Oh, the trip: the ultramarathon; my first 50 miler. Let’s get back to that, shall we?
As I entered into the Portland area, I realized that I had forgotten something: my tent poles! Arghhh! Soo, taking a promising exit, I ended up at Target in search for a tent. Hey, at least I found a tent that would fit my needs under $50...and of course I had to stop at Starbucks for my starcrack Pumpkin Spiced Latte. Right? RIGHT?! Mmmm, that helped my bruised spirits a bit. Oh, and I hit the bathroom in Starbucks before I left.
Moving on to the camping and campground and race course and the nightly bathroom trips...
Okay, let’s start with how beautiful the area is, especially with all the old growth trees. They accurately named it the race Autumn Leaves, that's for sure; tons of beautiful colors from the leaves on still on the trees and those on the ground. Did you know that leaves falling on a tent sound a lot like rain? -More to come on that. So, I unwrapped my new tent and set it up. Oh, did I mention it was orange? And that my upgraded Motorpsycho label is Vermilion Leader (I started out as Orange Leader and was promoted for some reason...most likely Motorpsycho trip related. Did I mention that I take an annual motorcycle trip with my bromance buddy Lee [who is Crimson Leader and before the promotion was Red Leader]...wait, back to the story; SQUIRREL!). Yes, the orange tent. Set up. Off to get my race packet. Oh, and for your information, I had to use the bathroom twice already at the campground; a bit of foreshadowing there folks.
I suit up in my riding gear –at this point I’m rocking my Hokas and not the motorcycle boots— and off I go. Before I head to packet pickup, I decide I need to find the start location so, at O-Dark-Thirty, I won’t be fumbling around with that. On my search for the start I come across an aid station (full disclosure: I could see the aid station from my campsite, like 50 yards away...maybe less). I stopped and chatted with the people there for a minute, then I was off (again) to find the starting point. Did I mention how beautiful it was there? Arriving at the little inclined service road (with signs stating authorized personnel only), I decide to put-put up there for a peek. There’s a row of bluerooms (port-a-potties), a couple vehicles, a covered area for drop bags and people. I spent a bit of time conversing with them (long enough to take off the helmet) and telling them who I was, how this was my first 50 miler, yes I love my Hokas, etc... Nice people (the wife of the race director was one of them). They did say that I was the first motorcyclist they’d ever seen wearing Hokas. That made me smile. I eased their minds letting them know I had just put them on when I set up camp. I also made the claim that after I was done with the race I would take a dip in the river right beside us to cool down my legs. You know, because it was just right there. Confident in the knowledge that I knew where to go in the morning, I left to get my race packet.
Back to camp I go, stopping at a gas station to get a Nutri Grain bar for breakfast, munch down a Snickers Dark and gulp some skim milk. Oh, and I hit the restroom. So, it’s only like 8:30 and I know I have to get up early; that meant bed time. After making some phone calls, one to my buddy (who trained with me and ran our first marathon together in 2011) and a call to my wife, I hit the restroom about 50 feet away (while the phone is on the bike charging, I need 100% tomorrow). Anyone been counting? Even I had lost count. Hey, I must have been well hydrated, right?
The big sleep; or, known as laying in my tent, listening to the leave drops. See what I did there? Not rain drops, but leave...clever aren’t I? And it did it all night. All. Night. Leaves. Falling on the tent. How do I know? Well, you see, I woke up approximately every 2 hours until I got up at 5 AM. EVERY. TWO. HOURS. To pee. Not just tinkle tinkle pee, but all fire hose like. Each time. You can do the math if you want (I got up at 5 AM for the 6 AM early start); don’t forget all the other times I mentioned the bathroom. And I’m not ashamed to say that I had a couple wee little accidents while trying to relieve myself in the bathroom (pun intended). Just two. The first time I was all like “well it’s not that big of a spot, I’ll be fine.” That was probably the midnight peeing event. However; the last time, it was the time-to-get-up-and-get-ready time. This spot was just a bit larger; and a hint or so on the running pants too. So, I went back to the tent to get my extra pair of compression shorts, lubing agent, etc., to finish getting ready. Oh, I DID spend some time drying the pants under the hand dryer in the bathroom BTW.
So, I’m up, dressed and on the bike. Off I go to the parking area by the start. Man, a lot of people were choosing the early start. And it’s dark. No stars, if memory serves. I park the bike in a spot that no car could use, and I’m right by the cones for one of the paths. That will come in handy if I need to get something from the bike or dump something. It’s probably 15 minutes to 6 and I’m just pinning my number to my pants. You know the ones I had to spend some quality drying time with in the bathroom. However, it’s not cold out at all. Hmmm. After I have the bib all pinned up, I decided that shorts will be a better option. So, I reverse what I JUST got done doing. Off the bib comes and the pants go into the top case of the motorcycle. I don the shorts and get my race bit situated on the leg just the way I like it. You know, I need to start folding my bib smaller like most veteran runners do. Anywho, now I need to get my hydration belt, which happens to be my wife’s belt, situated now. I toss her bottles in the top case and retrieve mine (her’s leak). 5 minutes. I hurry up and fill my bottles with my nuun mixture, toss on my bandana and jacket, get my headphones on (I have them tied to my wedding ring on my necklace), strap on my wife’s iPod Nano, and trot up the road to the start. I hear the race director yelling out 2 minutes. Crap! I vaguely remember something about a sticker or something for earlier starters for my bib. I start asking around, and finally get an answer from the race director himself. Irritated (can you blame him? LOL), he tells me it’s up at the pavilion. He quickly tells me to forget about it because we’re starting in like 20 seconds. I shrug my shoulders and line up. Next thing I hear is GO! I start my wife’s Garmin and start walking. Yes walking. I’m in no hurry right now. I still need to start my Runtastic App on my iPhone, so I fumble with that and get it going. This app is super important to my race strategy because its sole job is to ding me every 7 minutes. Run 6, walk 1. That and I want to document the race. Once I get all my electronics going (no music yet), I break into an easy jog to catch up to the back-of-the-packers. Again, no hurry. I’m an average guy, overweight by 20 pounds or so, so I know I’m not even close to pulling off a decent time. Besides, this is all about finishing and starting my last loop before the cutoff: 4 PM. 10 hours. I’ve got to get approximately 43 miles done in 10 hours. I can do this.
Okay, during the first lap, my goal was to keep at least someone
in sight so I didn’t stray from the course.
I would chat with Dan The Man and a female runner who was trying to
complete the 50. Catherine. She tried last year and missed the
cutoff. She was back, had a plan, and
was working it. At one point we heard
the hooting of owls. Random, but
beautiful. At first Dan The Man thought
it was just some runners. As we pass the
aid stations they volunteers are cheerful but apologize that all they have out
is water and Heed. No apologies needed
in my opinion. We started early. We knew what that meant. About 1/3 way through the course there is
merging point of the second stick of the lollipop. At this juncture is the Music Man (or Dancing
Man). He was decked out in glow
bracelets and had some music going while he dance for us. Just for us runners! Dancing and directing people with dance
motions. Dude was amazing. He even got a shout out on the race’s
Facebook page as well. I finished my first lap in about 1:20:00. My left big toe felt like it may get a blister on the outside so I stopped at the start/finish area to get my Stridebox that had my foot care stuff in it. I waved my two fellow runners and wished them luck as I sat down to take care of the problem. Hmmm, what to choose: duct tape or KT Tape? The duct tape won since I was all sweaty and it is more robust. Back goes my footcare box (which would be the only time I would use it) and I start my second lap. Luckily I finished in time that I could see light from some runners so I could use them for a focal point.
Second lap: food was out at the aid stations. The 50k runners and normal starts for the 50 miler were already in 20 minutes or so. Let me take a moment to talk about the aid stations and volunteers. Everyone was cheerful and helpful. I would run the course again even if the surrounding weren’t gorgeous just for them. Oh, did you know that when you’re running there are some foods that are like ambrosia? For me, it was the cantaloupe hands down. Oh. Em. Gee. These amazing morsels tasted wonderful. I mean, my God they tasted amazing. Oh, and watermelon was good too. Mmmmm. So good. Cantaloupe was better though. I just want to make that clear. I just can’t put words to how wonderful it was. Okay okay, so it was still dark when I started, but dawn starting when I turned around and was heading back. When I passed my bike I hung my head lamp on one of the mirrors. I still had one around my waist (I never used it) and didn’t bother with it. I think I tossed my jacket on the bike too at this point. I believe that this lap I caught back up with Dan The Man. It’s all a blur here until my 7th and 8th lap.
I remember having to kick it into gear for a mile or so to catch up to Dan The Man. My Garmin was indicating like 9:00 or so pace as I pushed to catch him. Why? Well as I was heading up to the turn around on the far end (the hula girls aid station/turnaround time matt), I saw him coming down. He said he was just going slow so I could catch up. I took that to heart and hit the gas. I think he was toying with me. LOL.
Oh, and Pam Smith was ROCKING the course. She was all sparkly and flying. I looked: her average pace was 7:26 per mile! For 50 miles! DAMN! A running goddess indeed. It was an honor to be lapped by her each time.
Catherine dropped to the 50k due to injury. However, she is in high spirits. She said it gives her an excuse to try again next year and see all the wonderful people again.
Okay, so I’m near the end of the 6th lap. I’ve caught up with Dan The Man. He can tell I’m getting a little overwhelmed with the course and the miles. I remember at the Tri-City aid station (one of the volunteers aiding was from my location!) on the way back (lap 6, before catching up with Dan the Man) I was a wee bit overwhelmed with emotion. I was thinking about seeing my wife and kids at the finish. Man, talk about emotional overload. Tears, increased breathing, anxiety… Anywho, I’m pretty sure I was in the thrall of one (yep had a few of these moments while running) when I slowed down to refill my water bottles and grab a bite. I remember the comment of “relax, you’re okay, take it easy” or something similar. Taking a big gulp of air, I pulled myself together. Again, amazing volunteers.
So, I’m caught up with Dan The Man. We are at the start getting ready for the pivotal lap: the qualifying 7th lap. I have to finish this one by 4 PM. I think I’m about 7:15:00 hours in at this point (it’s around 1:15 PM). Dan The Man tells me to start walking and that we will finish the last 2 laps together. So off I go walking while he partakes of the blueroom. Sidenote: I think I only used a blueroom 4 times. Never a bowel movement either. I know I know, too much info, but hey, I’m a runner. Hell, I’m almost a bonafide ultrarunner at this point in the story. This might be pertinent information to be used or referenced later. LOL. Dan The Man catches up with me probably a mile later, and off we go, sticking to the run walk schedule that my electronic companion eagerly announces for me.
So about the turnaround point Dan The Man becomes my pillar of strength and resolution. He can tell I’m hard pressed. I’m going and gonna get it done, but he can tell I’m struggling mentally. So, he takes charge. “Chris,” he tells me, “I want you to fall in line behind me. All I want you to do is watch my feet. When I walk, you walk. When I run, you run. Let’s talk and the pass the time.” Well, that’s just what I did. Though I must say the talking in my department didn’t last long at all. Dan The Man seemed to take that in stride because it wasn’t too long before he had ear buds in and I’m guessing music going. Speaking of music, can you believe I didn’t listen to one iota of music for the WHOLE race?
Anywho, with Dan The Man’s guidance, I started my last lap around 3:35 PM or so. I had made it; it was all downhill from here, so to speak. At this point, Dan The Man was greeting passing runners with compliments. My attempts, no shit here, were along the lines of “Gue jaab barg” with a sad attempt of a smile or nod. Yeah, that, and I was only acknowledging like 1 out of 4 runners at this point. As we passed things like benches or aid station for the last time, Dan The Man would point that out. “Chris,” he’d say, “just think, that is the last time you’ll see that <item>.”
Also, I will say, there were multiple runners cheering me on those last couple laps that were getting in the cars near the finish. A couple of them even commented on my optimistic attitude for the majority of the race. That helped tons. That and those whom I talked to the day before at the aid stations knew my name and cheered me on.
Homestretch. At this point
my phone has been going nuts with cheers from Runtastic. This is a great feature. When friends like your live activity on Facebook
it sends a cheer. Also, if you at
tracking my on the website, you can send cheers at any time. Yeah, I was getting a lot. It was awesome. I had donned my jacket for the last couple
laps, though I was wondering why I had it on since I wasn’t really cold. Meh, who knows? So here I come. This is it. I can see the road up to the finish in the
distance. I can also tell my kids are
there waiting for me along with my wife.
A huge smile comes to me. I have
no idea if it’s physically showing on my face or not, but it’s there. My kids are now “running” besides me to the
finish. My daughter is making fun of my
speed doing running cariocas and laughing.
Silly girl, let’s see HER run 50 miles and go faster at the end. LOL. So
here we are, the finish line is in sight!
“I’ll show the kids,” I think.
Out loud I say, “Ready. Set. GO!” Adrenaline
is in full effect. My heart rate screams
up. I sprint. Full on sprint. They had no chance. And with that, I cross the finish line in a
blur. No really. A blur.
My wife’s camera captured it.
Eleven hours, seven minutes and twelve seconds.
I did it! 50 miles!
Oh, remember that dip in the river comment I made? You know the readily available Mother Nature ice bath? Yeah, it didn’t happen. To get to the river at the start/finish area I would have to climb down like 20 feet to get to the river’s edge. Oh don’t you worry; they (director and volunteers I told yesterday) made SURE to point out that the river was just down there waiting for me. Thanks for the reminder guys.
http://www.orrc.net/races/autumnleaves/autumnleaves.htm
//********** Additional Information **********
I ran this race in the Hoka One One Stinson Evo Trail-Running Shoes. I had put 34 training miles on them before the race. Here’s a comparison for you: I ran the Tunnel Lite marathon in September in my Brooks Cascadia 7’s. Granted, the Cascadia’s were way too tight (elastic speed laces done wrong), but my feet didn’t hurt as bad after my 50 miler than they did at the end of that marathon. Hoka will be my go to shoe for distance running methinks.
I started training for this race in June. Curious of how I prepared? Here you go (yes, my training could have been better):
Month
|
|||||||||
June
|
July
|
August
|
Sept
|
Oct
|
|||||
Day
|
1
|
3.36
|
Tunnel Lite Marathon
|
||||||
2
|
|||||||||
3
|
5.00
|
12.96
|
6.50
|
Autumn Leaves 50/50
|
|||||
4
|
2.37
|
4.10
|
|||||||
5
|
1.00
|
21.48
|
Achilles' Injury
|
||||||
6
|
3.25
|
13.00
|
9.03
|
4.84
|
10.10
|
||||
7
|
5.03
|
21.43
|
|||||||
8
|
3.10
|
10.07
|
|||||||
9
|
4.50
|
6.01
|
4.55
|
||||||
10
|
5.19
|
5.10
|
19.06
|
9.01
|
|||||
11
|
7.00
|
13.97
|
|||||||
12
|
6.04
|
14.34
|
|||||||
13
|
13.10
|
||||||||
14
|
5.01
|
||||||||
15
|
9.01
|
9.00
|
26.77
|
||||||
16
|
7.25
|
1.00
|
|||||||
17
|
5.15
|
||||||||
18
|
29.00
|
4.37
|
|||||||
19
|
6.02
|
10.01
|
|||||||
20
|
5.03
|
2.70
|
|||||||
21
|
16.21
|
22.33
|
8.35
|
||||||
22
|
10.17
|
||||||||
23
|
7.01
|
10.02
|
3.17
|
||||||
24
|
5.02
|
18.77
|
|||||||
25
|
5.17
|
||||||||
26
|
7.73
|
3.93
|
51.50
|
||||||
27
|
5.01
|
3.35
|
|||||||
28
|
|||||||||
29
|
|||||||||
30
|
7.00
|
13.00
|
|||||||
31
|
5.14
|
9.43
|
|||||||
