Ultra Runners

1

Leona Divide 50 miler race report (long) (Read 28 times)

paul2432


    Leona Divide 50-mile Race Report

     

    Background

     

    I signed up for this race for two reasons.  One, it was free, compensation from the RD for volunteering at the Ray Miller 50 miler back in December.  Second, it would be a nice tune-up race for Western States.  The location was also convenient, about a 90 minute drive from my home.

     

    My goal for the race was simple, execute well and finish strong.  I also hoped to be under 9 hours.  Here is the text I sent my friend Dave (also running) a few days before the race:

     

    I got into trouble pushing too hard up from the ocean at SOB.  Definitely will hold back on the climb at 18.  Taking an extra 10 minutes there could save an hour later.

     

    What do they say about best laid plans . . .

     

    Course Description

     

    The course follows a T pattern, starting at the bottom.  The top of the tee is the Pacific Crest Trail where most of the course lies.  The vertical part of the tee is about 2.7 miles, of which the first mile is on a road.  At junction of the PCT the course turns right until the 18 mile mark where we turn around, continue past the tee to the 40 mile mark, turn around again, head back to the tee, turn right and return the start.  The course is mostly runnable single track with some rocky sections.  Plenty of sun exposure.

     

    Race Day

     

    The plan is to drive to Dave’s house, arriving at 3:29 AM, switch to his car, and head out at 3:30 AM.  I wake up around 2:45 AM, get dressed, make a coffee and have a small breakfast.  I arrive at his house at 3:27 AM and wait.  At 3:32 AM there is no sign of him (he is usually very prompt).  I send him a text and call (goes straight to VM) and get no response.  At 3:39 AM I decide to drive up on my own and head out, about 10 seconds in I get a text that he overslept and will be right down so I go back.  He comes down and we head out (he asks me to drive his car so he can sort things out).  We drive a minute and realize he forgot his running pack so we head back and finally make our way for good.

     

    Due to our late arrival, we park down the street from the race instead of the parking lot which is full.  We get our numbers, hit the toilets, drop stuff at the car and head back to the start.  I see my friend Ben who is also running (and finishes 2nd OA) and wish him good luck.

     

    The Race

     

    I’ll break this into aid station to aid station segments.

     

    Start to 2.7 (tee with PCT)

     

    This section is almost all uphill.  There is a small downhill section along the way which I completely forgot about on the return.  I proceed through here at a fairly easy pace, walking some of the steeper sections.  The 50 milers and 50Kers start together (50Kers turn around early) so it is somewhat crowded.  We are on a road and then a fire road so this is not a problem.  I get to the aid station and continue straight through.  In my pack I have 2L of Tailwind.  I also have a few gels and some empty soft flasks that I will fill up later.

     

    2.7 to 8.7

     

    This section continues up until about mile 5 and then drops down to the next aid station.  Again this is fairly uneventful.  I’m going along at an easy pace.  I am a little behind where I thought I needed to be to get under 9 hours.  This happened for two reasons.  One, I’m going a little slower than I expected and two the distances are a little longer than I expected.  Some of the numbers I used in my planning were just wrong (my own fault).  To compound matters I come into the aid station needing to use the toilet.  There is only one, and there is a line.  I probably lose 5 minutes waiting.  At this station I fill up my soft flask to ensure I have enough water to get to the 18  mile aid station.

     

    8.7 to 18

     

    This part of the course is uphill for a little over two miles, downhill for about four miles, and then flat/rolling the last two miles to the aid station.  My plan to go easy in the first half, and strong in the second half starts to slip away.  I try to make up the lost bathroom time and get closer to 9 hour pace.  I’m really looking forward to the four mile downhill, figuring this will be place to make up some time (although my pacing plan already called for making up time on this section!).  Unfortunately, while the downhill starts out very runnable, it soon becomes rocky, slowing my pace a bit.  I continue to press on as the day starts to warm (I think the high was around 85F).  As I near the aid station I see the leaders coming the opposite way.  Ben is maybe 5 minutes behind around 4th place.  I eventually make it to the aid station at about 3:05.  I had figured I would need to be there around 2:50 to have a good shot at sub-9:00.  My drop bag has two sandwich bags of Tailwind, one to mix up, and one to take with me.  I refill the bladder, mix in the powder, stash the other bag in my pack.

     

    18 to 27

     

    This section reversed the previous section, flat followed by a big climb than down to the aid station.  My watch has a “run” mode, and a “trail run” mode (different screens).  I have the trail run mode set to show my heart rate on the climbs and had planned to use this to moderate my effort on the big climbs.  Unfortunately, two things went wrong here.  First, I started the race in run mode rather than trail run mode.  Second, sometimes the heart rate doesn’t lock in properly at the beginning of a workout.  That happened on this run (I was showing 160 BPM at the start which is impossibly fast).  So, even though my heart rate was reading properly by this point in the race, I was not paying any attention to it.

     

    After leaving the aid station I see Dave coming in about 5 minutes behind me (he would later tell me his drop bag never made it to the aid station).  I continue along and get to the four mile climb.  I think that because I am walking lots of it I’m going easy.  I’m not really going easy, I’m hiking hard and its hot.  I notice that nobody is passing me and I take pride in that and try to pick off a few people I see ahead of me.  Looking back I’m screaming to myself, “what the hell were you thinking here!?!”.

     

    I eventually make it to the top of the climb and start the downhill.  I press the pace here trying again to make up time coming down.  I hit the halfway point around 4:45 well off sub-9:00 pace, although the second half of the course is easier.  Finally, I make it to the aid station (the same one where I had the bathroom delay) and I’m met with the palm of a volunteer holding me up before I cross the road.  A bicycle slowly wheels by.  I get ready to go and he holds me up again.  There is a car at least 30 seconds down the road.  Not my finest hour, but I lose it.  Are you kidding me, this is ridiculous I tell the volunteer.  We exchange a few more words and eventually I cross the street, fill my soft flasks, and head out.

     

    27 to 33

     

    This section starts with a climb and then descends back to the tee to the start (we continue straight).  I let my frustration get the better of me, and continue to push.  Somewhere in this section the efforts of the day are starting to catch up with me.  I think to myself, if I feel like this at mile 30 of WS I am done.  There is no way I’ll finish.  I need to remember that.

     

    One nice thing about this race is seeing some of the PCT thru-hikers along the way.  It just made me happy to see folks out enjoying the trail for the long haul.  I tried to be as courteous as I could to the non-race trail users.  Due to the out and back nature of the course, we saw some of these hikers several times and they were all very gracious, even though this race was probably a major inconvenience for them.

    I finally make it to the aid station and take advantage of the ice water buckets to soak my hat and arm sleeves.   I also make a fresh batch of Tailwind in my bladder and refill my soft flasks with cold water.

     

    33 to 40

     

    This is the out of the final out and back section. It’s mostly rolling with climbing section maybe 0.5 – 1.5 miles long.  I feel steadily worse along this section and my pace slows dramatically.  Around 37-38 miles it has become a full-blown death march.  I mostly walk, mixing in short bouts of running where I can.  At this point the course is a little more crowded.  We have the faster 50-milers and the slower 50Kers coming back.  Somewhere around 38 miles I see Ben coming back and he is in second place, but well behind first place.

    I finally make it to the aid station and nothing looks good.  I try some ginger cookies hoping they might settle my stomach.

     

    40 to 47

     

    The ginger cookies don’t work.  I eat two of them and toss the third.  A short while later I stop and throw up.  I’m hoping this will make me feel better, but it doesn’t.  The good news is there is not much volume so at least my stomach is emptying.  I continue marching on and Dave passes me (I learn later that I was at one point 45 minutes ahead of him).  He looks good and forges on.  I press on leapfrogging a few other suffering soles and getting passed by many others.  Eventually I make it back to the aid station.  I decide to sit for a few minutes to settle myself and drink some water before the final 2.7 miles to the finish.  I’m looking forward to the easy downhill to the end.

     

    47 to Finish

     

    Unfortunately, I completely forget that there is a small half mile uphill along the way to the finish.  It’s not much of a climb, but at this point if feels like a mountain.  I press on, eventually making it to the top, down to the road, and down to the finish in 10:28.  I am delighted to see Ben waiting for me (he finished 3 hours earlier).  I chat with Ben and Dave (he finished 25 minutes earlier).

     

    Post Race

     

    It should be obvious to everyone, that I completely messed up this race (my second half was an hour longer, just like I said I wanted to avoid in my pre-race text).  Ben suggested writing down my lessons learned and I have.  Of course the important thing is not just writing them down, but actually applying them.   Here are some of my key lessons learned:

     

    • Take what the course gives you regardless of your plan. The bathroom delays, the hold up crossing the road, the less runnable than planned terrain, etc.  Nothing I can do about that.  That time is lost and I won’t get it back.
    • Forget about power-hiking. I have this idea that if I’m walking I’m going easy.  Not true.  A hard hike up a hill on a hot day is probably equal to maybe a marathon pace effort (maybe a little slower) on a flat road on a cool day.  That is not sustainable for 50 miles.
    • Don’t get too committed to time goals especially if I get behind. If I’m behind a time goal that means I need to revise my goal, not try to make up time.

    My next big thing is the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim on 5/5 where I will apply these lessons.  For that I have a time goal, but it is a minimum time goal.  I will plan a conservative pace, and if I find myself ahead, slow down.  I’d like my GC pace to be closer to my planned WS pace, which is considerably slower than my LD 50 pace (even with messing it up).  I need to practice going slow.

     

    If you made it this far, thanks for reading.

    a smith


    king of the non-sequitur

      Paul, thanks for the report. sorry it didnt go as planned but you finished. looks like a pretty good time to me! one thing i dont get though. why did you say "Forget about power-hiking."? your RR implies to me that you went out too fast at the beginning

       

      Bridle Trails 50k 1-13-24 5:39

      Cottontail 6 Hour 4-13-24

      Cougar Long Series (May,June,July,Aug 2024)

      Carkeek 6 Hour 10-19-24 

        Paul, thanks for the RR.  Going to give you devil's advocate perspective here: since this wasn't your goal race, it's not necessarily a bad thing that you had lots of challenges to work through. Much better at Leona Divide than at WS, right?  It sounds like you've identified some good lessons to put into practice.  The mental game will be essential to get you through WS, so what you learn from LD will be as important as your physical training going forward.  I have not done WS but I'm the captain at ALT, the aid station at mile 85 of WS.  Looking forward to seeing you there.

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

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

        9/21/24 Mountain Lakes 100, OR

        paul2432


          Fnky - What I meant by “forget about power hiking” is that I should think of it more as walking.  The idea is that even hiking I’m still going too hard if I push it.  I should not be powering through anything.  Just trying to drive a change in mindset.

          drock69


            Thanks for the RR! Amazing how a small hill can feel like a mountain at the end of a hard race. Sounds like maybe arriving late threw you off your game a bit, not setting your watch to the trail setting etc. Do you think you would have hiked slower if you were watching your HR? With getting sick, a bit of overheating and bathroom delays, you still did amazingly well. Sounds like you're ready for WS!

            Club Fat Ass New Years Day 50k - Jan 1 - 6h13m

             First Half HM (road) - Feb. 9

            Chuckanut 50k - Mar. 21

            Sun Run 10k - Apr. 19

            BMO Vancouver Marathon - May 3

             Vancouver 100k (Club Fat Ass) - 32h07m 2 runs, pacing 100 miler friends

             Whistler Alpine Meadows 100 miler - September 25

            berylrunner


            Rick

              Congrats on your finish Paul.  Thanks for the report.  That's still a fast time considering your struggles and I looked up the course, good climbs in there.  So you weren't moving as slow as you thought when struggling or you were really pushing the first part of the race.

               

              That crossing guard situation was odd.  I would have probably just went and said "thanks for being out here" when passing him.  I know, follow the rules and be nice to volunteers, but we are adults and can cross a road, we are not in elementary school.  So the time loss wasn't a big deal, but it was the change in attitude that probably got you more.

               

              Any more to the story that your friend's drop bag went missing?  I know that happens occasionally and for a 50 you can probably survive, but I wouldn't want that to happen in a longer race.

               

              So on to the Grand Canyon.  Good place to practice your 100 mile pace.  Take it slow and enjoy it.  I think we need a separate discussion thread, I am getting excited for my trip.

              12-22   Last One Standing  - dnf 37 miles

              1-23  Sun Marathon - 3:53

              3-4-23  Red Mountain 55k - 7:02

              4-15-23  Zion 100 - 27:59

               

               

              T Hound


              Slower but happier

                I agree on the hills, effort overrides everything in terms of what u do.  Especially on a hot day.  Congrats on finishing a tough race. Good on you to vomit and keep going.  That skill could come in handy at WS.  Seeing your goal times erode and vanish is always tough.  50s for me are hard because the avg pace I should (and will eventually like it or not go) is slower than long run or easy pace training runs, so there is a tendency to go out too fast (which is actually not fast at all).

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

                 

                RWD


                  All of your lessons learned are good ones. Ones that sometimes we have to learn more than once, haha. I agree with Gatsby - this was a great mental tune-up for WS, way moreso than a perfectly executed race under your time goal would have been. Nevertheless, this is a result to be proud of, all the way.

                  paul2432


                    Thanks guys for all the comments.

                     

                    Drock - Yeah, I think if the HR was working right I would have taken the big climbs easier.  I've been working on paying closer attention to my breathing and perceived exertion as a measure of effort level so I'm less reliant on HR.

                     

                    Beryl - We never found out what happened to the drop bag.  He had food and Tailwind in his bag (just a large ziplock bag) and it just wasn't there.  It never turned up.  I agree regarding the GC - I'll start a new thread.

                     

                    Treadmill Hound - That regular easy pace is too hard has been a lesson that has taken a while for me to learn.

                    MervinBlankenshi


                      I was surprised to find that cars are designed not only for high-speed racing, but also for hunting! This is a completely new look at their functionality. After reading post https://www.agmglobalvision.com/worst-cars-for-hunting, I got acquainted with the most ridiculous machines created for hunting. I can't help but smile at these unusual designs. This is another reminder that technology can give us not only efficiency, but also humor in the most unusual situations!