Notes
Wow!!!! What a great race. Entirely runnable course, save for a couple very short stretches of uphill, and even those would have been runnable by strong runners or by me on a day I wasn't running 50 miles.
The day was perfect, cool temps, no wind, overcast. Trails were soft from rain the days before. Rain also created a virtually impassable without getting your feet wet section through a wetland. Cold, cold water.
Four loops of a 12.5 mile course. One loop too many for me, would have liked 3 longer loops, but that's ok.
Right foot cramped up a bit from the outside to the underside. Felt it early (sometime during the day) but it didn't get bad until the final loop. Had to run-walk a lot, though I was able to keep up a good pace. I ran the last several miles, also—was afraid at the start of the final loop to push the foot too hard, but by the first and esp second AS, I figured it couldn’t stop me even if it got worse from running—which it didn’t.
I taped both arches with paper tape, 1 inch for the "X" and 2 inch for the straights. Think that helped, but maybe it wasn't good on the right foot. Course, tape was soaked after the first trip through the wetland, so....
Headlamp troubles and of course I didn't bring a spare as I normally do. Came open when I went to put it on at the aid station, batteries came loose, and no one could figure out how to shut it tight. I was too brain dead at that point to figure it out, plus I didn't have my glasses and it was getting dark. Got it working, sort of--learned that a 3-battery LED light will work with 2 batteries--dimly. Plus if I jostled it too much, it went out. Which it did once, while I was by myself--it was a really, really dark night! So that slowed me down for fear of jostling it back off for good, or falling and doing the same.
Mile 30 was my low point. Got past that and felt pretty good.
Next ultra I'm going with a liquid or soft-food diet the night before. Tried to clean out the morning of the race, but couldn't, and it cost me quite some time for a bathroom stop.
Also, would have been better to use a widemouth handbottle for fuel on the course. No drop bags at AS, so I carried a baggie w/ perpetuem & sustained energy and had to get it into my narrow-mouthed 10oz hand bottle at each aid station--this probably cost me 3-4 minutes each station and there were 11 total! In fact, I think I'll try either two large handbottles (water & fuel) with a small waistpack for headlamp, socks, ginger, or a slightly larger waistpack with a bottle holster. Think in a supported race, I can manage AS to AS without as much crap. Thought about not using the hydrapack, but decided to go with it. Now that I’ve got a couple 50s under my belt, I think I’ll feel more comfortable losing the pack.
Was a bit disoriented late in the race, but in a strange way. Like I had two psyches going—one was entirely with it, but the other was a bit hazy, like when I couldn’t figure out the headlamp problem that I knew very well how to fix.
Also had some tightness in my chest, starting late third loop. Only felt it when I picked up the pace and really ran. Kept thinking about heart attack symptoms! But that seemed to pass. During the fourth loop, though my foot cramps limited my running, I could run fine without the tightness. Apparently no repercussions—I’m still here, three days later, writing this and feeling great!!
Loop 1: 2:25. Sub 10 hour pace. Was hoping to break 10 hrs for the day but didn't really think I could—but I started out on schedule. Unfortunately, just had to make a bathroom stop, which cost me 10-15 minutes. Ack.
Out of AS at 2:41, or something like that.
Loop 2: 5:41 (total time). Left AS at 5:57, again way too long. But I really needed dry socks and dry shirt so I took the time to change, and it was good.
Loop 3: 9:01 (total). Out at 9:12.
Loop 4/finish: 12:33ish. Stopped my watch at 12:35 but that was a couple minutes after finishing, pushed the button but was on time of day, not chrono, didn't notice till later.