Hey everyone. Well I finally completed a 50 mile running event. I went into this with low expecations, since this is the first time doing this type of race. I wanted to use the experience to learn what to do and not do. And boy did I!!! SO here's a recap:
Pre-Race
Arrived in Huntsville on Friday afternoon. On my way to hotel I stopped at the event hotel and picked up my race number and goody bag. A goody bag is the free stuff you get from the event sponsors in exhange for your entry fee and participation. Wow you get a lot of stuff:
- Workout bag
- Two shirts
- Nail trimming kit
- Raincoat
- mesh bag
- Teddy bear
- another jacket
- race hat
- Gels
- Planner
I think I got double what I payed for the entry fee in merchandise. I had a huge dinner at ihop (Huntsville, TX is not that big a town. Did you know that is where they execute prisoners?)
Race Morning
Got up at 5 AM (I have three alarms going all at the same time). Went to McDonalds to get some breakfast and then got ready to leave for race site. I was pretty much all ready race equipment wise the night before. It was about 28 degrees! YOW!
The race site is in the middle of the Hunstville State Park. Beautiful area. The race was very well organized and there was a hot breakfast and coffee and cocoa etc. waiting for the racers before the start (lesson number one: find out if they are serving food at race the morning before). So I dropped off my bag of extra gear in the bag drop area, had a cup of cocoa and put some turbo glide on all my hot spot areas to avoid chafing a blisters. Then we just stood around waiting for the 7 AM gun start. They played the national anthem (standard at all races). While I was waiting around I was pretty impressed with the turnout. About a 1000 people. Then we were off!
Lap 1
This race consists of four 12.5 mile loops around the lake. It is off road and pretty hilly. there are boulders and huge tree roots on the path so you have to be careful where you are planting your feet. My race plan was to run conservatively the first 25 miles (remember the farthest I have ever run was 26.1 miles during the ironman). Then we would see how I feel and go from there. My gps watch said I was going at about a 10 min/mile pace. Pretty comfortable. I settled in and started talking to those running around me. SPoke with a guy named Ryan from Dallas area. He has done quite a few ultra's and even is a race director for his local race in Dallas. He gave me some good pointers. (Lesson two: Ask if you can wear music for the race. Turns out you can for this one. Would have made the race go a lot quicker for me). First 12.5 miles went real well and I was feeling pretty good got in around 2.5 hours. Pretty much what I was looking for. Since I was starting to get pretty warm, I shucked my racing shirt and got going on lap 2.
Lap 2
This is when things started getting a little harder. I was feeling pretty good this lap so I told Ryan I was going to skip ahead a bit and see if I could push a little. So I bid adeau and started running at a 9 min/mile pace give or take. Caught up with some faster runners and ran with them a while. This is when I tripped over a huge tree root and did a nice face plant. Besides being emberassed I was only scratched up a bit. Of course people were falling all over the place because the leaves were covering the roots and you just couldnt help but trip up sometimes. I also started noticing I was starting to get a little fatigued. Still doign OK, but definitely was starting to hurt a little. Remember, I live in Houston. We have NO hills to train on except an incline on a treadmill. I finished my 2nd lap at about 5 hours. That was when I thought I would make 10 hours my goal time.
Lap 3
So on I went to lap 3. I hooked up with Ryan again and another guy naked Miles. Since the Ultra community is small, you tend to run into the same people at different races. Miles and Ryan had run together at other races. Now I was really starting to get tired. At about mile 30, I started using Ryan's race strategy to walk the hills and run the downhill and flat areas. Of course as a result I was slowing down and there was no way I was going to make a 10 hour finish time. So now I made it 10.5 hours. It's funny how you keep making deals with yourself as a race progresses. At the turnaorund I was seriously saying to myself, "Why am I doing this? I am an Ironman darnit! This shouldn't be no big deal!" So we hit the last turnaround at mile 37.5 and I was at the point where I know that I would not be having fun anymore.
Lap 4
With the final lap underway, I was really starting to fatigue and had some pain in my knees. This is pretty normal, you just fight through it and know that it will not be forever. I fell again and this time my water bottle got all filled with dirt and leaves. So now I had to rely on the water stations for liquid. I still had my bottles on my belt, but they were full of a thick paste subdstance called "Pereptuam" and you need water to drink along with it. (Lesson Three: Not all races have water stations every mile! Carry your own water for the long waits in between.) Ryan was still feel pretty good so at around mile 40 he took off and left Miles and I in our misery. He told me later that one of the reasons he picked up the pace was because he didn't have a flashlight and at our current pace it would be nightime in the middle of the texas woods. Fortunately both Miles and I had hip lights so we would be fine. At mile forty I started feeling pretty good because I know I would make the cut off time for sure and have plenty of time to spare. We slowed down more at dusk because even with the hip lights the ground was treacherous. With a mile to go I did my usual last burst of energy sprint. I always do this no matter what so that I feel like a real racer at the finishers chute and get extra cheered on by the crowd. I ran through the finish line at 11:01 hours. Don't ahve my official time yet so I might actually have made it in under 11 hours, but hey, for my first 50 miler I was pretty happy.
Post Race
I received my finishers medal and a finishers jacket. I headed over to the food tent and had a tiny bit of briskit and a hot dog. I am never hungry after a race for some reason. Then I headed to my car and drove two hours home. Dranka strawberry milk drink and some gatoraid. After getting home I showered and went right to bed for a few hours. Got up later and had two cups of ramen noodles and gatoraid. Then it was back to bed. I am very happy with the race and with a time of about 11 hours, I will do much better next year!
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