Sunday, July 17, 2016

2016 Buckeye Trail 50k: one foot in front of the other until you're done

Goal: sub 5:00 and defend win 
Result: 4:50:54, first female, 5th overall
2016 results

     First of all I need to add in that I love anything and everything Peter Pan related. I've had much more focus on this childhood fairytale in past years but my love for it is still there. Here's a great quote for why Peter Pan is so beloved from The Gods Are Bored blog: "Now I know, of course, that Peter Pan exists in the ethereal world, that many cultures have met him and befriended him, and that he's ancient as the universe but still playing, playing like a happy child, mothered by Goddesses when necessary. Always his band of Lost Boys grows larger, because you see, they aren't lost at all. They're saved." So far I think the best movie adaptation is Peter Pan from 2003. The movie from last year was a little too elaborate with it's back story but it was quite good as well. There is also a very cool Syfy mini series called Neverland. More on this later.
      Twelve days before this race I did my final "long run" in preparation by summiting Pikes Peak. I absolutely counted this as a long run because I was on my feet for nearly 4.5 hours and was working hard the whole time. I also had run a 5k pr at the Twin Sizzler just six days before, so I knew I was a bit faster than the year before. Adding to these positives, the trails were in excellent condition compared to last year. The calf deep mud was all I knew of the Buckeye Trail with last year being my first time on it. There was so little mud this year that I almost felt like I had to run too fast. 
      We started promptly at 7 a.m. and I tucked in behind the lead men, which included David, the men's winner from the year before and Steve, the experienced ultra runner that I had paced with. They announced before the start that he had run every one of the Buckeye Trail 50ks! It was warm out at about 70 degrees but not oppressively hot yet.


Nice, conservative start. Photo credit: Steve Pierce Photography
   Start to Snowville:  I had decided to wear my Garmin 220 for this race even though I knew it would not be completely accurate after a few miles. I had low 8s for the first three miles, just trailing behind the guys. On the steep downhill in the second mile, still on the bridle path, I passed a guy and another guy came up from behind and passed me. At this point I was in 5th place overall and that is where I would finish. As we dropped into the technical portion I started my evaluation of effort and commanded myself to stay easy. One of these days I will be more aggressive with this distance, but for now I am cautious. Especially after the epic bonk of last year at mile 29. I love the section before the Snowville aid station. Lots of technical downhill and few ups and the bog is in there too. It was hardly a bog this year! There's also creek crossings, which are my favorite. The only thing that I dislike about this race is those goddamned stairs. I hate those stairs so much. Somewhere in this section I passed Steve and put a little bit of distance between us. I took a Gu, filled my water bottle and drank a Tailwind at the Snowville aid station and also stopped to tie my shoe. My Pinkie Saucony Peregrines were working beautifully besides untying in the thick, long grass that leads to the aid station. 
     Snowville to Boston: This is the toughest section for me on the way out and on the way in. The ups and downs are longer and mostly all runnable so I'm moving at a good pace through changing elevation. I started catching early starters in this section and they were all awesome, stepping off the trail when it was too narrow for me to pass. I tried to talk to most of them. Steve started catching me in here but stayed right behind. I had my only near fall in here. I tripped on a root and launched myself onto and around a tree with both arms to keep myself from falling. I hopped off the tree and kept moving but it probably looked pretty silly. I constantly turn my ankles while running this pace. My ankles are used to it and the only result is a little soreness in the tendons on the outside of them. My stomach started turning on me in this section. I felt nauseous and the thought of ingesting another Gu at Boston was revolting. 
     Boston to Pine Lane: I skipped my Gu at Boston but I filled my water bottle with half Tailwind and half water. I did not feel good. I was soaked with sweat from the warm temps and I knew I wasn't taking in enough electrolytes or calories. Sure enough as I worked my way through the up of the next section I began to feel weak and depleted. I had 20 miles to go! As I followed along behind Steve, who had passed me in the aid station, I promised myself that I would force down a Gu at the turnaround. I seriously questioned if I would make it there without puking or just laying down on the side of the trail to take a nap. I copied Steve's every step, knowing he was more familiar with this trail than anyone. Before I knew it we were passing through the meadow where the black raspberries grow. There were piles of them just asking to be picked. No time right now! I stayed right behind Steve and even talked with him a bit. I told him my goal was to run the last two miles instead of walk so I was staying conservative on effort. "We are going pretty fast," he warned me. I had been looking at my watch at every mile but by this point it was about a half a mile off. I came into the turnaround at 2:17 elapsed.
     Pine Lane to Boston: Steve observed that the third place guy was not very far ahead of us and took off like a bat out of hell after the turnaround. I forced down an entire Gu and filled my water bottle, momentarily losing my lid as I threw it in the trash bag with my used Gu pack. As I started off I resigned myself to the fact that I might not be feeling great for this effort today. This was fine. This type of distance and terrain is all about putting one foot in front of the other until you're done. I described it to my sister, Amelia, as any other type of hard labor. The job has to be done, so you finish it. You don't have to feel great doing it. I began passing all of the people that were coming the other direction. My Gu kicked in. Suddenly I was feeling the best I had felt all race and was smiling and waving to the people I passed. I love the huge amount of downhill in this section and my knees had not even started wrenching yet. My stomach still felt sick but I had energy. I also started experimenting with getting a song in my head, which is very important for when things get hard. I rejected a few and finally landed on "Lost Boy" by Ruth B. This is where Peter Pan comes in.
Lost Boy by Ruth B


Speeding on the down to the creek crossing after Pine Lane. Photo Credit: Steve Pierce Photography

     Boston to Snowville: This was the toughest section. I blew through Boston aid station, forcing down half a Gu and re-filling my water bottle. I was well into the 8s for this mile while most of my miles stayed in the low to mid 9s, with hiking sections in the low to mid 10s. I lost satellites for this entire section so these miles are not accurate on pace but the 220 can pick up my stride and approximate the split. I was getting tired despite having a good amount of calories in me. I tried to appreciate how beautiful the trail was and how much I love running through the woods. Not only was I singing "Lost Boy" in my head I was working up an entire story about being a lost boy and running through the forests of Neverland. The mind does strange things to cope when it gets tired. I felt like I would never reach Snowville. I had completely forgotten about the other road crossings, so when I reached one, I thought it was Snowville but then realized I still had to pass Blue Hen Falls! Talk about discouraging. I was being very careful about not falling during this time and hiking every steep climb. 
     Snowville to Finish at Oak Grove: I was in and out of this aid station quickly. I forced down an entire Gu and filled my bottle with full strength Tailwind. I also ate a slice of water melon and this was heaven. The volunteers at Snowville are especially awesome. Their theme was "highway to hell" and I laughed when I saw this because it is the clear truth. I felt pretty good leaving this station. That confusing puddle from last year...I hopped right over it. No crashing today. I was plenty tired but at this point I was focused on finishing strong. Even though I had about six miles to go! I was moving at a great pace on the downs, gradual ups and flats and hiking the steep ups. I refused to feel guilty for hiking these. I needed the break and the hamstring and calf stretch that it provided me with. My knees started wrenching in this section and I noticed it as I tried to accelerate on the downs. Before I knew it I was plowing through the light mud of the bog of despair. It smelled beautiful and I always love running straight through the mud, like I'm walking on water. At one of the creek crossings I gave into the heat and dunked my head in but I resisted the other creek crossings.

Always jump the logs! Photo credit: Mark Godale

     I had been alone since I passed the last place runner back before Snowville. I actually was not looking forward to seeing people at the finish. But I would be able to stop running there. I reached the split rail fence and ran down the road to the turn off where Steve's last water jugs are. Last year my race pretty much ended here. I started walking and struggled to finish. This year I ran the last two miles right around 9 min pace and kept looking for the pink ribbons to make sure I didn't take a wrong turn. I wasn't overworking the effort in fear of suddenly bonking. "Stop thinking that! You feel fine!" I really did feel fine! Finally I crossed the road, ran up the path and heard the finisher bell start ringing. I looked at my watch for the first time in miles. No way. 4:49? I started kicking and ran about 6:40 pace for the final stretch, so happy to be done and to have crushed my goal time. I was elated at the finish and probably spewed my good feelings all over the place. David had taken his third win in 3:57, just minutes off the course record and Steve had finished in 4:45, not quite overtaking third place. 


I look way too happy. Photo credit: George Themelis

     I stayed just for a little bit after the race (forget cooling down), just enough to see the 5:30 people come in. The second female came in right around this time. I got introduced to Bill of Bill's Bad Ass 50k fame and as a result I'm now entered in that race as my fall 50k. I had to book it home to the kids who were waiting patiently for me. My muscles recovered quickly but eight days later I still have lingering fatigue and some blood sugar issues. I only ran 42 miles this week. The lowest mileage week I've had since 2014. The next goal race is the Akron full on September 24th. Can't wait to give that course another try!

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Summiting Pikes Peak

Route: Barr Trail from the Barr Trail trailhead entrance
Time for summit: 4:28:49

     The one thing I wanted to do while I was on this year's Colorado running vacation was summit Pikes Peak. It is a fourteener that is good for a flatland runner to attempt because it is all trail from bottom to top. Even though it's long, there's the option to summit and then take the COG railway back down or, as we did, have friends drive to the top and pick you up. Mike was my hiking companion for this and pretty much dragged me up the mountain for 11 miles until we hit 13,000 feet. I wasn't convinced that I would be able to do this. Every time I attempt something that I've never done before I stay cautiously optimistic that I can actually reach my goal. Most people who hike this trail will split it into two days. Like Mike said on the drive down the mountain "who are you calling most people?" So true!

From the barrtrail.net site.
     The day before we did this summit we ran five trail miles at 8,600 feet and hiked 12 miles round trip to reach Lake of the Clouds in the Rocky Mountain National Park. We didn't end up at Lake of the Clouds, rather a smaller lake just below it, but it was an epic hike. You would think that we'd be tired from that day but what it did for me was give me confidence that I could actually survive a mountain hike of that length.
     The guys dropped us off at the Barr Trail entrance and after securing our food in the pack and making sure we had our water bottles filled we started off up the trail. I was carrying the pack for the first three miles but ended up giving it to poor Mike for the next nine miles. Those three miles with it made me so sore that I couldn't imagine carrying it any farther. If this had been on my own I would have taken it off my back and dragged it behind me. 
     The first three miles of the trail are a series of constant, punishingly steep switchbacks that were crowded with hikers. We tried to run here and there but as soon as I started running I quickly approached oxygen debt. The grade is an average of 13 percent here and it took a lot of effort just to hike fast. And hiking fast we were. We were under 19 min miles for that section and I ended up with some Strava top overalls for these segments. I would say we hit the first section pretty hard. It was very hot too. About 85 degrees when we started. After we went through the keyhole at around mile 2.5 the people traffic slowed down a lot and by four miles there was barely anyone else on the trail. Miles four and five were straight up easy and we ran sections of these miles. I had given Mike the pack by now and felt much better without that weight on my back. We took one quick break at three miles, if I'm recalling correctly. Just to switch packs and eat a half a granola bar each. I took on the camelback and continued carrying my lifestraw filter water bottle. 
     As we approached Barr camp we came up on a creek to the right that was a good spot to fill up the filter. We stopped for only four or five minutes to eat another half granola bar, drink some Gatorade and fill the water bottle. The creek water was beautifully cool. We were low enough that it was still very hot out. We didn't stop at Barr camp at all but I was refreshed by the short break. Every once in a while we would catch a glimpse of the peak through the trees. It seemed impossibly far away. 

Yup, we're going there. From barrtrail.net

     The next three miles were tough for me physically. I kept lagging behind Mike who would stop every once in a while and let me catch up. We did stop for a couple breaks in here. Once to fill the water bottle again and eat the last snack and drink the last of the Gatorade. The switchbacks were never ending and we started running into large rocks that were difficult to get up and over. My effort was quite pronounced. If I was moving, I was breathing hard. We began catching hikers and blowing by them as if we were flying. This was a good confidence booster for us. 
     As we got over 10,000 feet the air started to cool and this was so, so welcome. I didn't feel any altitude sickness, just a persistent fatigue and inability to move fast up the trail. The fauna changes as you go up. Near the bottom there were plenty of aspen trees but as we got higher this mostly changed over to scrubby pines that seemed to be clinging onto the mountain for dear life. As we approached 12,000 even these hardy trees thinned out and before we knew it, we were to the A-Frame shelter just below the treeline. There's a sign that says "Three miles to the summit."
     The last three miles are kind of a blur but I'll try to pick out moments. The trail is very soft, crushed rock and you slide back with every step. As the altitude goes up you increasingly get the feeling that you're walking through water that is up to your waist. We maintained about 25 min hiking miles all the way to the summit and that includes a couple of breaks, so we were moving well. We started catching and passing groups of people who had hiked down from the summit and were making their way back. Mike observed that there was a clear short cut straight up the scree field. We didn't take the shortcut but it sure was tempting. We passed the memorial to Inestine Roberts, an 88 year old lady who died near the tree line on her fourteenth hike to the summit. Talk about inspiring. Not a bad way to die! In the last mile there was this long, flat switchback that led to "The Cirque," which is an overlook that drops 1500 feet straight down to the mountain floor. It looks like a great place to base jump. Or if that last mile was too much to face I suppose you could launch off sans parachute. Around this time Mike started feeling the 13,000 plus feet of altitude and dropped back a bit. Just by a few yards and I didn't have to stop and wait for him to catch up. I was basically into the "last stretch of a race" mode and was forging ahead with obsessed determination. As we got close to the summit we saw Dylan, Evan and Ian waving at us. We were pretty short with them when they started asking us questions. We weren't to the top yet! I ran the last couple of short switchbacks, elated that I had actually summited my first fourteener. It was an incredible high that is even better than pr'ing in a race. I can't wait to summit my next one. 
     After sitting for a bit to catch our breath we took pictures, including the one below and then I headed to the summit base to use the bathroom. The place was crowded with people and I felt claustrophobic weaving among them to get the bathroom. I could get used to the mountain solitude that was just a couple of miles below. I went back out to the parking lot to the wait by the car and realized I was FREEZING. It was in the low 40s at the summit. Evan had given me his coat to wear and the car keys were in the pocket so I had access to the warm car and my clothes in the car but I didn't realize this. I sat outside the car waiting for the guys to get back and in that short amount time I nearly got hypothermia. I just wanted to go to sleep so badly. Once I got into the warm car I felt fine and started drinking Powerade to get my electrolytes back in balance. I felt fine the next day and even did a short interval workout on the dirt roads behind our condo at 9,000 feet elevation.

We don't look tired enough! Photo credit: Dylan Dombi