My First Fall Ultra

So it was a crazy busy week but I managed to sneak in my ultra training this past week.

It's overwhelming sometimes. I feel like I am trying to do too much for myself and not enough for peanut. I sent er to school early so I could sneak in some 5 milers early in the mornings before work.

I did take Friday and Saturday as rest days. This is something I was not happy about but I simply ran out of time with work and her.

So in comes Sunday. I did not feel like running when I woke up. I did not feel like doing much of anything to be honest. I dropped her off with her father for her day and I went home and went to nap. I slept for about an hour and a half. It felt good. I think my body just is demanding more rest from me these days.

I got dressed and headed to my favorite bike path to run. I had decided on my way there that I would be running about 30 miles.

Who does that?

Only someone who is certifiably insane. No really, I mean my training plan called for 10 and 18 respectfully over the weekend. I felt since I did not get to run on Saturday that I had to make up all of those miles on Sunday, and then some.

So how did the run go?

Well I feel it went well. I started out in my first mile feeling good. The rest had done my body well and I was in a steady 9 minute pace. Normally I warm up in low 10s so I welcomed this. The first few miles ticked away and I was jamming to my music.

It is getting harder sometimes to push through especially in the beginning of a super long run like this. You know that you will be running over the course of the next several hours and it can be daunting in those first few miles especially. I have found what works best for me is to set up these long runs in an out and back. So I set out to do 7.5 miles out and turn around and run back. I knew that if I made it back to my car halfway done I would not have to carry as much fuel. Also I would get a little relief.

So those first 15 miles went by pretty uneventfully. I held onto a steady 8:30 pace from miles 5-15 and I felt good about myself. My friend was out running as well and even though we do not run at the same pace, it was comforting to know at least I knew someone else out there. It is helpful to have someone to check in with and get a little boost of support when those miles get daunting.

I have been experiencing with nutrition on long runs. This is something I have been struggling with. As a grain and dairy free ultra runner it can be a challenge to sneak in some healthy snacks along the route. My stomach is a mess on long runs so I pamper it. I have found clif shot blocks work best spaced out every 1.5-2 miles I will chew on 1 block. But I need real food to conquer any distance over 25 miles, this I know. So I tried protein pancakes last time but those ended up being regurgitated later. So this week I had some sweet potato wedges just baked in a hint of cinnamon. I had about 2oz of those at mile 15. I was still hungry when I set out into my second loop though.

I ended up stopping at Starbucks at mile 19 and got a banana. I have stopped eating bananas on a regular basis simply for the lower sugar diet. When I ate it, it gave me a boost. I forgot how filling they could be. That proved to give me some more energy and helped me power through the next few miles. But I hit a wall at mile 23.

I am not sure if it was the legs or the back, both were sore by now. But I just had this feeling like I was carrying lead in my body. It sucked. I battled that feeling over the next mile. I took a walk break after it and got some more water. Then I switched onto a more upbeat song and switched the garmin to only show my heart rate. I think it just got too mentally tough knowing my body felt done but my run was not yet. By mile 25 I was right back into it and feeling good again. I was glad I had the strength to push through.

I ended the last 6 miles in about 8:30 a piece. I was pretty happy with that pace and time. I could not believe I had run 31 miles in under 5 hours!! I felt great to be done!

As soon as I finished I began walking to cool down and stretched for a bit. I could not believe I did it, a 50k all over again. I am so so so happy to be back running and I am grateful that my body is able to cover the kinds of distances it was last fall. I feel even more ready now more than ever for my first 50 miler on November 3rd :)