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Old Pueblo 50 - Run


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Tucson, Arizona
United States
Precipitation
Total Time = 00m
Overall Rank = /175
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Training went very well. Got in all my mileage and long runs and two weeks prior to the race, felt about as prepared as one can be. However- I went on a ski vacation 2 weeks prior to race day- got in 5 days of skiing (instead of running) which I figured was fine. However- I tweaked my back something fierce. Spent the whole final week as horizontal as possible and on ibuprofen doing hot and cold compresses. So- going to toe the starting line with absolutely no running for 2 weeks prior to race day. Also- weather forecast is miserable. It's always sunny and nice here in Tucson- but race day is predicted to be rainy with howling winds. None of the local shops even sell rain shells. Bought a semi-water resistant light shell at Fleet Feet- just to have something, and found an old wide brimmed hat. Just freaky- I have no experience running trails in the wet. I'm a dust runner.

Thursday night started laying out my drop bags. Way too complicated. Need to simplify the whole thing and carry most of what I need.

Back was feeling weak, painful and generally poor the day prior. Come race morning, however, it was OK. Serviceable. Ate cereal, juice, coffee an a banana for breakfast and drove the hour or so to race start. Handed in all my drop bags and was ready to head out in the dark.
Event warmup:

Stood around and chatted for a while. Turned on my headlamp. Hit the woods for a last potty break. I guess that's all the 'warm up' needed?
Run
  • 00m
  • 51 miles
  •  min/mile
Comments:

Run started out OK. In the first few miles I felt that side knee pain that I get whenever I take a break from running. I knew the knee was going to be an issue- but it shouldn't be debilitating. Was hoping that after 20 miles or so it would go away. The second issue that came up was my Salomon Green Hornets were rubbing my pinky toes. Slapped some duct tape on them at mile 7 and while they felt irritated,(and in fact one had been rubbed raw with skin broken), I wasn't thinking that it would stop me.

The race started off dry and very windy. Dust was blowing, grit in my eyes and teeth, but other than that- the morning was beautiful. I looked behind me as I crested the 1st hill to see a line of headlamps snaking along the trail below me, with a burgeoning sunrise behind. Wish I had a proper camera to capture that image- it was beautiful. I pointed it out to fellow runners who also agreed. There was a terrific sunrise by mile 4 or 5 to enjoy as well. We all knew the rain was coming, but so far- everything was going well.

The RD and volunteers had the trail well marked with ribbons, chalk arrows, and different colored ribbons at every turn. However after a few miles- everything was gone. Everything. Someone had painstakingly removed all of the trail markings. Most runners took wrong turns at some point, many for miles off course. Me? I had the course navigation loaded into my watch, which kept me and those around from going astray. Technology prevailed!.

Saw Fred at Aid station 13 briefly, and he left it just ahead of me. I had him in my sights for a few miles, but once over gunsight pass- he just disappeared. Running down the steep rocky west side of Gunsight pass is just brutal. One guy came flying by me (no- he wasn't wearing Hoka's), but other than seeing what was possible for others, the rest of us just worked our way down. Towards the flatter sections at the bottom, Rachel took a hard fall, but not too much blood, a sore hand and some scrapes. She soldiered on.

Felt good to hit the flatter road at the bottom. Wind was very powerful here, and the rain was starting. Mostly horizontal drizzle at this point. I donned my new semi-water resistant chick's wind shell that I bought yesterday and jogged on to aid station 19. Stocked up on sports drink (Fluid, Yes! I like that stuff), took a gel, some salty potatoes and got out of there quickly. The road across the front of the Santa Rita range was in good shape. Walked the steep sections, but other than that- was keeping up a nice jogging pace against the wind. When one brutal squall came through I looked next to me at Rachel who had no shell, put my arm around her and hid her from the rain and wind, while I nervously said "really, I'm not coming on to you", she appreciated the gesture. Verified with her that she had some more layers waiting for her at 25. At this point tho', the rain wasn't much of a problem. We were starting to get wet, but the road wasn't yet muddy and my layers weren't soaked- so I was warm and running fine. Stopped and took my 8th pee of the day (I was well hydrated).

I should probably take some time here to note that I was really keeping up on my eating and drinking. I knew this would be a long day and I was taking it seriously. By 20mi I'd gone through a few gels, 1-1/2 cliff bars, some shot Bloks, probably 60oz of liquid, half of which was sports drink, plus salty potatoes and other goodies from the aid stations. I was well fueled and my stomach was feeling fine. Even hungry at times. So- no issues there.

After 25 Aid, where I grabbed some more Fluid, chips and a salty nut mix, is the 4mi 1000ft vert climb up Box Canyon road. Yes- 'road'. Nice and smooth and completely non technical. A real blessing to be able to turn off the brain and just jog. The 1st part of the road was a hoot, with a 30-40 mph tail wind. It pushed me along where I figured I hit a 6min/mi pace for a few hundred yards. Wheeee. But the rest of it became a slog in heavy rain. The road was getting muddy and I was alternating between walking the steeper sections and slow jogging the less steep sections. My baseball cap had long been soaked through, and I was looking forward to donning the wide brimmed had with my beanie underneath for some additional warmth- which I had left in the drop bag at 29.

Hit Aid29mi at just over 6hrs. Which, given the terrain, 4,500 vert, conditions and the fact that I already stopped 10 times (not exaggerating) to pee- I thought I was making pretty good time. I wouldn't say that I felt 100% at this point, but I could still jog and nothing on me was failing. Knee hurt a little, toes hurt a little- but no real issues. The volunteers were just terrific. I jogged into 29 and a volunteer asked me what I needed. "that yellow drop bag and a chair" and he had me set up in no time under the tent. I changed shoes and socks (not easy when soaking wet), put on the aforementioned hats, apologized to him as I grabbed my body glide stick and rubbed it on my butt- as my nylon shorts, being wet, were starting to chafe against my butt cheeks. who knew? (the body glide worked really well FWIW). Oh, I also hooked up my watch charger, as my running watch only lasts for 8hrs. This actually worked fine- running the wire down my sleeve, connecting it to the watch, and the other end was inside my wet shell in my pack. cool.

While the Box Canyon Road had been muddy, when I jogged out of 29 onto the AZ trail- which snakes up a hill, it was a mess. The trail had been turned into a steep, rocky, muddy creek. I had switched into my more rugged Salomon S-lab XT6 shoes and for the first 1/4mi it felt great to have dry, comfortable feet. But the thing I had forgotten about these shoes (mind you- it doesn't rain much in Tucson), is that the base of the upper is coated all the way around. So, they hold water like a cup. Within 3/4mi they were literally (and I'm not using that term figuratively) filled with water. Not just wet... filled. At which point the footbed scrunches up and my shoes became a complete mess. That said- they were the 'soft ground' model, which has big, widely spaced lugs- which actually did really well on the terrain. But- each shoe weighed a pound due to the water inside, making it very difficult to move very fast. Not to mention cold on my feet. Oh, and whomever said that wool is warm when wet... they lie. I was wearing a pair of wool gloves- that I think were acting like an evaporative cooler. the wind cutting through the wet wool and adding to the chill. Temps, methinks, were in the 40's.

The trip from 29 to 33 was a brutal one. The trail was a mess, the wind was blowing, my base layer, Hind pullover and Craft shell were soaked through and the wind was blowing through them. I started getting cold, shivering, and once that set in, my hips tightened up and got very painful. I couldn't much run anymore- at least not on this terrain. Took my 12th pee and then walk/jogged into 33.

I was shaking uncontrollably. I had an additional dry layer there in my drop bag, plus tights- but I was so wet and cold, I couldn't function well enough to put them on. The great volunteers handed me a cup of hot broth- which felt wonderful. I had to drink it fast, as my hands were shaking so much I couldn't hold it. There was a little propane heater there- but many were gathered around it and given the wind and rain going, the little portable covers that were set up didn't provide much protection. Stood there for about an hour. Still shivering. Hips not able to move (although once I found a seat they began to feel a little better). Another runner had to be rescued off the trail with severe hypothermia.

Some runners came into 33. Drank their broth with smiles on their faces, and headed back out. I wanted to be one of them...but I wasn't. My body was shutting down. I thought about 7 miles to the next aid station- could I do it? maybe. Would it be wise? certainly not. I was there for an hour or more before I made that difficult decision to tell the aid station volunteers that #18 was dropping. Sat there for another hour shivering before a sag vehicle took us back to the start/finish where my wife had just arrived with a warm car.

And thus was my first Ultra. A major Kudos to all the incredible volunteers and acting RD Joe Dana. I gaze out the window this morning and see...sunshine.
What would you do differently?:

More appropriate attire for the conditions.
Post race
Event comments:

it was an experience.
The number of superhuman efforts from the volunteers, and the lives that were saved were numerous. A lot of heroes out there today. I cannot thank the volunteers enough.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2014-01-31 12:00 AM
Running
00:00:00 | 51 miles |  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/175
Performance: Below average
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge Too hard
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2014-03-02 11:23 AM

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Subject: Old Pueblo 50


2014-03-02 3:37 PM
in reply to: #4958046

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Subject: RE: Old Pueblo 50

I was anxious to hear how it went for you after reading your post in the Ultra forum regarding the weather forecast.   I'm sorry you weren't able to finish but you obviously made the right decision.   You accomplished more than a  50K and that's impressive given the conditions.    Thanks for sharing your race experience.

2014-03-03 2:25 AM
in reply to: #4958046

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Co Louth, Ireland
Subject: RE: Old Pueblo 50
Great race report - well done on getting that far - not a lot more you could do in the conditions. Will give you the motivation to get back out there for the next one! Good luck.
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