Thunderbunny 50K Race Report
Warning- it's long!
BLUF: Different “race”, same course, self-supported bc the live race has been postponed to the fall bc of Covid. My time was 7:08 (-1:42 off last year). Training plan was totally different with higher mileage, but more days off. It turns out my mind and body much prefer high week/low week to three week build, then a low week.
Background: This is my second 50K and I learned a lot from last year. In this report, I’ll spend time comparing what I did this year compared to last year, because it was very different and I think a lot of MOP’s and BOP’s (where I am) can learn from my experience. This is only my second Ultra season. Background is 1 IM, 4 marathons, lots of HIMs. My weakness (besides being genetically slow)- I’m afraid of going out too hard and not having enough gas to finish. I’ve never arrived at an event undertrained- I’m afraid of failing. If you don’t want to read all the background and just want to read about my race experience, just scroll down to “Race Day”.
This race was supposed to be the Thunderbunny 50K on May 9th in Athens, OH. It was Covid-cancelled (actually delayed to end of August when I will no longer live here, but I asked the race director if I could do it virtually and then pay for him to mail me my swag. He said yes!) Last weekend, 2 miles into my first of two 26-mile training runs, I tripped and smashed my knee. I had to bail at mile 4 because the pain was getting worse. I iced it for 48 hours and then did a few test runs and knew I’d be good to go yesterday for the race. I was worried about the parks getting closed or me getting injured or whatever and I just wanted to do the race now and not wait until May 9. I’d just had a nice 2 week taper (3 weeks is too long for me) and I was ready to race.
Nutrition: Breakfast is 500 cal of either peanut butter in my cereal or PBJ sandwich two hours before long runs. I do two hours and below fasted. Then I usually get hungry around two hours in and take in about 250 calories per hour with a combo of bars and Tailwind. Tailwind is 400 cal in 1000ml and that lasts 3 hours if it’s winter and I’m not sweating much. I don’t need much fluid and discovered that I used to drink way too much, esp on the bike and would lose a lot of time to peeing. Now I drink to thirst.
On race day, I brought an extra liter of water because it was due to be warmer the last hour or two. I split a 200mg caffeine pill and took half with breakfast with plans to take the other half 3 hours in at first aid station. Took 3 Sports Legs with breakfast with plans for 3 more at first aid station. And I decided to save my BeetElite for first aid station. I had only trained with that once, but I liked it.
Equipment: I run with a Salomon 5 Skin. Two x500ml soft flasks up front. I have not ever needed to use the 1 L bladder in the back. I also carry keys, ID/money, a space blanket, a sling I made for my 65# Golden Retriever in case he gets hurt, a switch blade, paper towels (sturdier than toilet paper!), a charger, plus 1 bar per hour (3-4 bars between aid stations). I also bought two more soft flasks so I can prefill with Tailwind for longer runs so I don’t have to mix powder or pour stuff between laps. Shoes are Altra Timps ½ size larger than my road shoes. I LOVE these shoes! Grippy and roomy enough for my bunions/wide feet, and I can still feel the trail under my feet. Race day was going to be a challenge for clothing because I was starting in mid 30’s and finishing in high 50s. I settled on capri pants, a tank top under a winter top and I took a lighter long sleeve shirt and arm warmers. I changed to the tank top and arm warmers for the last 4 miles after second aid station. Socks- I had been running with high wool socks all winter. I changed to short ankle socks on race day. Rookie move! Better would have been my over the ankle socks- would prevent little twigs and dirt from squeezing in that tiny space around my ankle. Had to stop twice for that. I have a couple pairs of XO Skins and if I have to wear socks, they are my favorite.
Aid station: I planned a 13.5 mile loop, which usually takes about 3 hours. I had my aid set up in the back of the SUV. Plan was AS 1- 100mg caffeine, 3 Sports Legs, BeetElite, and swap out flasks and refill bars. I had a 800mg Motrin in case my knee acted up. And the extra clothes were laid out. Plan at mile 27 (AS 2) was the Motrin if I hadn’t already taken it (bc I’d be taking after the race, so why not), swap clothes if needed, fill flasks with water if needed, and grab one or two more bars. This set up was perfect. Only thing I would change is using a bit less water to mix the BeetElite- I was a little sloshy for about 20 min.
Training: This is where the plan differed vastly from last year. Last year, goal was to finish within the 8-hour time limit. It was actually 9 hours, because they allowed anyone who wanted to start an hour early and still finish at the 8 hour time limit. I followed a traditional 3 week build, then one week low, gradually increasing to longest run of 22 miles Saturday and 12 miles Sunday (just one of these). I followed the EN “balanced plan” of 4-5 (usually 4) runs per week and 2 bikes per week with one rest day. Top mileage was 30-35 miles for 4 weeks. Longest mid-week run was 8 miles. When I got into the high 20s per week, I developed a severe tightness in my left hamstring that hurt when I ran and limited my mobility. I had been to PT and had dry needling and massage, but nothing really worked. Last year I finished the Tie Dye 50K in 8:50 (32/35 females). I was extremely happy bc my only goal was to finished. I never pushed crazy hard and I wasn’t super sore afterward. I went to the chiropractor a few months after the race when my hamstring issues persisted. He gave me exercises for that and my neck pain, which I did faithfully five days per week. I needed my unengaged neck, core, and glute muscles to all get with the program. It took about 2 months for all pain to resolve and I still do about 12 exercises on a 4 per day rotating basis.
The training plan this year was completely different. I took the 50 mile Endurance Nation plan and loaded that in, but changed to distances to one that I found online that was a high long run followed by a low long run th next week. For instance, a month might look like 20 Sat/10 Sun, 12 Sat/6 Sun, 22 Sat/10 Sun, 12 Sat/8 Sun, 22 Sat/10 Sun, 12 Sat/8 Sun, 24 Sat/10 Sunday. Longest mid-week run was 8-12 miles, about the same as last year. Schedule was Monday off, Tues 4-5 with Tempo, Wed 6-10 TRP, Thurs 4-5 with Strides, Friday off, Saturday long, Sunday mid. Two days fully off! I used these days to sleep in. I also slept in on Saturday and Sunday. So 4 days per week, I was getting an extra 1-2 hrs of sleep. It made a huge difference. Longest long runs were scheduled to be two 26 milers. I hurt my knee on the first one and didn’t do the second one. There were 2x24s and 2x22s as well. I love that I could work hard one weekend and know I had an easy week coming up. The longest weeks were two 50+ weeks (should have been four of them) and five 40+ weeks. I NEVER thought I could do this kind of mileage without breaking down. I LOVE THIS PLAN!
Key to overcoming my weakness was practicing running hard. Yeah, I know, this sounds very basic. But this is hard for me bc I have to learn to like running hard. I go long so I can go slow! I had five of these before race day. I do all my training runs with my dog (his longest is 24 miles), so running hard takes some sacrifice on his part to not screw around. No taking our time in streams and chasing deer. The first one was a 5 miler back in the fall. I just decided to run that hilly trail as hard as I could for as long as I could. I didn’t think I could do the whole thing hard and I was shocked at how fast I ended up doing it. Next was my first night trail race- a 15 mile “half marathon”. Plan was to go out hard and just run hard for as long as I could hold it. The challenge came at mile 12 when I discovered I still had 3 miles to go. I dug in and pushed hard and surprised myself with my “fast for me” performance. This race was crazy muddy, in the dark, on some hills. This is where I discovered I’m good at downhill- I love flying down on the edge of disaster picking my footing and trying not to die. I gained a lot of time on the more timid ladies who picked their way down. The next one was on an out of town trip to Tucson- I had 2.5 hours to run up and down the mountain as hard as possible. That was one of my most fun and memorable runs ever. Just on the edge of disaster (one side is a wall and the other is a cliff!) for an hour running as fast as I could over rocky terrain down the mountain and trying not to die. It was so mentally exhausting I had to stop twice just to let my mind relax. The last was the 13.5 mile loop on my home trail on a low week- just run hard as long as I could. I surprised myself. I felt I was ready…
Race Day! I iced my knee all week, ran easy, got plenty of sleep, and hydrated. Ended up waking 30 min early so I just got up. Ate my 500 cal peanut butter in cereal, took my 3 Sports Legs and 100mg caffeine, and brewed my decaf coffee. Yes. Decaf. I’m a doc and I like to know what I’m getting. I prefer caffeine pills to caffeine coffee on race day bc I’m normally decaffeinated and I’m using caffeine as a performance enhancer. So no guessing. Headed out the door without my Dog. He gave me sad eyes.
Got to the park. Set out my aid station. Said a prayer of thanks and asked for safety, and then set off. Pacing goal was to hold just faster than comfortable for as long as possible. Limit time at 2 aid stations to under 5 min each. Miles 1-3 are always hard. I don’t even feel good until mile 4 and I always feel like I’m going to have a crap day on mile 2. Achy legs started as usual around mile 8, but experience tells me it won’t get any worse before mile 20. I start eating at one hour because I was actually hungry- likely the increased effort over usual. Arrive at mile 13.5 and aid station 1 doing 4.4 mph- a bit faster than my usual 4.0. It goes smoothly. Swap out flasks, refill snacks, 3 Sports Legs, 100mg caffeine, BeetElite. Take off. 5 min exactly. I complete loop 2 in the opposite direction- mostly to stave off boredom. I put on a podcast around mile 17. Somewhere around mile 18 I start getting cramps, like I have to poop. But there’s nothing happening at the back door, so I figure maybe I’m just going too fast and digestion isn’t working well. So I slow down for about two miles and feel a lot better. Around mile 21, I start to get tired. I’ve fallen a couple of times, nothing serious. I did stub the same toe twice- still hurts. Around mile 24, I’m questioning my life and decision-making skills. I start to walk a little. A mountain biker passes me and she says Good job. I realize my face looks like I’m miserable. I work hard to relax my face, smile a little, and remind myself that this is fun. I changed how I carry my arms a few months ago after Eliud Kipchoge set his record. The commentators kept saying how he carries his hands high and looks like he’s flicking lint from his lapel. Well, my legs will never look like a pro (I’m a plodder and can barely pick them up- hence why I fall a lot!), but I can control my arms. I discovered that when I hold my arms like his, my shoulders and neck are much more relaxed. So I concentrate on hands high, pick up feet, try to be light and float, relax my face, smile a little. It helps a lot. Aid station 2 at 27 miles goes smoothly- add water to flasks, drink some extra, take my Motrin, ditch the heavy shirt and add arm warmers (it’s now 20 degrees warmer), refill snacks, and take off- 5 minutes flat! 4 miles to go. I’m down to 4.3 miles per hour average. I decide to run as hard as I can for the last 4 miles. I know from experience that I can run hard for 50 minutes. There was a side trail that I had never been on and I wanted to explore… and I knew doing this math would keep my mind occupied. I veer off at 1.2 miles, head down a nice dirt road, pass a young family of 4 (maintaining my social distance), and see the trail head straight down to what I now realize is the Gorge Trail down to the river. Uh no. I actually said out loud “I’m not doing THAT” and turned around! No way was I climbing back up out of a gorge at mile 29. Got back on the trail, occupied my mind with the math to see where my turn around would be, and just continued to run as fast as I safely could. By now, my finish line energy has kicked in and I feel great! I get back to my aid station at mile 30.9 and then run past it to 31.1, jut for good measure. Stop the clock at 7:08. Holy crap!!!!!! Woooohoooooo!!!!! (that would have put me at 17/35 last year). I’m finished and I’m sore, but happy. I ask a stranger if he will take my photo (with proper face covering of course) and he obliges. I ditch my shoes, drink my protein shake, chill for a minute and then head home.
After- beer, chips, hot bath, Indian for dinner. I only peed twice during the race, so I make sure to replenish with water. My first pee when I got home freaked me out. It was red! What!? Do I have rhabdo? Runner’s bladder? Renal failure from the Motrin? No. I remember AS 1- I have beet juice pee. I go to bed exhausted, but restless. I have not felt this in a couple of years. Only after very hard efforts. Finally fall into a fitful sleep, only to wake up starving and unable to go back to sleep at 2 AM. I get up, sore as heck, take a Motrin, make some breakfast and finish a book. I eat second breakfast around 9, jump on the trainer for an easy 45 minute shake out during YouTube church service, and feel better after. Later in day, still wicked sore. Yes, I left it all out there. I’m very proud of this effort!
What I learned- I love the high week/low week plan. I can run harder and longer than I think I can. I wonder if I can run 50 miles???
Comments
YES you can run 50 miles :-) You are stronger than you think you are, but then you already alluded to that. Getting ahead of myself.
Congrats for getting this done solo. Huge mental grit to follow through, get out the door and finish when there really is NO race.
Sorry your dog missed the show. Did you walk him afterwards LOL ???
Love your hacked training plan, the weekly structure, and the high/low approach. Most importantly you were in tune with your body and what works for you. Another take away is the loss of 1-2 key workouts does not derail success. Nice management of that lil injury setback.
Do you use sportlegs and beetelite in training ? Feedback on both? Specially with a Doc background.
I've never tried sportlegs but I have done the beet juice loading, I like the taste and also eat beets , but when I beet juice load for a week I dont like the way it makes me feel, pretty sure I can feel the lower blood pressure?
Was a big Altra fan, loved the wide toe, but after numerous experiences with size differential, I started to try other shoes, Topo etc, and I found that I trip less with a drop shoe, this is contrary to what I would have thought. Even yesterday I was wearing my zero drop Xero shoes walking and tripped twice. Maybe its just in my head?
Recover well and stay safe !
@tim cronk ,
I had tried the Sports Legs in training. I’ve been using it for several years. I have no idea if it works for real (the science side of me says it shouldn’t) or if it’s placebo. But in the end, it doesn’t matter as long as it works. I listened to a great podcast about placebos and the mind is an amazing thing. I think it was a Hidden Brain episode. They gave examples of when they work even when the person knows it’s. Placebo!
Regarding BeetElite, I did use it a few times in training. It tastes awful. And I don’t use it in a loading fashion. I just use one dose 30 min before my effort. In training, I used it at the beginning. For the race, I decided to use it half way in with the thought that that’s when I would need the boost.
I have tripped in every shoe I’ve ever worn. I trip walking and running. I hate sidewalks as they are particularly evil. I do like my shoes big, like a good thumb width at the end- saves toenails. But I also trip in flip flops. And when I was a kid, my big toes were often bloody because I would trip barefoot as well. I have scars on all my knees and shoulders from falling. It helped once I learned how to do a parachute landing fall... the roll technique helps prevent a lot of serious injuries!
Congrats on your PR. Very impressive work and nice Race report. Good luck training for your next ULTRA. 50 miler then a 100miler.
@Leslie Knight was on the EN Podcast! Here is it online: http://traffic.libsyn.com/enation/ENPodcast_LeslieKnightUltraJourney_1.mp3
Wow! That was fast! It was a pleasure chatting with you. I hope the team is able to get something out of this.