As the Farmdale race approached, I was completing some strong training sessions – 3 hours of hills 11 days prior, and lots of speed running to balance the endurance. Feeling confident, I decided to switch my usual goal for an ultra race. Instead of just trying to cross the finish line in one piece, I wanted to try and achieve a specific pace.
Thinking back to last year’s race, which was my first one longer than 26.2 miles, I saw some areas where I could improve, such as getting out of aid stations faster. I also started conservatively and slowly worked the pace up, finishing the last few miles with a quick (albeit painful) pace. I averaged 10:59 per mile, so I decided this year, having more experience and finally starting to work some speed into my training, to try and reach 10:00 pace.
During the 2 hour drive to Farmdale I formulated a strategy for how I could accomplish this ambitious goal. Remembering back to the Lake Mingo 7.1 mile trail race earlier in the summer, where I ran a hard effort, and then, 15 minutes later, ran the course 2 more times to turn the day into a long run, I decided I would break the Farmdale race into 4 segments, to match the 4 x 8 mile loops I would have to complete. The 1st loop I would run at a hard pace, followed by a relaxed 2nd loop to recover. The 3rd loop I would run hard, and the 4th loop I would try to hang on.
There had been a lot of rain during the week leading to the race, and when I arrived at farmdale I saw that the grassy start/finish area was sloppy and drenched. The race director informed us that most of the course, however, was in good condition, so that was good news.
The 8 mile racers lined up with the 32 milers, and the race director decided to send the 8 milers off 10 minutes before the ultra gang. Standing around in shorts with the temp in the mid 30’s, I decided to do some push ups to keep myself warm. As I pushed myself up and down I heard a man say “would you like me to sit on your back to make it more challenging?”. I looked up and smiled, and then saw a woman taking my picture, then another person said, “you’re the man!”. After doing the pushups I walked over to the camp fire and warmed my hands and legs.
When the time clock read 10:00 we began the adventure and I found myself feeling fresh and ready. I started off quickly, and was actually within sight of the leaders during the first mile. Last year I was dead last after 400m, so it was a new experience for me to be pushing the pace right at the start.
Even though I was running at a fast ultra pace (8:30-9:00), my breathing was easy, so I knew I wasn’t pushing myself too hard. After crossing the ankle deep water on the spillway at mile 3, an Asian man came motoring past me and I decided to push the pace downward and followed him until we reached the one and only aid station on the course at mile 5. I then let him go and backed off the pace a bit. I started passing a few of the 8 mile racers during the final 2 miles of the loop, and when I reached the end the clock read 1:24, which meant I had run the loop in 1:14, for a 9:15 pace.
As I refueled at my car I still felt fresh and strong, so I knew I hadn’t pushed too hard. And I was happy that I could now back off and run comfortably slow during the 2nd loop, to help me recover for a hard 3rd loop.
Having uncharacteristically started quickly, I knew that slowing in the 2nd loop meant I was going to be passed by a few racers. During the 2nd mile three runners came quickly upon me so I moved off the single track to let them pass. As the 3rd one passed I started running again, but after 10 steps he pulled off the trail to let me pass. He told me I was faster than him, but I doubted that as he was the one who had caught up to me. After a mile I decided to stop and stretch, and he re-passed me. I soon caught up to him and followed him for a bit. He told me his hip was hurting, I passed, and never saw him again.
I had a hard time deciding which shoes to wear for this race. I knew my cross country spikes would work well, but I was intrigued by my newly purchased long distance spikes, which were 2 ounces lighter (6 oz) and had a longer, sharper spike. I wore the LDS during my recent 3 hour hill run and they had started to rub my feet raw by run's end. I therefore knew that the max I could wear these was 3 hours. I finally decided to start off with the LDS and then switch over to the cross shoe once my feet started to hurt. The course was a bit muddy in spots, and in addition to the ankle deep spillway crossing, there were 3-4 tiny creek crossings which would re-soak the shoe. This meant that after mile 3, I would run the rest of the race in wet, muddy shoes and socks. I was curious to know if my feet would blister from the moisture, but thus far, about 10 miles into the race, my feet appeared to be in good shape.
About this time I also realized that creating a time goal for an ultra made it more difficult for me to achieve the desired trance state of running which makes these super long runs so enjoyable. My mind was focusing on what needed to be done to achieve an optimum future time score, rather than concentrating on the present state of affairs. While the run thus far was flowing smoothly, I was concerned that the mental strain of trying to achieve a difficult time goal would eventually wear me down. I tried to create a balance in my head between the present and the future, but I will admit that this type of running is not only more difficult, but also not as enjoyable.
Having to run 5 miles to get to the only aid station out on the course, I was beginning to feel that my calorie intake was not sufficient. I had made the mistake of not bringing gels, because at the ultras I had run this year, all of them had gels as part of their food offering. I was also relying on my favorite energy food, boiled potatoes dipped in salt. Unfortunately the pickings were slim at Farmdale's aid table - cookies, candy, grapes, pbj's. I chose to eat the pbj's and the grapes, but I felt this was not enough, and as the race wore on I began to feel my energy dwindling toward empty.
When I reached the end of loop 2 the clock read 2:44, which meant 2:34. It seemed hard to believe that I ran the 2nd loop only 6 minutes slower than the first. I decided that the clock must have been reset to reflect the actual ultra race, so I was now running an accumulated 10:15 pace. I knew by now that my goal of 10:00 would not be achieved, because I doubted I could negative split the race. This was somewhat of a relief to me, because I could now focus more on getting into a running trance.
At my car I refueled as best I could, but I missed the quick energy lift potatoes and gels could furnish. My feet, although feeling stifled in wet socks and shoes, were surprisingly in good shape, so I decided to continue wearing the LDS spikes. I loved how the shoe, even when soaked and covered in mud, still felt light on my feet. I recalled last year running the race in a high heeled cushion shoe, and with each step I could feel my feet sinking into the soaked softness, the squishy heaviness making for a miserable effect. Because the LDS has no cushioning and a minimal amount of material, there was no feeling of extra weight or squishiness.
Starting out on the third loop my legs still felt fresh and strong, so I started to run with more of a purpose. The first 5 miles were somewhat slow going, and also a bit lonely, as I did not see a another runner out on the course. I surprisingly was not being passed, but I also wasn't passing anyone either. Having started out quickly, I had already passed all of the slower runners during the first mile, and I was not going to pass any of the speedsters. I was in a place where I truly belonged, behind the top 20%.
At the aid station I caught up to one of the runners who had passed me during the beginning of the 2nd loop, and another runner was catching up to me, so I now had company. I let them go as we left the station, but soon after I caught a nice boost in energy and my pace quickened. I caught up with both runners and we ran single file down the narrow trail. My plan was to string along until the end of the loop. The leading runner seemed irritated that we were following him so he started blasting the downhill portions of the trail, and our tight line spread out, with me trailing far behind. Whenever the course flattened I would catch up to the two others, as my pace was quicker on the flats. Then another downhill would come and I would lose contact once again. A mile before the end of the loop the lead runner's pace dramatically slowed, and the other runner and I passed, and we ran together until the end of the loop.
As we approached the clock, which read 4:09 (10:22 overall pace), I wished him luck, and ran off to my car to refuel. I was starting to feel spent because of calorie deficiency. I ate a cliff bar, a kiwi, drank a V8, but I was sorely craving salted boiled potatoes. Expecting my feet to be in pain at this point in the race, they were instead still strong and stable, so I decided to run the final loop without changing shoes or socks.
Before starting off I stopped into the port-o-john and peed for the first time, then walked about 200m before finally starting to find a running rhythm. As usual, I was slow in getting out onto the course, and I had seen both runners from the 3rd loop start before me.
After a mile I caught up with the runner who had pounded the downhills, but instead of passing him, I slowed my pace and started eating a 2nd cliff bar and drank some fruit juice from my bottle. I was falling into deep energy depletion, and was starting to feel desperate for calories.
During the 5 miles leading to the aid station, I felt myself getting slower. Somehow I was keeping up with the other runner- passing him, only to be passed by him a little later, and then he would slow and I would re-pass. We pretty much stayed together until the mile 5 aid station, which meant only 3 miles remained. I was hoping to arise from the dead but after eating a pbj slice and some grapes, I felt it wasn't the right type of food to do it. I was falling deeper into despair, and contemplated what would be better, finishing the race or laying on the side of the trail and falling asleep.
For the first 29 miles I had run all of the hills, but now I was forced to walk some of the steeper inclines, out of necessity. I just did not have the energy to get my legs going. I decided I was in a state of semi-bonk, the only thing missing was the awful feeling that 1 mile feels like 2, and 3 miles may as well be 10. When I was able to run I was going at a decent enough pace, probably 10:30-11:00. My leg muscles felt great, no quad soreness, but I did notice that my calves were feeling tight - I will choose tight calves over sore quads any time. I am guessing that the flat heeled spikes were the cause of this.
I was still hanging with the other runner. I surprisingly had passed 2 female runners during this loop, but it was possible that I was looping them. I kept expecting to get passed by the runners who were not bonking - I felt like I was moving so slow - but nobody arrived, so I just kept moving forward the best I could.
With 1.5 miles to go I passed the guy who I had spent so much time with, and I saw he was hurting worse than me, as he was doing what appeared to be the bonk shuffle. We wished each other luck and even though I was feeling pretty bad, I started to run faster, sensing how close the finish line was. When I got to the 400m gravel road dam crossing I knew I had less than 1 mile left, so I sucked up my pain and tried to run with my normal form. I ran about 10:00 pace to the finish, and ran into the chute at 5:45, for a 10:48 overall pace. I had slowed considerably during the last loop, which took me about 1:30 once I started to run, which is 11:15 pace.
After I stopped running I felt the need to vomit, so I bent over, but nothing came out. I stood up, walked to my car, ate a kiwi, a few potato chips, and drank some water. I walked around for 15 minutes, and knowing I had to get the rental car back by 4:30, I soon started the 2 hour drive back to Urbana.
While I fell far short of my time goal of 10:00 pace, I enjoyed the challenge of the day, and setting up such a difficult goal for myself forced me to change my running style and made things interesting. While I prefer not running against the clock, sometimes there is a place for it, if only to break myself out of a comfortable routine.
I learned that I can't rely on all races to provide gels and potatoes, and so I need to bring my own. I think the semi bonk I experienced during the final 5 miles was caused more by lack of calories than pushing too hard prior to the energy loss.
My feet were in surprisingly great shape at race's end, with only 2 small blisters on the tip of two toes, which caused no discomfort.
Having raced 4 ultras in 4 months, it is now time to take a break from racing and get into my winter training routine - long runs out on the South Farms in nasty weather - I can't wait :) | 