Ultra Runners

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2018 D3 50K - not an easy race or read. (Read 34 times)

wcrunner2


Are we there, yet?

    We've all been stalking the weather reports and it does not look anything like ideal conditions. The forecast has jumped from a high of 73 a week before the race to a high of 90 a couple days before. At this point no one knows what to expect. Some forecasts ahve increase the chance of rain from 10% to 100% with possible thunderstorms and heavy rain. I'll need to come prepared for almost anything, multiple changes of clothes, rain jackets, hats, many pairs of socks. I'm hoping there's no morning rain to make putting up the tent an issue.

     

    This is my fifth D3, the first being the 24-hour race and the rest the 50K. Despite being well run, as Bill, the race director, says, "it's a race by runners for runners", I still have not performed particularly well. Much of that is of course due to my lack of adequate preparation and training. With my aversion to cold weather, getting in the requisite miles over the winter is a challenge for me. This year besides tough winter weather, I have been plagued by a sore heel, something that was bothered me since November. I adjusted my workouts to go for quality instead of quantity, running only 3-4 times a week, but making those workouts count more. I had to back off the high quality speed workouts because those seemed to aggravate my heel, so I concentrated mostly on getting in quality long runs. for me that meant runs of roughly two hours though that also meant only 9-10 miles. The goal will be to see how far I can maintain alternating run and walk before I need to shift to all walking. I'm not sure which will be the determining factor, the lack of training or soreness in the heel.

     

    With the 50K not starting until 9:00 a.m., the 24-hour runners had already been on the track for over an hour before I arrived. I found a nice spot on the infield near where my friend Dennene had set up and put up my "little" three person tent. After that I wandered around to greet friends and pick up my ankle timing chip. That's the one that linked to the live results, while the bib chip served as a backup in case anything went wrong. At the start is was about 57, cloudy, and damp. He had had a little overnight rain but nothing was forecast or expected at the race until some time mid or late afternoon. I should have been finished well before it started. A lot of the runners were moving very quickly, possibly trying to bank some miles before the afternoon heat and sun. I'm not sure how wise that is, but maybe banking time or miles works better in ultras where you have a broader range of conditions and more opportunities to recovery.

     

    In light of my preparation for this race I adjusted my strategy to run half a lap, walk half a lap from the very beginning, instead of running 300m and walking 100m. This seemed to work well and I still felt well in control able to maintain that effort when I reached 20K. Unfortunately by that time my heel was starting to hurt. Since running aggravated it, I opted to stop running and walk exclusively hoping it wouldn't get any worse and I'd be able to finish. You can see in my lap splits that they jump from around 3:35-3:45 per lap to 4:30-5:00 per lap, more if I stop for food and drink. Then twice, once in lap 82 and again in lap 93, I stopped to have the massage therapist work on my legs and feet to reduce the soreness. It did help temporarily but the soreness returned, which was the reason for the second pause. For a while I even kept pace with one of the old-timers in the 24-hour race and got my lap splits back down to the 4:30-4:35 range. But not to be outdone, with no warning at all my stomach rebelled with just over two miles left. This time I wasn't certain I'd be able to return to the track despite needing only 8 more laps. We started with plain water, then potato chips for salt, and finally ginger ale to hopefully sooth it a little. I finally felt well enough to ease back onto the track and one of the 24-hour runners, who apparently wasn't having the best of days either, walked the final two miles with me. The first rain drops started to fall with about 900m to go and by the time I finished it was a steady downpour. I waited out the worst of it huddled in the timer's tent before hobbling half a straightaway to my tent to change into dry clothes. My final time was 10:52:31.

     

    Once I knew the heel soreness wasn't going away and would only get worse it was a constant mental battle to keep going knowing I had hours of that facing me. I tried to concentrate on counting down the laps, mentally marking off each 10K - 25 down, 100 to go; 50 down, 75 to go; then reversing that with 75 down, 50 to go. It was a big boost after I passed 25K and had run more laps than I had left. Reaching 100 laps and starting the final 10K made the end more real. Along the way I had a lot of encouragement from friends on the track that kept me focused on finishing. The few times when the walked more than a short way with me and we got into a real conversation made those laps go so much faster as well as distracting me from thinking about my heel. Unfortunately I could also see a lot of them on the side getting help from their crews. Many of them had stomach issues or other problems and had to stop early. Talking with the RD afterward he said it was the highest dropout rate they've ever had.

     

    Now on to the post race events. I did walk a few laps around the track to cheer people and also grabbed half a grilled cheese sandwich, but that's all I ate after I finished and stupidly grabbed only a cup of coffee to drink. It was approaching 1:00 a.m. and I decided to take a long nap, then get up early to watch the finish of the 12-hour and 24-hour races. First order of business after waking up was to walk across the track to the porta-potties. I was getting ready to pee, then the next thing I knew I was hitting the ground outside. I have no recollection of opening the door or stepping down. All I know is I never peed and I was laying on the ground. I couldn't have been there too long because I hadn't finished assessing the damage when someone stopped and asked if I was okay. Despite my sometimes sardonic wit I didn't even think that was a stupid question to ask considering I was on the ground and and bleeding slightly from my face and hand. I have no idea who it was, but he half carried me to a bench and called one of the RDs. First thing he checked on was how alert I was and could I describe what happened. Meanwhile he had one of the cadets get water and a soda to get fluids and sugar in me. Another runner, possibly the one who found me, was a volunteer fireman and another was an EMT. Both suggested they call 911 so I could be thoroughly checked out. Somewhat against my wishes after the EMTs arrived, I agreed to let them transport me to the ER. I was already feeling much better and didn't think it was necessary, but deferred to their judgement since I have a habit of insisting I'm okay even when I'm not. The ER people were super sweet and reasonable. They really listened to what I told them and didn't just steamroll me through all sorts of tests. They did do blood work to check enzymes and electrolytes and also ordered a CAT scan because I did hit my head; they wanted to be sure the only damage was the superficial scrapes they could see. After getting all the results back and consulting with my primary car physician, they agreed I could go home. They did suggest I stay overnight but I thought that was unnecessary and overkill. So that's the end of my adventure. I'm home checking email, FB, and writing up this little report.

     

    My next scheduled race is Rundle's Revenge in Alberta on June 24, a 25K trail race in the Canadian Rockies. Before I commit to anything else, I need to resolve the heel issue. Rundle's Revenge has a concurrent 50K race so I have time to hike the entire distance if needed. It may be time to take some time off to let the heel heal, and this seems like a good time for that.

     2024 Races:

          03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

          05/11 - D3 50K
          05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

          06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

     

     

         

    T Hound


    Slower but happier

      Congrats on finishing despite the heel.    That passing out sounds scary.  So how did the heat turn out?   Did it end up raining?

      2020 goal:  couch to 5K, currently working on the couch block

       

      wcrunner2


      Are we there, yet?

        The humidity was probably more of a factor but for a while mid-afternoon it got hot and sunny. We had one period of very heavy rain that started a little before 8:00 pm, i.e two laps before I finished, that came down very hard with thunder and lightning for about 30-45 minutes before easing up.

         2024 Races:

              03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

              05/11 - D3 50K
              05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

              06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

         

         

             

        XtremeTaper


          Yikes on the passing out in the morning. Did they give you any ideas at the ER, or just low bp or dizziness? Glad you are ok. Nothing worse than an ER trip after an ultra. Tough finish but you pulled it off. Do you have a case of plantar fasciitis? That's only thing that rings a bell for me with heal pain, unless you some bone spur issues. Certainly you've had that before in all your years of running. Rest up and stretch those calves and foot daily. Hope you can get over it in a few weeks.

          In dog beers, I've only had one.

          AT-runner


          Tim

            George, hope you are on the mend.

             

            It was  bad day for 24 hr races in PA.  Weather played a factor at D3 and Montour.

             

            Glad you were able to get your 50k, but sorry about the ER visit.

            “Paralysis-to-50k” training plan is underway! 

            wcrunner2


            Are we there, yet?

              Self-diagnosed, but yes, I do think it's PF. After getting some initial fluids and sugar, by the time the EMTs got there and took my BP it was 120/70. I'm thinking it was primarily low blood sugar because I perked up after the RD got me some Sword and Sprite to drink. I have an appointment with my doctor's office this afternoon as a follow up. I won't be seeing my own doctor because of her schedule, but at lest they'll have all my records there and can probably do a quick consult if her if indicated.

               2024 Races:

                    03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                    05/11 - D3 50K
                    05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                    06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

               

               

                   

                Oh geez, what a day. First, congrats on completing the 50k. Second, maybe consider some aggressive PF treatment if you aren’t doing that already?  Third, you were wise to listen to the medical people and get yourself checked out.  Scary stuff fainting, but it sounds like you’ve got some ideas on the cause. Maybe better/more food and drink before you went to sleep might have helped?  All in all, nice job and thanks for the RR.

                4/14/24 Napa Valley 50k, Calistoga, CA

                7/20/24 Tahoe Rim Trail 56 miler, NV

                9/21/24 Mountain Lakes 100, OR

                Daydreamer1


                  I thought about you quite often on Saturday, wondering how you were making out.  Since Montour was colder then what I had expected I was hoping it would be the same way down there.  Sorry to hear about the ER trip and the heel issues but I'm glad that you were able to get the finish in.

                   

                  I honestly don't know if I'm mentally tough enough to run in circles on a track like that.

                  Bert-o


                  I lost my rama

                    Yikes, sorry to hear about that misadventure the next morning, but glad to hear you made it out ok with any more serious issues.  Hope you can figure out how to fix that heel issue too before Rundle's.  Nice work in finishing during the brutal daytime weather.  Rest and recover well.

                    3/17 - NYC Half

                    4/28 - Big Sur Marathon  DNS

                    6/29 - Forbidden Forest 30 Hour

                    8/29 - A Race for the Ages - will be given 47 hours

                    dhuffman63


                    Trails

                      WC that's so scary...could the heat have contributed?

                         

                        I honestly don't know if I'm mentally tough enough to run in circles on a track like that.

                         

                        Agreed, that takes extra mental fortitude!

                        4/14/24 Napa Valley 50k, Calistoga, CA

                        7/20/24 Tahoe Rim Trail 56 miler, NV

                        9/21/24 Mountain Lakes 100, OR

                        RWD


                          Wow! What a crazy day and night. I'm glad you made it to 50K - it may not have been the time on the clock that you wanted but it wasn't a DNF and it was a series of mental victories just to continue. Lesser people would have quit. I would have quit! (And basically did, last year at FANS.)

                           

                          That's a very strange sequence of events after you woke up. I am glad you got checked out and agreed to medical care. You just never know. Now, to figure out how to fix that heel!

                          GC100k


                            Whoa! Scary stuff.

                             

                            But good on ya for continuing to get out there and plug away.

                            wcrunner2


                            Are we there, yet?

                              I was able to get a doctor's appointment today. It was with an associate rather than my own doctor, but that didn't create any problems. He listened just as attentively and seemed to understand where I was coming from. After taking a few vitals and going over the ER report he didn't see anything that needed to be pursued. He thinks it was a one time occurrence that was the result f the combination of circumstances. He preferred that I take another day or two before starting back again very gradually and I have no problem with that.

                               2024 Races:

                                    03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                                    05/11 - D3 50K
                                    05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                                    06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

                               

                               

                                   

                              AmoresPerros


                              Options,Account, Forums

                                Glad to hear it looks like just a short-term effect. Fair amount of carnage on the track this weekend at D3, but I overall had fun, and it was good to see you, and the various other regulars that I recognized. Dunno if you caught it, but the pair of girls attending you were sisters in the race who were both EMTs.

                                It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.

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