Coming back to the course where I made the TN State 100 mile record was nice... and a little daunting. I was here to attempt a double barrel of 100k in the morning and 50 miles at night. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but in my head, I knew that I would at least win the first race. Looking at last year's result and who was coming, I wanted to make sure I finished at about 8:30-9:00 to have a solid lead. The pace wouldn't be the problem, the main problem was recovering in between races so I could run again at full speed. I had never put myself in that situation before as finishing in 9 hours would give me 3 hours to recover and hopefully not get my legs locked up.... The second race, I hoped to keep it consistent but knew that if it would hurt me rather than help me, I wouldn't hesitate to pull myself out. Taking care of myself is a priority. Compared to last year, I only had 2 months to prepare for the two races and I hoped that it would be enough for me to be able to do that.
The Course:
The Pistol Ultra Run is run on the paved greenway in Alcoa, TN. The start and finish is located at Alcoa High School (which is on top of a hill) and it goes out on a lollipop (out and back with a loop at the other end) for a little over 9 miles, and then on the other side, the 100 km (62 mile) runners go down and back to make the full loop 10.36 miles. Down the long out and back, we would go on mostly flat terrain, with a few rolling hills, and the first aid station we would come across would be a little over 2 miles away from the start, while the second would be about 4 miles from the start. Being a greenway, it's an easy run. Definitely a good course for any record chasing.
My Gear/Food/Drink:
3 Pairs of Topo UltraFly 2's
Your generic Walmart sports socks
KT Tape (to wrap my feet to support the arches)
Nike Combat Compression Shorts
Underarmour shorts
Underarmour compression shirt
Topo singlet
OrangeMud endurance pack x2 (to carry all my foods)
SWORD (the only drink I would carry in my pack)
Ben Gay (instead of warming up, I use this guy to relax my muscles)
Peanut Butter Crackers
Pickle Juice (because hey, lets stop cramping)
My favorite Buff that I got from Sinister 7
iPod Shuffle (when the going gets tough)
Coros Apex (tells time and how fast I can go)
Coros Apex (tells time and how fast I can go)
The Crew:
I had the best people come for this one. The last few races weren't great and I needed the best people to get me back to where I needed. My sister Maika and her husband Nathan. They knew exactly what I wanted and what they needed to do for me. I am blessed to have a supportive, efficient team/family that would support me and get me out without wasting too much time at the 'camp'. The surprise crew were Jacob Moss (who paced me/slowed me down) and his wife Riley. At Woody's aid station, my man Chris Campbell was ready to help at a moment's notice.
The Plan:
As the course was basically a 10 mile loop, I used my calculations from my 100 miler last year that with minimal stoppage at the aide stations, I would only need 1200 mL for the big loop, and mainly eat the 2 crackers every 2 miles while stopping for drinking every mile to make sure I don't go too fast. At the aide stations, I would only drink a cup of coca-cola or pickle juice, and then when I come back with an empty bladder, I would throw the bladder at my sister as I did the small out and back at the back half of the course, and when I came back to 'tent city' they would have everything prepared. I would use that time to walk, drink pickle juice and coca-cola, put the endurance pack on, and then once I reached the starting line, I'd go off again and repeat it. After every 2 laps, I would switch shoes, and take a 20 second breather, but I would be off again. I knew I would start a little fast so planned on walking a good deal to slow myself down. After finishing, I would shower, change, eat, and stretch out in preparation for the next race and I hoped it would be alright and play the 50 miler by ear.
PreRace
Before the race, unlike last year, I wasn't nervous at all because in my head, I was only running a 100 km race and that wasn't as long of a race as a 100 miler. Waking up at 6:45am, I gave myself 15 minutes to prepare and leave at 7:00am to get to the race at about 7:30am. I got everything ready, and ate a small breakfast and listened to some crazy loud songs and got there and set up my table with almost no time to spare. I hurriedly got everything ready and barely got to the start line before the race started. Talk about cutting it close!
Lap 1-2: Excited and Too Fast
The difference between a 100 miles and a 100k race is more than just the literal 38 miles. It's hours of time of running. Comparatively, it's so little stress. It's freedom.... but it's also faster. Knowledge is good because it can be used to prepare the individual for success, but it can also be used as an excuse to go and push harder. That's what I did. In my head I had it all planned out. Take it easy and enjoy the run, but when the leaders of the 100km/100 milers started, I felt the 'need' to keep up with them and outrun them. Then since the 50 km runners that started 5 minutes ahead of us were out there, it became fun to cheer them on and before I knew it, I was going way under the 8:00 min/mile pace I was aiming at. The first full lap was 1:20:29, which was a 7:49 pace, not what I was going for. I needed to slow down. The second loop was a lot better, but not as slow as I wanted, my average pace was still right at the 8:00 min/mile pace. I knew I needed to slow down, but also was having way too much fun out there. In my head, I was only running the 100km race and didn't see the need to slow down. In fact, most of me wanted to push the pace a little more!
Lap 3-4: Struggling with Pacing
Lap 5-6: Finishing UpThe battle in the last two laps was something I've dealt with before. Part of me was focusing on the current race, but the other part was thinking about the 2nd race. Thinking about the 2nd race is good and proper because it allowed me to slow down my pace and take care of myself, but mentally, I was also carrying an extra 50 miles. When I run a race, I've trained myself to only think of the current portion I'm at because in doing so it allows me to perform at my best. That being said, I've never had that 3 hour break and so little by little, I was mentally chipping myself down. I was looking back at the training I've done til that day and was wondering whether it was enough to get me through all 112 miles. I was looking at what I had to do to prepare myself for the next race. I was looking at how I was feeling currently and how my pace was. I was also deciding whether or not I would continue at this pace or slow down and take the win. There were so many things on my mind that I was getting crushed by a race I hadn't even started running. This was a low I have never dealt with and it was different. The variables I had to look at was a little too much and I wasn't sure what would happen. The last lap was especially tiring because I wasn't too sure if I should go for the sub 9 hour mark for the 100k or continue slowing down in anticipation for the 50 miler I would do next. With about 2 miles to go, I decided that the most respectful thing I could do was to finish strong. Do it for myself, my family, my friends, the runners out there, and the race director and volunteers. Pushing aside all other thoughts, I was able to focus on everything on the road ahead of me, and I continued to up my pace and head to the finish line. I finished the race in 8:56:32.1, nowhere near the course record.... but definitely a TN State Record.
Bonus Lap: Trial and Error
After the race, I ate 6 slices of pizza, took a shower, changed clothes to my running clothes for the 50 miler, went to the massage tent with the most amazing people ever, had my legs stretched and taken care of, and got myself to the line right at 8:00 to start the 50 miler. During the 3 hours, I looked at all the variables and by the start of the race, it wasn't looking too favorable for me, but I knew that if I didn't try, I wouldn't know what would happen. It's okay to fail, but failing to try? I can't do that. If I was able to run the whole 50 miles without succumbing to leg issues, then I would continue, but if at any point the pain would be too much and my running career be jeopardized, I would instantly pull the trigger and stop to take care of myself. Fortunately, I had Chris "The Man" Campbell with me pacing me to make sure I was okay. The first 4 miles, I was running somewhere between 9 and 10 minute miles but right around Woody's aid station, I hit a wall. My legs were trashed, chafing sucked, and recovery was out of the question. My hips were locking up, my knees were in pain, my ankles were both hurting (my right one being worse). I started walking at the lollipop section and by the time I reached Woody's Aid station, I knew that I was 95% likely going to quit. Chris took care of me and made sure I was okay and he and I had a long talk about life and we trudged on to the next aid station where I took a little break because it was starting to get too cold for me as I wasn't moving enough. I eventually got up and we walked the rest of the way to the start finish line, where I gave up my bib and called it quits. I was worked on by Jeanne and Brent Williams who got me headed towards recovery. I decided that I wasn't going to focus on the attempted 50 miler, but instead on the glorious 100km race I had. I had fun with my family (both blood and Pistol) and that was the main thing.
Acknowledgements:
Having Maika and Nathan there was the best thing to happen. It's been a hot minutes since I've had them support me, and with their experience, I had almost nothing to worry about. They are undoubtedly the only reason I am able to do so well in my races. Without THE CREW, I am just a simple runner.
My sponsor Topo has been so amazing by providing me with the shoes that I run and race in. It's always nice to run with these shoes as they've given my toes the space needed. Thanks to Uncle Lem's for sponsoring me and also giving me some gear for the race. They actually hooked me up with Topo and that's been a fun trip! KT tape has always been a blessing and because of them, my feet have been taken care of like none other, glad to be supported by them (pun intended). Orange Mud has had my back (literally) for a good bit and their packs are amazing. Snug and never causing irritation, I've always enjoyed running around with their packs. SWORD is the closest thing to the fountain of youth that I can get and I'm extremely thankful for them because I can RACE with SWORD (shoutout to the Berry Flavor).
Jacob Moss is one amazing dude. He's a great runner and a great friend. He ran A TON with me and I'm so glad he was there! Excited to see how he'll do on his own race once he gets his mileage down. Chris Campbell is truly THE MAN. He's been a great friend and a great support only wanting me to succeed he's been there countless times for me and always makes sure I'm alright.
Jeanne and Brent Williams, the ultimate recovery tag team from Quest Health & Performance. Thanks to them I am able to take care of myself and have a professional opinion on what my issues were instead of my amateur hypotheses. It's nice to have people that know ultra runners take care of ultra runners.
Finally, to Will and his crew of amazing people (too many to name), I'm as always grateful for such an amazing race. Perfectly done and a course that invites people to be the best they could, I couldn't ask for more. As I said earlier, the only problem I have with Pistol is that it's TOO MUCH FUN!! So grateful for you guys and what everyone provides because that truly is what makes the Pistol Ultra one of the best races in the world.
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