Training and finishing a 50 mile race
Honestly, I was not sure I would ever run a 50 mile race again. It had been 10 years since my last 50 mile finish. Ultrasignup list the results of the many races I have done, but over time… life got busy, and I quit prioritizing myself. It is a problem that many of us can relate to….we work hard to stay afloat professionally, and in the process lose the parts of our personal well being that are most important in life.
Thankfully- with the support of my family I was able to recognize this and start making time for myself. This included getting on a consistent training and nutrition program. When I start this journey a little over 2 years ago, a 50 mile race was not what I saw as the future goal.
It seems surprising to me it started that long ago. I mention this in case anyone reading is looking to set goals for themselves and feel like they have too far to go to be the person they want to be. I understand how it can seem that the goals are unreachable. It can leave you feeling “frozen” about even starting. Please don’t feel discouraged or overwhelmed by how long it will take. Once you start, there will be plenty of successes along the way to keep you motivated. Hit those goals, then set new ones. Never give up on yourself. It is never to late to be the person you want to be.
My last race was finishing Crown King 50k- February 2023 (you can read about that here). This race was way out of my comfort zone. It went well and was a reminder that “training works”. After this finish I set another goal. I decided that I would enjoy a block of flat & fast training, I had just spent months training on trails and was up for a change of pace——> so I signed up for Tunnel Hill 50 mile.
One month. Ran 3 races. Directed 2 races and went to American Trail Running Association Conference in Mulitike, Washington.
Speed recap of my month: When my daughter first started talking one of her first sayings was, “I want to see, I want to do”. I feel like this is the perfect description of this month and the past year. I love to learn and experience the ultra world and I squeezed in as much as I could.
Start with Race Directing the Hennepin Hundred (point to point event makes this the most challenging event I put on)…. the next Saturday I ran Des Plaines River 50k…. then left on Monday to go to Mulitike, Washington for the American Trail Running conference (with Natalie & Kyle)... We learned a ton!….explored the town, ran some trails….Leaving conference we took the red eye home, landed at 4:30 am at O'Hare airport, then drove straight to the start line of the second race I RD in October, Soul Crusher 5 & 10 miler…okay…. we stopped for coffee twice on the way to the start line…. All our OMR crew worked together to clean up from that then on Tuesday I left on a road trip with my son to AZ to visit my daughter for our annual tradition of running the Javelina Jack Ass 31k race. We did this all together, it was the best!…phew….that was a lot…but wait….there is more… . We drove from AZ directly to Vienna, Illinois for packet pickup of the 50 mile race. I felt like we packed a years worth of activities into one month!
50 mile Race report:
Thank you Megan Veldkamp for the photo!
My son crewed me, I am so lucky! We stayed at an Airbnb nearby. It was comfortable and allowed us to buy groceries to make familiar food. The host let us know there was a friendly neighborhood dog. I was outside on the porch and the dog came to greet me. I pet him on the head, and from that point on. The dog slept on the porch and could not get enough attention. We had a pet dog for the day! It was a nice relaxing way to spend the day before the race.
Packet pickup- I loved that we had a lot of the Ornery Mule Coaches at the event. Some were running and others were their supporting athletes. I enjoyed seeing runners that do many of the Ornery Mule Racing events. It is fun to actually get to run an event with them so I could high five them on course. Steve gave a shout out to me at the pre-race meeting as one of the folks toeing the line. That was really nice of him, as I met runners on the trail they brought that up in our conversations.
Race start line- I was not particularly nervous at the race start. I knew I had run consistently. I had many runs over 20 miles in the months leading up to the race that had went well. I ran a 50k for my last long run, learned a few things that I felt would help me be successful.
My plan was simply:
Running by Heartrate: Run at a 120 heart rate pace (this is something I had done for all my long runs and 50k) Whatever pace that was. I had decided that if that if I was running at a 120 HR and my pace was faster than an 11:30 minute mile, then I would slow down a touch.
Nutrition during race: Spring Energy, “only peanuts” butter on gluten free tortillas with butter, bananas, and licking salt was the nutrition I used during training runs and it worked. So the plan was to keep with that. Prioritizing getting enough calories per hour and drinking enough water.
Dealing with aches during race: I figured I may start having some hip or achilles pain, and was ready to deal with that. I brought CBD salve. ***more about this later :-)
Running went smooth. I had practiced running at my “easy heart rate” pace. I did not struggle in getting caught up in crowds and start running faster than that pace. Course is simple to follow, you run straight until you get to each turn around, then head back. I put on my music, let my mind rest, and relaxed to enjoy a long run.
Around mile 15 I started to feel a little nauseous. This was new and a bit of a surprise. I was doing all the same things I had done in training, and had many runs over 20 miles to test them out. I was running same pace, same nutrition, hydration. I did not panic. Just took the time at each aid station to try ideas to help.
Dealing with nauseous:
dill pickles (this seemed to help for a bit each time)
licked salt
drank electrolyte drink
slowed my pace down to even a lower HR than I had trained at
After each aid station these little things would help, but the tummy never really came around fully. I suspect it may have been a symptom of the long travel from AZ to the race. We drove non stop. Something to consider as I prepare for my next race. When things aren’t perfect, they are great learning opportunities for the next time. I
I felt good running though. 50 miles is a long way, I was feeling fatigue but I had no desire to walk. I just kept running along at “ultra shuffle pace”.
Best thing I learned during race: One of the little “niggles” I had been dealing with in training was my hip/glute. It started aching around mile 23. I could run through it. Little aches sometimes are nice distractions from feeling tired. I had been using some CBD Salve on my runs that is made by Serenity Medical. It had done wonders for pain relief in training. I brought it to the race to use. At mile 26 I decided to put some CBD Salve on my ache.
This CBD Salve worked immediately! I knew it worked on my shorter runs, but did not really expect such great results on a 50 mile run. It was 100% helpful. I could not believe that it worked so well, it was immediate relief of the pain and made running so much more enjoyable. I also put it on my shoulders that sometimes start to tighten up on long runs. I love this product so much I reached out to the company to make some for Trailrunners! We have it on our website to add to your running kit. We even did it in a fun colorful design that makes it easy to find in your race day kit.
I am so grateful for my son taking the time to follow me along the course, swap out my water bottles and fuel me with nutrition. He did a great job.
The entire 50 miles I felt I could run. I adjusted my pace to help ease the nauseous. I mainly ran alone, but enjoyed the conversations I had with a few folks that were running my pace. High fives and smiles along the course were the best.
I finished in 11:43:42. While running I did not have my watch set to show my hours so I was excited to see I was under 12 hours. I did finally throw up just after I finished. It probably did help my tummy feel better, but it is not fun to get sick. I talked with a couple experts that have said I should consider taking a salt loss test before my next race.
I am looking forward to my next adventure. Black Canyon 100k! I had decided I wanted to do this race, but planned on signing up after finishing 50 miles to see if I really wanted to. Then Black Canyon 100k filled up, so I jumped on the waitlist and got off it right away!
Future goals to help improve:
Work on strength & mobility.
Continue to focus on nutrition. Improve on fueling during my long runs.
Improve on technical trails.
Relearn how to manage long runs in the cold months. This is always a struggle for me.
Basic summary of how I trained to finish 50 miles:
I focused on staying healthy. Consistent mileage rather than high mileage. If I was feeling any niggles in my body, limping, or anything that did not feel right, I would either lighten my training load or take the day off. I ran 4 to 5 days a week.
1 day a week long run: 10 miles to 50k. Made sure to have multiple runs in the months leading into the race that were 18 to 22 miles long.
1 day a week of speedwork. This is things like 4 x 5 to 9’s at half marathon to 10k pace, progression runs, tempo.
Many runs were on flat & fast trails, but I mixed in single track multiple times a week.
1 day a week of a light speed. Pick me ups within a run. I usually did this on single track trails.
