Sunday, March 29, 2015

2015 Prairie Spirit Trail 50 miler

Pre Race

It's hard to believe that I just finished my first race after the 2013 Heartland 100 miler, nearly 1 1/2 years ago. I was injured for a while after the 100, but started running again quite a bit with Ellie's cross country team. I trained on my own and with them over the summer and fall of 2014. I think I was probably in my best 5K shape after all the training with the team. In November 2014 I decided to run a marathon since I hadn't so far that year. I went and did a loop along Tomahawk Creek and Indian Creek trails in Overland Park. There were three places to get water (and a bathroom if needed) along the route. It's really awesome that I can do a marathon with stops in the middle of winter almost entirely on paved trails. I ran that within a minute or so of my fastest marathon - I was pretty happy with that.

Around the first of the year I started thinking about doing another ultra. There were several races I could do in early Spring and I ended up picking the Prairie Spirit Trail 50 miler. I wasn't up to training for a 100, so fell back to the 50. I had maintained pretty good training in December and kept that up during January. I started adding several back to back runs in the 15 mile range before ramping up rather quickly from 15 to 25 mile long runs followed the next day with a 15 to 16 miler. I really like the long back to back runs for ultra training. I did most of my training on flat paved trails since the Prairie Spirit Trail is an old railway converted to a crushed rock trail.  I ended up with several weeks of 50ish miles mainly running 3 days a week.  I really liked that plan as I like the long runs and didn't feel the need to add a 4th day of "short" distance.

Andy O'Hara who paced me a bunch in the 100 decided to do the race as well.

Here's a look at my training versus Andy's. Andy was hurt the day after signing up for the race and had to lay off for a while. I got way more training in than he did.


For two weeks prior to this race I had been on the Daniel Fast with a group from my church.  It's basically a vegan diet and you can only drink water.  You can google it for more details as it's more restrictive than just vegan.  The only exception I made was using Tailwind during the race.  I started the race at a weight of around 128 pounds which is the lowest I have weighed since high school.  Krista did an awesome job preparing meals and I really didn't miss meat or sugar during the 21 day "fast".  I did miss M&M's a little bit though.  I'm not sure if it affected the race positively or negatively.  I know that I certainly liked being as trim as I was.  Since the race I've put on a couple pounds and would actually like to continue eating like that.  I really didn't miss meat as much as I thought I might.

Goals

I had a few goals for this race.

First obviously was finishing, but I'm not very good at just allowing myself to have fun and "just finish" a race.

So... I decided I really wanted to run the entire race.  That doesn't mean I wouldn't stop at aid stations, but I really wanted to run the entire thing and get in and out of aid stations as quickly as possible.

My next goal was to do it at an average pace including stops of 9:00/mile.  I had run 43 miles at Brew To Brew and averaged 9:00/mile so I thought that was doable.  I thought best case I could maybe do this with an average of 8:30/mile, but that would be aggressive.

The Race

Andy and I decided to drive down to the race the morning of.  We needed to be there to check in and drop off our drop bags by 7:30.  We ended up arriving around 7AM.  We got checked in and everything settled.  With the out and back course, we decided to leave a drop bag at Richmond which would be around mile 18 on the way out and 36 on the way back.  There were two other manned aid stations, one at the turnaround (27 miles) and the other at Princeton (miles 12 and 43).  There were a couple unmanned aid stations along the way as well.

Pre race

Both Andy and I planned on using Tailwind Nutrition.  I'm a firm believer in the stuff.  It worked awesome at the 100 miler and didn't disappoint at this race.  I started with a full bottle and carried 2 packets in a FlipBelt along with my phone and wireless earbuds.  I don't normally like wearing a belt, but the FlipBelt is wide and soft and can be worn low enough that it doesn't seem to cause me issues like other belts do.

Like most races, the last few minutes before the start seem to be a blur for me.  Time moves fast as everyone is getting ready and making the last few preparations, mostly all mental for me.

You can barely see me next to Andy on the left side behind the guy in blue


You can just see my hat and partial face in the center

The race starts at Centennial Hall in Ottawa, KS just off the Prairie Spirit Trail.  After reaching the trail we turned north for about 2.25 miles before heading south for the long trek to Garnett and the turnaround.  Early in the run it is really hard to hold back after tapering and feeling great.  I started out running with several different people including Kenn Moon who ran the Heartland 100 the year I did.

Andy and I planned on starting the race together and running together for as long as we were both up to it.  We had talked about nothing faster than an 8:15 pace early on.  I broke that "rule" in the first mile with a 7:56.  That really was faster than I wanted to go, but it was hard to slow down while talking with people.

Following is one of my favorite pictures from the race (I just wish Andy was in it).  It was awesome starting the run and feeling great.  Everyone was talking and having a good time.


Shortly after this, I did slow down a little and it wasn't long before Andy caught up to me.  Andy, Kenn and I ended up running mostly together until near the turn around.

Here you can see Andy just behind me as I got through the first manned aid station a little quicker than he did.  This was taken in Princeton.  This was around mile 12 and I felt really good.




I did what I consider a really good job getting through the aid stations during this race.  It's become a goal of mine to get in and out of aid stations quickly.  I could have done it a little faster, but I was very close to 1 minute at each aid station except Richmond the second time through took almost 2 minutes because I had to pack some things away and dig for my Tailwind packets.  Overall though I was very happy with my stops.  If there is one drawback to Tailwind it's that there really isn't much excuse to linger at aid stations.

The wind was out of the South-East all morning which meant it was against us while headed to Garnett.  It wasn't horrible, the trail is tree lined for much of the route and it did a good job of mostly blocking the wind.  There were times though that the wind felt quite strong in open areas.

I was starting to get warm before the Richmond aid station where my drop bag was.  I planned on leaving my jacket in my drop bag and getting some chapstick, but in my haste I forgot about both and was a bit miffed as Andy caught up to me.  He told me to leave my jacket along the trail, but it's my favorite and I really didn't want a chance of losing it, so I took it off and wrapped it around my waist.  I ended up keeping it there until getting back to Richmond 18 miles later.

As I said before, I ran with Kenn and Andy until around mile 25.5.  It's a pretty cool thing and one of the things I love about running, that I really just met Kenn at the start of the race and we spent the next several hours running together and talking like we've known each other for years.  We talked a lot and I think we all felt pretty good.  The trail is pretty flat, but there were occasions where there was a slight uphill for fairly long stretches.  The trail was mostly the same, just heading south through farm fields.  The trees made it feel more secluded and private than the vast openness of Heartland.  There were a couple short sections where the railway had been built up (to keep it flat) and some hills on either side.  That was a nice break and actually very pretty.

As we got into Garnett near the lake the trees disappeared and the wind started hitting us pretty hard.  I had been through a little bit of a low spot a couple miles previously, not horrible, but I really didn't like feeling like that so early in the race.  As we climbed the hills into Garnett and hit the wind though I was feeling really good - better than I had felt all day.  I started pulling ahead of Andy and Kenn and ended up getting into and out of the Garnett aid station before they got there.  I waved as we passed and I'm sure we said something, but I don't remember what it was.

After seeing who was ahead of me and how far they were ahead of me I just settled in and ran since I didn't think I would catch any of them.  It was nice now with the wind at my back and a good downhill out of Garnett.  I ran some of my fastest miles of the race.  Miles 29, 30 and 31 were 7:56, 8:06 and 8:08.  I'm not sure it was the smartest thing to head out that fast, but it felt really good at the time.

By now I was starting to feel the heat.  It's hard to even write that because I think it was in the 50's, but with the sun shining and the wind behind me (so I couldn't feel any breeze) I was getting very hot.  I had on a long sleeve black shirt that wasn't helping either.

If I made any mistakes in this race, the biggest was probably only taking two packets of Tailwind with me after leaving Richmond.  It was 18 miles total round trip back to Richmond with an unmanned aid station and the turnaround.  I shouldn't have needed more than two packets, but it was getting warm and I drank a little more than I normally would and got to Garnett with less water (and Tailwind) than I had thought I would.  The "cost" of carrying an extra packet is pretty much nothing so I should have done it.

The other mistake was not putting any sunscreen on.  While it wasn't super hot, I did end up with sunburns on my back and the backs of my legs.  For a while I pulled my shirt up over my head and ended up with a circle sunburn in the middle of my back and a burn along the bottom of my back.  It's a great look :)

Here's a pic taken which shows what a lot of the trail was like.  This was around mile 31 or 32.  I was still feeling good at this point - not working to hard.  That was about to change...



Around mile 32 the trail made a slow climb.  Again, it's Kansas on a "flat" railway, but it was a climb and I could feel it.  A few miles later around mile 35 is where I caught someone and got into 6th place.  I wasn't really expecting to catch anyone as I wasn't speeding up, but I wasn't slowing down either.  I passed the guy as he was walking and he didn't look very good.  I think he ended up dropping out of the race.

Around mile 36 is when I came into the Richmond aid station.  I finally got to drop off my jacket that I had forgotten to drop off in my haste to get out the first time.  I grabbed two more Tailwind packets and got some chapstick.

Between Richmond and Princeton the trail is actually descending very slightly - I guess I was getting tired at this point because I swore to myself that I knew it was downhill, but it felt uphill and even looked that way to me.  I did slow down during this section as well.

A few miles past Richmond I saw someone on the trail up ahead and as I got closer I realized it was Ken Bramble a good friend of mine.  He had come out to cheer me on.  He told me there was someone about 4 minutes ahead of me.  I asked if he was running and Ken said yes.  As I passed by Ken I was thinking - if the guy is running I won't be catching him.  I was still keeping close to an 8:30 pace, but it was getting harder.

Much to my surprise as I got to the Princeton aid station (around mile 42.5) Ken told me the runner that was ahead of me was still in the aid station tent.  I knew at that point I was in good shape.  I got in and out of the aid station very quickly and the other runner walked out of the aid station with me (and a wrap to eat).  I doubted he would be running, but I took off pretty fast anyway.  He ended up finishing about 20 minutes behind me.  That put me in 5th place.

I'll pause here for a second and make a note, because I feel like a bit of a jerk for talking about places and not stopping and talking to the runner I just passed.  I'm not that fast and I realize there are plenty of people in the world much faster than I am, but... I did have some goals for this race, one of which was to run the entire thing and the other "unspoken goal" was that 8:30 pace.  Both seemed likely at this point.  When I think of "racing" it's truly a race against myself.  If I pass someone it isn't to beat them, but to push myself to do my best.   I do hope I thanked all the aid station workers, and I'm sure I waved at every person I passed on the out and back course.  "Trail" running is a friendly sport and I always hope everyone does their very best - whether that beats me or is behind me.  Anyway, back to the race...

I ended up seeing Ken again with about 3 miles to go.  I thought he told me to walk and look behind me.  I said no and kept running thinking I don't care if the guy behind me is catching me or dropping back - either one didn't matter, I just wanted to keep on my 8:30 overall pace.  After just a bit I realized he told me the runner in front of me (which I could barely see) had walked and turned around to see where I was.  I could see them up ahead, but I wasn't making up much ground on them and we were getting close to the finish.  I decided to push a little, but I wasn't feeling great so pushing just meant getting back closer to an 8:30 pace.  With about 2 miles to go the trail turns to go under 35 and we actually run on the street a little.  This is also a point where the trail turns so I couldn't see the runner ahead of me for a bit.  I had pretty much lost all hope of catching them, but after making the turn and seeing the runner still hadn't passed under 35 I figured they must have walked when I couldn't see them.  That gave me a little hope of catching them, but not much as there was less than 1.5 miles to go and I was about 1/4 mile behind them.  I kept at it, but really thought there was no hope.  After getting under 35 there is another turn and then a straight away of about 3/4 of a mile.  After getting to that straight away I realized the other runner must have walked again, because I had closed on them.  On the final stretch I decided to give it my all and try to catch them.  I ended up catching them with about 200 yards to go and passed them for a 4th place finish in 7:07:40.


It turns out the runner I passed was the first place female who set the female course record.


Eric Steele the founder of EPIC Ultras
 I'm not sure why, but I'm very talkative after a race.  I'm sure I was explaining something to Ken just minutes after I finished.  I was talkative, but not very smart.  I had been thinking during the race that it might be possible to hurry back and see Andy at the Princeton aid station.  Well, we tried that (about 30 minutes after I finished).  We drove all the way there and I finally realized how stupid that was - there was ZERO chance of seeing him there.  Oh well (at least we made it back in time to see him finish - although not by much).


Here's Andy finishing with a time of 7:53:57 and 8th place overall.  I think he did an awesome job especially for the amount of training he was able to put in.  Neither of us think it was the smartest race strategy to stick with me early on, but again, neither of us are sure if it really hurt things either.


Congratulating Andy - he did an awesome job



Still looking pretty good and happy after 50 miles.  I'd call it a good day.

Stats
Here's the elevation and pace chart from Garmin Connect for my race.  Just ignore the actual elevation numbers and you'll be impressed with the mountain we had to climb :)  The second stop near the turnaround was me adding a little bit of Tailwind to the water I got at the aid station.


Note: If you look at the google maps imagery for Ottawa, KS the images were taken during a previous Prairie Spirit Trail race.  You can see the Start/Finish line and the aid station tents along the trail.  Pretty cool.

Gear Used
Nutrition: Tailwind Nutrition
Once again, Tailwind comes through.  I love this stuff.  It's all I ever use in training and races now.  As they say, "All you need, all day, really".  Believe me, this stuff just works!

Shoes: Hoka One One
I still like these and think they work great for long runs like this.  I've been wearing Hoka's more and more.  I do like "less" of a shoe when doing a short/fast run, but the Hoka's are becoming a favorite - and maybe a necessity as my knees are giving me more and more trouble.

GPS: Garmin 920XT
I just got this and somewhat for this race.  Krista wasn't going to be able to make it down to crew/watch and this watch has a live tracking mode (if you have your phone, which I did).  It was nice knowing she and others could watch along.  I didn't wear the heart rate monitor.  I wanted to, but didn't want to be annoyed even for part of the race.  Of course now I wish I had worn it the last 10 miles, just to see what it looked like.

Belt: FlipBelt
I bought this for Krista for Christmas and tried it a couple times to carry my phone.  I ended up liking it much more than she does.  It isn't perfect, but is the only belt I've been able to wear.  I liked having this, as having 3 packets of Tailwind in pockets on my shorts can cause issues with the shorts bouncing a bit.  I carried up to 3 packets, my phone and headphones in the belt with no real issues.

Hat: Nike (blue)
My favorite running hat.  I just add this note that this hat now knows how to run 50 miles and 100 miles :)

Headphones: JayBird BlueBuds X
I bought these a while back and have used them on training runs.  I don't have them set up perfectly, but they are pretty decent.  I do prefer these over any corded headphones I've used.  I actually don't listen to music much, but do listen to books on tape.  I ended up not using these during the race.  People often ask, "What do you think about?"  Well, I don't know that I have an answer to that.  It's weird that sometimes I just enjoy listening to the sound of my breath and footsteps.  Other times simple math problems can take up a couple miles :)  My mind wanders - I guess I just like running.

Thanks
A special thanks to Krista and Ellie for allowing me all the training time.  I try not to miss out on family things and this training schedule was lighter than the 100 miler training for sure.  But it's still nice not to feel bad about going out for a 3 or 4 hour run.

Thanks to Andy for doing so many training runs with me.  I do like the long runs and I like running on my own, but having someone to motivate you out of bed is really nice some days.  He's a great friend and I'm glad we get to run together.

Eric Steele, founder of EPIC Ultras and the Ultra Brigade.  They put on an awesome event.  Really everything was perfect as far as the race was concerned.  Check-in was simple, starting on time, great aid stations and a great course all made for an EPIC experience.

Mile90 Photography.  Again an awesome job and great photos.  I just need to learn to stop thanking you as I run past - it doesn't make for good photos :)