Mt Hood 50k PR - Race recap
I decided to give the 50 K another stab over this last weekend.
It had been a year, and although I signed up for Mount Hood 50K in January, I wasnât quick enough and ended up on the waitlist somewhere way down the line.
When I was emailed to see if I wanted to participate, I had seven days to prepare.. That isnât very much time!
Luckily I had been doing some runs that were three and four hours long a few weeks before the race, (including one at Waldo Lake that ended up being 19 miles about 10 days before the race, where I biffed it on the trail, and I still have bruises from). Still, I definitely would not consider myself trained for a 50k! In fact, I was probably trained just enough to get myself into trouble.
I like potential disasters a lot, so this was a perfect opportunity handed to me.
My pre-race prep included looking for campsites and talking a friend into coming along âand then also talking her into volunteering.
I was so glad that Lynn joined me! And, I didnât realize this, but when she decided to volunteer, it secured us a campsite right next to the start and finish, which I wouldâve had some difficulty finding that close to the race.
I cut back on running considerably the last 6 days before the race, because my legs had been feeling rather tired, and I ran 14 miles on the PCT (including climbing) the day before I was offered the spot.. and the 19 mile run was three days before that.
It was a conscious choice to put my energy into resting and trying to get better sleep, eating a little bit less for that week and to withhold running to create a desire to run far: Fresh legs and a fresh mind.
I still managed to do a couple of short runs just to burn some calories during race week, but none of them were more than 40 minutes.
PRERACE The day before, I hardly ate until about 12 pm, when I found an incredible Mexican restaurant in Salem Oregon, and ate one and a half fish tacos.
The tacos were bigger than I expected and I left the tortillas off the second one. The vegetable bar was great- I ate a bunch of pickled carrots!!.. I also had a craving for Pepsi (and picked some up at the store), which I drank, along with coffee, on the way to the campsite at Clackamas lake. I made sure to drink plenty of water once I got to the lake that evening.
NOTE: This may not be the best nutrition plan for everyone else, but it sounded good to me.
Unfortunately I kept stopping on the way to Clackamas lake, and didnât end up getting there until maybe 5 PM. At that point I set up the tent and started walking out of the campground to watch the 50 miler finishers.
On the way out, I ran into my friend, Lynn. We parked her car and went to the race start, where we watched some very inspiring ultra runners finishing a long, long day.
I got to say âhiâ to the race directors and feel the vibe coming off of the finish line. Thereâs nothing like hearing the music and seeing exhausted, but happy, faces who have just completed something monumental.
After a little bit I decided to buy my dinner there, and purchased a pulled pork sandwich and some coleslaw. This wasnât my planned race night meal, but I didnât realize the drive from Government Camp to Clackamas lake took so longâ and driving over that pass freaks me out!
We hit the sack about 10 PM and I set my alarm for 5 AM even though check-in time was 6:30 to 7:30 AM.
I did not sleep particularly well, and even had some bad dreams about my kids, and in the night Lynn stepped on my glasses! Luckily, I had plenty of contact lenses and never intended to wear the glasses to race in.
RACE DAY Despite the lack of sleep, I felt pretty good in the morning when I got up, and went right to making some coffee on the camp stove.
For breakfast, I had some bacon and potatoes that I had cooked up previously and brought with me, warmed up on the stove with some eggs. (I can run a 5K on oatmeal, but I donât think I can do it for 50k.) I also threw down some blueberries which were on the edge of going bad!
At about 7 o'clock I went to check in with Lynn. It was still pretty cold and I kept my jacket on with my shorts and Orange Mud race tank. I tried to wait at the start, but I got so cold I ended up going over by Gone creek in the sunshine and sitting there for about 20 minutes and stretching.
Finally, we lined up to start and I set my jacket off to the side. I had given pacing some thought, and decided to break the course up into uphill and flat/downhill sections. The first part of the race was downhill, so instead of going out slowly, my plan was to go a little bit faster and then intentionally slow down on the first uphill section, then go faster again on the downhill.. (repeat until not possible).
There were quite a few ladies in front of me and of course lots of guys!
I kept with a woman in Nike Pro compression shorts until about mile three when I decided she was going a little faster than I wanted to go.. she ended up finishing about 20 minutes ahead of me, so that was probably a good choice!
My goal was to average nine to 10 minute miles on the downhills, and 12 to 13 minute miles on the uphills.. hopefully ending up about 11 minute miles which is close to my PR.âI also figured that I might totally die anywhere around mile 15. âSomehow, crashing and burning didnât sound like a bad plan. I wanted to take a little risk, rather than regret not doing so.
When I hit the first aid station, I saw Lynn there with the other volunteers. I was happy to have made it that far and mile six came faster than my watch said. The Garmin 735XT said that I had only reached a little past 5 miles, but I think that it was in the early stages of trying to figure out where the race was with GPS. Regardless, I lost about a mile in the first section of the race on my watch, and was actually running faster than I thought I was!
At this aid station, I made a full stop, just like at all the others. They had cans of Coke there, and Pringles! I had Skout bars and gels on me, but I was saving them. I ate a slice of watermelon, about four chips, and half a can of coke.
Since it was a cupless race, I didnât realize that I might not see Coke in cans again later! It was much more convenient that way than at later aid stations, when I tried to pour it into my flask, when my flask already had water in it.
After the quick refuel, there was lots of climbing to the next stop. Much of the segment I was running alone, as we had spread out after the first section.
There were plenty of rocks and roots to pay attention to, but most of the trail in between was a fine powdered dirt. The only other runners I saw were at a bit of a distance ahead of me or behind me every once in a while appearing through the trees. I was grateful for the Orange confidence markers that were left, as well as good signage at connecting trails.
When I reached the second aid station, I was still feeling good, and looked for a way to get some Coke. I think I dumped out my flask, and poured it halfway full with Coke, drank that, then filled it with water again. This took a little time, but I donât think it hurt me in the end. I also ate one of the new mystery gels that I had been given to test. It hit the spot!
A couple of people passed me at the aid station and I decided not to worry about it. I was running my own race, and thatâs all that mattered.
I headed out onto another uphill section and was surprised in 2 miles by one of the most beautiful views Iâve ever seen in a race! Mount Hood appeared through the trees in a breathtaking way.
All of that climbing, and the reward was there to see in full glory! A few minutes later and I could no longer look at the view because there were runners barreling downhill towards me!!
The top males were close on each otherâs heels at that point, and I did my best to move off the trail for each one of them. Itâs something else to see someone running trails at that speed. I didnât want to get ran over, but I was certainly impressed.. and it wasnât much longer until the elite ladies were also tearing down the trail.
I hit the crest of that hill knowing that I hadnât even hit halfway in the race, and still had a couple miles to get to the next aid station. I was starting to feel the need to use the restroom and, unfortunately, this kind of thing canât seem to be avoided in a 50K.
Arriving at the turnaround aid station, I asked if they had a porta-potty and they did not. They said they had plenty of bushes and wet wipes, but with that many people there I was feeling a little shy! I let a couple of people go ahead of me mainly because I did not want them to catch me using the restroom. I donât know if I ever caught them againâ and I donât really care. What had to be done, had to be done!
After scrambling back out of the trees, I hit the trail again and headed out for the remaining 17-something miles. I was feeling a little lighter, and also realizing I probably needed to fuel more.
I came down the hill and saw who had been running behind me. It seemed to take forever to get to the forest service road aid station.
At this point, exhaustion was starting to creep in. I wasnât too concerned about how long I would take at the aid station.. I took my flask and poured water over my head.
Immediately, and aid station volunteer noticed and offered to sponge me off with some water from an orange bucket. That sounded like a much better plan than the one going through my head which was to sit down in the nearest Creek before moving on.
She started to put the wet sponges is on me and I couldnât help grabbing them and making sure I was quite soaked before I left. My phone got wet, so, after being reassured that it would make it to the start, I left it with a volunteer.
The whole getting wet business may sound a bit ridiculous, but I swear this was a game changer! I donât like being wet when I am running, but being 10 to 20° cooler feeling has an amazing affect! I had energy again!!! I ate another gel and drank a little Coke, and ate a couple chips. It wasnât perfect, but it was enough to keep me going.
After leaving the station, I came across a man who seemed to be running about the same pace. He was right behind me and we ran together for almost the entire segment. I was in the front, and he Supermanned it at one point. Luckily he was OK. This was kind of technical, and it couldâve easily been me. I probably tripped a couple of times but, managed not to fall somehow.
Approaching the Little Crater aid station for the second time, I saw Lynn again. She was smiling and taking pictures and I gave her a big old hug. And then I did quite a bit of complaining. Someone asked me if I needed anything, and I said âa helicopterâ âŠjokingly of course! But, thatâs how I felt with 10 miles to go.
For some reason I thought I had only 5 miles to go to the next aid station, but Timothy lake looked enormous! I ran into a group on horseback in here, and moved over and got still for them to pass.
How long would it take me to run to the next station around that lake ?? I didnât want to even think about it. I kept telling myself to just run. My words of confidence to myself were, âit is an ultra. Itâs supposed to hurt.â âYou can do this. You can do anything for a few hoursâ..
I was in the pain cave. This is the point when I wondered if running 30 miles in training would actually help.
Coming around Timothy lake before heading to the last aid station, I started to look at the total time on my watch and wondered if I could make it to the finish in time to beat my goal of just finishing in 11 minute miles⊠Under 5:46. That would mean a PR. It would also mean I would have to keep my legs moving in a fashion that somewhat resembles running, and not start walking!
Miles kept clicking by slowly, then there was another view of Mount Hood across the lake. It was breathtaking, and if I was done running, it wouldâve been an excellent place to sit down and drink something cold, with my feet in the water⊠But I had about an hour left to run!
Eventually I made it across a dam and saw the final aid station. There was someone misting people, and I made sure to get fully sprayed, as I had dried out completely from the last sponging! It was refreshing to say the least.
I wasnât sure how much I needed to feel at this point but didnât want to crash. I ate half of my skout bar and took my flask and put half ginger ale and half Glukose drink in it. I wasnât caring the flask full because it had to be scrunched down to keep it from pounding me on the breastbone.
I couldnât remember whether the terrain was uphill or downhill for the last section, and no longer had my phone to consult the map. I just decided to do my best to keep my feet jogging. It started downhill and then went uphill again.
Somewhere in here, I pulled off in the bushes to go to the restroom again. I was doing a good job of drinking and I will never feel bad about stopping because Iâm hydrating well. Iâm still new to ultras, but I have ran races dehydrated before and wonât take that risk again.
A man passed me somewhere near mile 28, and I had a man close behind me for miles. If I ât knew how close I was to the finish line I might have given it more effort.
Soon, I started to see little cabins, and the thought occurred to me I might be getting near the finish line. My watch read that I still had a mile to go (One can never trust their watch in an ultra! I have been wrong the other way and had another mile to go and I thought I was done- Silver Falls).
A few strides later, and I could hear people at the finish line.. and then I saw it! Was the clock correct? Could that really be an 11 after the five hours? How in the world could that be?? I was surprised to be the first master female (Which scored my some new Oofos sandals, though I was still more than an hour behind the first female overall!) and happy beyond belief.
(My post race shock selfie #idontdoselfies)
POST RACE I beat my own expectations by 30 minutes, and I happily crossed the line with a massive PR that I can only attribute to a beautiful course, (without 5000 feet of climbing), keeping cool, and making plenty of maintenance stops. It sure wasnât the long training runs!
Iâve joked about retiring from the 50k, but this course actually makes me want to give it another shot. Maybe it takes five or six before you begin to figure out how to do well at them. I still donât think that ultra running is my best game, but perhaps there is hope for improvement and satisfaction in learning and growing in the long haul!
GRATITUDE Iâm particularly thankful for my sister and brother-in-law who watched the boys while I went to the race. They kept them very entertained and the boys really enjoy spending time with their Aunt Andrea and Uncle Chuck.
Iâm also grateful for my dad and mom who have watched the boys when I went out on some adventure runs that ended up being my only long training runs for this race.
And, of course, I owe much to my husband, who does not come to any of my races, but shows unfailing support in his own way by working diligently to support our family and fund my crazy escapades, and who has tolerated my intense need for running therapy over the years. Thanks Babe.
