Las Vegas Backcountry 50k race report (Or what I learned running my first 50k)

Feeling good pre race

 Las Vegas Backcountry 50k race stats
I can say that training for this race was definitely more enjoyable than training for the past 7 marathons I've done. I ran most of my miles on trails and dirt roads in the hills. The hardest part of my training was running really slow. I actually looked forward to my once a week track workout. Running that slow forced me to swallow my pride. I tried avoiding running in places where I would be seen, which was easier during early morning hours or under cover of darkness. Running much more of my miles easy did not beat me up like marathon training. I stopped hobbling around on my sore feet or stiff Achilles. No injuries!  And I came to terms with walking some of the hills. It was just a matter of lasting through the long runs.

All 24, or so, of us toed the line at 7:00am just as the sun was rising to begin our adventure, some to run the 50k and some to run the marathon. After asking who had run the race last year, the race director informed us that the course had some changes. "Oh no", I thought. The only map I had found of the course came from stalking someone's Strava data from last year. It turns out that I didn't need to worry.

My plan was to keep my heart rate under 75% of max for the first 20 miles. During training, even running up hill, I could keep it manageable for at least the first few miles. Not so race morning. As soon as I began my slog (slow jogging), my heart rate shot up. This seems to happen to me at every race. I chalked it up to my usual race nerves. So right off the bat, I was resigned to my power walking strategy. I watched as the small pack of runners slowly disappeared up the sandy wash telling myself to be patient and stick to the race plan. It's hard to be patient at the beginning when you are feeling good. Later on in the race, I was glad I stayed disciplined in the early miles.

Much of the first 3 miles was run up a sandy, rocky wash. The cool shade felt great and I was hoping to have some shade later when the temperature would rise. Finally after reaching the 4 1/2 mile mark at the apex of the hill I was able to jog down the other side to the caution tape at about 9 miles where we were told to turn around. While walking back up I looked up to the top of Sunrise Mountain, knowing my husband, Bill, was up there somewhere probably getting a better workout than I was at the moment. After texting and making contact with each other, I slowly made it back up again and was down the other side.  I decided I would let my heart rate creep up a little higher than I had planned. I passed several runners down the other side which gave me hope that I would not be the last one in, not that there's anything wrong with that, I mean it is an ultra marathon!

Surprise, surprise, who should I see at the bottom of the hill at mile 17? Bill! Having Bill run with me was great. I did take my eyes off the ball though and let my heart rate get out of hand for that first mile we ran together. Like 20 beats per minute off target! We ended up power walking up a steeper grade and me grumbling about my exceedingly low mile pace. I thought about my junior high students and the predictions they had made for my race and how I was hoping that I would just make it. It would be embarrassing to tell them I had to quit. I was starting to feel done. My stomach was feeling done also. I had been eating Cliff blocks, Huma gels, and Jelly Belly Sport beans along with electrolyte spiked water in my hydration pack. I also had a hand carried bottle with Tailwind drink. I was trying to take in nutrition early and often, but I must admit haphazardly. I probably could have set an alarm on my watch to eat more regularly. Finally at about mile 20, my stomach just said no more! I started to have cramps which prevented me from feeling like I could run or even continue. It was very frustrating.

At the top of the hill, I grabbed a few dry salty pretzels to stuff in my mouth. They just sat there while I sucked the salt off of them and then spit them out. Bill stopped at the aide station while I continued on down the hill for another 2 1/2 miles to another caution tape before turning around to slog back up the hill. No more power hiking, I was just happy to still be moving forward. The temperature was steadily warming and by the finish it would be nearly 85 degrees. Thank goodness for the occasional cloud cover. After finally making it to the top of the hill at about mile 26, I picked up Bill, who had been admiring the geology, and we headed for the finish just 5 long miles to go. I was so glad I decided at the last minute to stuff a scarf in my pack which I soaked with cold water and wrapped around my neck. It felt so good! The only thing my stomach could handle at this point was the Heed that I poured in my water bottle at the aide station. Thank goodness it was not too sweet.

After a combination of walking and jogging for a couple miles, my stomach finally relaxed enough to let me pick up the pace. I looked at my watch and figured I could make it under 7 hours. My goal for this first ultra was to finish. I thought it would be even better if I could run under 12 minute pace. But with all the slow miles I had, I thought a lot more time had gone by. So seeing my watch actually made me feel pretty good. So, I pushed hard to the finish and ran my fastest split at mile 30. Dang central governor brain! If I could just figure out how to push the override button. Bill was struggling at this point. I mean he did just run and climb up a wickedly steep mountain before running over 10 miles with me. He managed to pull ahead of me to be there when I ran across the finish line.

After crossing the finish line I was given a major award <insert sarcastic emoji here>,a stainless steel coffee thermal cup which deemed me masters division winner. I was surprised as I noticed that an older woman had finished before me. I figured since there were only 5 women who finished, she got the 3rd place over all finish and I got the masters award. The only thing I felt like eating was watermelon. There was NO watermelon. :( We were given a box of old Kashi bars to take home with us. There really wasn't anything at the food table I felt like eating. So after grabbing a few things to eat later we hobbled back to the car. And we bought watermelon for the trip home.

recovery week = walking at a very, very brisk pace

That's what my phone calls it when I try to keep my heart rate in the "easy" zone, which is what my training plan calls for this week. It's pretty sad, and hard, to run that slow. It's actually quite tiring. According to my plan, my recovery week called for 16 to 18 miles of easy running. That's a lot of slow miles. I want to hide while I am running these slow miles. Yes, I am prideful about running. If I'm going to run in public then, by gosh, I am going to look like I know what I'm doing, like I've been running for more than a week.

I just finished the book 80/20 Running by Matt Fitzgerald. I think I have just about all of his books. When I'm not running I enjoy reading about running. Anyway, he states the case that if you want to run faster, you need to slow down. At first, I was like, "Yeah, yeah I'm already a slow runner, why would I need to slow down?" He references study after study to prove his point. It gets downright boring. So, I am testing this theory. I just didn't realize how slow I would have to run. But thanks to my new Garmin, it tells me exactly how slow I have to go before my heart rate enters the aerobic zone.

Today's run of 5.5 miles was painful. It was hot to begin with and I was tired. Sometimes when I am tired I actually speed up to get the run over with. But, I stuck to my plan of keeping it easy even though it didn't feel like it. I had to stop and walk several times just to bring my heart rate down. Anyway, both Gus and I survived. It doesn't matter to him how slow I go. It just gives him more opportunities to chase rabbits, although he wasn't chasing many today because it was so hot.

Next week is hills/strength phase and I'm actually looking forward to it.

geeking out

I love my technology. I love coming home from a run and looking at my numbers like pace, heart rate, elevation etc. I have been using my endomondo app on my Windows Phone lately, but it doesn't have a heart rate monitor. Prior to that I have used a Garmin 310x and 305, but sometimes they decide not to work. So here is my new awesome watch. It is a Garmin 235 with a wrist heart rate monitor. No more chest strap. It's pretty flashy so I like wearing it even when I'm not running. I'm learning more and more about it's features.

One thing I'm trying to get better at is running my easy runs easy. In order to keep my heart rate down in the easy zone I have to run really really slow. It is pretty hard especially with all the hilly trails I am running on. This is something I really need to work on if I'm going to be running a lot and for very long.

Our desert is still blooming. Here are some more pictures of our run on Saturday.

you signed up for what!?!?

I have officially taken the plunge and signed up for my first ultra marathon! I've been thinking about it for a long time. I was having a hard time deciding whether I wanted to go for another St. George marathon and commit to training for another Boston Marathon qualifying time or try something new. Thinking about how hard I worked last summer only to be disappointed with my time last fall, I decided to throw caution to the wind and do something different. I'm actually looking forward to it. I decided on the Las Vegas Backcountry 50k. It looks like a good first timers ultra. It will be October 29th so I have plenty of time to prepare. And the terrain will be similar to what I am already used to running on. Unfortunately, they do not give out the map ahead of time, so it will be somewhat of a guess as to elevation totals. I did email the race director and she said there was nothing too "hilly", whatever that means.

I've been reading and listening to podcasts about ultras and I am fascinated by the idea of pushing your body beyond what you thought was possible. I found a training plan in the book Running Your First Ultra and the mileage isn't really that much different from a marathon training plan. There will be less "workouts" and more trail running, which I am excited about. I have already started the plan and so far so good. I'll let you know how it goes.

wildflowers

The rewards of a wet spring are myriads of intricate and beautiful desert wildflowers. Today's run was 13 miles with 2000 feet elevation gain. I took time to capture the beauty of the day, which is probably what I should do more often. Here are a few of the flowers I came across. Some I know the names of and some I don't.

Claret cup cactus

 Evening Primrose

Sand Lily

Phlox

Native trash

Buck brush (Cliff Rose)

Gus is reading the wilderness sign

Mistaken Penstemon

Buckwheat

Silver Lupine

Cockscomb Cryptanth

My new hydration pack that I got for my birthday

link to the past

I sometimes ponder the question of why I like to run so much. I have been asked occasionally and I never have a succinct answer. I guess it depends on what's happening in my life at the time. I have been running regularly since college. I have run through my single days, early marriage, pregnancies, post pregnancies, a death, toddlers, kids old enough to babysit, teenagers, and now almost empty nest (not quite!). Although I have never competed seriously, as my kids have gotten older, my running habit has become more serious with more focused training for marathons. Eventually I would like to progress to the ultra marathon.

When I'm not running, I'm often thinking about, reading about, and watching running. As I was driving home from Ely today, even though I had already gone on a trail run with my husband, I found myself wishing I was out on the trail. Having lived here for over 20 years, I know that road like the back of my hand. My first indelible memories of that trip to and from Ely involved pregnancy doctor visits. The first warm days of spring always remind me of those trips as the warm sun shines on me with views of the spring high desert out my car windows. I am instantly transported back to 1990. Now so long ago but yet as if it were just yesterday. My mind wanders to the countless runs through so many varied life experiences in our little desert town. Will I lose the past if I stop running? Will it become even more distant? Probably not, but I"m not going to stop any time soon. For now, it's just who I am. Ask me tomorrow why I run and I might have a different answer.

Hard to believe school was cancelled on Tuesday and we were up in the hills running on fairly dry roads by Saturday!

Enjoying a city run on the beautiful Linden trail

One of our favorite runs on the deer trail

back in the game

Sometimes it takes going without something for awhile before you appreciate how much it means to you. Through the slog of winter and my latest injury, I hadn't been able to get up on the trails. My foot is finally feeling a little better and enough snow has melted so I was able to venture out. It was AMAZING! I live in the most awesome place to hit the trails. Literally within 5 feet of my house I am on dirt and within a few more feet there are many trails (dirt roads) to choose from. Less than a mile from my home are hundreds of deer. And in a couple of months because of all the snow we received this year will be myriads of wildflowers. I sometimes forget how blessed I am to have these beauties right outside my door.

The run was great! Gus and stirred up at least 60 deer and I can see the beginnings of flowers just poking some of their starts out of the earth. And just a few patches of mud to make it interesting. I have lost a little fitness, but not as much as I thought I would so I was pleasantly surprised. Now the challenge will be to hold back and not go overboard with trying to do too much. I do have a tendency to push more than I should.

Gus enjoying the trail

The sugar experiment is going well. I have now gone over a week with not going over my sugar recommendation. I haven't noticed any big improvements, but I think it may take a little longer. My blood pressure is slightly lower, I am feeling better, and my foot and shoulders are healing. I did have some challenging times with cravings like Sunday and late at night, but I pushed through and hopefully it will become easier.

sugar, it's a big thing

So, last week I talked about the little things that I could do to improve in the injury reduction department (i.e. boriiiiiing). I know. I have faithfully done my PT exercises and I feel like my foot is improving. I have long known that one of the reasons I run is to have an excuse to eat more (i.e. sugar!) I would like to think that I love running more, but sugar is easier and just as rewarding for me. One of my favorite holidays is Valentine's Day. I wish I could say that it is because of the love, but I would be fooling myself. I mean I just ordered over 10 lbs. of candy to "give to my family" (sorry I poisoned you family). Needless to say, I had a lot left over.  I kept thinking of how I could get rid of it, but I just couldn't bring myself to pawn it off on someone else so I did the brave thing and threw the rest of it in the garbage. Believe me, that first night I was tempted to dumpster dive. None of this is easy for me to admit.

I really haven't given my sugar intake much of a thought, other than when I occasionally track my eating through My Fitness Pal. I notice that I routinely go over my allotted sugar grams. I just figured that if I burn more calories than I eat then I'm okay, right? Well . . . I had a chiropractor appointment this week (my neck and shoulders have been bothering me, but that's another story). My chiropractor expressed concern that I was not making the progress that he thought I should even though I faithfully preform my PT exercises for that condition also. Then he asked an interesting question. "What is your sugar intake like?:" BOOM! That caught me completely off guard. I stammered and stuttered admitting that it could probably use some improvement. Paradigm shift. I began to wonder if maybe these annoying injuries might improve quicker if I make a concerted effort to watch my sugar intake. Okay, you are hearing from a sugarholic. Is this doable for me? Am I going to be a stinker to live with? How long will the suffering last before I break my addiction? I read an article about the benefits of cutting back on sugar. I was surprised or maybe I had been in denial about the reasons sugar reduction is a good thing. https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-surprising-benefits-of-cutting-back-on-sugar

So this past Thursday, February 18, 2016, I began my sugar reduction odyssey. My go-to treat after my midnight custodial shift, before bed, crossword nightcap is some sugar filled snack. I really look forward to it. I had a yogurt. It was Greek. It was low sugar. I was unsatisfied. But I made it and went to sleep without going over my sugar intake. Yea! Weekends are another challenge, especially Sundays when I am hanging around the house all day. So far I have made it through Saturday. We'll see how Sunday goes. I can report that it is getting slightly easier and I have to be really creative about what I think of as a snack. I have just always thought of snacks as something sweet. It is rewarding to see my sugar intake stay below the recommendation. Well, I have made this public so there is no turning back. I'll check in next week and let you know if I notice any improvements. Maybe I should have my husband report if I am a pill to live with.

it's the little things

Pre injury run to work.

Sometimes in life you just need to press the reset button. That's what I've learned each time I've had an injury. I look back at those times when my body was healthy and the only thing stopping me from pushing my limits was my pain tolerance. It is frustrating when you have the desire and your body just isn't cooperating. So, as I stated in the last post, there is always something to learn from each injury. Although I have incorporated some injury preventative measures into my daily routine i.e. eccentric calf raises, core work, weight training, there are definitely some weak areas I need to strengthen like my feet. I feel like I have weird feet, but who knows. That seems to be a weak spot. So, I have started doing some good stretching and strengthening moves. Here is a good video if you are interested.https://youtu.be/kStuJAu0a20  I'm not sure I have plantar fasciitis but that is what I am calling it for now.

Bike training made easier when watching the Olympic marathon trials.

Part of my rehab routine. Ignore the ugly foot.

It took me 1 hour and 45 mins to pool run 1.25 miles!

I usually do weights/core work twice a week.

I read a couple of interesting articles this past week. The first by Ed Eyestone in the Winter 2016 edition of BYU Magazine. In the article, "Run Like a Horse", Ed gives the experience of one of his track athletes, Kyle Perry, who had a goal to break the four minute mile. Kyle's personal record stood at 4:05 He felt like he was stuck and was not making any progress. He said, "I don't think there is one single thing I can do to cut off five seconds, but I do think there are 10 things I can do that can each cut off half a second and together will total five seconds and get me under four minutes." Here was his list:

For the next three months I will:

1. Do my morning runs

2. Stretch after every workout

3. Do core five times a week

4. Get to bed before 11 p.m.

5. Lift weights twice a week

6. Do sprint drills twice a week

The last four changes were dietary in nature:

7. Eat breakfast every day

8. No more ice cream

9. Nor more Diet Coke

10. No more candy

Kyle set a date to break the four minute mile at an indoor meet. Over the next 3 months he stuck to his goals and was able to break four minutes by running 3:59.16. "Contrary to popular opinion, he found that sweating the small stuff was necessary to accomplish big things and get him to a whole new level."

Ed goes on to say that his time working with Kyle Perry reinforces a scripture: "Wherefore, be nor weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great" (D&C 64:33)

( Incidentally, one of Ed's other athletes, Jared Ward, just qualified for the Rio Olympic marathon!)

So, what are the little things you can add to your life that will help you reach your goals whether running or otherwise? 

The second article I read was "The Economics of Injury Recovery" by Joe Uhan. I'm a literal and visual learner so this article made a lot of sense or cents (pun intended) to me. It's a lengthy article, but to sum it up he talks about balance, as in balancing our revenue and expenses in the healing process. He will use an economic analogy by assigning dollar values to various stresses on the body and fitness. It is very interesting. For instance, Here is just one part of his analogy: 

Part 1: Too much, too soon
The most-common reason runners have a pain relapse is a failure to conservatively resume running. They fail to grasp the true cost of running, versus their current tissue tolerance–or present revenue level. Simply, they try to put a normal load on abnormal (still sensitive, still weakened) tissue.

Pre-injury revenue: +$2,500
Current revenue: +$800
‘Normal run’ (one hour, easy) expenses: -$1,000
Net loss: -$200

There is so much more and it is so informative. So, I suggest if you are interested in more, it is such an interesting and helpful article. http://www.irunfar.com/2016/02/the-economics-of-injury-recovery.html

If you have any little things you have incorporated into your life/routine, I would love to hear them. P.S. It doesn't have to be about running.

injuries #!$#&!!

I know, I know, I know I know I KNOW, I shouldn't have run for so long on that rough, uneven, treacherous dirt road on a cold morning, but I just couldn't help myself. I was dying to get a long run in and of course I couldn't wouldn't turn back, because that's just me. So, I kept trudging through. Of course I knew  hoped conditions would improve. And they did, but unfortunately not soon enough because by the time they did, (4 miles from home) my left foot began to complain. I told it, begged it to kept quiet, but it would not obey. I thought maybe if I could just sort of shuffle. My foot wasn't having any of it. So, I walked home, dejected, wondering if I should stop my Endomondo app or just let it keep going and ruin my pace reading. I just let it go. At least I could count these walking miles toward our 2016 goal.

I've been injured before and I still think I am invincible. How can this happen to me when I love to run so much. But every time it happens, I am brought back down to reality. It really makes me appreciate those times when I can run free without pain. I do usually learn a lot from an injury. I add another exercise or adjustment to my training. But it is so awful not to be able to go out for a run. Running truly is my drug of choice.

So, after I arrived home. I dutifully iced it and put on some arch pads to wear to work. The next day I took a rest day. Last night I told myself I probably needed to rest it today also. But, after work I thought, I would just try a little run. I thought to myself, "Channel cloud and be light on your feet". I mean I had been on it all day at work and it had felt fine. I took about 5 steps and it started complaining again. So I was relegated to the dreaded stationary bike.

Awesome indoor views!

Trying to have a good attitude

Fortunately a couple of weeks ago, we planned to try cross country skiing. Bill had been once before and I had not. It wasn't the best conditions with snow on top of a layer of ice, but we managed. Bill spent some time on his back just getting a different perspective on things. It was definitely a workout and I probably could learn a few pointers on technique Those cross country skiers make it look so easy. 

Just taking a break

Well after our cross country date I had to go to work for a couple of hours and because my foot felt good all day I thought I would just run home from work. And . . . well. . . . I guess I will be bringing my trainer in from hybernation . . . Ugh!