What Went Right & What Went Wrong

Yesterday I ran the Leona Divide 50 miler.  I went in with a goal of sub 10 hours, and a backup goal of 10 hours 30 mins.  To make a long story short (I’ll write the long story later this week and post the video) I finished in just under 12 hours.

Before I start going on and on and on about all the things I did wrong at this event, I’ll start with some of the things I did correctly…

• Before the start of the event I made a small copy of the course elevation profile and the distances between the aid stations to keep in my pocket during the run.  I also studied the elevation profile and had a decent plan of attack in my head before the race even started.  I had a good idea what parts of the course I would be running and what parts I was going to be power hiking.

• I packed my wet wipes in my hydration pack.  I always put a good amount of wet wipes in my bag at every race and every time I go on a trail run.  I was very happy that I remembered to do this.  Before the event started I made sure to take a trip to the restroom, but we’ll just say that I didn't take care of all the business that needed to be taken care of.  Right before I pulled into the first aid station I knew that I was in need of a pit stop right away.  I pulled into the aid station and noticed that there was no porta potty, so I decided I would just head to the next aid station and hope for the best.  Hoping for “the best” didn't get me anywhere, because the second aid station didn't have a porta potty either.  I tested my luck and uncomfortably ran to the next aid station at mile 17.6, then found that it too was without a porta potty.  I honestly didn't see one the entire event.  Thankfully I had my wipes.  I finally did what needed to be done miles ago… I ran a little bit off of the trail and took care of business behind a bush!!! 

• I was spot on with my hydration.  It wasn't very hot out so this wasn't that big of a deal.  I made sure to have one of my bottles with Fluid Sports Drink and the other with water.  I mainly drank Fluid the entire event, and only drank water just to wash down whatever Gu I was taking.

• Before the race I detoxed from caffeine.  This allowed the Salty Caramel Gu and my Passion Tea Fluid to more effective.  Both of them contain caffeine.

• Even when things weren't going good yesterday, I still took the time to enjoy the fact that I was out doing something I love.

Here are some of the things I did wrong…

• I have not incorporated hill repeats in to my workout since October of last year.  I typically do hill repeats early every Tuesday morning at the park.  During the winter I got really lazy and started skipping this Tuesday morning workout.  I usually do this workout from 5:00 a.m. to 6:45 a.m. and just do non-stop repeats, but the cold and lack of sunlight stopped me from wanting to do this workout.  I honestly feel that because of my lack of hill work I lacked the confidence to run the hills at this race.  I never felt fatigued hiking up them, but for some reason I just didn't try to push hard and run up them.

• As much as I was pretty good about staying hydrated, I did a horrible job of taking in solid food.  Around mile 26 I started feeling really hungry and I started eating at the aid stations.  The aid stations were stocked with watermelon and I did my best to eat as much of it as I could.  Watermelon is amazing during long trail races.  It makes my stomach feel full and it helps me stay hydrated.  I should have started taking in solid food earlier into the race.  I typically stop at every aid station and eat something just so I can try to stay ahead on my nutrition, but for some reason I didn't do that at this event.  I was constantly fighting off hunger pains the entire last half of the race.  I was eating as much as I could at the aid stations but a couple miles after I would leave the aid stations I was feeling hungry again.

• I didn't pack my bag very well.  I usually pack a few extra goodies to eat along the course… a sandwich, twizzlers, rice crispy treats, or anything else that I enjoy while running on the trail.  I failed to pack any snacks for this race.  I have no real good reason for not doing so, I just didn't do it.  This was very stupid of me.

I walked away from this race reflecting upon what I could have done differently.  Every event is a learning experience.  I learned a few tough lessons yesterday, and hopefully it will hope me improve my training for my next race.

Until next time…

KEEP RUNNING!!!!

American River Run (AR50) 2014

On April 5th 2014 I ran the American River Run 50 Miler for the 5th year in a row.  This year I ran it with my good friend Leigh Moser.  Leigh and I first met each other at the Run de Vous 100 miler back in 2013, and we have been friends ever since.

Last year Leigh paced me for the second half of the AR50 and helped me finish in 8:54:09.  This is my personal best time for a 50 miler race.  This year Leigh and I decided to run the event together.

Leigh and I had a blast on the trail.  We took it pretty easy this year and just enjoyed our time on the trail.  This year the course for the AR50 was slightly different that all the previous years.  In previous years the first part of the race was mainly a pave bike/running path, and the second part of the race was mainly a single track trail run.  This years change in course was designed to incorporate more trail and less paved path.

I think that the course change was nice, but I honestly liked the fast pace of the old courses paved road start.  I also liked the feeling of having a road race for the first half of the event, and a trail race for the second half.

The race this year also had a staggered start.  Half of us started at 6:00am and the other half started at 6:15am.  With the race being so large with competitors this year, and not on a wide paved road at the strat, the staggered start totally made sense.

The volunteers were awesome and the aid stations were well stocked with all the typical  ultrarunning aid station food and beverages.

I also had a new toy on this run.  My parents recently surprised me with a new camera for my birthday (my birthday was one day before the race).  They know that I like to take videos of my runs and they picked up a new Garmin Virb.  I'm still figuring out how to use all the fancy bells and whistles on it, but so far it's a really cool camera.

In the weeks after AR50 I've been preparing for my next race, the Leona Divide 50 miler on April 26th.  My training since AR50 has been pretty consistent and I'm really hoping to have a strong finish at Leona Divide.


Until next time...

KEEP RUNNING!!!!

My workout for today...

I'm feeling really good about my last few weeks of training.  My weight is just about where I want it for this Saturdays Leona Divide 50 miler. At the beginning of April I ran the American River 50 miler weighing just over 190 lbs, and I should be just under 180 lbs for this weekends race.  Running 50 miles carrying 10 less pounds is going to feel so good!!

Today I got in a good 10.3 mile trail run, and then rode 33.9 miles on my bike. I topped the night off with 90 mins of Jiu Jitsu with my buddy Steve over at Redlion Jiu Jitsu.

I also just finished my video of my friend Leigh Moser and I running this years American River 50 miler and I should have a short blog about that run and the video posted shortly.

Until next time...

KEEP RUNNING!!!