My Big Fat Virtual Summer (1 of 3)

So with all of the race cancellations and everything that has gone along with this crazy global pandemic, I did a LOT more stuff than I thought I would. I did three different 24hr challenges, an “Untrained Ultra”, a marathon, a 50k, a 50m, and a 69m (where I got my first virtual DNF that I chased away with a virtual finish!), a DNF that I’m still processing, and a fun month-long scavenger hunt. I’m going to go in chronological order and discuss all the dumb stuff I did!

Aravaipa Strong 50k

Date: Friday, April 17th

Finish Time: 6:23:07

Compared to many of these challenges, this one was one of the easiest. It was still relatively early into the ‘rona, barely into the hot season, so it was a pleasure cruise compared to some of the later challenges. This was one of my first really long runs where I would be leaving from home and being self-supported the whole time. There was also sidewalk pretty much the whole way except for about a mile of it. I used gas stations to support myself and had a nice time. Nothing super interesting to report. I had a pretty good finish time considering not being very efficient when I stopped to restock at various gas stations.

Yeti 24hr Challenge

Distance: 30 miles

Date: Thursday-Friday, April 23rd-24th

This challenge was an interesting one, but the thing I was most interested in was the super cool shirt design and the fact that it was providing work to The Opportunity Center. So I signed up and decided to keep it to my normal neighborhood routes and a couple runs on the treadmill if the weather was bad.

This was a LOT of fun. I started after work on Thursday and no run lasted more than an hour, there was plenty of time between each run, so it wasn’t like I felt pressure on the time and I could rest. I also realized that it really doesn’t take much time to get ready for a run. The first few times I was standing on the corner of the block just waiting for the time to tick over to the top of the hour, but by the end I knew that it really only took me one minute to get my things together and another minute to walk to the end of the street to begin. It was like I was just going out for a short run each time and I never felt the cumulative effect of all of the miles. I would 100% recommend this challenge to anyone and everyone.

Sugar Badger 50 mile

Finish Time: 11:07:06

Date: Friday, May 1st

I had grand plans for this and well, they didn’t pan out. My original plan going into it was going to be to “Put the sugar in Sugar Badger” by stopping at several dessert places along the way as my method of fueling. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and I was basically miserable for 35 miles of the run, but hold up, I’ll get there.

I first stopped at an Ocala classic – Tas-T-O Donuts for a glazed cake doughnut and had a very weird encounter. I bought my doughnut and I wanted to take a picture in front of the iconic sign. After I took my picture a guy who was ordering at the window said something along the lines of, “Oh that’s original, taking a picture of the fat man buying doughnuts.” I didn’t hear him at first and asked him to repeat it, so he did, and I was just flabbergasted. How is this dude so self-involved and self-conscious about his own behaviors that he would call out a total stranger for taking a picture of their food and a sign with a phone that clearly wasn’t even pointed at him (it was pointed UP at the SIGN and the ordering window wasn’t visible because I was holding up a doughnut). I waited until he left, got a new pic, and then went off down the sidewalk.

My next stop was about 4ish miles away at another doughnut shop. It was a place I had never tried before, so I asked the person working there what their recommendation was and I ended up with an amazing cheesecake doughnut. It was about a mile later that I realized I wasn’t feeling so hot. I wasn’t sure if it was the doughnuts (I do not eat doughnuts on the regular) or what, but I kept on going. My next stop wasn’t for another 10 or so miles, so I thought I’d be better by then.

By the time I got to the Wawa about 2 miles from the next stop (mile 25ish), I knew I wouldn’t be getting a dessert at the next stop. Instead I got some gingerale and kept going towards the place and turned around instead of going in (because I had planned my route very efficiently and I didn’t want to have to add mileage at the end).

My next stop was a racetrack where I got some water and a blue slushie. I very briefly considered calling someone to come and get me, but by that point I was about 30 miles in, realized my pain and nausea was due to my uterus, and figured I may as well keep going and get it done. I had already been majorly suffering for 15 miles, so what was another 20 miles?

I headed to downtown Ocala to stop by Stella’s where I got a baklava and another gingerale. I sat on a park bench in the shade just off the square to eat my treat and drink the gingerale. I was in the final 15 miles of the run and decided to skip the last planned dessert stop. It was going to either be a place that made fancy cake or an ice cream shop, but I was so nauseous that neither option sounded appealing.

By the time I got to about the 40 mile mark, I was over it. I wanted to be home, I felt like crap, it was hot, and I was just done. I was drinking my water like crazy at this point and I ran out of water with about 5 miles to go and there were no convenience stores or anything else like that between there and home unless I backtracked a couple miles and I didn’t want to do that. Luckily, my husband was home from work by then so I called him and he met me about 3 miles from the house to do a full refill on my water.

Finishing the run where I started it over 11 hours before was a great feeling. I’d had a bad day, but I made the best of it and still think I had a pretty fun time, even though a lot of it sucked. But the Sugar Badger swag was worth it! I love that medal and shirt design!

Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic 50 Mile Race Report

Where: Wakulla Springs State Park (20ish mins south of Tallahassee)
When: December 14, 2019
What: 50 miles
Finish Time: 9:45:08
Place: 10/12, 2/3F**
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/2933114456


Pre-Race:

This is a race I would have never, ever had signed up for if it wasn’t for Tom. Tom was looking for a good 50 mile race that played to his strengths. He likes road running, prefers the weather a bit cooler, and he doesn’t mind loops. TUDC 50m fit the bill well. The course utilizes 3 miles of road at Wakulla Springs State Park and is a large event for the Gulf Winds Track Club each year. Most of the people doing the race were signed up for the 50k and the marathon, but about 30 silly gooses were signed up for the 50m.

I had originally signed up for the 50k, but decided to bump it up to the 50m once I realized that it was perfectly timed with a 50m race in my Long Haul training plan. Since the course is basically out and backs to make a 10k “loop” repeated 8 times, it would be ideal training for the potential monotony (and ability to drop) that I’d experience with the 10 out and back repeats of Long Haul. I changed my registration and got nervous considering I’d have to beat my previous 50 mile time by almost 10 minutes just to finish under the cut off. I knew I’d be using almost every minute of the 10 hour time limit.

After a very chill day in a hotel near the race, we woke up the next morning bright and early to scarf some breakfast and head over to Wakulla Springs State Park. People doing the race typically set up their own small aid station/drop bag areas near the race start or in the parking lot leading up the start/finish/timing mat. We didn’t know exactly where to set up, so we put our cooler and chair just past the main aid station (which was a great setup, I liked it better there than where other people had their supplies set).

The 50k and marathon people start at the actual start line and the 50 milers start about a quarter mile or so from the start. Five minutes before the race start, our group was hustling over to make sure we got to our own start line. We barely made and it and the person escorting us was saying, "Do not start yet, we aren't there." It was pretty amusing, but we got there and the race started.


Loops 1-4

One neat thing about this race is that participants are allowed to have pacers in the form of buddies running with them or someone on a bike. I saw several marathon folk running totally hands free since they had a cyclist pacer to hand them water and nutrition. The only downside was one cyclist was so tuned into their runner that they were encroaching on other runners going to the opposite direction.

There isn't really much to post about the first four loops. I was feeling good due to the cool weather, but kept my pace comfortable. There was supposed to be a portapotty on course, but it was nowhere to be found; there were full restrooms at the start/finish so that was good with me. I ran with a few other 50 miler folk for a few miles, but pretty much the whole thing was by myself. I usually refuse to listen to music or podcasts until I'm well over halfway through the race, but by the 3rd loop I knew I definitely needed it earlier than usual. I told myself to get through the 4th loop and I'd be allowed to grab my headphones and get some podcasts going.

Just an observation, not a judgment - For about 20ish miles I ran near a woman that had absolutely zero shame in peeing out in the open. She had a skirt sport with the "pee flap" and so many times during the race she would barely step off of the course and start relieving herself. At one point she was literally one foot off the course and I made sure that when I came back through that way to avoid the tiny puddle she left behind. I've never seen somebody so driven and focused that she would let loose in front of so many strangers. I'm cool with nudity, but I still have a lot more hangups about that sort of thing.


Loops 5-8

Around loop five is when the course started to empty out. Most of the marathon and 50k folks were done and going through the start/finish area was a bummer because all of these people had their medals, were drinking adult beverages, and enjoying that post-race glow. At no point did I consider dropping down or quitting, and I'm really proud of that. I had one moment during the 7th loop where I felt a bit sorry for myself, but it literally lasted all of 30 seconds before I got over it. My head was really in the game for this one. Just keep running!

I also got to see Tom a lot during the race and it was cool that we could basically check in on each other every hour and a halfish because of the way the loop was. Oh, and speaking of the loops, this is a great race to run with just a handheld. There were three aid stations, one of which was water only, and they were well stocked. At one point the on course aid station had black olives and I scarfed a few of those, they also had some nutella sandwiches and they were perfection at 30 miles into the race. I ate aid station food as well as several of my gels and a picky bar; fueling went really well for this race.

As I stated before, I knew I would be using nearly every minute of the 10 hours, and with about a mile and a half to go, I switched from podcast to music (I should have switched to music earlier, tbh) and cruised into the finish 15 minutes under the cut off. Everyone at the finish line cheered for me and then I realized there was a wedding going on about 200' away from the finish line and the couple were doing their vows. Whoopsie!


The Aftermath

I loved this race, but if I could go back in time I'm not sure if I would have done it. This was the first time I had run more than 26.2 miles on road and my longest road runs in preparation for this race were a couple twenty milers and an 18 miler. I ended up with poroneal tendinitis that had me unable to run for a couple of weeks. The smart thing would have been to do more road training and getting used to the pounding OR be smart like some of the other 50 milers and run close to the edge of the road or in the middle of the road. I didn't even think of it and I'm fairly sure the camber of the road is what did me in (along with the camber of the road at my work's parking lot, which is where I had done several speed workouts in the weeks leading up to the race).

Though the race and the organizers were so, so lovely I can see going back there, but maybe for a 50k instead.

**While there were about 30 people signed up for the 50 mile race, over half of the people dropped down to either the marathon or the 50k during the race.

 

 

Stewart Tunnel 50 Mile Race Report

What: Stewart Tunnel 50mi, a part of the Ten Junk Miles Badger Trail Races
Where: Badger State Trail from Belleville, WI to 5mi outside of Monroe, WI and back
When: Aug 4, 2019 with a 6am start time
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/2591504498

Goals:
Finish under the 12 hour cutoff ✔
Finish under 11 hours ✔
Have fun ✔✔✔

Results:
Finished in 10:08:58, taking 2nd place female, 8th overall. I think this was the smallest field of all 6 races occurring.


Training:

I've done three 50ks using the plan from Krissy Moehl's book and they worked wonderfully, so I decided to use her 50m plan. I think the mileage may have been a tad bit too high for me. I followed it pretty closely but did end up completely missing one back to back weekend and had a lot lower mileage on a second. One was due to the flu (missed a 20-22 and 9-11 weekend) and the other one I tried a new trail and made the mistake of only bringing a gallon and a half of water on a 105°+ heat index day on a more exposed trail than I expected (should have been a 25-28mi run, but I ran out of water around 16 miles), I missed the next day completely (14 miles). There were also maybe 4 or 5 weekday runs missed due to work or life over the 3ish months.


Travel & Packet Pickup:

My dad came with me to serve as my crew and travel buddy. We flew out of Orlando to Chicago-Midway because it was not hugely expensive like closer airports. Next year I will look for a deal flying into Madison or Rockford or really anywhere but Chicago, because that drive sucked.

After way too many hours of travel, we made it to the adorable town of Belleville. We got there around 4:30 or 5 and waited in line for maybe 15 minutes or so. They were very organized with the pickup including distributing advanced orders from the TJM store. Swag bags included: a trail toes sample, Arteryx koozie, TJM Racing B(L)uff, a tshirt, a pair of Fitsoks, an ornery mule racing pin, and of course a nice drawstring backpack it all came in. I was surprised there was so much stuff in there!

Since I am a TJM superfan, I was super nervous to meet the cast, but I shouldn't have been. They're such nice, genuine people and I was just happy to be there and see the love they put into this race. Holly was also awesome enough to introduce me to so many guests I recognized from the show. It was amazing seeing so many of my "running friends" that I trained with, lol.


Pre-Race Volunteering:

Since I wasn't running until Sunday, I decided to go volunteer at one of the aid stations for a few hours. I was there during the late afternoon and it was really great to cheer on and help out the 100m and 100k folk. Oddly enough, I would see about 10 of those people the next morning during my 10ish miles of running as they were nearing the finish of their race over 12 hours later.


Race day:

Everyone had to check in for a timing anklet since the race would be chipped timed that way (100m and 100k were hand timed). Scotty gave a pre-race briefing about how they wanted to show everyone the really nice trail that was here and WWTD (What Would a Train Do?). Soon after Dusty blew an airhorn and we were off!

Because I had been training through the brutally hot Florida summer, I did not have any temperature issues like many other runners did. The hottest the temperatures got both Saturday and Sunday was essentially what it feels like by 8am at home, but less humidity than I'm used to (I think the high was in the mid-to-upper eighties each day). Because of that, I ran a lot faster than I expected to. Many times I had to purposefully slow myself down because I felt I was going too fast. Pretty early on I noticed my HR was reading incorrectly. I was barely breathing hard and my watch listed my HR as 235+. I fiddled with the strap on and off, but finally gave up and removed it around mile 3 and threw it in the back pocket of my vest.

One aspect I enjoyed was seeing other people going the opposite way on the course on the way to the finish line. Some in good spirits, some death marching, some puking. I will be like one or all of those people in the race next year, lol.

The trail was great, just a nice well kept trail that was a joy to run on. The tunnel was amaaaazing. If anything, the RDs undersold the greatness of the tunnel (also, there is graffiti in the tunnel that is super hilarious). The aid station folks were so helpful, I know most of them barely slept all weekend and I so appreciate everything they put into this race.


Food & Aid Stations:

I brought so.much.stuff. Lots of GUs, clif blocks, clif bars, body armors, and a can of pringles. Literally the only thing I had of my own were the pringles and a few swigs of coconut body armor. I have a full list of what I ate, but it amounts to about 4 pb&j sandwiches, 1/2 grilled cheese, a can of ginger ale, 6 bottle refills of tailwind of varying concentration, 2 refills gatorade, 5 pizza rolls, 1/3rd can pringles, 1 shot of fireball, and 1 shot of blackberry brandy. The aid stations had tons of food both hot and not, but I love pb&j during races.

My dad was top notch as a crew person, especially considering it was his first time. If you've crewed someone, you know how frantic things feel when you've been waiting for 2-4 hours, your runner comes in for a very quick stop, and then poof, they're gone and you're back to playing the waiting game. He handled it so well and I hope I was a good runner, lol.


When the Going Got Tough:

I had a great steady run, no walk breaks expect for eating when I left aid stations until about mile 30, which is when I told myself I would start a walk/run pattern. The ratio changed around, sometimes it was 8/2, 6/2, 5/1 and around mile 40 it was 5/1 then turned into 4/1 through mile 45 where I was convinced I would be walking it in because I somehow couldn't run anymore.

After two miles of power walking I asked myself why I thought I couldn't run anymore and couldn't find an actual answer, just that walking was easier to do. So I started some walk/run intervals again and finally decided to listen to something other than my own thoughts. Normally on runs I listen to podcasts or audiobooks, but I wanted to be fully present for this race. I didnt want to wear headphones, so I did the douche move and turned on a playlist through my phone's speakers, I did turn it down as I passed other people on the trail. Ozzy's Crazy Train came on as I was coming into Belleville and it had me damn near sprinting (or whatever sprinting is at mile 49.75, lol). I came into the finish, Adam gave me my medal and told me I was 2nd female. I had several delicious beers (the RD's purchased 3 kegs of New Glaurus' Spotted Cow) and watched many inspirational finishes happen in the last hours of the race. What an absolutely amazing time and race!


Misc Notes:

• Several of the aid stations ran out of tailwind in the afternoon, which was a bummer, but understandable since it was near the end of the long race weekend. - My dad heard a woman complaining about how there were cyclists on the trail and how it upset her. I don't get that at all, it's a public trail and most of the bikers were so encouraging. I loved it.
• I had trouble deciding which shoes to wear, but I settled on my Cliftons. Trail shoes were not needed, my Bondis may have been a good choice, too; I may use those next year if trail conditions are the same.
• My dad and I stayed at the finish line until the very end. There was a large group of people acting as cheering squad and crew for a 50 mile runner and they were extremely negative. They were mad that the cutoff was only 12 hours and that other distances had such large amounts of time and how the RDs better not remove any of the finish line stuff. I really hope they didn't confront the TJM Racing folks about it. From what I can tell from the timing spreadsheets posted online, people came in until about 1 hour after cutoff. This was one of only two negative people out of the 100+ we interacted with during the weekend.
• Part of the trail was closed for an unknown reason, so there was a road section shortly before the Ornery Mule Aid Station in Monroe (miles 20 and 30). Weirdly, I really liked that detour since it changed things up.
• The aid stations were super easy to get to for crew members. I saw some people being crewed/assisted at random road crossings later in the race, so the race is super easy to manage as a crew person.
• Speaking of road crossings, I think there were at least 10(?) throughout the whole race, but I only had to stop for cars at two of them, both times for maybe 10-30 seconds?
• One disappointing, but understandable, thing was how much trash I picked up. 2 energy bar wrappers, 2 gu wrappers, three stickers from a local tavern (required to pick up to prove you made it to the checkpoint), aid station cups .5mi from the garbage, and various candy wrappers. I imagine a lot of them got accidentally dropped overnight while people were struggling