50 Miles, done!!!

It took me a while to write this report may be  because I was busy last week and tired but also because writing about this really make me realize that it is over. A friend asked me the other day if I was happy because I finally finished my training and I think she was expected an affirmative answer but I said "NO".  I feel happy and excited for accomplishing my goal but at the same time I feel a little sad because something that was an important part of my life for 4 months is over.  Of course I can start training for something else even may be another 50 miller but it won't be the same, it won't be the first time and the feeling of the unknown won't be there again. Everyone keeps asking me " And now what?, what will you do next?, 100 miles?" to be honest I don't know yet but I do know that I loved the experience and that if my body collaborates there will be more ultras for me!!!

There has been a lot of questions during the last week,  questions about the ultra, the road, the food I ate, if I stop to go to restroom, if I was bored etc, etc, etc. hopefully I will be able to let you know everything about it in this post, if not...just ask!!!

I arrived to Rochester the day before the race and drove around 30 miles from there to Canandaigua. Once there I decided to drive  the last 15 miles of the course to get an idea of how much energy I should need at the end. I had read  about the hills  and needed to check it out to see them by myself. I was not "disappointed" those were some serious hills and they were not even the worst in the course!!! I have to admit that I was a little scared afterwards, Central Part didn't prepare me for those type of hills and most of my long runs were actually pretty flat.

At 6PM I went to the start line inside the College to pick up my bid and jersey and meet up with some of the runners. Everyone  was speaking about the same....the "hills".  I started to mingle with some people just to realize that I was one of the most inexperience from all of them. Even though for many people this was their first ultra most of them were also experienced runners with a  lot of marathons and years on the road. I spoke with some runners that had never run an official 50 miles but had run 50 miles many times and some of them even had run 100 miles ultra and for a moment I thought " OMG, what was I thinking? these people will sweep the floor with me".  I went back to my motel because I wanted to have an early dinner and try to go to bed as soon as possible since the night before I woke up at 4 AM for my flight.  

I had to buy some cooked pasta in the local supermarket, no whole wheat, not a good sauce....NOT MY TRADITIONAL HOMEMADE PASTA!!  Well, I have my traditions and I like to eat homemade most before an important race :( .  

I couldn't sleep very well, I woke up every hour because I was afraid to miss the alarm and arrive late !! LOL Finally at 4 AM I started to get ready....yes at 4AM!!!  the race started at 7 and my motel was literally 3 minutes drive from the starting line but I wanted to be very awake, take a shower, my breakfast and be there early enough. Canandaigua isn't Manhattan and finding a place to buy coffee at 5 AM it is just...not happening!!!  I had to buy everything I wanted the night before including my  coffee!! the room wasn't nice or big or comfortable but at least it did have a microwave!!! nothing better that a reheated coffee from the day before :((.  I was going to find out later that there was coffee at the starting line!! : p

When I arrived  to pick up my chip it was actually very funny because it was huge!!! I am used to the D-Tag from the NYRR but the chip here was an ankle brazalete. Have you seen in the movies when someone is under home arrest and the policy make them to wear that thing in their ankle to monitory that they don't live their house...well...that is it!!! LOL

Everyone was warming up, chatting with their families and friends and agreeing in last minute plans for the day. I felt a little lonely and I think everyone else was with someone. I can't completely confirm I was the only one alone but may be one of a few, I think most of the runners had families or friends  following them on the road and others seemed to know each other from previous races. Anyway, during the race many of these people cheer me on too!! they were really nice and even though they didn't know me they were asking me from their cars all the time if I was ok or if I needed something. This is called "crew",  you have someone following you not just to cheer you on but also to carry liquids and food for you and sometimes  even running part of the race with the runner. I saw many people running some miles with their friends, boyfriends or girlfriends  and carrying food and liquids for them. I,  in the other hand.  just counted with the aid stations and of course no pacer. I found out later that actually the winner had someone with him all the time, following him in a car and providing him the food and liquids and running the last 10 miles with him to push his pace....it does really sound a little advantageous, we should all run alone and just using whatever the race provides.

It was a little chilly but I could still wear my shorts and singlet because the forecast for the rest of the day was between 50 to 60. I decided to just wear a long sleeves jersey that I could leave in one of the aid stations after a couple of miles.   Almost 7 AM and we all start walking  to the start line.

Miles 1 to 10

An ultra is different to a city marathon in many ways and the start  line is one of the major differences. There are no waves or positions!! you can either start in the front of the pack or at the end and nobody will tell you anything.  The race director gave us some last minute instructions  and wished us good luck, meanwhile I was telling myself  " ok, this is it, you are going to be running 50 miles, you might run for 11 or 12 hours but Claudia you must do it, you have a long way in front of you but  you are ready and you have to do it, once you give the first step you won't stop until you are done and that will be in 11 hours!!! you have no time to be bored, sore, tired or sleepy....you must run because you can do it"

Runners, go!!! OMG...I am doing this!!! It is difficult to describe the feelings during the first minutes to someone who is not a runner, it is a mix of happiness, fear, emotion.  You have been training for a long time and now it is time to make good use of all that. It is the final test and you don't want to fail.

I started running very slow and I mean....VERY SLOW....I was the last one in the pack...yes the last one!!! I am not exaggerating I was literally the last person of the group!! Everyone started running very fast and I was not ready for that.  Every single piece of advice, tips, etc I read about ultras said that you are supposed to start slow because the first mistake people does in ultras is to start fast and that you don't win an ultra in the first 20 miles...that you need to pace yourself...and well that was my strategy but I started wondering what the others were doing.  Were they very fast and that pace was "slow" for them?? it was absolutely not slow for me. Anyway I stick to my plan and kept running my own pace.  After 3 miles I was still the last one...mmm....I started to be concerned and wondering whether I was running too slow or the others were running too fast...I looked at my Garming and I was in my pace...that was the pace I practiced and I needed to stick to it. It was too early to start running faster because I didn't want to use all my energies just in the first 20 miles..." Keep it easy and steady, you are running as planned...they will get tired and you will pass then later" I kept repeating this to myself in an attempt to hold back my pace and anxiety but I was a little worry, I didn't want to be the last one!!!

At mile 5 I decided to change my strategy, because I was afraid that even though  the others slow down since they have started so much faster than me I could not catch up with them. I wasn't sure about other people fitness so I didn't want to risk to be the last one!! no way I was going to be the last one!!!

I took a couple of minutes to think what I was going to do and how I will past people without getting myself exhausted. Here is exactly what I was thinking at that moment, and believe me...I am writing exactly as I was thinking:

• I will focus in the first person in front of me and I won't think about anything else until I pass him/her
• I am not going to spring to pass them because then I will be tired
• Since the course is very hilly and most people will walk the hills I will wait until the person starts walking a hill and that is when I will run a little faster until I catch up with them which also means that I need to run part of the hill but most probably just for a little while
• Once I catch up, if I need to walk I will do it really fast and I will start running again as soon as we past  the worst part of the hill
• On the down hills...I will sprint as hell!!!!!!!!!!! I know we are not supposed to sprint that much in downhills as that mashes your cuads but luckily I practiced it during a speed work I did a couple of weeks ago where I sprinted downhills for more than 1 hour so the feeling wasn't unknown for me
•  I should use the aid stations in my favor some runners were carrying a hydratation backpack and it takes longer to refill them, that could also be a good moment to past them...I was using a hand bottle and they are easy to refill. I won't stop for a long there...I will grab some food and walk out immediately
• Once you pass someone, for no meaning let them to pass you again!!!! watch your back!!!
  

The strategy was set and I just needed to put it in practice!!! You might think I am a little crazy, which it might be truth but I am very organized and I like strategies and plans !!! so I can't be different while running!!

Jim, he did it in 9:52:56

In the next couple of miles I started passing people, my strategy was working and I was still in my planned average pace.  After passing  may be 4 or 5 people I met Jim.  I looked at him for some minutes trying to figured out his strategy and how I could pass him when I noticed that he was doing a run/walk strategy not only on hills but every XX minutes. I waited until he was in his walking to approach him. We started to talk and kept running together for some miles. He told me he has been running for 47 years and at first I thought I misunderstood him, he looked young so how he could have been running for 47 years...no way...I was going to find out later that he was actually 67 years old!! His wife was following him in a car and taking pictures. Jim has run many ultras and other races and his pace goal was similar to mine. We stayed together for some miles, it was nice to run with someone with that much experience and heard what he has to say. Before I noticed it we were in the aid station around mile 10  and where I needed to go to the restroom. I am just mentioning it because there were only 2 restroom in the course, once at mile 10 and the other at mile 31, it is so much easy for men!!! they were just using the trees beside the road!!!! The restroom was a little far from the aid station and as always....there were a line!! Damn, I missed a couple of minutes there and by the time I went back to the road Jim was gone...I never saw him again until the end. He did a good race and kept the pace he wanted which was very similar to mine and that is why we never met again until the end.

Miles 10 to 26.6

I was feeling good but there was still a long way to go....it was not time to celebrate anything yet.  During these miles there were also some huge hills including the feared Bopple Hill around mile 16!!

As soon as I left the aid station I started to pass people again. I was feeling really good and I figured out that it was then or never. By the time I arrived to Bopple  Hill I have passed already several runners and I was now running with a pack of 5 or 6 men. They seemed to be strong and while I was chatting with them I was thinking how could I leave them behind. Bopple hill is really a tremendous hill:

Bottom of Bopple Hill

 

• • Distance: 1 mile
• Average Gradient: 11%
• Maximum Gradient: 22%
• Ascent: 560 Feet 

 

We all started to walk this hill and I noticed they were not walking really fast and that was my moment!! It was time to use my hiking experience!!! In general I am not a fast walker but this was not a regular walk it was more like hiking and I am good at that!! By the time I was in the middle of the hill I have left behind all the guys except one, this one was strong and he was not slowing down but before we arrived to the top he was history!!!  I have conquered Bopple Hill and left behind  at least 6 more people!!! Time to recover the lost time!!! 

After the hill there was a long down hill and I was feeling so good that I ran very fast and passed some more people. There was this guy about 0.3 miles in front of me I wanted to catch up but his pace was steady and for a couple of miles I was just behind him. I was obsessed with the idea of passing him :)  and I even thought not to stop in the next aid stations just to gain some minutes :) OH god...yes I am that competitive :) but then I noticed he was wearing a backpack!! alleluia!! " I will have time to catch up with him while he refills it!!!  " In the next aid station I finally catch up with him and we both left the aid station  at the same moment. 

We started to chat and  ran together for 3 miles. What the odds to meet someone  who works just 2 blocks from my office!!! hahahaha and is also an accountant!!! I told him that I was following him for the last couple of miles trying to pass him and  about my strategy...he laughed and said " well, I am having a hard time keeping up with you so you can go any time I won't pass you, my goal is to finish in 12 hours!!! but you GO...I will see you in Manhattan!!"  That was the last time I saw him, in Canandaigua ;-)

The following miles were lonely, they were rolling hills and I couldn't see anyone in front of me but there was someone behind me, it was one of the guys I passed before. He was behind me for many miles, I couldn't stop turning all the time to check how far he was....by mile 26.6 mile my Garmin's battery died...just 5 hours into the race....damn...that really killed me.

Miles 26.6 to 45

A marathon is down and my goal now is getting to the next aid station, from now on I am counting from aid station to aid station. Just 5 miles at the time, that was the goal. My legs started to feel a little tired and so I incorporated a little walking....I did 1 minute walk every 20 minutes run for the next 5 miles. There were a couple of big hills and the rest were rolling hills...no flat around :(. 

I had never run more than 31 miles before so I wanted to arrive to the aid station at mile 31 feeling strong  and I did it!! By the time I arrived there I was cheerful and strong!! I ate some oreos, chips, potatoes, and went to the restroom....damn again the stupid restroom cost me a position...the guy running behind me arrived to the aid station while I was in the restroom and he was now running beside me...I was really upset with the stupid restroom!! and I repeat...it is so easy for men!!!

This guy, Don,  started to talk to me and since we were having a similar pace we decided to run together. He was also an experienced runner, he was in his early 40ish and have already run this race 3 times plus many other ultras including a 100 miller. He was having some issues with his foot and needed to do some walking time to time and as I am very stupid I waited for him a couple of time when he needed to walk.

Again a couple of major hills....I turned and asked Don " How many more hills? I thought we should have some flat now!!" he laughed and said..." really I don't remember well but I think there are still a couple of big hills".  The next miles were tough but I knew I could do it. I never had doubts about doing it!! Never!! 

Suddenly a mark on the road "TO GO 15"  OMG!! just 15 miles!!! 15 doesn't sound that bad!! I could do it!! how many times I have run 15 miles!!! "come on Claudia!!! you can do it!!"

At this point we started passing people again and finally something we have been waiting for the last 8 hours " TO GO 10" !!!  holly molly I am almost there!! 

I know that 10 miles is a lot but when you have run 40 miles 10 is nothing!!!  I knew I could do it!! I was feeling strong and I knew at that point that I was going to finish and in a better time than my goal. I asked Don the time and we started to calculate how fast we should run to make it before 10 hours.  He said we could do it and I also believed it!!!  After mile 10 the countdown marks started to appear every mile....TO GO 9, TO GO 8.....You can't imagine how happy I was every  time I saw a mark!!

I just kept telling myself..." You can do it!! you are almost done!! yeah!! you have this, you have this!!!"

Around mile 42 I felt something in my right cuad, it was not a cramp yet but seems that soon I will get one!!! I couldn't allow this to happen....I was not going to have a cramp now...no way...but what to do??!!! I decided that the best option was to walk for a minute or two, take an extra electrolyte and a GU. I told Don I needed to walk a minute because I was afraid to get a cramp....and here is why I said before I am stupid....he did not wait for me!! 

I know, it is a competition but I  did wait for him when he needed to walk :( and not one but a couple of times.

At the beginning I felt very stupid but then I was proud of myself. If finish 5 minutes earlier means that I have to forget what be a good person means, then I prefer to be the last one. One thing is compete and have a strategy and try to pass people in good faith  but when you forget about loyalty, respect and fair play it is a very different thing. In any case, everyone is free to decide what make you sleep better at night and I slept very well that night.

The last 5 miles!!!

TO GO 5!! OMG...I am almost there!!  I can still see Don...he is around 1/2 mile in front of me and seems that he is running faster now.  Thanks God my leg feels much better, no signal of any cramp and I am still running...TO GO 4!! just 4 miles to my goal!!! and again I am passing people!!! I have to admit that the feeling of passing people at a race is sooooooo good!!  and not to mention when those people are fit young guys!!! you feel powerful!! I am running and they are walking!!! I said ..."hi, are you ok?"  they said "yes, just tired, we can't run anymore".

While running I kept singing my song. I have this song that is like a hymn for me since I was 12 years old, it is in Spanish but may be in another post I will traslate it!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7XF_In5LrE

  

TO GO 3!!! Gosh!! just 3  miles...just 30 minutes and all will be history!! Along the road cars honk, other casual runners cheers us on and I feel proud. I want to scream " I have just run 47 miles!!! 47!!!"

TO GO 2!!! I want to cry, I am happy very happy!!! I am trying to run as fast as I can but my legs are tired.

TO GO 1!!! Just 1 mile!!! 20 blocks!! Lord I am doing this!!! I took my phone from my pocket to check my time 9:55 hours.....well I am not making this before 10 hours, there are no way I can run 1 mile in less than 5 minutes, not now and not even  if I were rested so I decided just to enjoy the last 1 mile...I looked around trying to keep everything in my memory, I looked at the blue sky and I Thanks God for helping me to accomplish  my dream with a beautiful day. 

Before I even noticed it I was in the College again, in the same path where we started 10 hour before and I knew I did it....I stopped for a moment, it was not the finish line

...it was before it, just before turning to the finish line...in a path between bushes. 

I was alone and I needed to recollect myself...it was just 10 seconds but I needed to be alone before crossing that line because after crossing it I will be a different person. I needed a time with my old me.

I can see now the finish line, I can see the watch and other runners around but not a single familiar face...nobody to hug me or tell me congratulations....I ran as fast as I could...I didn't want the watch to pass 10:05....when I crossed the finish line it was 10:05:35 and  everyone started clapping!! 

I was not expecting that....I was so happy, excited, touched, even ashamed for all those people clapping at me...runners, spectators, everyone....it was my moment and I felt special.