Well, I completed my longest running race yesterday, and man, 25k is a long ways! Having just returned from working at Western States 100 in Tahoe (that's 100
miles), I am in complete awe of long distance runners (that's coming from a collegiate 800m runner, so everything seems far to me!) I did this race as part of my training for the
TransRockies Run in August. TRR is a 6-day stage (think Tour de France-style) running race that covers 113 miles in the Colorado Rockies. For me, TRR is functioning as a fun, intermediate goal between summer training and the so-far-off-seeming winter racing season. Training for TRR has got me doing some extra long-distance running, as well as expanding my repertoire of distance events.
The second farthest running race I've ever done was a 10-miler at the end of this May. That race went really well: I clocked negative splits the whole way, averaged sub-7-minute miles, and felt awesome. So I was pretty confident going into this race. I have a lot to learn about the difference between running on flat roads versus hilly trails, however...
Couldn't have picked a prettier backdrop for all the suffering.
My race went down like this: right out of the gates I picked out the women's leader and tucked in behind her. I focused on staying relaxed and comfortable. I stayed in second as the lead changed several times. It was at about 40 minutes in when I took my first gel that another woman "little red running shorts" came trotting by, looking very comfortable. It was about this time that I noticed I was starting to get goose bumps from heat exhaustion and I thought "this is going to be a long race." Despite having goose bumps, I still felt decent as we came to a long downhill section. I'm pretty good on the downhills, so I decided to keep marking first place and followed Little Red. Her and I stuck together until we got to the third aid station. I was feeling really overheated and meant to ask for water, but got energy drink instead. I took a few gulps and poured it over my head anyhow. It felt pretty refreshing, although a little sticky. Well then we hit another climb and Little Red held the pace, while I was really not feeling well, so fell back. It was around that time that I sort of switched from racing mode to survival mode. It's not that I gave up, I never once thought about quitting, I just started focusing on simply finishing without stopping, rather than keeping up or passing people.
Over the next hour, a lot of thoughts raced through my mind, a few of the more frequent ones were, "Mile markers would be really helpful out here," and "Man, I wish I had studied the course profile a little more closely, how many more climbs are there?" and "Are we there yet." Okay, so my head wasn't totally in it, but I did push myself the entire way, and I endured a type of discomfort I never have before.
The race went on and on, with me only guessing how much was left. I took energy drink at all the aid stations, but that didn't alleviate the heat or humidity. At the fifth aid station I put ice cubes down my sports bra, and my, did that feel grand! It actually made me feel a lot better, and my second gel was kicking in, so I was able to pick up the pace. I was running with a group of guys at the time and queried, "How much farther." One replied, "Can't be more than 1k." I thought "Hey I'm going to make it, and I feel better than I have for the last 45 minutes!" So I decided I would start to kick it in. Bad idea! The moment I picked up the pace both my calves seized up into tight fists like I've never experienced before. That stopped me dead. I pulled off the trail, and I'm pretty sure the guys behind thought I had broken my ankles from the scene I was making gasping and holding my legs. I stretched for a moment and then hobbled on. I figured out that if I ran on my heels rather than running on the balls of my feet it would stave off the cramping, so I managed to gimp it into the finish with a time of 2:16, making me the third female.
Yep, they found some hills out there. Mile 5 is where I got goose bumps. It was at about 8 miles that I lost touch with the lead and switched to survival mode.
Thanks Salomon for the racing kit! My quads are definitely grateful for the exo compression!
This race turned out to be a great learning experience for me. I discovered several things that need to be addressed before the big event in August. Among them are heat dissipation, electrolyte balance, and pacing, pacing, pacing. Yes, I admit I was a little too enthusiastic out of the starting blocks, but in my defense, I didn't know the heat would be so intense, or what kind of pace I could hold for 25k. I've always been good at nailing a pace on the flats, but in both running and skiing I need to continue to improve on those climbs. I definitely gained respect for this distance of a race, I went hard, without a doubt, and it was a good mental exercise. I really reached a new leveling of enduring discomfort in order to finish the race, and my calves are definitely reminding me of that still today!
The reward.
Talking TransRockies with a TRR veteran.
2nd place open women.
Bill Weber photos.
