It wasn’t the race I had been training for. As you know, I was training for a road race (NoToMom) that was held in early October. Things were moving along at a nice pace, no injuries, I was getting my fuel and hydration sorted, things were good.
About two weeks before the race, I slipped on a piece of ice in my kitchen and not only did I fall, I wrenched my shoulder and neck in a bad way. This happened on Monday. I was having issues running and keeping my shoulder mobilized. On Friday, I met with a friend that was running a 24-hour looped race (Ride to Walk) the next day. She was borrowing a few things to make her 24-hours easier. We got to chatting and before long, I had agreed to see if I could register for the 6-hour race as I had an 18-mile long run to do the next day (Saturday). Keep in mind, my shoulder and neck are still injured.
When I got home, I registered for the 6-hour, got my gear together, and hoped for the best the next day. When I arrived at check-in the next morning, I met up with my friends and we started talking about distances. One friend was going for 70 miles and another was going for her 100k (61 miles). I was shooting for 18 and was happy with that. Then we started chatting about my upcoming 50k, and somehow, I was gently pushed into doing a 50k that day. Alrighty then. I upgraded my time to the 12-hour (I knew I would only need 9’ish hours though). The only thought going through my head was, “Oh shit, what have I done?” That was the first time I actually felt queasy at the beginning of a race.
Who does a spur-of-the-moment 50k?
Very long story short, I started to run but the pain from my shoulder and neck was too much. I did intervals for the first 12 miles (more hiking than running). It was too much so I ended up hiking fast for the rest of the race. Seriously. I completed my 50k and I did it in 9 hours 40 minutes total (Moving time was 9 hours and 20). I hiked 97% of the race and still finished just over my guesstimate of 9 hours. Imagine what I could’ve done if I actually ran more.
No Road Race
As for NoToMom, I was not able to run it. My shoulder was not healed enough, and honestly, I’m relieved I didn’t run. That race was pretty much ALL elites going for the USATF title. I would’ve been lapped endlessly, which can be demoralizing in a normal race but this could’ve been a real confidence buster for me. I don’t run 5-7 minute miles, and many did.
As I see it
I would not have completed this 50k without the support (literally) of my friend, Cassandra (in the picture with me), an experienced ultrarunner who went the entire 31 miles with me (and went on to complete another 30 or so miles overnight), and another friend, Julia, who cheered me on every mile or so, and did the last mile with us. She also went on to complete her first 100k. I was cheered on by so many people at Ride to Walk for which I am grateful. I am thankful to the Race Director, Craig Simmons, for upgrading me at the last minute and being at the finish line to congratulate me. The dude rocks a great race.
Clean socks and tuna sandwiches rock.
It’s ok to take a minute or two to sit down and reset.
I learned that my wall that day was around 23-25 miles. I was ready to call it a day but my friend pushed me along. I took a minute (she timed it) to sit and reset my thinking.
I also learned to not argue with your running buddy when you’re 3 miles from finishing and she’s telling you to eat a gel because you’re grumpy (like she needs to eat a Snickers grumpy). I ate the gel (Spring Awesome Sauce, FTW) and finished with a pep in my step.
Fireball is a staple of races and aid stations! I still haven’t tried it.
Finish line pictures from friends are the best. I had no idea those pictures were taken. So grateful to have them.
We had talked about hitting the wall, needing fuel when you’re grumpy, and all sorts of things over the Summer. What I experienced was perfectly normal. I need to remember this for future long runs (or ultras).
What about your coach?
Throughout all of this, the one thing running through my mind was, “what is my Coach going to think about this?” You see, she was concerned about my injured shoulder and told me not to push things if it got too bad. I didn’t tell her I was doing the 50k. I was asked a couple of times if I had texted her, and I commented I wasn’t going to say anything until I was done. I received a text from her (around mile 29 or so) concerned that she hadn’t heard from me all day. After I finished, I paused my watch and sent her a text asking her not to be angry with me. Of course, she had no idea why I would say that. That worried her. With that, I saved my race on my watch and waited. Her reply was epic, “holy shit!” After we went through all of what happened, the bottom line was that she was incredibly proud of me and what I had accomplished that day — injured and all. She has always had considerably more confidence in my abilities than I do.
Final takeaway
Running with friends especially for your first ultra is the absolute best thing ever. I learned ultrarunning is a mind game. Plain and simple. The urge to stop doesn’t come from my legs, it comes from my brain. My brain also tells me “I can’t do this” when I damn well can. Gotta work on that.
