Post by ultragirl on Nov 4, 2007 18:47:20 GMT -5
In the middle of May when I started training for this I felt I was starting too late in the game to train. That was 6.5 months pre 50 miler. I had been training for a marathon from Jan to March, but for personal reason I had to drop from the race. So I had some training under me and only took a couple of months roughly off of training. I was worried I should have started earlier, but felt ok as I am no stranger to long distances.
Most of my training took place in the summer, in the heat and I do mean HEAT!! 100+ degree days of 8-24 mile runs was interesting to say the least. Every weekend we hit the trail or bike path for long runs of 15-24 miles, with mid distance runs the following day. This went on from June-August we participated in quite a few trail runs as part of it because I LOVE trail running more then anything. We did Diablo,Pacifica,Redwood, and did our own trail runs from Rattlesnake up to cardiac hill and back pretty regularly. Then the dreaded knee injuries came and I mean one after another.
It started before Diablo as I was training hills on the treadmill & step mill, which I used because I live 50 miles from trails and I couldn’t get there everyday. I was fine one day and woke up the next day unable to walk without excruciating pain in my left knee. I couldn’t run at all 2 weeks before Diablo and was freaked out because if you knew Diablo, you know it’s hard and has serious climbs and hurts HURTS!!!! I did Diablo but only 25 of the 50K.That was a smart decision on mypart, I was hurting and they BOTH were now painful and swollen. Anyway….they got better but the pain never really stopped. The would have dull pain one day only to leave me in massive pain days after. I did the icing, NSAIDS, resting (not as much as I KNEW I should but training…stubborn girl) and all that stuff you do for injuries. Eventually I developed IT issues, nothing serious but I did have a period where it was acting up and it hurt. I still trained and ran.
I did all the things I needed, long runs, time on my feet. Back to back long runs. I did all that I read up on, but crashed and burned after my last 50K at the end of August(8/26 to be exact). Totally burned out. I felt crappy, and tired. My knees always seemed to hurt and it sucked. I was doing about 35-40 miles a week the month of Sept but just couldn’t get myself motivated to do longer runs on the weekends. My longest run was 14 miles that months. I had done I realize now I was overtraining and I don’t need back to back long runs to be a efficient long distance runner. Rest is key and I think I have finally learned that. I did my last long run of 26.2 miles the first week of October, I did the cowtown marathon. I did great and felt awesome. Then the knee pain came again with a furry. Both of them hurt and couldn’t run so I took the entire month off of running.3.5 weeks to be exact. I walked on the treadmill a lot and did elliptical walking and weight trained.
The one thing I can tell you that I did not do enough of after doing this 50 miler is-time on my feet. I thought I had done enough. We did quite a few 7-9 hour runs but it was not enough. My feet were the only issue I had but it was Bearable but they hurt so badly after 40 miles. I didn’t complain, I just kept moving forward. I just ignored it and dealt with it because 50 miles is a long way, a really long way, so of course things will hurt. The great thing is my knees were awesome and I had no pain at all in them the entire way. Being my first 50 miler I cannot put into words what it is like. I just cant, maybe I am being sappy but it was the most amazing thing to do. Pushing your body and being able to do so make me feel like a rock star!!!
I did well from the beginning with my fuel and fluids. I did have some GI issues but Imodium solved that issues THANK GOD!! I think its nerves that do it to me. I was eating food at aid stations, mostly M&M’s, watermelon ,turkey and cheese rolls( I made these and had morgan bring them)cantelope fritos,coke a cola and go girl(mile 31-it made my day) & doing my accel gels and rotating them with strawberry banana GU. Towards the end, the last 8 miles I survived on coke. I literally just drank coke in my amphipod. It was the only thing I wanted and it tasted amazing. I did a couple of gels but got to the point where I felt like I had a ball of gu in my gut YUCK! Overall I didn’t once feel like I was lacking on fuel, I went with what my body wanted and my stomach rocked. I held up very well with the coke (I don’t usually drink it on runs until the end I will have it for caffeine) and I didn’t get stomach cramps from it.
Onto the miles…….
I know 50 miles is far, but when you run it you realize how far it really is. Maybe that is my newbiness talking but it’s a long way lol. I’ve done 50ks and I thought its only 20 more miles. Ok 20 more miles is a lot after running 30!!!! I felt great the entire day. I never let my smile fade, and I had energy the whole way. I made my first cutoff @25 miles,30 mins or so ahead of schedule and felt great. I wasn’t tired really, my legs felt great and the knees still had no pain. When I hit 30 miles I looked at my watch and realized I had a new PR and I mean a huge PR for my 50K time. I was 1 hr and 15 mins ahead of any 50K I have ever done…that rocked. I did a run/ walk strategy (thanks to Recon, Dave and Norm Klein) from about mile 8 and up. I did the 16 run/4 min walk. I walked with a purpose as so many said to do and power walked it. I didn’t loose any time and actually hit my marathon time that I usually do. When I ran I was averaging about 12 min or less miles, and walked about a 4 mile per hour pace which is what I have been training on the treadmill. I can do about a 4.2 walk when really pushing. This worked out so well because even though I was power walking that 4 mins gave me time to recoup. After mile 33 or so I changed it to 15 min run to 5 min walk because I was getting tired in my legs and could feel it a bit.
Getting to mile 34 was huge for me. I’ve done 30 and 31 miles before but 34 seemed like a whole new level for me. I did have a moment of a small emotional moment. I was sort of tired and hit a hole that only lasted about a mile until I saw Morgan at mile 34. I just need to see a familiar face as I had been running alone for a bit. That was my only low point. After that I felt like I came to life again and went on with my mission and that was the moment I KNEW I was going to finishing. I just decided to run from aid station to aid station. Finally I reached mile 39.5 at Nimbus…that made me excited to be at just about 40 miles. I was thinking HOLY CRAP 40 miles!!!!!!!!!! Only 10 to go!!! Coming the aid station and seeing Morgan of course made me smile even bigger. I walked across the bridge with Morgan as he was heading to the next aid(he was my awesome crew man and rode his bike about 45 miles of the course) and I told him how much my body was hurting now, but I felt so great at the same time if that makes any sense. My attitude was giddy and silly and I felt a feeling that I have never felt before. Like I could do anything I want to and I had just realized it. That does not mean I was not tired because I was and I was in pain so I decided to do a 5 to 4 run/walk for a bit to gather myself and also my feet they were the worse. I had sharp stabbing pains in them and in my ankles. Which are swollen today (see I need more time on my feet) but I kept moving forward. I had 2 hours to do less then 8 miles from the main street aid to cavitt so I started running 10 mins and 2 min walk breaks. I reached Negro bar in time and had 1.5 mins left until the end.Roughly about 6 miles Helen Klein kicked my booty out of the aid very quickly. I grabbed some Pringles, filled my bottle up with coke and ran. On another side not for future, next time remind me to crack the lid on my bottle so when I go to take a drink, coke does not explode all over. I was not thinking and did this.
Anyway I go to the bottom where you start to climb to Folsom, it was dark and I was sort of cold so I put on my long sleeve and power walked the first climb which seemed so much harder then it usually is OF COURSE, I just ran 45 miles!!! It made me laugh.
I got through that all pretty quickly and reached Folsom dam park aid &ran slowly to the top of Folsom at first, then something came over me and I had power back and I wasn’t in pain anymore. It was also dark now and I could barely see. I had forgot to get my light so I had to wait to get to the top to get it from Morgan. Maybe that also added to it. I did get a little spooked as I am not so experienced in night running, especially alone …on a bike path!!!! I have fears of it really. I should say had fears of it. This caused me to full on run all the way to the top, not a slow run but a sub 10 min mile which is fast for me. It didn’t hurt and I felt strong and fresh so I went with it. I think this was a bad idea & I got eager and maybe a little ****y? Why, well when I got to the top I grabbed my light from Morgan, handed off my water bottle and kept on going forward which
is less then 2 miles or so to the end, but now I felt the worse pain ever. I think breaking my run walk routine and just sprinting the hill did me in and now I was hurting. I was now running a few steps and fast walking. running a few steps and fast walking looking at my watch and I had less then 20 mins, so I starting running ,well shuffling at this point as far as I could do it, then walk a few steps and continued this along the levee section. Finally I could make out a light, and I told Morgan to go to the end and I would see him there. I needed to do this by myself, in the dark and alone.
From that point on I ran and didn’t walk…There was a guy with a flashlight showing me where to go and where to turn to hit the small trail section to the school and as I got closer and closer and finally hit the trail, my heart was pounding and I was in the dark with my crappy light, alone on this tiny trail and I had no fear and such a sense of peacefulness. I could hear the crickets and all seemed to stop; time seemed to stop except that d**n clock at cavitt. See the cut off was 12 hours and I had .42 miles to do in very little time. My legs came to life and even with the pain; I picked up speed and was now bounding down the hill following the glow sticks. Finally I turned onto the path along the fence and could see the finish and I lost it. I heard Morgan call my name and I busted into tears, I was so proud, and felt so accomplished I had just did it!! Ran my first 50 miler. I was tired, and sore and emotional. I picked up speed and though to myself “hold it together” and I actually said it again out loud. There were some kids yelling and screaming cheers at me and it made me get tears in my eyes again. Finally I hit the pavement section and ran it in with Morgan cheering me on. I didn’t make the cut off but didn’t care. I did it in 12 hours and 2 mins. Only 2 mins off is awesome but even if it was longer I would have not cared. I finished and I did it, that’s when I realized I ran a long way one of the first things I said to Morgan was 50 miles is a long way d**n!!!!
They did put me on the finishers list and I got my certificate. I was not DFL; there were 5 people behind me. I am slow but I did it and it averaged out to a 14 min/mile pace. I am proud and still can’t believe I did that. I can’t wait to do another. I am sore today and going to the bathroom poses a problem because sitting and getting back up sucks. My ankles are swollen and I think I am a bit bloated from all the liquids and such but it will pass.
Morgan was the best crew ever. Being he is a runner and has done ultras with me and we volunteer made it easy.He knows me and knew what I needed and when to push me.He rocked it and did it on his bike for 45 miles. He kept me together and I fed off his energy, hes a stud and rocks!!! THANKS BABE!!!
Now I will run CIM and that will be my last long run until Feb when I start training again…..next up Lake Merritt 12 hour with PCTR!!!
It was awesome seeing and meeting fellow forumites, I wish I could have talked more with you all
A few pics
start
mile 31
mile 36
mile 39
done
