There was a while when I wasn’t sure if I would ever write
one of these again. Last year (2012) was a disaster from a running standpoint—yearlong
injury, couple of really disappointing “goal” races, and my inspiration for
taking up running in the first place (my beloved dog Leroy) had to be put down.
All in all, just a bad year. Even the Mayan Armageddon was a big fail. 2013
couldn’t start soon enough.
Thinking that my ultra-running days might be behind me, I’d
spent all winter working on triathlon training. I was hoping perhaps that might
be the next phase of my little “insane-training-health” game...and then that
was derailed by rotator cuff issues from all of the swimming I’d been doing. In
the meantime, none of the small amount of running that I was doing felt even
remotely enjoyable; only 10 miles a week and not one of them was good. This was
‘shaping up’ to be another bad year for running (yes, I just went there); clearly
I needed a fresh new approach.
On a whim I started doing some “power walks” on a treadmill
set to maximum incline, thinking that if I ever got back into running more seriously,
that might help. It’s a lot harder than it sounds and gave me some solid
early-season workouts. After doing this for a few weeks, I decided just for the
heck of it to start doing a few trail runs after work at Holly Recreation Area.
I always enjoyed trail running, had gotten away from it a bit, and figured that
maybe sticking mainly to trails would help eliminate some of the aches, pains
and problems I’d been dealing with recently (especially my left Achilles, right
hamstring, and weird foot problem that nagged me most of last year). These
proved surprisingly enjoyable, despite some particularly voracious bugs driving
me half-mad along the way. So a few trail runs turned into more, more turned
into a couple of solid 10 mile trail races (one on an easy course, the other on
a Hard course), and all of a sudden I started getting ambitious about maybe
getting back into the Ultra game. I saw a couple of options but not many that
fit the prerequisites of Proximity and Timing (and wasn’t already sold out), so
I settled on signing up for the Dirty Burg 50k at the Cannonsburg Ski Resort in
Belmont, MI.
The course consisted of about 5.5 miles of significantly
rolling/hilly single-track mountain bike trails, followed by about a .75 mile
loop that went all the way to the top, and then back down to the bottom, of the
ski hill. So, a 10k course run 5 times. The idea of running up and down a ski
mountain 5 times during a 50k was intimidating as hell so I tried to just not
think about it in the days leading up to the race. I also noticed the times
from last year looked awfully fast; I had a serious concern about a DFL (dead-friggin’
last) placing, but then maybe that was just what I needed. A good dose of
humility never hurt anyone, right?
One of the numerous mistakes I made leading up to this race
was, I didn’t do any long runs that were long enough. Doing an ultra without at
least one 20 miler in training is just a bad idea. The best I did was a
back-to-back-to-back, consisting of a 14 miler followed by a 12 followed by a
10; the first two were on easy segments of the North Country Trail near
Baldwin, MI, the third on dirt roads near a cabin I was staying at. That third
run trashed my Achilles (on roads; coincidence?) and I had concerns that I
might’ve just destroyed my season. Fortunately it was completely better after a
week off. In any event, in hindsight I’m thinking that the 2nd and/or
3rd of that back-to-back-to-back helped push my thyroids or
endocrine system or whatever the hell it is just enough so that I’d be able to
handle a long race without completely falling apart. I’d read a race report of
a guy that was in this same race last year who didn’t do “long” runs either…but
he’d been averaging 100 miles a week so he didn’t need long runs. I’d been up
around 30-40 a week, which isn’t nearly the same but still a decent weekly
mileage for me. I’m also thinking that pushing it hard on those trail races on
subsequent weekends also helped, maybe, mainly from a strength standpoint, and
toughening up my feet, joints, etc. Or, it was simply those numerous after-work
trail runs, adding a little more each time, slowly and steadily building me up.
All of the above.
In any event, this day should’ve been a train wreck. My
training was insufficient to say the least; the night before I had several
cocktails, then woke up at midnight and couldn’t sleep for the next two hours;
then I got up at 4am, on the road by 4:15 feeling rough to say the least from
sleep deprivation and being still a little drunk maybe(?); also I had some significant lower G.I. issues
that I was sure would continue to plague me during the race; I was Very
dehydrated (see above regarding cocktails); it was turning out to be a warm day
with lots of sun; and that ski-hill, at least from the bottom, looked really
fucking high.
So I chugged a small bottle of Heed (it’s like Gatorade for those
non-runners who are actually reading this and don’t know, just a different
brand of electrolytes in drink form), got all of my gear together, lined up at
the very back of the pack and off we went. Just keeping up with the
back-of-the-packers had me going out way too fast, but I figured I could bank a
little bit of time while it was still cool and be ok. Plus I knew that ski hill
would slow me down, so I figured I should use some speed on the ‘flat’ part.
Due to the twisty-turny nature of the trails my Garmin quickly proved to be
useless for tracking distance, so I just used it for time and tried to keep
track of my progress that way.
I finished my first loop in 1:08 which was way too fast (I
was thinking I should go no faster than 1:15 for my fast loops), but I felt
pretty good so I wasn’t too concerned. The single track was almost all hilly
but those hills were generally small and more of a nuisance than a menace. My first
trip up the mountain wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be; it was the trip down
that I found to be more taxing because of the breaking motion that you have to
use the entire way down. Anyway, so far so good.
For my second loop I
pushed it more than I should have but I was really having a blast, bombing the
downhills, flying around the tight curves and just enjoying the day…remembering
the sage advice of the Godfather of running Dr. George Sheehan, who always
professed that running is Play and should always be approached as such. I also finished
that second loop in about 1:08 so at that point I knew I had to slow it down
and get more realistic. Play time was over.
Third loop I made it a point to take it easy, just glide
through it, enjoy the day, remember my fueling and get through the halfway
point. There were no gels at the aid stations which bothered me a little, but I
tried to make up for it with plenty of Gatorade at the two aid stations and
also my secret weapon of choice, Orange wedges. And of course lots of water.
(see above regarding dehydration) Unfortunately I took it a little too easy,
that loop was around 1:20, but I needed to because things were just starting to
come unraveled a bit.
On my fourth loop the wheels were coming off in earnest, but
I just kept moving, kept my aid station visits short, walked every uphill and
no longer bombed along any of the downhills or flats. Patience is an important
part of any long race; you’re just not done until you’re done, so you might as
well enjoy the journey and the opportunity. So I continued distracting myself
with reminders of how lucky I was to be out there on this day, healthy (if
hungover) and happy. I also thought about a couple of buddies of mine who both
have incurable, terminal diseases, and how happy & positive they are every
single time I see or talk to them. And I thought about my dog, who I had to put
down 1 year ago almost to the day, and how he inspired me to get out there
every day to walk him, and then to get healthier by breaking my 21 year smoking
addiction, and then to get healthier still by taking up running. None of this
would’ve been possible without Leroy. I may be dead by now if it wasn’t for
him. God I miss that dog.
At the end of that fourth loop when I was climbing the
mountain, the sun was beating down on my baseball hat and it was well up into
the 80’s. I was roasting dangerously. As soon as I got down I had the aid
station hook me up with some ice in my water bottle, and that ice-cold water
completely turned me around. It’s amazing how unappealing warm water can be
when it’s hot out and you’re literally dying of heat-exhaustion and
dehydration.
I soon noticed on my fifth loop that I felt great and still
had a lot left in the tank. While I originally thought I’d be in ‘Death March’
mode by then, it was genuinely surprising how good I felt, and I ran much of it
(just the flats & downhills, none of the ups, but still). As a result my 5th
loop was much faster than my 4th. When I started it I had hopes of possibly
finishing in 6:30, but enjoyable running can sometimes be faster running and I
finished in 6:20.
Despite all of the bad stuff happening before I took my
first step, it was one of my best ultras to date and sets me up nicely for a
fall biggie (100k? or 24 hour?).
Random Observations.
This was my first ultra in Hoka’s. I love those shoes, and
if I had any money I would invest everything I have because those things are
the future of running. Now I just need to figure out how to make gaiters work
with them.
If you don’t pee even once during a 6.5 hour run, and only
barely at that when you’re done, despite having consumed nearly 200 ounces of
fluids during that time, you might be dehydrated.
Specificity of training (running trails in preparation for
trail races) is vital.
Running almost exclusively on trails is great for avoiding
injuries.
The pre-season treadmill uphill power-hiking helped
strengthen my calves, hips, and cardio once I did finally start trail running
in earnest. Great low-impact off-season training tool.
I’m liking Injinji toe socks more & more.
Weekly Mileage (not necessarily including overly-long distance
runs) is simply a must; no shortcuts.
My Achilles started going significantly south on my by the 3rd
and especially the 4th loop. I stopped to stretch my calf at one
point, which only worked for about a minute or two…then I stopped to stretch
again, which made all the difference and I didn’t have a problem the rest of
the way. Sometimes a 2nd stretch can make all the difference.
Don’t drink whiskey & cokes the night before a hot
summer 50k that you’re not properly trained for.
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