Scott Giljum's NFEC 50 Mile Race Plan - Feedback Requested
Preface to the preface - Last October 6, I had surgery on my ankle to repair a torn ligament and frayed tendon. At the start of the new year, I was cleared to take the boot off and have been working my way back to "normal" ever since. This race is my first move back into competition in any form, and I am excited, nervous, terrified...really it depends on the time you talk to me.
Ok, now the preface - I will start by saying I have thought through my plan a bunch, but this is the first time I have put it down on paper, so please be brutal with your feedback to make sure I don't miss anything. Also, it is probably horribly disorganized, so sorry about that in advance.
I am scheduled to run in the North Face Endurance Challenge in San Fransico, the 50 mile race. There are a fair number of big names that will be there, so I look forward to seeing them at the start and then maybe at the after party. I will be travelling with my wife and meeting up with a cousin who talked me into this. So far, weather looks perfect (at least for me) with temps in the 40s overnight going up to high 60s during the day. Here is my skeleton plan:
I arrive in San Fran on Thursday afternoon (3:15 if I remember correctly). I plan to get the rental car, get to the hotel, and then do a short, easy run to shake out the legs. We will then find something to eat and then to bed.
On Friday, I plan to wake up, eat pancakes, and then go to packet pickup. Lunch will be protein and simple carbs (likely a sub sandwich). Through the day I will munch on pretzels and drink some GE. Since it shouldn't be too hot, I'm not as worried about lots of salt intake, but will be aware and shoot for more than less. I plan to have a pasta and protein type dinner and hit bed early. If I feel up to it, there is a panel discussion at 6:30 with Dean Karnazes that could be good. As for the day/night to sleep, I am hoping the time zone change will work in my favor in that I hopefully will want to go to bed sooner and won't mind the early morning wake up call.
During the day, I will pack my drop bag. Here is my thoughts on what is in it:
- Change of shoes
- Change of clothes
- ibuprofen
- My backup bladder (2 non-caf and 1 caf tailwind mix) and soft flask preloaded with tailwind (caf)
- refill margarita shot blocks - 3 or 4 sleeves
- blister treatment kit
- trail toes lubricant
Basically I hope I don't need any of this with the exception of the bladder, soft flask and shot blocks.
I will also load up my hydration pack day before. That will include the bladder, a soft flask, a few sleeves of margarita shot blocks. I will also stash my light rain jacket and gloves in the pack.
Saturday - Game Day!
The race starts at 5, so I am planning on being up by at least 3 (though this does depend on shuttle schedule). I will plan on having my typical race morning of a high protein naked drink, an english muffin and a banana. I also have a caffeine drink to help the basic wake up process.
I will "warm up" my hips and add water to the tailwind powder. I will have one non-caf in the soft flask and the hydration pack will have 2 non caf and one caf. I will use trail toes on pretty much everything (feet, nipples, undercarriage, you name it) and add it to my drop bag. I will also put on sun block. Jump on the shuttle and get to the race start! I will be dressed (depending on weather) in long sleeve tech shirt over short sleeve tech shirt, Salomon shorts, injini socks and shoes. For the start, I will need a headlamp. I will take it off as soon as the allow to be picked up at the very end of the race.
For this event, there are aid stations all over the place (the longest distance without one is 6 miles, and that's from the last aid station to the finish line). I have two spots where I can put drop bags, and they are aid stations we go through twice. One of those (at mile 13.3 and 41.8) doesn't seem very useful to me for that purpose (too early and then too late to matter), so I don't plan on using that drop option. Plus my wife will likely join me at 41.8, so she can crew me with what I might need. The other (at mile 23.3 and 30.1) seems like just what I would want. I will use this for drop purposes as it falls right around the middle of the race and should be a good time for me to change out my hydration bladder and get a new soft flask.
I plan on taking a drink/long slug from the bladder/flask at least every mile or 10 minutes (whichever comes first), which is what worked on training runs. I will eat three shot blocks every hour. At the aid stations, I will drink water and likely grab either pretzels or chips (both sat well in training runs) to add in more calories. Salty tends to work better for me than anything sweet. My thought is the bladder and flask will get me to mile 23 on the short end, or 30 on the long end and be swapped out at that aid station.
The course has quite a bit of elevation change (not going into the mountains, just a lot of up and down). I plan to run what I can and power hike what I cannot. Early in the race particularly, I will guard against going too fast and turning the rest of the day into a total sufferfest (it will happen anyway, no need to rush it!). I will monitor HR. Below 140-145 is good, above 150-155 is no bueno unless near the very end. In the middle there is the "monitor closely" zone. That is the area where I will likely make gametime decisions based on course profile ahead and potential competition/trail clogging, etc.
I can have a pacer on the back half of the race. There are two spots where they can join you, mile 27.4 or 41.8. The current plan is that my wife will join me at the 41.8 mark and help get me home. Looking at the map, that aid station is right before the last BIG climb of the day, though there are some smaller punchy sections after that. I will make sure she has a bottle of tailwind (definitely caf) in case I run out of fluids up to that point.
I have never run even close to this distance. I figure there are things I haven't thought of that I will wish I had come race day. Hopefully those of you that read this can help me avoid some of those. I am planning on this being a fun race where I can learn more about what works for me and what doesn't, as well as how my body reacts to this type of stress. The goal probably falls more in the complete than compete side of the house. I say that, but training has felt good for the most part and if I am still feeling able to, I am sure I will push a bit at the end. The goal is still just to cross the line though.
Sorry this is so disorganized, but I wanted to get my thoughts on paper and get some of the wisdom of the group. Any comments are welcomed!
Comments
Woohoo this came up fast huh? Make sure you have a small blister/footcare/lube kit ON YOU not just in your DB's, you dont wanna be in a position where you know you have trouble and have to wait to make it to your bags, it should be very small with minimal stuff, alcohol wipe, baby wipe, some tape, bandaid, and lube. Food sounds light but I am not worried, you can get enough calories on what you have planned but I'd expect you to get pretty hungry half way through. There will be plenty to eat just dont wait too long. Should be a cupless race do you have a collapsible cup? Hit AS top off your bladder or bottles, get food, fill cup with coke and get walking while you eat. On a course like this that is VERY hilly but VERY runnable , the danger will be damaging your quads running down hill, be extremely aware and protective of this. Did you consider the compatibility of pace between you and your pacer ? Obviously your probably much faster than her but at 40 miles will she be able to handle your best case scenario pace? Heck 10 miles on that course is a hard run all in itself. IOW you need to make sure she has a good experience as well. Light to start and plan on dropping at first DB? Go get it and good skill!
@tim cronk thanks for the feedback! Here are some answers:
@Scott Giljum I have no specific advice other than I look forward to living vicariously through you on this one. I have my first 50 in December, and like you have never run that kind of distance before. For me in a complete, not compete mindset, I will try to find some like minded travelers and chat it up to see if I can make time go by faster. As long as they are not pushing pace beyond my comfort zone. I did that at BFC and 15 miles went by pretty quick. I wish you well, your training runs on strava have certainly looked good.
First. Have fun! Take time to enjoy the run. Second. Stay on.top of your nutrition. I usually have no problem always eating and drinking but when I got tired in my 50 I didn't want to eat. I ate anyway as I knew I'd I didn't it wouldn't be pretty. I ate real food like a pb&j at least every 9 miles. Usually every hour. Make sure and drink and get enough salt.
As to the run walk where others are walking. Don't kill yourself on the hills. 50 hilly miles is tough. I wouldn't stop more than a minute or two at an aid station. Just keep moving and keep jogging. It will get tough even if you stay on top of nutrition and don't have any aches or pains. Hopefully that will be minimal.
Your going to do well! Your training was solid!
@Scott Giljum - Bummer on the race, but if you had any regrets about your training you have a chance to fix them!
Essentially you have three more weekends between now and when you need to taper again. I will keep the last 14 days into your race very similar to what you just did. It’s more functionable you do over the next 16 days that matters. Specifically the weekends.
I recommend doing a 20 miler and a 10 miler this weekend, a 30 miler next weekend with the other day off, and then 2 x 15 milers on the third weekend. The goal here is to stimulate your system after darling things back to the taper, and then giving one more big Endurance shock.
If 30 miles in one go is too much just let me know how you want to chop it up. The key here is to make sure you’re still able to recover enough and that might take a while to come around. So please keep up with Nutrition and Sleep.
@Coach Patrick 30 in one go will be fine. This is strange to say, but are those long enough? I’m coming from the framework that had big weekends of 24 followed by 30, so perception might be a touch skewed. I had thought 24, 30 this weekend, a bit less next weekend (say 18, 24) and then 10, 10. Then taper. I want to be primed, so was thinking I could handle the big bump again. Sounds like you would say this is too much?