Runners Gathering at the Start - Cameron Park Lake
Despite the title of the race, it was actually a fairly mild day with the temp at the start mid 60’s and the high expected to be high 80’s or 90. Knowing it would be a long (even tedious at times) day, I didn’t want to go out too hard and burn myself out. I also didn’t want to start too slow either. Therefore, I tried to set a comfortable pace that I could maintain. I started running around 7:30 miles, which didn’t feel too trying until around mile 20. At this point my pace fell of a bit to around 8:30 per mile and my marathon time was just around 3:30.
Fortunately, just as I was slowing down, Rachel and the kids showed up at the race. It was a pleasant distraction from how I was starting to feel. Along with my stomach starting to feel a little queasy, I was starting to develop a blister on my right pinkie toe and my feet were starting to hurt. Developing issues this early in the race was a sure recipe for problems. The good thing about this course was that you have a chance to get aid every 1.25 miles. On most trail races the aid stations are only every 4-5 miles. I changed shoes and socks around mile 27 which helped a bit.
In addition to Rachel and the kids, I was also fortunate to have my brother Aaron come out to the race to run with me. Aaron came out after I was about 35 miles into my day and my pace felt pretty slow (between 9 and 10 mins per mile). Aaron provided a great distraction over the next 10+ miles. It was nice to not focus on how slow I was going and just continue plugging away at my goal. It seemed like we talked the whole time and it was a huge boost during the day. Originally I planned on completing 50 laps which is equivalent to 100k (62 miles). While this would be the longest I have ever run, it seemed reasonable considering the course and conditions. However, between laps 30 and 35 (around 40-45 miles) I would have been happy completing 40 laps (50 miles).
After having completed three 50 mile races, I have learned that there are big peaks and valleys during the course of the race. There are times when you feel like you have no energy and just need to sit down, and other times when you get an energy burst (running high?) and can suddenly run 8 min miles again. Fortunately, just as Aaron was just getting ready to leave, I started to feel that runners high that would carry me through my 40th lap (50 miles) in just under 8 hours.
Aaron & me after about 47 miles
Notice Aaron is quite a bit cleaner than I am
At this point, while tired and slow, I felt like I could keep going. A big boost was that I decided to use my backup mp3 player for some music. My IPod had died earlier in the week so I didn’t have any tunes for the first part of the race. However, this was another cool learning experience because the music seemed to provide another jolt of energy (tip: don’t start using your music until later in the race when you really need it). I couldn’t remember how to use my old mp3 player so I was just listening to the radio. I got a good string of songs that helped propel me over the next several miles. Some of the songs included Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb (which seemed to resonate at this point in the race), Green Day – Time of Your Life, and Red Hot Chili Peppers – Give it Away.
The final surprise energy boost came when I was approaching my 50th lap (100k) which was my original goal. I was definitely excited to reach this goal considering how unlikely it seemed earlier in the day. This energy carried through my 50th lap and past lap 52. Rachel came back out with the kids at the finish. It was great to be able to share my excitement with her after a long day. Ultimately I completed 54 laps, equal to 67.5 miles. I finished in first place, running farther than anyone else on the day.
Thanks to the Ultrarunner.net crew for hosting a great day. Special thanks to Rachel and Aaron for their support and help. The great part about ultra-marathons is the huge range of emotions you experience in a single day and I was fortunate to experience that unbelievable feeling from meeting and exceeding my goals.
Next up is the Rio Del Lago 100 mile race on September 11th. I just officially registered for the race. No turning back now. Hopefully it will be another unbelievable event.
At the Finish
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