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!!!!