My time was 11:15, a new 50 mile PR and finishing 40 minutes faster than my time last year. [Right: pre-dawn start] It was a beautiful, clear day, with the temperature close to perfect for running. A day or two earlier or later and it wouldn't have been as good.Preparation for the race was tricky. I had just five weeks from the Moab 50k+, so there wasn't time to really train, but just focus on maintenance running. I started the first week with 4, 4 and 8 miles, then the second week I did 8, 8 and 18 miles (all indoors, on a treadmill at a leisurely 10 min/mi pace).
The third week I did 10 miles on Tuesday, and then feel sick to the flu on Wednesday. It had been going around the family, so I didn't have much hope in avoiding it. That took me out Thursday and Friday with a 103 fever, and Saturday I missed the last Antelope Island training run that I had been planning on doing. [Left: clear day on the island] The fourth week I didn't feel recovered too well until the end, but I managed 6 miles that Thursday and 12 on Saturday. The fifth week I was traveling to San Diego and San Francisco, so my training was on hotel equipment, 4 and 2.5 miles, attempting to add a taper to a disrupted training schedule. I rested Wednesday and Friday that week.
[Right: rocky section of trail] The race started at 6am, so we had about an hour or so of running in the dark. It was pretty windy and felt like it was in the 20's with the wind chill. I started with four layers on top and three below, with the outer most layer being a jacket and fleece pants. The jacket came off first when I started to notice the sweat building up underneath, but I kept the pants on until just before I would be in the sun the rest of the day (about mile 12). I wore a short sleeved technical shirt and two long sleeved technical shirts for the next couple hours, but finally removed one long sleeved shirt and tied it around my waist (in case I needed it later). So I finished with a long sleeve and short sleeve on top, compression shorts and shorts beneath. My wool Injinji socks worked well keeping my feet comfortable, although I wore holes in the second from the outside toes on both. As usually, my Montrail Hardrock shoes performed beautifully, and I never touched or adjusted them during the race.I ran with my Suunto heart rate monitor with foot pod, and my Garmin Forerunner 101. They were pretty close on distance up to mile 20, but then the foot pod began giving distances that were farther than the Garmin. When I arrived at the second to last aid station, the Garmin reported it was mile 43 on the nose (the official race distance), while the Suunto reported over 44 miles. It appears I'll continue to use both, provide what they are each good at (the Suunto for heart rate, the Garmin for distance).
[Left: buffalo!] My goal on time was to finish in under 11 hours, which I missed by about 15 minutes. However my main goal was to finish without injury. As of this writing, I appear to have succeeded on that point. I also had no blisters or anything major to speak off. My recovery Sunday was going fairly well and I was considering spin and yoga classes Monday morning.I was able to maintain a good pace for the first half of the race, finishing the first 25 miles in 5 hours (5 mi/hr average). That left me 6 hours to finish to make my time goal. I had pushed myself pretty hard to that point, so began to take it easier. However, at around mile 35, my left IT band was giving me early indications it was going to get injured, so I put on my band wrap I had been carrying and took it easier (walking more often, not pushing as much on the running). It improved, but I was still very cautious. Also, my right calf began feeling tight and sore, so I watched that as well. I was determined to finish, so I pushed on the best I could, abandoning the time goal and focusing instead on finishing without injury.
Nutrition wise, I ate a Gu packet and took a Succeed whenever I felt hungry. This varied from around 40 minutes to an hour. I drank lots of water, refilling my 2L hydration pack at every aid station. I also ate animal crackers from the aid station, not wanting to eat too much solid food, but at least something. The crackers seemed to settle well. I made it a point to stay at the aid stations only long enough to get what I needed then moved on.
[Right: at the finish with John Moellmer] The wildlife on the island was plentiful, and I saw around 60 buffalo, a few coming within a hundred feet of me on the course. I also saw an antelope. The clear conditions gave a panoramic view of the mountains surrounding the Great Salt Lake. It was a really beautiful day.With this race done, I'm now looking forward to the Miwok 100k in six weeks in Northern California. The challenge will be to maintain my fitness and recover while not bringing on injury. The next couple weeks will be key on the recovery side, but maintenance will require continued training.
What worked well:
- Layering clothes
- Wool Injinji socks
- Montrail Hardrock shoes
- Succeed tablets
- Gu packet when hungry
- Body Glide
- Nip Guards
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