18 weeks to 50k! And relay recap

I'm in!
Two weeks ago I was lining up as the first runner in our relay team, at a pre-dawn hour, when my friend (also on the team) asked me if I had checked my email.

What a way to start my first relay!
Race day jitters? No.
Just a DYING curiosity if I had been selected for McKenzie River Trail Run: a premier, western Oregon, trail ultra.


Stacie was in. Our trail running partner, Kristen, was in...
I had to wait until about 2 PM before I got the news, but then opened my email like a kid at Christmas, to discover that I will also be training for the 50k!

More details will follow about training. For now, let me just say that my first goal is to survive the training for this race, mostly uninjured. Secondary, is to put in the work for a really great (for me) 50k.

Do I expect to beat Meg Arbogast's course record? Absolutely not. But I do believe I can finish strong (for me). And, after today's run, that should include a note that I am NOT fast on trails.  Slow as a turtle coated in energy gel, I still love running on them.

To say I am excited is an understatement. Let the training begin! 18 weeks and counting down.
***

Relay Fun
The Roseburg to Coos Bay relay was a real adventure! Terzah and EB had some useful advice regarding bringing baby wipes and plenty of different shoes for different terrains/weather. It rained on us for a few hours, and those of us with extra clothes and shoes were happy to change them at every opportunity.

Leg 1: I told myself I WOULD NOT go out too hard. I had the rest of the day to run still :)

No problem. It was uphill for 4 miles.

When the gun went off, all the guys (I was the only girl starter) took off ahead of me at a 5min/mile pace. I let them lead and stayed back, but gave a solid effort to run at ~ threshold heart rate.

Type	Distance	Duration	Total Duration	Pace	Avg HR	Max HR	Notes
1	Interval	1 mi	7:50.24	7:50.24	7:51	143	150
2	Interval	1 mi	7:39.69	15:29.93	7:40	148	151
3	Interval	1 mi	7:44.97	23:14.90	7:45	150	155
4	Interval	1 mi	10:05.09	33:19.99	10:06	142	162
5	Interval	0.05 mi	0:05.55	33:25.54	1:51	95	96  Forgot to turn off my watch. Typical!!!

Leg one was had 500ft of steady climbing in 4 miles. Hard, but not as hard as some other legs were.

Random teams at leg 4/5 exchange

Leg 6:
Before the exchange, my respect for our team captain grew as I watched him run the hardest portion of the relay. It was no joke. He literally ran us up to the top of the coast range and gained 1000ft in 2 miles.

Runner coming up Reston ridge in the SW Oregon coast range.
It's impossible to do justice to the grade with the camera.

I did not envy him. I had only 3/4 of a mile and 300 feet to climb to crest Reston Ridge. After that it was bombs away!

I was trying to work hard, but the effort was spent more in maintaining my balance and preventing slipping during the steep gravel downhill.

The Lone Peak 1.5 trail shoes did great here! Once I hit gravel and the rain started to come down, they kept me on the road.

 This section was really beautiful as the small Coquille river winds through forests.

Type	Distance	Duration	Total Duration	Pace	Avg HR	Max HR	Notes
1	Interval	1 mi	8:35.89	8:35.89	8:36	151	169 Cresting the coast range
2	Interval	1 mi	6:32.79	15:08.68	6:33	155	158
3	Interval	1 mi	6:29.39	21:38.07	6:30	153	157 Just don't die here! Gravel, downhill,
4	Interval	1 mi	6:56.96	28:35.03	6:57	157	160 vehicles passing...
5	Interval	1 mi	6:28.98	35:04.01	6:29	154	158
6	Interval	0.31 mi	1:58.47	37:02.48	6:23	149	153

The mighty Coquille river- on the leg after mine.

Waterfall on the Coquille. About 1/4 of the relay was on gravel along this river. 

Team-mate Amber, busting it out!

Leg 11
Up...and down again!
Here is where I was passed by a 12 year old girl. She told me "Great job," as she sped past me going uphill.

(In the future, when passing people, I will remember to just be quiet.) She was moving on at a good clip, as if she had fresh legs.
I was not.

The Intuitions did great here. It was all paved and I tried to cut loose on the downhill; however I am not the best downhiller and tend to apply the brakes more than use the momentum.

Type	Distance	Duration	Total Duration	Pace	Avg HR	Max HR	Notes
1	Interval	1 mi	7:32.61	7:32.61	7:33	144	151
2	Interval	1 mi	9:46.03	17:18.64	9:47	151	154
3	Interval	1 mi	6:48.28	24:06.92	6:49	147	152
4	Interval	1 mi	6:34.20	30:41.12	6:35	148	154 Stopped and asked for directions . Grr.
5	Interval	0.13 mi	0:53.06	31:34.18	6:49	151	152

At the bottom of a long hill I had to stop at an intersection.

There were no markers and I didn't want to turn wrong, so I stayed put for a few seconds until I saw someone waving down the road. When I got to the exchange, that was it for my running. It was time to switch roles to cheerleader.

Some of us refueled with healthy snacks.
Ahem...not me.

Chris took the last leg after Makalah and Stacie each threw in their best efforts. He must have had a good eye on his watch because somehow we came within 18 seconds of his predicted finish time for the 67 mile relay.

Smiling because we are about to eat our own weight in pizza.

Final thoughts
I had an opportunity to put a pair of Altra Intuition 1.5 to the test with lots of high-speed downhill running. The Lone Peaks also saw some fast running. Both pairs of shoes, and my feet, held up well over the 3 legs.

There were no bruised toes or lost toenails despite the topography! My legs were great post-relay (which I attribute to lots of hilly trail running over the last 6 months), and I was even able to get in a session of 800 repeats later in the week.

This event was a wonderfully organized, but laid-back, affair. As a fundraiser for Camp Millenium, (a camp for children with cancer), it is inspiring to know that race fees went to a worthwhile cause. The Roseburg to Coos Bay relay will most certainly be on my race calendar again, (if I am invited back, ;) hint hint. )
***
Are you looking forward to any BIG races?
Have you ever been in a race lottery?
What's your most memorable relay experience?
Can you eat baby carrots and run right afterwards? I am afraid to try!