First 50K – High Desert 50k in Ridgecrest, CA

Yesterday I set a personal record- I ran the farthest I have ever run at one time. 

To most ultra-marathoners, the 50K (or 31 miles) is practically a training run. I, however, am a novice in the world of ultra running, and have never run a step more than crossing the finish line of a marathon. 

I decided to run this 50K back in August. I thought that training for such an event would help me overcome the last few miles in my marathons. I’ve been pretty strong in my marathons up until about mile 22. That’s when I mentally start to crash. By training for a 50K, I’ve had to pack on a little more mileage than I’m used to and then race a distance that overshoots my marathon goal by 5 miles. I’d have to get through those yucky 22-26 miles and then continue on for another 5. That way, when I returned to my regular 26.2 distance, it wouldn’t feel so bad.

I think that this will work (we’ll see when I race my next marathon in New Orleans on February 1st). But this is not all that was accomplished yesterday.

First of all, it is worth noting how well the event was put on. The Over the Hill Track Club (OTHTC) put on this 50K in Ridgecrest (there was also a 30K). Packet pick-up the night before went smoothly, they had an indoor start/finish area where you could hang out inside before the race to avoid getting cold and then shower after you finished. The support on the course was great. The aid stations were all stocked with all the sugar, salt, and hydration products you could imagine, the finishers medals were pretty cool (though it would have been cooler if it had the year and specified which race you ran). They even ordered a bunch of pizzas at the end of the race. So, thanks guys. You’re all awesome.

I’m no trail runner. Well, I guess I can’t say that anymore, but I certainly haven’t been training on trails. I ran cross country in college and take an occasional trail run when visiting my Mom in Colorado and that’s the extent of my trail running. Though for the most part, the trail for yesterdays course was pretty clean (a wide path with no large debris), for someone who exclusively runs on roads, the surface  alone was an open invitation to break both of my weak ankles, which roll at almost every opportunity. That took some getting used to. The softer surfaces were the worst, my steps sinking into a direction I didn’t expect and having to quickly compensate in order to not give myself a sprain. 

However, the terrain kept me attentive and demanded that I stay in tune with my body. 

The views were amazing. I arrived in Ridgecrest after dark on Saturday and harshly judged the town as “the middle of nowhere” only to see upon sunrise that this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. To one side of the town is the rolling hills of the Mojave, to the other, mountain peaks reaching into the clouds. The scenery took my breath away throughout the entire course.

The first 13 miles of the race flew by. The first aid station was at 5.5 miles and I couldn’t believe we had already gone even that far. There are no mile markers on the course. You only know where you are by seeing a paper sign hanging off of one end of a table at each aid station. I saw Max and Chris (my two supporters) the first time around mile 14. At that point I was feeling great. I would see them again at mile 17 or so. Between miles 14 and 17 the hills started to kick in just a little.

After I saw Max and Chris at mile 17, things started to hurt a little more. It felt like it was up hill for at least another 6 or 7 miles. Every time you got to the top of one hill, you would see another one just ahead. Here’s what else I learned- I need to train on more hills. I got my ass kicked.

On top of my quads growing more weary by the second and my IT band on both legs tightening up for the first time in over a year, I had to go to the bathroom (#2) and every time I stopped to… take care of it, the urge went away. For some reason, I only needed to go while I was running up hill. If I walked, I didn’t need to go anymore. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time in those uphill miles stopping and starting. I probably could have saved myself about 10 minutes had I not had some weird GI stuff going on. But that’s alright. I’ve never pooped on a race course. Still. But now I can say I’ve tried.

At about mile 26 things started looking up for me. We were going down hill now. I was able to lengthen my stride a little which loosened up my IT bands some. I still had to watch my step because there was some loose rock or just ankle sprain opportunities if you weren’t careful, and after 10 miles of hill hell and quad havoc, it’s harder to have that control on the down hill (this is similar to the effect that heartbreak hill has on it’s runners in Boston. You hit the hills near the end after doing miles of down hill, then have down hill again and thus, virtually no control of your quads if you’re not a hill runner. also- this ultra is about 10 times more difficult than Boston).

It’s weird to say this, being a runner who has a hard time in marathons miles 22-26, but the last 5 miles of this race flew by. I think I was just thanking God for the hills being behind me and that I could stretch out my legs again. I got to enjoy the run a little more at the end.

Most of the run is a blur. I suck at meditating. When I try to do it I can’t clear my head for more than a split second before the next thought comes stomping in. However, when I run, I can think about nothing for miles. This is what I did my first Boston and this is what I did yesterday. I spent the at least 3.5 hours of yesterday’s race in meditation, only paying attention to the beautiful scenery, the ground beneath my feet, my breath, and any pain in my body (and delivering positive energy to these places). I finished the race not only feeling physically accomplished, but feeling like I gave my mind a complete cleansing. It’s a wonderful feeling to be on the same team as your mind and your body.

I used the Galloway method for the entire run. My intervals were run for 8 and walk for 1. No matter what. I never skipped a walk break, even when I was coasting down a hill. I was consistent and started from the very beginning and I think it paid off big time. Today I have little soreness aside from my quads. I didn’t tire out during the race. I was able to stay alert and sharp, and I finished at a pace that was comparable to my starting pace (I did slow significantly during the hills). Over all I completed 38 intervals which  comes out to about 5 hours (I stopped the interval timer when I was checking in at an aid station or trying to… “go”). I finished the race in 6:02 (which means I spent an hour and 2 minutes either trying to poop or hanging out at the aid stations, refilling my water bottles, snacking, etc.) Overall I’m proud of my time. I was hoping to get in under 6 hours, but I’m still very proud. I didn’t keep a timer going outside of my interval timer, so I didn’t know how long I had been running for until the very end.

I learned that marathoners are kinda… babies, or wimps? maybe a little snobby? Don’t take this the wrong way marathoners, I’m one of you. I’m the one who shows up with my special race foods and has my stop watch ready to go to get the exact splits I want and don’t care who I have to step on at the beginning to get there and stop at each water station to make SURE I don’t get dehydrated, and always know EXACTLY how fast I’m going and EXACTLY how long I have left to run…. it’s a wonderful sport.

But during my introduction to the world of ultras I found a new mentality that I think I like more. Just go out there and run. Yes, be prepared, yes do the training, but the race itself is something to play with, not something to take on or accomplish. Each course has something to show you, teach you about yourself, and all of us who have our eyes glued to our stopwatches, trying desperately to get that new PR or a Boston qualifying time, we miss it. We micro-manage our races so we can try to do the impossible- demand the result we want. You can’t do that. All you can do is train, eat right, and try not to hurt yourself. When it comes to race day, just run. Of course it’s important to have goals, but I can’t count how many times I’ve talked to runners who have tried for “the last 4 marathons” to qualify for Boston only to finished pissed off or injured. 

In this race there were no mile markers, no crowd support, no way to quickly calculate splits. If you got a rock in your shoe it didn’t matter because chances are you already had a pile of sand under your toes anyway. I hope that I can take this mentality with me to the starting line of the New Orleans Marathon on February 1st, and I challenge any marathoner out there who hasn’t tried a 50K yet to do it. It will change the way you look at your running and your racing.

 

And for those of you who are interested, here’s my gear:

BOA shorts (note to self, light purple is not a good color to pee on yourself in)

Champion tank top with built in bra (awesome support)

Smartwool socks (my feet were CLEAN at the end of the race. it was almost kind of weird)

Asics 2120s (I love these shoes. Too bad I hate the 2130s and the 2140s. But no blisters, no rubbing, not even a black toenail. These aren’t even trail shoes. I love these shoes!)

Under Armour thin headband to keep the bangs out of the way

Tifosi sunglasses

Amphipod Runlite fuel belt (I used 3 bottles and a larger food pocket) I thought this did great with no bouncing whatsoever, but today I have bruises on my back from where the water bottles were sitting. I think I’ll try a camelbak next time.

December 8, 2008 | Categories: Blog - Running | Tags: Amphipod, Boston Marathon, champion, High Desert 50k, Mojave Desert, Over the Hill Track Club, Ridgecrest, smartwool, tifosi, trail running, ultra-marathon, under armour | 4 Comments »