Ruck a Chuck "50k" (April 10, 2016)

Ruck a Chuck "50k"

April 10, 2016

I opted out of doing the Lake Sonoma 50 and chose to do the K2 Challenge and Ruck a Chuck 50k that weekend instead.  This is the recap of the second part of my weekend -- the Ruck a Chuck 50k…

Before the Race

After the K2 Challenge, my legs (especially my quads) were definitely sore from all the climbing and descending.  I really focused on doing what I could to get my body as recovered as possible before putting it through another hard day of hilly running.  Being able to rest was not so easy having an active infant who wants to get into everything.  But, I managed to do some Pilates and rolled on the foam roller and lacrosse ball (while the wee one crawled around, and occasionally on, me).   

doing Pilates with the baby

Luckily, she went to bed easily (and early) so I was able to do a nice 30 minute Yoga for Runners video.  That really helped stretch the hips, hamstrings, and calves.  Some stretches (ie Pigeon Pose), I held for a bit longer.  I rolled some more, putting a little extra attention into my sore quads and glutes.

I washed some of my race clothes, re-charged my Garmin, and got my race stuff ready, grateful that my order of additional GU gels and GU chomps arrived on Saturday.  Then, I went to bed at a normal-ish hour, ready for another challenging day.

The Race

The race originally was supposed to go from Rucky Chucky and go up to Foreshill (along the Western States trail) then back down. This would be all on the Western States and Canyons 100k course.  However, the day before the race, they changed the course due to the rain making the road down to Rucky Chucky a bit too hazardous for cars. So, the race started at Driver's Flat instead and the turnaround moved to Cal 1, and the course slightly shortened.  But, the climbing and descending would still be about the same.

I looked at my overall pace at the K2 Challenge and thought I’d try to see if I can be consistent with that pace for Ruck a Chuck.  I made my goal pace to be around 13:30 min/mile as I wanted to finish before 7 hours.  13:30 min/mile is slower than I would normally be running on fresher legs but I knew I would have tired legs and thought this was a good goal.  I’d adjust as needed depending on how I felt out there.

When I woke up, the legs felt okay.  I did a little bit of easy strength exercises in the morning to get the blood flowing.  Then, I headed off to the race.  I got to the race early so I could get parking (since it’s a small parking area).  While waiting for the race to start, I could feel my legs stiffening up while standing around.  I tried to stretch out the legs and hips a bit to ease some of the stiffness.  My quads felt sore and I was a little nervous about the initial two mile descent at the start of the race.

Once the race started, I took it nice and slow at the beginning, allowing time for my legs to warm up. 

 The first two miles descending from Driver’s Flat to Rucky Chucky were slow.  A lot of people went flying down the hill.  At one point, I think I was second to last going down.  My legs were a little achy on the descent but not painful.



Once I got to the bottom, I started running along steadily.  The course eventually hits the Western States trail and steadily climbs up.  The couple miles before Cal 2 (mile 9-10ish) is a big climb along some switchbacks.  I power hiked this section pretty good.  My climbing legs felt decent.

As I was leaving Cal 2 towards Cal 1, I noticed my friend Edd was hot on my heels.  I kept maintaining my steady effort and sometimes, I see him narrowing in on me and other times I wouldn’t.  Knowing he was right on my heels motivated me to keep moving along.  I would run on the runnable sections and power hike on the hills.  

It was supposed to rain but the weather was rather nice and sunny out, a bit warmer than anticipated.  But, the skies were blue and the views amazing.  I really took in the beauty of these trails.  I stopped a couple times to take some pics.  There were some beautiful wild flowers out.  (There was also A LOT of poison oak I saw too.)  As I ran, I thought about how much I love these trails and how fortunate these trails are so close to me.  I think how even though I am not in Western States, I still get to run on the Western States course whenever I want.  I feel grateful for that.

I think because my legs were a little tired and sore from the day before, I didn’t feel the urge to “race” and push myself.  I knew it was a training run and just enjoying getting some miles on the Canyons course.  I think because I wasn’t in my usual focused race mode, I was in a peppier mood and just enjoying myself and enjoying the trails.  I found myself smiling a lot and I smiled at everyone I saw and said “good job” to all the runners that passed me or I passed and “thank you” to all the hikers that let me pass by.  (Sometimes during events, I get into the race zone and not so good about taking it all in and smiling to everyone).

I arrived at the turnaround (at Cal 1) around 11:15 am.  By that point, I knew the course would be a bit short so knew I’d be able to break 7 hours so amended my goal to finish under 6:30 (still keeping a 13:30ish average pace).

Leaving Cal 1, I felt like I was still running at the same effort level but going a bit faster since it is more downhill running. I didn't feel I was going that fast downhill but not going slow either. Then, I started passing a few runners.  Then, a few more.  Then, a few more.

I didn’t think I was running that much faster.  I was a little surprised to be passing so many people.  But, this kind of gave me a boost to push a little more.  Then, I started picking off people.  My friend Roger was ahead of me and I wondered if I’d be able to catch him.  I got into a really good running groove.  I felt good and excited to be running well for the second half.

As I neared Rucky Chucky, the day started getting warmer.  I stopped at couple creek crossings and soaked my buff to help cool my body down.  It felt refreshing having the cool water to splash on my face.  I took off my hat during climbs and just held onto it as sometimes I felt like the hat overheated me.

 I reached Rucky Chucky in good time and started to power hike back up to Driver’s Flat. A few times, I’d look behind me to make sure no one was narrowing in on me.  The last half mile to the top, it’s not as steep so I’d run a minute, hike a minute, and so forth just to move a little faster up the climb.

I finished in 6:21:39.  My Garmin said it was only 28.38 miles, but with about 5000 feet of climbing.  And, I surprisingly finished 2nd in my Age Group.

All in all, I was very happy with how everything went during the race.  I averaged 13:25 min/mile so happy I met my goal.  I did exactly what I set out to do.  My legs felt pretty good ruing the race.  They were tired from the day before but they weren't trashed.  I was still able to run on them.  I had no cramping or stomach problems so fueling went better than at the K2 Challenge.  And, I just felt good out there and had a lot of fun.  :)  

Between the K2 Challenge and Ruck a Chuck, I ran over 55 miles and did over 11k feet of climbing and descending.  I think I made the right choice in opting to do these two events instead of the Lake Sonoma 50.  My quads are definitely spent from the weekend and ready for a couple days rest.  But, this was a good peak training weekend leading to the Canyons 100k.  I felt solid on both days and feeling more confident about Canyons.  I think while I'll taper down the miles, I'll try to add more heat training and I'll definitely be ready for Canyons 100k!  

Three Things That Went Well

1.  Hydrated well.  I went back to carrying my two bottles (instead of the hydration bladder) and put water in one and Tailwind in the other.  This worked much better in keeping me hydrated but also getting the electrolytes in me.  I think I’m getting better at using the soft flasks now too.  

2.  Fueled well.  I carried my usual GU Salted Watermelon gels as well as some GU watermelon chomps (for a little extra).  I ate potatoes, chips, and oranges at the aid stations.  Before some of the big climbs, I’d eat a little extra.  Everything held up really well.  I had no cramping or stomach issues.

3.  Paced myself really well.  Ran a negative split, which was to be expected since the first half is more uphill and the second half is more downhill.  I was happy my climbing and descending were about the same as the K2 challenge.  

Three Things to Improve or Change
1.  I need to be careful not to tie my shoe laces too tight.  I wore different shoes than at the K2 Challenge.  I wore Altra Lonepeaks for both but they were different pairs (yes, I have two pairs of the same shoes, but different colors).  The laces on the shoes I wore were a bit too tight towards the toe and on some of the descents, I could feel the pressure on the top of my foot.  I managed okay during the race but I know in a longer race, it would have become a problem.  I didn’t stop to loosen the shoes laces as I didn’t really want to bend over to do so.

 2.  Managing in the heat.  I'm still playing around with my hydration and such.  But, I need to also play around with how I deal with the heat.  It didn't get too hot but I kept taking off and putting on my hat.  The hat would sometimes make me feel overheated so I'd take it off during climbs.  But, the sun would be bright out so I'd put the hat back on.  I maybe need to try wearing a visor instead.  I did occasionally stop in the creeks to soak my buff, wipe down my face/head, and put it around my neck.  The cool water would feel good on my neck but it'd dry up and my neck would get warm.  It was only mildly warm but I know I need to work on my heat management as it'll be warm at Canyons.  Need to just play around with different things on warm days.  

3.  Dealing with poison oak.  I had a bad bout of poison Oak a couple weeks ago at the Knickbocker race.  The rash was nearly recovered and when I was running at Ruck a Chuck, I saw SO much poison oak.  After the race, I showered with some Zanfel on my legs.  But, I am starting to feel the itch coming on.  I need to be better about treating poison oak immediately after the race before things get bad.

Three Things I Learned:
1.  During the race, before Cal 2, I ran a little bit with my friend Shavinder.  He told me he had run Canyons 100k last year.  He told me his one piece of advice for Canyons is bug spray.  I wouldn’t have thought about bug spray.  After he told me that, during the last part of the race, there were some bugs swarming around.  After I finished, a ton of mosquitos ate me up!  So, I am definitely going to get bug spray for Canyons!

2.    While it can be fun to run with friends, it also can be a fun to run chasing friends.  I told a friend that the race was basically summed up to: Helen trying to catch Roger, Edd trying to catch Helen, and Roger trying to not get caught by Helen.  The three of us ran together at the start for about a mile then we each started running our own race, our own pace.  But, I think near the turnaround, we were able to gauge how far we were apart from each other.  I have some friends that are way ahead and know there’s no way I can catch them so don’t even think about trying.  But, it’s nice having a friend just a little bit faster.  I think I pushed it a little in the second half, hoping to catch Roger.  I think Roger pushed a little knowing I might come up on him.  And, Edd pushed it a bit trying to catch me.  And in the end, even though we didn’t catch each other, I think the three of us had a good races and maybe ran a little faster because of each other.

Roger, Edd, and I after we finished.  

3.  Strength and stability exercises pay off.  When I was running down some of the longer descents, I was thinking how in 2013, I frequently had a lot of knee pain running downhills. I would kind of sort of do some exercises to help it but I wasn’t very consistent.  When I was training for RDL last year, my glutes were often painful or tight after a run.  At the start of the year, I started doing strength and stability exercises on a more consistent basis.  I know I’ve gained some strength as I generally feel stronger.  Not just strength in my legs, but my core and upper body as well.  During the race, I specifically noticed that because I’ve gained some strength in the various muscles around my knees, I don’t have a lot of the nagging injuries I used to have while running downhill.

Some Tidbits about Ruck a Chuck or Singletrack

1.  Ruck a Chuck runs on some wonderful trails and a great training for those doing Western States or the Canyons race.  

2.  Paulo/Single Track Running puts on a great low-key events with some great volunteers.  The course was well marked (thanks Stephanie) and aid stations well stocked with wonderful volunteers.  

3.  The post-race BBQ was fantastic.  I ate two burgers and had some tomato soup after I finished.  There was a Knee Deep beer also.  

K2 Challenge (April 9, 2016)

Singletrack Running K2 Challenge

April 9, 2016

Preface

Originally, my plan was to run Lake Sonoma 50 this past weekend (on April 9).  But as the race got closer, I started thinking about the logistics of traveling there/back, my husband and baby, and whether it was the right race for me in my build up to Canyons.  I feel like right now, it’s just too complicated trying to do an away event.  Also, on the same weekend, there were local events that seemed like they would be better training for Canyons (for me): the Singletrack Running K2 Challenge on Saturday, April 9^th and the Ruck a Chuck 50k (which runs on the Canyons course) on Sunday. 

So, after much thought, I withdrew from Lake Sonoma 50.  While I’d like to run Lake Sonoma 50 some day, I just felt like this year just wasn’t the right time for it.  And, my main focus has been doing well at Canyons and I think my alternative plan of doing the K2 Challenge and Ruck a Chuck would be better for me (not saying that Lake Sonoma wasn’t a great training race for those who ran it in build up to Canyons 100k).  I would still get a big weekend with lots of climbing and descending. 

I had also added on AR50 to my training schedule after I withdrew from Lake Sonoma so I’d still get a 50 miler in.  But, things didn’t go so well at AR50 last weekend.  While disappointed in my DNF, I knew I needed to just let it go and move onto my next big training event. . . the K2 Challenge. . .

This is the recap of the first part of my back to back race weekend -- the K2 Challenge

Singletrack Running K2 Challenge
(April 9, 2016)

The K2 Challenge is a 6 hour event.  K2 (aka Training Hill) is a big hill in Auburn.  It ascends about 800/900 feet in about 0.9 miles.  There are some very steep pitches in there and can be mentally tough for those new to it as there are a few false summits.  But it’s probably one of my favorite climbs.  Very challenging but I know the hill well.  After the climb, you hit some single track trails through the meadows in Cool and connect to the Western States Trail.  The trail then loops back down on some relatively smooth, not too technical downhill.  Me and some friends refer to this section as the chute (as it’s almost like going down the bobsled chute).  I know others refer to it as the roller coaster.  It’s a fun section to run down, even for me who does not like downhill running that much.  So, the loop is basically 1 tough mile uphill and 3 miles downhill for a total of 4ish miles.  

 

For the event, you have to do as many loops as you can in 6 hours, but go at least 4mph or get pulled (or you can stop if you’ve had enough of K2).  It’s a fun challenging event.  The first part is really hard but after the three miles down, you feel good and think I can do another loop…

Last year, while pregnant, I did this event in the inaugural year.  I completed 4 loops.  This year, I knew I could beat that.  My A goal was to do 6 loops and my A+ goal was to try to go fast enough to squeak in 7 loops.

My K2 climb times and loop times are as follows:

Loop – K2 climb – Total Loop Time

Loop 1  - 19:53 – 53:01

Loop 2 – 18:54 – 50:47

Loop 3 – 18:29 – 48:41

Loop 4 – 18:08 – 50:35

Loop 5 – 19:23 – 51:38

Loop 6 – 20:20 – 53:57

Loop 7 – 19:14 – 51:40

Overall, I was pretty happy that I kept relatively even splits for each loop. 

I had some issues with my pack on the first climb.  One of the side straps came undone so I had to stop and re-loop it back into place.  After that, my pack mostly managed to be okay during the rest of the time.  For this event, I decided to try running with the hydration bladder in my pack instead of the two bottles up front.  Just to try something different.  Good thing about this looped course is that if the bladder became a major issue, I still had my bottles in my drop bag to switch if needed.  But, I stuck with the hydration bladder the whole time and luckily my pack didn’t come undone again. 

On the 4^th and 5^th loop, right before I reached the top of the climb, my right quad started cramping a little bit.  But once I got to the flat meadow section and started running slowly, the cramping subsided and my legs felt fine running on the descent.  I had been taking a GU gel every 30 minutes but realized with the more strenuous effort of climbing K2, I needed to be taking in more.  I tried taking more gels, food, and calories after that.  On the 6^th loop, I cramped again towards the top of the climb and it took a little longer to have the cramp subside.  I did debate whether I should go for the 7^th loop or not.  But, I got to the bottom and had a little less than 50 minutes left so I went for it.  I didn’t cramp on my 7^th loop so that was good. 

running into my 5th loop with my husband behind me.  he ran with me for 1/4 mile. 

As I’ve said before, I’m relatively slow descending.  I do feel like I’ve made some improvements but I’m pretty slow compared to others who run about my pace.  My descents were slow initially but they got better with each subsequent loop.  Though, as the race went on, it started to rain a bit more and the descents got a little muddier and slippier with each loop.  But, I really focused on my foot placement during my descents, being careful not to trip and fall.  I was running my descents a bit faster with the later loops than the first couple. 

There was one girl who I would pass on the climb, or at the aid station, and right before we finished the loop, she’d pass me on the downhill.  I think she passed me on loop 3, 4, 5, and 6.  After the 6^th loop, I saw her standing at the aid station.  Not sure if she was going to go for another loop but I went for it (kind of hoping she’d be done with 6, which she did). 

Other than the cramping, which didn’t last too long, I felt pretty good during the loops.  The climbs didn’t seem to get too much harder after each loop.  I listened to a few of the Ultra Runner Podcasts and Ginger Runner podcasts during my loops so that kept me entertained for the most part and I didn’t get bored doing the loops over and over again.  For me, I feel like there’s enough variety in the loop to not make it boring. 

I was extremely happy I managed to squeak in 7 loops.  I knew I had pushed myself a bit and was a bit bold by going for the 7^th loop, especially knowing I had Ruck a Chuck 50k the following day.  I had debated whether to be conservative and just stick with 6 loops but I feel like this challenge fits well with my strengths so wanted to see what I could do so I went for the 7^th loop. 

Total distance according to my Garmin is 27.07 miles, 6600 feet of climbing (and descending).  I did go a wee bit past the 6 hours so I guess you could say I technically did 6.9 loops in 6 hours.  I finished 2nd female (first female being the amazing Beverly Anderson-Abs, who beat all the men and crushed it in 8 loops).  

Three Things That Went Well:

1.  I maintained a consistent pace throughout.  I was pretty happy that each of my loops were fairly consistent.  Just one loop was a little longer than the others due to some cramping issues but I still didn’t lose very much time during that loop. 

2.  No chafing.  I tried wearing my running skirt (haven’t been able to wearing skirts or shorts in a long time due to chafing issues).  I used 2Toms for the first time (after some fellow runners recommended it).  It worked great!  Had no horrible thigh chafing!  I even got pretty wet from the rain and still didn’t get any chafing.  Happy with that as once the weather gets hotter, I might be able to wear my running skirts and shorts again instead of the capris. 

3.   No stomach issues.  I’m pretty happy with this given the issues I had last weekend.  The weather was a bit cooler (and wetter) than at AR50.  But, I’m glad my stomach bug is finally gone and I ran the 6 intense hours with no stomach issues. 

Three Things that I Could Do Better or Change:

1. Fueling.  I didn’t intake enough calories for the effort I was going.  While I was eating every 30 minutes initially, I needed to be eating more frequently given these loops aren’t just rolling hills but require a lot of effort from me so I’m probably burning more calories. 

2.  I’m still experimenting with my new pack as to what will be best for me.  For this event, I tried the hydration bladder instead of the bottles.  While it’s nice I can go for a while without refilling and that I can carry more fluid, it’s hard to tell how much I’m consuming and it seems to take a while to refill.  And, it takes a bit to refill when I do need it refilled.  I also didn’t carry any electrolyte drink on me and that became problematic.  So, I may try going back to the bottles.  Or maybe do the hydration bladder with water and an extra bottle with electrolyte.  I may try a different pack.  I just know I want to keep experimenting with different things re the pack/hydration to see what will work best. 

3.  Descending.  This is always an area I could do better.  I did feel like I got a little better with each loop as I got a little more comfortable knowing exactly dip and bend to the descent but it was a little frustrating to have this one girl catch me every single loop about 1/2 mile to a mile from the end of the loop. 

Three Things I Learned:

1.  Don’t just eat gels or food on set schedule.  Think about effort level as well.  Harder effort (big climbs) may require additional fuel. 

2.  Timed events are different mentally than distance events.  While in ultras, I do think about distance between aid stations to break up the distance, I still think about how much farther I still have to go overall.  But, during the K2 Challenge, I just thought about everything in 4 mile increments.  I also knew I had control over how challenging I wanted to make the day.  If I just wanted to do three loops (or just four or just five) and call it a day, I could have. And, I think knowing that I had that control helped me push a little more.  I also noticed I maintained pretty good spirits throughout the whole 6 hours, even when I was cramping a little.  This is different than my experience in some ultras where I go through ups and downs.  I do really want to try a timed track event some day and wonder how that’d compare to this hill-loop challenge. 

3.  Being consistent with yoga and stretching helps.  I had been good about doing yoga nearly every day, even if it’s just for 10 minutes.  But, the couple weeks before AR50, I started slacking on it.  Got busy or tired or just plain lazy at night and such.  After AR50, my sports massage therapist Tom (from Vudoo Massage) commented that he thinks some of the tightness/soreness/pain in my hips and calves I’ve been feeling may be from tight hamstrings.  This past week, I started trying to get back to routinely doing yoga in the evenings before bed.  I even did some yoga videos focused on tight hamstrings.  And, I think it definitely helped I did some yoga before and after the K2 Challenge. 

Some Tidbits about the K2 Challenge and/or Singletrack Running

1.   1.  This is a great event for all different levels of trail runners!   What is great about the timed event, loop course is that you don’t have to run all 6 hours.   It’s a challenge but you can control how much of a challenge you want to make it for yourself.  One woman asked me before the event if she had bitten more than she can chew and asked me if the event was doable for the average runner or only the better than average.  I think the event is great for all levels.  There are some that can only do a couple loops and then there are amazing folks like Beverly Anderson-Abs.  I told the woman it’s just a four mile loop.   One loop is doable.  You can do one loop and see how it goes.  If you feel ok, go for another and so forth.  That woman met her goal of doing four loops.  So, don’t be intimated by what others are able to do. 

2.   2.  Great event for family and friends to spectate as well as there is only one aid station at the start/finish.  And, they only need to wait no more than an hour for you to come around.  There’s also beautiful views of the American River and the Foresthill Bridge while they wait. 

3.   3.  After the event, there’s a fun post-event get together at Knee Deep Brewery where Singletrack pays for all the racers’ first beer.  

American River 50 - DNF (April 2, 2016)

DNF at AR50

April 2, 2016

Did not finish (DNF) the American River 50 this past Saturday.  A bit disappointed, but as a wise person told me make sure you do not make a DNF a DNL (did not learn).  As with every race, but even moreso with bad races, it was a learning experience.  Here's my recap on what all happened and my takeaways from it.  

Pre-Race

Training so far this season for Canyons 100k had been going fairly well.  All my races prior to AR50 all have gone pretty good.  I’ve been pretty happy with how my races have been going (other than my fall at Knickerbocker).  I was feeling pretty happy that I was getting stronger and gaining some of my pre-baby speed back as well. 

I even got sick earlier in the season and it didn’t really set me back in training.  Had a cold a ways back and rested a little but running helped clear some of it out.  I had the stomach flu prior to Knickerbocker.  After a couple awful days in which I rested, I thought I was good to go.  I ran Knickerbocker half feeling great.  No issues with my tummy. 

I had put together a nice race plan for AR50.  The race would be a nice long training race for Canyons 100k.  It’d get me 10 or so hours on my feet, some heat training, and a good opportunity to see how nutrition and my legs/feet hold up in the late miles.  I put together a nice plan consistent with how my training efforts on my long runs have been.  I was feeling confident that I would be able to follow my AR50 race plan.   And, I thought if I was really feeling good at AR50, I’d maybe even try to push it a little and maybe get a PR (sub 9:47).  But, I need to remember AR50 is just a training race (meaning don’t race hard!).  The A race is Canyons 100k.  

But, much like in an ultra, things don’t always stay good forever.  There are ups but there are downs.  And the week leading up to AR50 as well as AR50 was definitely a down moment in my training season. 

While I thought I was over my stomach bug, it came back or I caught it again after it went around my family.  On Wednesday, I’ll admit I ate crappy food with my coworker for lunch.  That evening, my stomach was very angry with my lunch decision.  I threw up that evening too.  I’m not always the healthiest of eaters and have had days where my stomach likes to remind me that I need to eat better.  I didn’t think my stomach bug from earlier was returning but that I just had a bad lunch, I'll be fine tomorrow.  I told myself that I need to make sure I don’t eat crappy, junk food the rest of the week.  I even started taking some probiotics drinks. 

On Thursday, Friday, and even Saturday morning before the race, my stomach continued to be unsettled.  I felt mildly nauseous at times.  My stomach would feel mildly crampy at times.  And other times, I’d just feel general discomfort.  I didn’t let it bother me.  I took some probiotics and ate healthier meals.  Before the race started, I ate a banana (that's healthy right?).  I felt nauseous after that.  But, I did what some of us runners do with “problems,” I basically just ignored it.  It’s nothing.  I'll be fine to race. . . .

The Race 

Everything goes according  to my plan at the start of the race.  I run a steady, comfortable pace.  I run with a few friends here and there.  Nice thing about this race is so many people I know run it that even though I’m technically running alone, I’m never really alone.  I’m enjoying myself.  I eat and drink regularly, just like I always do in races or long runs.  I arrive at all the aid stations right at my target times. 

As it warms up, I make sure I drink a little more fluids.  I start feeling a little tired, like sleepy tired.  But, I think it’s probably because I woke up at 2:30 a.m. I drink some Coke at the aid stations to get some caffeine in me.  I keep eating my gels every 30 minutes and throw in a few real food items from the aid stations. 

Around mile 16-17, I start feeling a little nauseous so I make sure I eat a little more.  I grab some of my peanut butter crackers from my pack and eat them in addition to my gels. 

Around mile 20, I get to the Negro Bar aid station and make sure I grab a little extra to eat.  

As I exit the aid station, my friend Keith rides his bike alongside me and chats with me for a little bit.  He's running Western States this year so I ask him how his training is going.  He says he's recovering from an injury.  He's supposed to run Lake Sonoma next weekend but he's not sure how that will go.  I tell him something along the lines to remember the A Race (States) and if you feel like something is going to compromise that, then it's okay to sacrifice Lake Sonoma if you need to (it's funny I have this conversation with him given what happens later on in the race).  

I start running up towards Beals Point.  I move up the climb pretty well.  Then, I start having moments where I feel like I’m going to throw up but I don’t.  I have a somewhat gag reflex like I’m going to throw up but nothing comes up.  I keep drinking and eating.  I kind of hope I can throw up as sometimes that can help relieve things and you are starting fresh.  Body has rejected what it doesn’t want and I can just start over.  But, I was not throwing up despite feeling like I am. 

Then my stomach starts feeling unsettled.  Hard to describe exactly what I was feeling.  It is just off.  I think maybe if I go to the bathroom, it’ll help.  I head off the bike trail to a public bathroom (about a 1.5 mile from Beals).  I am only able to pee and the urine color looks normal.  I do use the bathroom sink to splash some cool water on my head and neck to help cool down my body temp. 

I continue up to Beals Point and see many cheering friends.  I take some time to restock my pack, eat some food, and refill my bottles before continuing on.  Energy-wise, I’m feeling pretty good.  I don’t feel like I’m fatigued or bonking or anything like that.  My legs are moving along well. 

I run across the first levee from Beals Point (maybe a ¼ mile away) and I throw/spit up some of the food I ate at the aid station.  I eat some crackers and continue on.  I still have the I’m gagging/dry-heaving but not throwing up feeling.  My stomach starts to cramp as well.  It is painful. 

I slow down and walk a bit and hope it passes but it doesn’t.  There are moments where the pain increases that I have to stop for the sensation to pass. 

I keep moving but I’m mostly walking.  I try running but my stomach hurts with the movement.  Though, walking isn’t that much better.  Many friends and other runners start passing me and everyone kindly asks if I’m okay.  Which of course, I obviously don’t look okay.  People offer to help and offer all sorts of things to me – s-caps, gels, more water, etc.. – but I know none of that is going to help. 

My stomach hurts so badly and I just don’t know what is wrong.  This is frustrating.  I have bonked before and I don’t feel like I’m bonking.  The rest of me feels fine.   I don’t feel worn out and fatigued from bonking.  If it didn’t hurt so much to run, I would run.  My legs feel capable of running.  I don’t feel like I have a lack of calories.  I have been eating.  I don’t feel hungry and I don’t have the sick “I haven’t eaten” feeling.  I just feel sick.  I also don’t think it’s the gels that are upsetting my stomach as I know the feeling of when my body doesn’t like the gels or has had enough my gels.  Also, I haven’t thrown up any of my gels.  Normally, if my body doesn’t like something I’m eating, I throw that up.  Like I was throwing up the oranges I ate so I stopped eating the oranges.  I’ve had bad GI issues in ultras before and this was not it.  I even try to go to the bathroom again hoping to get some relief.  And, it doesn’t help at all.  The stomach cramping continues.  And, it seems to worsen. 

Then, I go through the debate about quitting or pushing forward.  I go back and forth with my thoughts.  Maybe I should stop.  I was already sick to begin with.  I shouldn’t make things worse.  No, I need to keep going.  Just get to Granite Bay.  Then, get to Horseshoe Bar, etc. . . Aid station to aid station.  I know these trails inside out.  I can picture my way to Auburn and I can get there.  Ahhhh, it hurts.  Is this really going to help Canyons if I keep going.  My stomach hurts.  What if something is seriously wrong?  I don’t know if I keep going that it is going to get better.  What if I make things worse?  I’ve done all the trouble shooting I could to try to turn things around.  Maybe I should pull the plug.  Well, I have plenty of time to even hike it to Auburn.  8 hours to go 20 miles.  That’s plenty of time.  I can hike the whole way and still finish in time.  I know I can.  I have gone through worse.  But do I really want to do that for a non-A race.  Do I really want to be away from my baby that much longer?  I should just keep going.  What will people think of me if I quit.  All these friends running their first 50 miler.  I want to finish with them and be part of it.  Also, some people say I’m an inspiration to them.  What inspiration am I providing with a DNF.  I should keep going.  I need to tough this out.  A DNF isn’t a bad thing.  Sometimes the smart thing to do is to DNF.  Don't be stupid and stubborn and suffer more than I need ot be.  I’ve had DNF’s before.  DNFs made you even stronger.  A DNF here can make better for my A race.   You learn things from DNFs.  A DNF is not so bad.  But, it is bad.  It's failure.  You will feel regret later.  I shouldn’t quit.  I need to finish.  And, I continue having these thoughts go back and forth and back and forth as I trudge along. 

I text my husband at some point telling him of my struggles.  I know he’s out on a bike ride so not able to see the messages right away.  I think if he responds to me before I get to Granite Bay, I think I’ll tell him to come get me.  If I don’t hear from him by the time I get to Granite Bay, I guess I’ll just keep going and see what happens.  He responds about a mile before I get to Granite Bay.  I am going really slow at this point.  So, I tell him to come pick me up. 

My race ends shortly before 30 miles. 

Post-Race

After the race, I went home and continued to have stomach pains and issues the rest of the weekend.  My baby wasn’t feeling too good so I was glad to be home with her too.  I also found out that my brother and mom (who had visited the weekend prior) had been dealing with a stomach bug this week too so there was definitely something going around. 

A part of me feels like I did the right thing by dropping.  It wasn’t my A race.  My main focus this first half of the year has been Canyons 100k.  AR50 was just a training race. I still got a good 30 miles of training in.  I did continue to have stomach issues well after the race so not sure there was anything I could have done during the race to turn things around.  And, I think it was wise to save myself for another day.  Don’t want to compromise myself and not be able to do my other training runs/races building up to Canyons 100k (the ultimate goal).  I played it smart by dropping when I did.

However, a part of me also feels regret for quitting.  I feel like I have pushed through tougher situations and still finished.  I know how to dig deep and I know I did not dig deep during this race.  I feel like I could have pushed on but I wimped out too soon. 

The times I have dug the deepest were for A races and this wasn’t that.  I question myself on whether me saying this wasn’t an A race made it too easy for me to take that DNF.  I’ve had DNFs before and I felt like I didn’t regret those as I do this one.  I know I have been stupidly stubborn before but those times were times where I really tested my limits and saw how tough I really was.  I have questioned myself that me saying "I played it smart" is really me just wimping out.   

Putting that aside, as with all my DNFs, I see them as great learning experiences.  I learn things on what to do so I can be successful in future races, especially the A races. 

Before Zion 100, I DNF’d two non-A races but it taught me a lot as to what I needed to do to succeed at Zion.  And in Zion, I fought cutoffs for 50 miles and believe the DNFs I had prior helped get me that finish.  A month before RDL last year, I DNF’d at the Folsom Lake Ultra.  I definitely learned things from that DNF and made the necessary adjustments to my training so I was able to be even more ready for RDL.  I even joked then that having the bad race before RDL was a good sign.  Everything can't be good in training as everything definitely won't go good in the race.  Need to experience the ups and downs.  So, it's good to have a bad race before the big one.  

Now, I hope that my bad AR50 race is a good sign that I will do well at Canyons 100k in May.  I do think it was good I had this low point in my training as things were going too good for awhile.  I need some challenges to overcome, to make me stronger, to learn from.  I think you learn more from the down moments than the up moments.  So, it was a good to have had a bad experience.  Everything won't go perfect at Canyons so it's good to deal with some challenges beforehand so I am mentally tougher when the big race does happen. :) 

Three Things That Went Well (didn’t have many but still found my three)

1.  Paced myself well at the beginning.  Didn’t start out too fast.  A lot of people went running ahead but I held myself back and kept at the pace I had laid out in my plan. 

2.  Using a zip lock baggie to put my empty gel packets in them.  This was something new I started trying.  This helps keep the stickiness out of my pack.  I just throw my trash in there and when I went to restock my gels at my drop bag, I throw out the baggie with all the trash and start with a fresh one.  This worked well. 

3.  I didn't fall.  One of my goals for the race was to not fall (since I fell the weekend prior).  And, at least, I accomplished that goal.  

Three Things I Could Do Better:

1.  Dealing with the heat.  It’s only recently started getting hot out and it was hot at AR50.  I learned that I need to get some more heat training out there so I can be better at managing myself in the heat.  Need to be better with my clothing choices (and ways to keep body temp cool).  Need to be better with heat and fueling.  I think fueling changes with the heat so need to experiment with other foods/gels to see what holds up well in the heat.  And, of course, need to be better with hydration in the heat.  While I normally carry two bottles for my long runs, I am thinking of starting to use my hydration bladder more as that carries more fluids.  

2.  Adapting the race plan to changes.   Things had been going well with my training and races prior to AR50 so I was sticking with what I knew worked.  But, I think I may get too focused on sticking to my race plan these days and I need to get better at being adaptable.  And not get too frustrated when things don't go according to the plan.  The plan is more of a general guide.  If things start going not according to plan, I need to be able to adapt and be okay with changing the plan.  

3.  Eating better in general, especially before races.  I don’t have the best of diets.  I kind of eat whatever.  And sometimes being a busy, working mom, I end up eating a lot of fast food as it’s just so easy to go through the drive thru.  I need to focus on eating better, planning out meals, and trying to avoid the fast food drive thru's.  

Three Things I Learned:

1.  Take care of yourself and don’t ignore signs that things aren’t doing well, maybe take some time to have things checked out.  And if not feeling well, get some rest. 

2.  Try not to worry too much about what other people will think or say about what you do and do what is best for your own self.  (This applies to motherhood too).  A friend said to me after "We know what you can do -- head high" and that really hit home for me as regardless of what people may think or say about my DNF, I know what I can do.   I know the things I have done.  I know I can run 50 miles.  I know I can run and finish AR50.  This past Saturday, it just wasn't my day to do so.  I need to accept that that's okay.  I did what was best for my health and well being.  

3.  The trail running community is truly a community.  Not that I didn't know this before the race but I got a really nice reminder during the race as to what an immensely caring community the trail running community is.  Even in a race, your fellow volunteers and racers care for one another, especially when someone is suffering.  Many racers passed me when I started having stomach problems.  They saw that I was having problems and nearly everyone asked if I was okay, expressed concern for me, offered to help (offered water, food, gels, s-caps, etc.), kept me company for a little bit so I wasn't all alone, etc. . . . I was hurting and miserable but I was really touched by how many people offered to help.  I saw many friends, who I know are amazing and of course will offer to help.  But even people I don't know.  That's why I like trail running so much is that complete strangers will care for one another.  So, to all the people I saw that day (whether on the trail or at the aid stations), thank you for your offers to help and your concern for my well being.  I am very grateful.