Northface 50 Miler Race Report (Washington D.C.)

Race Summary

Race: Northface Gore-tex 50 Miler
Date: June 1st, 2013
Location: Algonkian Regional Park, Sterling, VA
Finish Time: 10:06:20

Well, I did it, I finally ran a 50 miler.  It wasn't a great training season for me and it wasn't pretty but in the end I couldn't have been happier.  It was 10 hot and sunny hours in Virginia humidity.  This was not your typical trail race.  Since Northface was in charge there was plenty of glitz and glam (and advertising), and a huge finish with hundreds of people (not typical of an Ultra) fueled by a trail marathon, 50k, and marathon relay in addition to the 50 miler.

Weeks Leading Up

This season hasn't been bad by any means, but hasn't been perfect either.  Okay, looking back its actually been pretty awesome.  The good? I got to run Boston and an Ultra in the same season. The bad? Had to sit out a race, general soreness and aches along the way, and just not the intensity or mileage I wanted.  I was able to get back into running full force in December after a long recovery and base building due to my injury incurred at Chicago.  Nothing felt 100% at any point though and I always had to proceed with caution.  I cut out most speed work but got my long runs to the point where I knew I would be okay to run Boston.

I probably didn't take enough time off Boston, but I felt great and after having only run it at an easy pace didn't feel guilty.  Then the aches and pains starting showing up all over my legs.  In early May I prescribed myself a week of complete rest followed by another week of only crosstraining.  This meant having to skip my previously scheduled 50k, a slow, muddy romp up and down the mountains in West VA (which I heard was a blast).  It wasn't the end of the world.  If it was a focus race I would have just done it and dealt with the consequences after, but since it was just kind of a placeholder training run I was smart to sit out.

The last month before Northface had me only doing about 25 miles per week on average, made up by a long run on Saturdays, a couple of shorter mid-week runs, and plenty of time on my new bike.  This culminated in an incredibly long Saturday of running, biking, walking, and trail running to get me ready for Northface.  Sprinkle in some smart recovery, gym time, and a sports massage and everything came into place just enough to run 50 hot, humid miles last weekend.

Shortly after leaving for the race at 3:50 am.

Final Prep and Pre-Race Routine

I'm not a superstitious person at all.  Just putting it out there.  I am however someone who will stick to a routine religiously if I determine it to be effective.  As a part of that routine, the 2 days leading up to a Marathon or Ultra-Marathon (especially one where its hot out) involves not only 2 days of carbo loading but also salt loading and water loading.  Basically, a lot of pasta and rice and as much salty foods as I can get a hold of.  My secret weapon is Mr. & Mrs. T's Bloody Mary Mix (or V8 hot & spicy if I'm in a pinch).  Its the most sodium per serving of any drink I have found and its actually really healthy too, packed with vitamin rich vegetable juice.  Most people think its gross, but I have talked to plenty of runners who drink it before and after races.  Guess its not really a secret.  They do always seem to have it available on airplane drink service which is nice.

Why all the salt and fluids? Its important to start off a race with a lot of salt in your system not only for the electrolytes and to prevent sweating it all out, but also since salt makes your body retain water.  While most people don't want to carry around "water weight" I want to stay as hydrated as possible during a race.  Those last 2 days also saw me drinking minimal coffee and no alcohol.  I also start going to bed a little earlier so that I can get a solid nights sleep (at least 9 hours) the day before the day before the race, and then have a relaxing Friday where I fall asleep around 10:45pm.

Most people are so nervous they can't really sleep.  I think in this case my advantage was a bad attitude.  I didn't really care, I didn't think I would do well, maybe not even finish or DNF due to injury.  Low expectations yields low pre-race jitters.  This is a mental tactic I will try to employ in the future.

That morning I woke up exactly at 3:05am, made my single cup of coffee from the same coffee grounds I use before every run, ate the same bagel with peanut-butter, and drank a bottle of water and half a bottle of Gatorade in the car.  I had all my clothes out, my ultra running vest pre-packed, as well as another bag to take with me of extra gear.  I put body glide in all the right places and applied sun-screen (wise in any multi-hour race during daylight).   I left at exactly 3:50am as planned.  It took me a predicted 40 minutes to drive to the start of the race.  This left me with 30 minutes to complete my routine involving another snack, bathroom visit, pre-race Gu and salt tablet and a few last minutes of almost meditation like waiting until the gun went off at 5:00am.

The Northface Gore-tex 50 Mile Challenge course map.  Use this for reference in the other sections.

The Race Start: Miles 0 - 15

The start.  Its best not to think about what lies ahead of you, as in, longer than a working day's time of running.  Just focus on the here and now.  What was I thinking? "hmmm, time to get moving", "glad its not too dark out" (though I still had a head-lamp just to be safe), "still pretty cool out", "hope my legs hold up" - oh, and the golden rule that any good ultra runner abides by - "Start slow and then slow down".

Just a few minutes before the race start at 5:00am and still
dark out.  I felt wide awake, rested, and ready to get into
a steady running shuffle.

I was astonished to be getting passed by runners after only a few miles in.  I had no idea what they were hoping to gain as we were only 30 minutes into a 50 mile trail run.  You have to tell yourself "let them go, I'll get back to them later".  These aren't the runners wearing all white, dorky hats, and with funny looking camelbaks on.  These were the guys in packs racing each other, not wearing shirts so they can show off their tattoos, and not carrying fluids.  All I could think was "have fun - ill see you in 30 miles".

This section of the trail was beautiful, passing forest ponds misting as the sun arose.  As we continued through the forest we came within view of the Potomac River, passing through floodplains of waist high grass.  I wore my Zensah calf sleeves which came in handy when we were practically wading through overgrown grass and weeds.  Passing the first aid station I still had plenty of water in my pack but I still grabbed a drink and a small snack.  Since I am fortunate enough to live in this area I had the advantage of running these trails already ensuring nothing was a surprise.  A few sections of steep hills slowed the already pathetic running pace to a speed walk, a strategy any smart ultra runner abides by.

By about 10 miles in there was a spread out but noticeable pack of runners.  About a dozen of us, constantly trading places as well as brief conversation, keeping each other in check.  Everyone was very relaxed and friendly.  I spotted a few of the many runners wearing the Hoka One One shoes that I had seen at the start and felt obligated to comment on their funny shoes (which looked like my funny shoes).

We were now closing in on Great Falls Park, marked by the 3rd red dot on the map above at Mile Marker 14.9.  This was the start of the Great Falls loops.  Its easy to dread this, but better to go in with a positive outlook since this is really the meat of the race.  Being familiar with the park I was even able to opt for a "real" bathroom instead of a port-a-john.  I blasted through the first aid station since I knew another one was coming up before the loops began.

3 Loops through Great Falls:  Miles 15-22, 22-29, and 29-36

The loops were tough, no doubt about it but made for great mental barriers to get past.  The first leg was over with, now we have 3 loops of the same thing before we head back the way we came.  Sounds easy right?!  Without going into too much detail ill describe a single loop briefly.  Go up a jeep path which becomes too steep to run eventually.  Down a trail, turn around, come back up the trail, back down part of the jeep path, down another trail, turn around, come back, and down a much steeper section, make a few more turns and run through a tree-less and sun-filled field.  Then carefully traverse the rocky terrain Great Falls is famous for, ensuring you don't fall 100's of feet into the Potomac River.  Come out of this to the main aid station to refuel on Gu, snacks, water and ice.  There is another smaller aid station half-way through the loop.

Navigating some rocky terrain in Great Falls.  Over to the
right (out of the picture) is the cliff drop off to the Potomac
River iconic of Great Falls Park.  Best to walk here and keep
your balance rather than skin a knee (or worse).

Repeat.  Then Repeat again.  These were mostly uneventful however I distinctly noticed a lot of runners starting to slow down significantly on the 3rd loop.  By the 35 mile mark I was passing many of the folks who went out too fast pre-dawn.  It was also getting very, very hot out now as we approached noon, with temperatures approaching 90 degree.  In these conditions you should constantly drinking water or an electrolyte drink.  I am for a few gulps every 10 minutes.  My pack's bladder still held enough water (1.5 liters) that I would still have a little left before aid stations.

My typical approach to an aid station is as follows:  Slow down and gather yourself, grab a quick drink, now I open up my pack and refill the bladder about 3/4 with water, the other 1/4 would be filled with ice.  Then toss a couple nuun tablets in there.  Grab a snack or 2 and stuff them in the front pockets of my ultra vest.  Grab another drink and a salty snack and eat/drink as I walk out.  Taking gels and salt tabs were essential too, but since they are easy to carry I saved those for walking sections on the trail.

Speaking of, I brought along a full cylinder of nuun tablets, and another cylinder filled with S!Caps salt tablets.  I thought this would be double what I would need - ending up using all of them.  This is a good example of the attention to detail used in preparation for this kind of event.  The nuun cylinders are great since they are waterproof and have a pop-off top (screw tops are bad if you are sweaty).  After pre-packing them I also stuff some paper in the end. Why? Once you are half finished with the nuun or S!Caps things start rattling which annoys the crap out of me.  Nothing a little crumbled up paper won't stop.

Really glad I had my dorky plain white hat.
As you can see here, it shades my whole face
(and head) from the strong sun.

Heading Back: Miles 36-50

Finishing the last loop and heading back through Great Falls Park I felt surprisingly solid.  Hot yes, but drinking plenty of fluids and no major soreness to speak of.  As the trail winded through the forest I was able to keep a steady pace up passing even more runners, now to include trail marathon and 50k participants.  I traded place with a couple other 50 mile runners who made for great pacing partners.  There is an infamous gap of about 8 miles between aid stations though, and this proved to be too much.

One of the bigger aid station areas in Great Falls.  This was the start (and end) of the loops through Great Falls, so I
passed through here a total of 4 times (1 at the start of each loop, and then as I left my final loop).  Aid stations are where you employ a lot of your tactics concerning fluids and food.  Patience is also required - while refilling takes time, those who speed through and don't get enough will pay for it later.  It was well stocked with water, Gu brew electrolyte drink, soda, cliff bars, salty snacks, energy gels, shot blocks, candy, bananas, oranges and more!  They had ice too but unfortunately that ran out by the 3rd loop.

About 5 miles removed from the Great Falls aid station I was getting low on water and, along with all the other runners I encountered, started wondering how long until aid.  It always looked like it was just around the corner, but we had to endure almost 3 miles of sun and heat with no water.  I was dry on fluids, everyone else was too.  At least misery loves company right?  I wanted to run the whole time but with about a mile to go to the aid station I gave in to a walk/run strategy.

Once I finally made it to Aid Station #10 ("Frasier") I was borderline dehydrated.  I felt dizzy and nauseous; it was difficult just to regain my composure.  No way I was rushing through this station.  I drank a bunch of water, swallowed 3 salt tablets, and ate some orange slices.  Kneeling down to refill my pack was easy but getting up was substantially harder.  I was worried they had run out of ice but was able to find enough to toss in my pack.  Ice was more important than I had ever realized, its incredibly effective to be drinking cold fluids as a way to lower your core body temperature.  I was tempted to sit or lay down, which a lot of runners were doing, but I knew this would be a huge mistake as you never want to get back up and risk cramping up while down.

Now fueled up and composed again, I walked out with another cup of water, pretzels, and orange slices to eat along the way.  I heard it was 4 miles to the next aid station so I promised myself I would walk for at least 30 minutes to make sure I was out of harm's way.  After that it was a run/walk strategy the rest of the way.  I was no longer dehydrated but my whole body was just getting so sore and tired I couldn't run continuously.  I would tell myself "okay, lets speed walk for 15 minutes, then spot something far in the distance to run to, then approach a hill to walk up and down, try to run again."  I found speed walking to be important as well - not just to walk, but to walk at a brisk pace to waste less time then if you were merely stumbling forward.

After making it to the Sugarland aid station, I was disapointed to find out we needed to again do a short out and back section with the finish only a few miles away.  This was more walking and running with a final refueling stop on the way back.  We were now on a flat, crushed gravel road heading back toward the start at Algonkian Park.  I promised myself I would run the last mile and with the finish almost in site I starting running again at a brisk pace.  All the pain (mental and physical) becomes easier to block out once you know you are in the final mile of a 50 mile run.

The Finish and After-Thoughts

Heading down the stretch I was in my weird end of Marathon zombie mode.  I pictured myself looking pale, clammy, and expressionless.  I just want to have a speedy finish at that moment and cut a few last seconds off my total time.  Busting through the finish line I was first overcome with joy and then took a few minutes to wonder around, converse with a few other finishers, and finally find a spot to sit down, stretch a little, drink water and eat a banana.

So what did I end up eating and drinking along the way in terms of quantity?  I believe (and this is all from memory) I ate 3 Cliff Bars, 2 little bags of pretzels, 6 energy Gels (1 regular Gu, 2 Gu "roctane"s, 1 Hammer gel, and 2 or 3 Cliff Gels), 2 shot blocks, a bunch of orange slices, like 16 salt tablets, and I refueled my pack bladder 6 times adding in my own nuun tablets - so at 1.5 liters per fill that's 9 liters of water!

I felt really good about this race, and even better about taking a planned 2-4 weeks off of running entirely afterward.  I plan on doing as much cycling as I can handle in the meantime to maintain fitness.  I am also making a new summer goal to do a Century (100 mile) bike ride this summer.  Not to sound overconfident but I'm not too worried about this - its like doing a Marathon after you've already done a few.  You know you can do it, you just want to make sure you knock it out and maybe actually enjoy yourself.

My Hoka One One Stinson Evo Trail shoes worked wonderfully.  While I'm a born skeptic and still not sure 100% about wearing Hokas on the roads, the trail shoes rock!  My feet felt surprisingly fresh and with minimal blistering after the race.  The shape and design of the shoe even encourages a runner's "shuffle" to keep you moving at a slow and steady pace while expending the least possible energy.

The rest of my outfit was all about functionality.  A baggy white shirt and shorts that I had worn enough times to know they wouldn't chafe me anywhere.  My dorky white hat to keep the sun off my head and face and reflect (rather than absorb) sunlight.  I have also made it a habit to get a haircut (a little on the short side) the day before a big race.  I sometimes refer to this jokingly as my "military cut", since whenever I have my hair this short people in the mid-west or small town USA assume I'm in the military. Is it really that rare to be thin, tall, and have short hair in these areas?  I'll take it as a compliment.

Finally Done! Posing with a couple of friend from my
local running club.  Love all that product placement!

As far as how to train for something like this goes, I have learned that while training plans and focused workouts (often recorded meticulously in spreadsheets) are helpful, what it really amounts to is basically running a lot for several years with no major breaks.  Just run a lot, run a bunch of marathons, run some 5ks, run a 50k or two, stay healthy, and eat and drink well for like 4 years - and then run for 50 miles on hiking trails.  This is what it takes.  Sounds easier than it is though.