Today I woke up an ultrarunner! Yesterday's 50k race was monumental for me.
Run a 50K? "Yeah right!" Said the old me... Ever since I decided to tackle my first marathon in 2019, I've been fascinated by the idea of running long distances. I began watching documentaries about ultrarunners in order to occupy my mind during treadmill runs and discovered a whole new world of running. Turns out there are all sorts of races longer than the typical 26.2-mile marathon. Ultramarathons can range from 50k, 50 miles, 100k, 100 miles, and further. If you had asked me two years ago if I'd run a marathon, I would probably say no. Running a marathon was a rite of passage reserved for runners much better than I and running an ultramarathon — simply incomprehensible! You mean the marathon isn't the longest race distance? Wait! What?
I've run 7 half marathons, 2 marathons, and numerous other distances, but I'm still very green. I used to believe other people were born innately fast, or gifted with athletic prowess, but I was definitely not one of those people! I was just — well me! Then, I realized those athletes were people who decided to set a goal, train hard and push themselves, so I decided I'd train hard too.
The seeds had been planted. I now wanted to run an ultra.
Now that I was familiar with what an ultra was, I thought about running one. With encouragement from my hubby, last year I registered for my first 50k ultramarathon. If you're new to ultramarathons like I was, that's just over 31 miles. Of course, not everything went as planned, but things do happen? So, even though there were some setbacks (as you'll soon see) over the past year, on March 20, 2021, I proudly completed the Labor of Love 50k at Lovell Canyon near Las Vegas, Nevada. (If you've never seen Lovell Canyon, just know that it's breathtaking)!
Lesson: I had to train smarter to make it to the start line.
When training, listen to your body to train smarter! That old adage, "work smarter, not harder," came into play a lot during my training. Unfortunately, I don't always heed my own advice. I noticed I wasn't recovering properly, and I needed to slow down to reassess my plan. I was training for a 50k with occasional speed bursts like I was planning to run a 5k. My number one training error — I was running my long runs too fast! The long run builds endurance. Speed runs are shorter for a reason, and I needed to allow my body to adapt. I paid for this error with the following issues: shin splints, a trip to urgent care for my left foot, lost training time, and ultimately a race deferral. Yep, I deferred my first 50k. I had planned to run the ET Full Moon 51k last August. I was excited about running along the Extraterrestrial Highway in Rachel, Nevada, but I chose to defer instead of getting injured and I felt defeated. Was I cut out to run an ultra? I dusted myself off and started getting chiropractic care, added yoga, massage, additional strength training, and mobility work. Once I felt confident enough, I began training for the Labor of Love 50k in March.
Leading up to the Lovell Canyon race, I was still pushing my pace too hard — ego check! I took a week off to ride the stationary bike. Then, as I was nearing my peak mileage week, I was the lucky recipient of a cold. It took nearly two rest days to sleep it off. Ugh! I also started rolling the underside of my left foot with a massager. It seemed to be really tight. I worried I wouldn't be fit enough come race day. I also had a creepy encounter with a man who tried to lure me with a rope. I can't make this stuff up! I posted about it here. I was hyper-aware when outdoors alone for a week or two afterward.
Race day had arrived!
I was increasingly anxious the week of the race. I'm pretty sure I had full on taper tantrums. The night before the race I hardly slept. I questioned my training, wondered if I was fit enough, vowed to use a coach next time, took Pepto Bismol, and asked my husband why he didn't talk me out of this! I kept telling myself I should've signed up for the half marathon, (because it was a familiar distance) but my husband assured me that I could do this! He knew I wouldn't be happy unless I actually finished. On race day, packet pickup started at 6:00 a.m., so we left the house around 5:00 a.m. The car ride served me a side of butterflies filled with negative self-talk... I kept telling my husband I still wasn't sure I could run this. When we arrived, we picked up our race packets and dropped my drop bags off at the starting line. At 7:00 a.m. it was time for the 50k to begin. The 50 milers, 50k'ers, and marathoners all started together. At 7:30 a.m. the half marathon started, (my hubby ran the half marathon), and David was off, followed by the 5k and 10k racers at 8 a.m. At first, I didn't feel as fit as other runners. I felt like an imposter, but the canyon scenery was gorgeous, which helped ease my nerves! It was filled with mountains and valleys, Joshua trees and juniper. I was relieved that the race was on a paved road, but I would soon learn that just because the terrain isn't strewn with rocks and roots, doesn't make it a road race. The rolling hills and overall climb of about 2,011 feet made it a trail race, with less trip hazards.
The volunteers were amazing, and the course was well marked. It was an out and back course. We ran 11 miles out, turned around for a 2.1-mile out and back, then ran 11 miles back to the finish line with the marathoners. Once we reached the finish line with the marathoners, the 50k'ers had a second shorter out and back of 4.8 miles before returning to the finish line.
During my first marathon, I didn't take walk breaks, but this race was a completely different animal. This race was humbling. (It was the first race I'd walked in since I began racing). The first several miles went up a steady incline with a few dips, then descended down a steep hill, near mile 5. (I renamed the hill the "Hell" on the way back)! By mile 8 the "gradual" uphills were slowing me down... much more than I'd anticipated! I started questioning my decision to train for my long runs on flatter terrain. Luckily, I was able to take advantage of the downhill sections of the course and ease back into a recovery pace... for a while!
Around mile 17, I felt really good. I was watching my pace to make sure I didn't push too hard. This was the first time I'd run over 26.2 miles, and I didn't want to crash and burn. Around miles 20 to 21, I began the ascent back up the hill I had run down near mile 5. This section brought me to a screeching crawl. Wowzers! It was steep on the way down, but I didn't expect it to be this steep on the way up — I definitely couldn't run it! I'm not even sure my 4-cylinder car could make it up there without objections. Around mile 22, I could run again. The last few miles were much easier on my body, with gradual downhills that I took full advantage of. My legs were tired, but by this point I knew I could finish. I just hoped that tight feeling in my right knee wasn't due to any swelling. Luckily, turns out it wasn't. I made it to the 26.2 checkpoint in 5 hours and 33 minutes, before returning to the course for the last 4.8 mile out and back. I decided to go back out right away instead of resting at the aid station, in case stopping tempted me call it good at the marathon.
The final 4.8 miles were a slog on tired legs. Next time, I'll work to build my strength even more. It didn't help that the wind picked up near the end of the race. At one point, I took off my already tight visor to keep it from blowing away. It was all worth it when I saw my hubby on the course during the last mile! He guided me all the way to the finish line — 31 miles was done! I was now an ultrarunner!
I had difficulty staying grounded and in the moment.
Looking back, throughout the race I had this overwhelming fear that I wouldn't be strong enough to finish. I had trained hard but wasn't confident in my abilities. I attribute this to the fear of the unknown. With each mile, I found myself anxiously wishing I were at the next mile, instead of enjoying the mile I was in. When I signed up my goal was to finish the race without injury. Well, I did just that! I am so happy to say I'm now an ultramarathoner! Hopefully this will be the first ultramarathon in a long running journey. Next, I'd like to register for the ET Full Moon 51k in August, and the Detroit FreePress Marathon in October, since it's on my home turf. My hubby keeps saying I should do a 50-miler... well, someday.
Added bonus: When you have such great support from your hubby like I do, you get to recover by eating chocolate covered fruit! An amazingly sweet ending to a long training cycle! Here's to the next cycle.
Thanks for reading and have a great week. What keeps you going during a hard run? What helps you stay in the moment?
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