I survived my first ultra! ~ MRTR 50k race report

Life lesson learned:

If anything, this race proved to me that unconventional training can still lead to a lot of fun, if I am willing to have a good attitude and be realistic about things.

I chose McKenzie River Trail Run 50k as my first ultra because it is close to home and it looked like an "easy" race for a newbie. If an ultra can be "easy".. 

  

I wore safety pins and came home with a necklace! ~ Autumn Trails 10 Miler

It's been a while since I raced!
Had I known how long I would spend rehabbing and rebuilding from a running injury, I might have made a certain 26.2 mile training run in February count a little more.

Yesterday I pinned on a bib for the first time in 50 weeks and headed to a local race, called "Autumn Trails".

My favorite shoes right now- Brooks PureGrit2

This race has been around for a few years, but I was never interested until this year. My injury recovery training has led me off the road (as much as possible) and to different terrains where I could focus on things like scenery, form and footing, rather than pace.
It's been refreshing. My body likes it.

I arrived early, after eating a PB with Honey and coffee, and registered (with some deliberation) for the 10 miler. (The other choices were 3.5 miles, 6 miles, and 16 miles.) Given the nature of trails, this was an approximation. We were advised to bring copies of the trail map. Luckily I had practiced this trail 3 or 4 times in the last several weeks, so I had a general idea of where to run and where to turn around.

My race goals were (in no particular order) :

- smile
- pay attention to my foot and run accordingly, run my own race
- ignore my pace and try to keep a moderate-high heart rate as much as possible
- NOT trip 

I wore my fuel belt with water, which leaks ALL over the place and needs to be replaced.

The start times were staggered, but at 10:05 the 10 milers left and took a loop around a flat bark path, which made a great warm-up. Before long, runners spread out and we all headed up to the Ridgeline trail.

The next few miles were a steady uphill climb with several switchbacks. I could see that there were at least 2 women ahead of me, but I had no way to tell for sure until we reached a turning point. My arm warmers came off right after crossing Fox Hollow road.

We didn't have a downhill until about mile 3. But it's hard to say how far we had gone exactly.  My map distances are most likely off in a few places, since we probably lost our GPS signals in the dense tree cover. In any case, I could only smile when my Garmin beeped with an 11 something mile.

I'm throwing this in just for kicks, but the elevations and distances are most likely off here and there.

I trucked along a steep downhill, with many tight corners, to the farthest turn around (near mile 4), and saw that there appeared to be only one other woman in front of me racing the 10 miler. I circled round the water station, but didn't stop since I had my own- then I headed back up the hill for more fun.

Through all of this, my foot felt great. I was not in aerobic agony, but feeling tempo-ish, with legs a bit on the rubbery side here and there.

It was clear the leading female was a strong uphill runner.
Strategy started to enter my thoughts a bit, and I reckoned that maybe I could catch her on the downhill-- which we had a lot of coming up. Once we crested the highest point on the route- somewhere after mile 5- it would be almost all downhill (or in my mind it was).

The last three miles of the race were very exciting. I started to catch up with the leader, and actually was on her heels after the Dillard turnaround. This hairpin was tight, and the top 3 ladies all got a good look at each other passing on the single track. Here I discovered another woman was catching up with us both.

As we headed back towards Fox Hollow rd., it was uphill mostly. I reasoned with myself that I could let the leader get ahead a bit because I could catch her on the downhill. That was a mistake. She had more in the tank than I thought she did, and she knew she had 2 other ladies on her heels.

My mind was focused on a few different things now: 

-light feet with fast turnover (egg beaters),
-don't let yourself relax,
-don't slip or trip,
-and when you get to stable/flat ground GUN it.

She definitely was aware that I was there.

As we switched to a flat trail at Martin street I gave all I had left. I didn't have enough time to pull in ahead of her at that point, so we finished 2 seconds off of each other.. Interestingly,  the third female had also tried to catch us.  Her finish time was the same as mine. I had NO idea how close she had gotten in the last mile!
***
Other stuff:
After the race, I stayed to visit with some other racers: Lauren, who just recently ran the Chicago Marathon and some friends who live in Roseburg and raced the Grape Crusher (road race) the day before. I also had some time to visit with the 1st and 3rd female and get to know them properly. :) Both very nice ladies!

There were some fantastic post-race foods! Qdoba catered, and Muscle Milk, water or beer were there for racers.

There were good aid stations set up at each race junction with water and gels.

Course marshals were out, but one was not at a critical junction for the 16 mile racers, so many of them missed a leg they were supposed to run. I like how the race director handled it though! He quickly determined among the racers who were finishing the16 if they had taken the leg that went behind the butte. If not, he put them in a new category all their own, for "13 milers". Then he assigned awards for those people separate from the 16 milers. It was all very organized and classy- a good solution since no one intended to miss their turn.
***

Official stats say I ran the 10 miles in 1:19:58~ An 8:00/mile pace.
I won't worry too much about that.
It felt good to get in a workout. :)

***
One last thing..
The photographer did an excellent job, but I need to learn how to take better race photos. Not a single photo of me with a smile!! 

Next time I will remember to stop for at least one good one.

Next time. 

Winter Training-Western Oregon style, and Is this thing BACKWARDS?

I thought I was pretty smooth for going out prepared, but is my fuel belt on backwards?

Ear warmers and hat, check. Fuel belt, check. Duct tape, check.

We got our snow for the year! (And it's almost gone now.) I couldn't resist doing a few snow runs while I had the chance.

I thought I had researched this snow running thing out, and went right to action, preparing my Brooks Launch shoes with some good, old-fashioned, protection.

Somewhere around mile 8 or 9 the protection fell away and I had a little flappage to pack home.

After consulting the snow running experts in Minnesota, this is not the type of snow for "winterizing your shoes".

Yes. I still have much to learn with running.

I am 95% sure this will not be the weather I will have to deal with on race day in Eugene. As much as I like a once-a-year snow run, I am glad not to have to train or race in it often!

****
We headed up the mountains behind our house for a little cross-training fun later.

This guy know how to put down the hotdogs- even with mittens!

Friend's son with perfectly aligned mini-marshmallows.

We were trying to limit the intake of sugar by using the minis (actually we just ran out of the regulars), but Matthew found a way to make it worth the effort. :)
 

Questions: 
Do you run in the snow, or would you rather be indoors? I enjoyed day one, and even day two, but today it was rain mixed with snow...not sure I liked that!

Which way is my fuel belt supposed to be worn? I posted these photos on facebook and a friend commented that she wears hers the other way! I understand being able to reach the zipper pouch, but the (two) water bottles seem more comfortable in the back. Upon some Internet searches, I can't find photos of anyone actually wearing the belts! It honestly wouldn't surprise me if I was wearing it backwards.

Performance FUEL: Part 2. Re-thinking my strategy

In the last few weeks, there have been a few things that have caused me to reconsider my training as far as fueling is concerned. And, if you didn't have a chance to catch my December 28th post,  I asked two questions:

• Do you fuel while you train? Why or why not? 
• Do you count calories in regards to training?

It is worth going back just to read through the outstanding comments left by readers. Thank you for all the detailed responses there!

Before I explain why I am considering making major changes,  I should explain my background with training nutrition (in bullet form)

• Up until now, nutrition has been the one factor in racing that I have been the LEAST concerned about. I am NOT a nutrition expert.  And, for the most part, the way I have been training has been working for me.
• I am in the very low end of the BMI scale for my height (normal, not underweight) . Happy with my body, NOT trying to lose.
• I know I have a cushion of about 5 pounds that I can go down and still be at a "safe" weight for my body to still be functioning properly. This could be an advantage in racing- (possibly up to 3 minutes in the 10k), but not at the cost of my health, muscle mass, body cycles, immune system.
•  I have spent a couple of years running figuring that I could afford extra sweets with more miles, and have turned myself into a sugar addict, in which I consume candy and sweets all other times of the day. (I don't think this is really healthy, but may not be totally unhealthy if it were in moderation.). It makes sense that my sugar cravings are my body's way of looking for fast calorie replacement.
• I have had no problem running 3 hours+ with no fuel (McMillan style), leaving on a stomach of just coffee and milk, and have done so in both of my previous marathon cycles.  On these runs, the weather has been so cool here that I have left a bottle of water at a drop point and stopped (up to) 3 times on a 20 miler. These were slow, easy long runs.  It's just they way our climate is, and it has worked OK for me. 
• I have only experienced a training "bonk" once, but managed to make it home jogging. I have only bonked once in a race (Boston, 2011- probably due to dehydration), still finished, though dazed and only jogging, and for that I thank God.
• On a few of my long runs (20+ miles), I have always tested out a gel or Gatorade, just to make sure it didn't cause problems...and nothing I eat while running ever does, (while I am running, anyway).
• My interests in nutrition are primarily to:  recover better, train better (while I maintain weight), and race faster.

I didn't really see a problem with training this way, until I heard a podcast  (just looking for anything I hadn't heard yet), that really made me reconsider the importance of fuel to training and recovery.

The podcast (episode 75 of Marathon Talk) featured Matt Dixon, whom Ryan Hall credits with helping him earn an American Record at Boston in April, 2011. If you listen to the podcast you will have to skip to the interview -toward the end of the show, (the interview is about 28 minutes). But, the key points that Dixon made were:

• Proper fueling is ESSENTIAL to recovery.
• Recovery is ESSENTIAL to good workouts and good racing.
• Dixon has never met an athlete (I assume elite) that was fueling properly. Ryan Hall, who has received his nutrition advice from Dixon, says that he fuels (while training, I assume) probably, "Ten times more than any other American. The only people fueling more are the Kenyans."
• The benefits of good recovery (Which proper fueling is part of) includes your entire well-being, including your IMMUNE system. (I have had some dealings with suppressed immune system. Towards the end of my first marathon training cycle, every lymph node in my body was swollen at one point. This part really hit home).

So, how should one fuel?

• Dixon recommends that you refuel as you are running. 
• If you do not like to train and fuel at the same time, and like to hit the road on an empty stomach, then his suggestion is to make up the deficit of calories within 60-90 minutes after the workout. He says you don't have to count every calorie, but to have an idea that you are trying to refill your body with this fuel as soon as you can. He suggests a combination of carbohydrates and some protein.
• By refueling and resting right away (or during the workout), your body will start repairing faster for that next workout.

***
So...what am I going to do with this information? Do some experimenting.

Calories spent are easily counted for me. I burn an average of 100 calories for each mile ran. (You can use an online calculator to find out your own caloric burn).

• If I am running 8 miles as a short run, I need to make up approximately 800 calories within 60-90 minutes to properly refuel. If I run 20 miles, that means 2,000 calories. That's a LOT of calories to make up.

What's the best way to make up the caloric deficit of running?


After doing a google search on Matt Dixon (I know this is starting to sound like and advertisement, but I am not connected in any way), I was surprised to see that pro triathlete, James Cotter, is coached by him. In an odd coincidence, I read his wife's blog Cotter Crunch. Lindsay put me in contact with him and this was his advice regarding fueling while running:

"For fueling now I take taking on calories during and right after workouts much more serious. I use to be in the thought that not eating during would be great to lose weight. Turns out if you don't fuel correctly, ( it) results in the big sugar cravings later that evening because you were not able to replenish the glycogen stores in the muscle.

For the run, since you don't burn as many calories and real food isn't practical, I just use liquid calories. I normally mix a fuel belt with x2 gels diluted in water and aim for 100-150  calories an hour. I also will use carbo pro with a few pinches of salt.

Post activity is normally a glass of chocolate milk/recovery solution straight away. 40 minutes later it will be a carbohydrate focused meal. The longer the run, the more calories the meal. This will help replenish all your glycogen stores, put your body in a better state to workout the next day, and prevent all your carb craving in the evening. Basically you fuel with cabs so you don't crave carbs later in the day since carbs are absorbed by the body much better when working out compared to when not."

• I, like James, (and so many of you), am going to start fueling while I run so I have less of a deficit to make up, and so that my body will have all the salts it needs to prevent cramping (which can lead to strains or tears).*
• I am wearing a fuel belt on almost all runs, so I will be used to it for a race. I hope to be better hydrated in my next marathon, and I don't want to take chances.

Who knows if this experimentation will lead to anything great, but I am willing to give it a shot- if anything, for my immune system.

If I find it doesn't suit me, I can always go back to my old system. And, now I will be used to wearing the fuel belt I couldn't stand before.
***

Since I can't embed the podcast, here is a video featuring Dixon that is related to recovery.

I am interested in hearing any and all your thoughts on this. I am just beginning to start exploring training with fuel- so any recommendations are welcome!

 * late edit:  electrolyte/salt imbalances do not cause cramping ( Lore of Running,  Noakes MD. 4th edition, pg 822-823). Thanks for the tip, AM