were being too careful and walking on the ice. I got frustrated and passed them. I ran on ice all last winter. You just have to take short, cautious steps. Some of the rocks I run on are more dangerous.
Things were still kind of bunched up and I was following a lot of people. They had a 10K, half marathon, marathon and the 50K. Every race started at the same time and ran the same loop. You had no idea at this point who was in your race or not.
A friend, Destrie, turned me on to Tailwind. It mixes with your water and is supposed to provide all of the fuel that you need. I got a sample pack and mixed it up before the race. The plan was to carry one bottle for each loop and drink the water and Tailwind mix. I usually don't have a true fueling plan. I typically eat whatever I want.
There was some downhill after the singletrack. That is followed by a rocky section along the creek. I was cruising along and feeling good. This is a very fair course.
After the rocky part, there was a short climb, then it leveled off and climbed again. Some woman was breathing heavy and walking uphill already. I guess sometimes I forget how much I'm used to hill running. This was barely even a hill by my standards and she was likely only doing the 10K anyway.
I gradually picked a bunch of people off. I was making good time. I was having fun on this trail too. I continued to run. The last two miles of the loop would always be my strongest. It's like a wide road, often downhill and very smooth. I knew I could run good miles along this side of the small lake.
There was an open field aid station with water and some gels, but I didn't stop. I continued to plug away. I was then on to the other side of the lake and running along the bottom of it. Again, it was smooth, fast and easy. This part seemed to go on and on and on though.
There's a short uphill near the end of the loop. I decided to hike this, since it was early. This was one of the very few spots that I regularly hiked. The whole loop was runnable and I was going to run as much as I could.
I came through this loop somewhere around 55 to 57 minutes. The loop seemed long. I was feeling good. I grabbed another water with Tailwind and continued to fuel.
The second loop was more of the same. With all the people around, I had run maybe a little harder than I would've liked during that first loop. Now, there were still others around and I pushed at times, but overall ran nice and easy and consistent. I felt pretty strong. I started to catch some of the back of the pack half marathon runners that were on their first loop. I had no idea where I stood among my own race.
I continued along and ran and ran and ran. I picked off a few people here and there. Things were thinning out though. I drank most of this bottle of water. I got back to the starting area and was again around or under an hour. I think the total time was 1:55. My super top goal was a sub 5 hour finish. I knew that would be tough, as I often fall off in these races.
The third loop started off uneventful again. I had to spend more time at my bag, because I needed to refill my bottle. It worked, but probably cost me a minute or two. That was time I really didn't have, if I wanted to run under 5 hours.
My back has been bothering me more and more lately. It was starting to get sore during this loop. The small climbs made it worse, but it seemed better on the smooth and downhill parts. I continued along though. Again, I was running consistently.
Before I knew it, I was through this loop and well over 18 miles. The loops did seem a bit long and that was beginning to add up. The Tailwind was working awesome and I was amazed that I felt good. I was consistent throughout. I didn't bonk or hit any low points. I usually fall apart by this point and then bounce back.
I had to fill my bottle again after this third loop. I put some cream on my sore back too. That was one thing that could slow me down. Still, I was running under 3 hours at this point.
I knew the fourth loop was the make or break loop. If I could run it well and come through 4 loops under 4 hours, I might have a good shot at breaking 5 hours today. I usually fall apart before that happens though.
I continued to drink my Tailwind. I was still feeling solid, but I was getting tired. My back and legs were both sore. I was also getting slightly exhausted. I wasn't crashing though.
I tried to use a Gel and see if it could pick me up even more and give me a big boost. It didn't happen though. About halfway through this loop, it began to snow. That was nice, except it was blowing in my face and hard to see.
As I went around the bottom of the lake, I began to realize that my time was slipping a bit. I got to the hill and by now, it was clear that I wasn't going to finish this loop in under 4 hours total. I took my time up the hill and ran with a guy behind some construction equipment for a bit. I finished this loop around 4:03.
I grabbed a hat to keep the snow out of my eyes. Since I had no chance of running a sub 5 hour race now, I took more time at my bag. I wanted to make sure I was all fueled up and ready to go.
By the start of this loop, the trails were covered in a light coating of snow. I slipped on the icy section, because I couldn't see the ice. I then hiked for a bit. I was in no hurry.
My legs were falling off, but I was still doing alright. I passed some people that were fading. I wasn't sure if they were 50K runners or marathoners that I might be lapping. Either way, I'd slowed a bit, but had not fallen off as much as other people.
I still ran most of this loop. It was a slower run now. I hiked maybe once or twice on the hills. I plodded along. These miles seemed to go on and on forever. I focused on getting to miles 29 and 30. With the course looking about a mile long, these were good milestones.
I knew hitting mile 30 and having 2 miles to go would be huge. This is where it opened up and things got smoother. I picked it up a little since this was my kind of running. It was clear that I wouldn't break 5 hours, but I was hoping to run sub 5:15 now.
Earlier in this loop, this guy blew by me on the technical stuff. He's a guy that I talked to last month at my last 50K. Now, I caught up to him as he was fueling and I blew past him. I figured he wouldn't be able to get me back.
I continued to push just a bit. I got back to the other side of the lake. This part of the trail seemed to go on and on and on. I began cursing, especially because my watch showed well over 31 miles already. The clock was a few minutes over 5 hours now.
I battled and battle on this easy stretch. Finally, I got to the steep hill. I ran it because I wasn't sure how much time I had to get under 5:15. When I realized that I would do it, I walked very briefly at the very top.
I then ran through to the finish. I passed three guys who were moving slowly. I was nearly sprinting. I never crashed, so I had energy. I finished under 5:15 and was thrilled.
Having a nutrition plan was a huge difference. I have to thank Destrie for that suggestion. Tailwind worked awesome, so I guess I'll have to try more. My body still got a little sore and began to slow. I never crashed though or came close to cramping. I even was able to drive right home. I didn't have to worry that I might cramp on the drive back.
It was such a great race and exceeded my expectations. At the same time, there is still room for improvement, so that is nice too. The course was pretty easy, so I did expect to set a PR. However, I blew that out of the water with a 34 minute PR.
I think might go for a recovery run tomorrow. It depends how the body feels. I am sore now, but I usually recover fairly quickly. I'd love to run 10 miles somewhere and travel to do it. I only slept a little over an hour last night, so I was surprised that I ran so well today. I might crash early tonight.
31 miles - 5:14:26 (10:09 pace)
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