Gabe's Second Ultra Race Plan!
Race Plan: Buffalo Run 50k Ultra
Goals
Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake. It has a sizable populate of bison and antelope. It is covered primarily in grass and rocks, with only a handful of trees, the kind of prehistoric looking place you wouldn’t be surprised to find dinosaurs gamboling. I did my first ultra there in November at the Antelope Island 50k. That course is a big loop essentially circumnavigating the island on some trails the public usually isn’t allowed on. That meant rock hopping through what was the bed of the Salt Lake in more water rich times. Whereas, this course is two loops on well-maintained trails.
My goal was to have an early season race on the calendar to motivate me to train through the dark and cold winter months. People think I’m crazy when I say this, but I thought the 50k was easier than the marathon I did last year. The hard road surface delivers much of the pounding to the legs. You’re also running at generally easier pace jumping over rocks and navigating the terrain. I was fully recovered in a week from the 50k.
I also want to carry the killer run I developed by focusing on running the second half of last year into this year. I want a sub-4 hour marathon at Ironman Boulder to seem like an easy pace. I’ve been doing the outseason training, focused primarily on rebuilding my bike and swim fitness. The only change was to add in a couple of longer runs. However, I’ve found my run got faster by following the run durability program of high frequency, with my VDOT from last year of 47 jumping to 49.
I think I executed very well for the Antelope Island 50k last year, so I’m not going to change the recipe in the secret sauce. Okay, enough exposition, on to the plan…
Pre-Race
Thursday and Friday
- Begin carb loading by tracking calories and carb consumption in MyFitnessPal. Target a minimum of 500g carbs. Pack carb sources including bagels, fruit, and Gatorade to take to work. Take in carbs every hour.
- Double dose of Beet Elite every morning.
Running Gear
- Hoka Challenger ATR 2 running shoes and socks
- Ironman visor and running sunglasses
- Aftershokz headphones
- Northface BTN running shorts
- Salomon long sleeve running jersey
- Race belt with S-tabs in pocket
- Garmin Fenix 3 and HR strap
Running Vest
- 6 Gu Salted Caramels in front pockets
- 2 soft flasks with 17oz of Tailwind Nutrition (way better than that nasty Gatorade Endurance stuff)
- Gu Chomps (I like some solids to soak up all the gel)
- Phone in left zipper pocket with music playlist ready to go
- Blister pack, skullcap, and running gloves in right zipper pocket
- Light weight running vest in back pocket
Race Morning
- Wake up at 5:00AM
- Eat cereal + coffee up
- Take 2 shots of Beet Elite
- Apply sunscreen
- Depart by 6:00AM to get to the gate at Antelope Island by 7:00
- Drink sports drink on drive, stop drinking an hour before the race
- Arrive at race start by 7:00AM and pickup race packet
- Huddle in car until 10 minutes before race start at 8:00 to stay warm
- Place drop bag with two soft flasks filled with Tailwind to grab after the first loop, making sure to memorize the location
- Vega pre-workout supplement 15 minutes before start to get pumped up
Race
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Target time: 5:30 based on Ultrasignup predicted time (5:11 for my last 50k) |
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VDOT: 49 |
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Target TSS: 280 (278 for my last 50k) |
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Target pace: 10:00/mile (10:00/mile right on the money for my last 50k) |
Strategy
The Buffalo Run has approximately 3500ft of elevation gain. Reports say the course is long, perhaps as much as 32 miles, so I’m not expecting to beat my time from my first 50k. I’ve run the course before and it’s almost entirely runnable. There is a short section at mile 5.5 that is best power hiked. The chart below shows the elevation profile for one loop.
You can preview the course here:
http://www.trailrunproject.com/trail/7002446
The weather forecast has the temperature in the high 30F range at the beginning, warming into the 50s towards the finish. My rule is that I wear running shorts if it’s about 40F. I’ll be cold at first but should warm up during the first climb. I’ll have running gloves, a skullcap, and a lightweight running vest in my Salomon running vest in case I’m too cold.
Targets
Based on running the course, I should be able to hit a 10:00/mile or better average pace. However, I’ll probably have mile splits that will range from the low 7s for the descents and the 13s for the climbs. The thing I like about trail running is your world is 25 feet in front of you. Most of the time you can’t even look at your watch to see your pace because you’re working on staying vertical. So you need a fine tuned RPE-meter.
|
Miles |
Terrain |
Pace Target |
HR Target |
Notes |
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0-2.5 |
Gradual climb |
Go by HR and RPE |
Easy Z2, power hike if HR goes into Z4 |
The course starts with a legit climb, don’t ruin my day in the first 2.5 miles. |
|
2.5-5.5 |
Flat with descents followed by step climb |
Sub-10:00/mile |
Z2 |
Keep steady pace in high Z2 HR, then power hike up the step section before Elephant Head |
|
5.5-9 |
Fast descent followed by steady climb |
Go by HR and RPE |
Z3 |
Blast down Death Valley after mile 6 to mile 7.5, then steady climb up switch backs that should be runnable |
|
9-loop finish |
Fast descent with one climb |
Sub-8:00/mile on descents |
Z2 |
Capture all the free speed on the downhills |
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Second Loop |
See above |
Push the pace from the first lap |
Z3 building to Z4 |
Go easy on the first loop, then bring the heat on the second loop, descending the last hill to the finish at wide open throttle |
Nutrition Plan
I’m planning to do this run self-supported. I may stop at an aid station for water or a quick snack, or just to take a 30 second brake. But since there is also a 25k race going on the same course, I expect the aid stations to be a zoo. I’ll reload my soft flasks from my drop bag after the first loop.
Target: Consumer about 250 calories per hour.
|
Nutrition |
Frequency |
Calories / hour |
Total calories |
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2-3 oz of Tailwind |
Every 1 mile |
~200 |
800 |
|
Gu gel with caffeine to stay alert |
Every hour |
100 |
500 |
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Gu Chomps |
As desired |
~40 |
200 |
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S-tab salt pills. Take one if hands start feeling chalky. |
As needed |
0 |
0 |
Closing Thoughts
My first ultra last year was an absolute blast! I’m super stoked to be able to go for another round. I’m thinking I’ll alternate my seasons going forward where I’ll do Ironman focus one year followed by ultra focus the next to keep things fresh. Hopefully, this race will give me bullet proof run durability to carry through the season so I can lay down a sub-4 hour run at Ironman Boulder.
Comments
I started listening to music while running in the last year and found I really enjoy it. Previously I was a big believer in pure, unadulterated running. The key was I discovered Aftershokz bone conducting headphones. They leave the ears uncovered so I can still hear and maintain situational awareness. I can even hold conversations and it's like the music is in the background. It seems to make the long miles roll by.
The 50k I did last year was by the same race organizers. I appreciate they put on a fun event for dirt cheap, but the Gatorade at the aid stations was more like water, so I'd like have my own nutrition (loving Tailwind BTW). The drop bag is at the aid station at the midpoint, so it works out well to reload. The Salomon Ultra running vest is very comfortable for carrying ~1L of liquid. I haven't noticed a speed penalty on the trails. For some reason, I just can't run with a handheld bottle. I know a lot of folks love them, but for me it is very distracting to have something in my hand. Not sure why.
I noticed at the one ultra I've done that runners take long breaks at the aid stations like they're having a latte. I just handed the volunteers my soft flask to refill, had a drink of water while they did, and then was out of there in about a minute.