Phalunaless 50K Ultra - RunUltra Marathon

This was my third ultra in as many months, and my second in a month. I took all of the lessons I've learned from my long runs this year and tried to not make any new ones along the way. As I started out, I told myself to keep my pace slow and steady, knowing that a good pace would equate to a Zone 2/Zone 3 heart rate between 160 and 175. I kept my heart rate below 172 for the first 2.2 miles to the first aid station at which I arrived in 21 minutes. I took a gel as I arrived. I felt great so I just took some Gatorade to wash down the gel and kept going. The next 2.9 miles were much more difficult because of the nature of the trail, and the stretch was longer, so when I got to the turn around point at mile 5.15, I made sure I ate some potato chips and had a few extra cups of water in addition to the Gatorade. I didn't spend any more than 2 minutes at either aid station on the way out. Those first 5 miles went by in 48 minutes. I was figuring on an hour and 40 minutes per loops so I was on schedule. The reverse trip was uneventful, I stopped at the halfway aid station for some water because I was more thirsty than anything and then continued on to the start/finish line aid station. I arrived in 1:34, so I was 6 minutes up on my pace at that point. I decided to spend a couple minutes at the aid station here, to make sure I felt good, and to eat and drink correct amounts of nutrition. I finished this loop in third place overall, with the next runner about two minutes behind me.

I headed out on the second loop after 3 minutes at the aid station. So at 1:40 per loop, I was still 3 minutes ahead of pace. I got passed for the first time in the race within a mile from the start/finish. I made the first aid station in 19 minutes this time and was thrilled. My HR was still in the mid 170's, I wasn't out of breath, my legs felt great, and I wasn't tired. So I took some water, potato chips, and Gatorade. By now I was seeing some other racers on the course for the second time. The 50-milers had started at 5am and were about 10 miles ahead of us 50-Kers, so they looked a little more spent than I did. Then there were the half-marathoners out there...they looked speedy. It's really funny how you can tell a long distance runner from a "short" distance runner...ok half marathons aren't really short, but compared to 50K and 50Mile races, they are. Anyway, the ultrarunners are usually much more apt to wave or offer up affirmations. The speedy half-marathoners barely waved or smiled. As I made my way to the turn-around aid station I noticed that I made it there 88 minutes from the last time I was there. That, to me, was too fast, it should have been at least 90 to 95 minutes. I definitely needed to slow down. So I made the decision to run the next 5 miles back to the start/finish aid station at no faster a pace than 170bpm would allow. No more than 30 seconds after leaving the turn-around, my left IT band started to flare up. I ignored it. But as I ran it started to get worse. So I stopped and stretched my leg out a bit. That seemed to work. It was sore, but within five minutes it loosened up and I felt no more pain. Over the course of those 5 miles, I did slow down because I didn't get back to the start/finish line until 3:17:31. The second loop took me 1:43 to complete. I started to feel a bit tired, and upon standing still for a minute, my IT band started to tighten again. I met up with a friend of Jessica's while I was there, we shook hands, and he promptly told me I was insane for running that far. I said that was great since I just got into the Marathon Maniacs...so insane is good! But I had to get going on my last 10 miles so my leg didn't cramp up. So far though, after 20 miles, only my ITB was complaining, nothing else. I had maintained fourth place overall so far. The next runner behind me was about 5 minutes out. I saw her come into the aid station as I left. She was not the same runner that was behind me at the end of the last lap so I knew she was moving up. I also saw another female runner come in as I left, and then the runner who was previously behind me.

As I headed out on the third loop I knew it'd be a slower pace. So far I had maintained fourth place overall. But I also knew that the girl who was fifth was gaining fast! She passed me just about the time I was arriving at the first aid station. I kept going, figuring, "ok I'm still in fifth, that's fine". Suddenly the second girl I saw at the start/finish aid station blew by me! She was flying! She'd be the last person to pass me though. In three loops I'd gone from third to sixth. The sun had come out and the temperature had risen to about 84 degrees. The 2.9 miles from the first to the second aid station were greuling this time. They seemed to never end. The sun was shining, there was no shade on this part of the course, and there was no breeze. Damn, was it hot!! It was about mile 24 when I decided I needed to stop and walk. I hadn't walked at all up to this point, aside from stopping at the aid stations. Running was getting harder. I walked alot during those 2.9 miles. Probably a mile of it in all. I got to the turn-around aid station at 4:26 on the clock. This time I drank ALOT of water and ate alot of calories, knowing full well I'd be dehydrated within 20 minutes. My ITB wasn't complaining as much and seemed to fade into the other foot, ankle, and leg pain I was experiencing, from sheer distance. I left the aid station after sitting down for 30 seconds to regroup and rebalance. I made the marathon distance in 4:27 and change. From here on out, I went slow, but I knew I'd get there. Sure it was hard, but I just focused on the goal. I saw the next runner behind me, she was about 10 minutes back. And then a few minutes later, the next male runner behind me, who would round out the top 5 men...he was 20 minutes behind me. So at that point I was confident that I wouldn't be passed anymore. That made it easier for me to walk when I needed to. I decided to go 10/2 twice, then 9/2 twice, then 8/2 twice, and by that time I should be finished. Durining my first 10/2, I came upon two girls on horseback. One pulled aside so I could pass and she asked why I was running. I said "doing a 31 mile ultramarathon"...and she said "Holy crap! People run that far?" I wanted to answer, but I just needed to get going so I just laughed and waved. They passed me again and went on their way. At the end of the second 10/2, I was just arriving at the 2.2 miles-to-go aid station. One of the race directors was there. She told me that I looked great, and I thanked her for lying. She had refreshed the aid station there (this one, I forgot to mention, was unmanned...only the start/finish and turn-around ones were attended) and was about to head out. I decided to pour myself some Gatorade. I lifted the bottle and wondered why there was no Gatorade in my cup. The top to the bottle was still on, I had not noticed this. After about three seconds (this is a long time of wondering why this was happening) I realized that the cap was on and I laughed at myself. Pam laughed too. She asked if I really was ok and I said yes. I went on my way, and she came past in her truck a few minutes later. She pulled up ahead, got out and took a few pictures of me running down the trail...I tried to smile as best I could. With a mile and a half to go, I just wanted to be done. That last mile took forever. But as I got into the park, I realized I was just about done. The finish line was attended by some spectators, by Terri of course (who by the way, ran her first trail 5K that morning!), and by some other finishers and the winner of the 50K. They all cheered for me. I came across in 5:28:48 and they told me I was sixth overall out of 27 people who'd started. A few 50 milers had dropped but no one had dropped out of the 50K so far. I had a bunch of Gatorade and some water...and then I sat down, which felt soooooo good!!

Hard to say at a distance this long.

After taking in some calories, Terri and I packed up our stuff and headed back home. Stopped at Burger King for my traditonal post-race naughty meal.


Probably my mind if anything. Physically I was fine, although sore and in pain, but no injuries took place.


This is such a fun race. It's a 50-miler, a 50K, a half-marathon, and a 5K all rolled into one day. It's small, so that makes it more intimate, the people there are very friendly and fun. Plus it's on the last day of the year, so it's always a great way to end your sports year. I'll do it again next year.