So today was the day. I ran the wonderful McDonald Forest 50K in Corvallis this morning. This will be burned in the old memory banks, like the first time I walked upright or received a Christmas present or graduated from HS (yes, I actually graduated twice, but alas that's another story). It was my first 50K trail race and I had no idea what to expect. I am finally no longer an ultramarathon virgin though. I've thrown off the shackles of long-distance trail running celibacy. I've been asking myself, "Why did it take me so long to experience this?" In the words of the immortal Jim Carrey, "I like it, I like it a laht"
Scott Dunlap told me a few weeks ago that this was a tough race and I have to say that for a first-time 50Ker like myself, yeah, it was tough. Yowza! I suppose I have Scott Jurek to thank/blame for encouraging me to try it. He knows about my training, my desire to run a 50K and my lust for the muddy trails. So when he told me that he and Leah were going to run it I decided to take the plunge and do it too. I'm very glad that I did. The drive down from Seattle sucked but the race more than made up for it.
It was as tough as it was rewarding. Perhaps it didn't help that the furthest distance I had ever run before was 35K and that was only 2 weeks ago out in Mazama/Twisp (see the Sunflower Iron post). Seriously, I've never run further than 22 miles in either training or racing. D'oh! I know someone will tell me that was an ignorant move or just plain dumb, but please hold your tongue. I really enjoyed it and seem to have suffered no ill effects (yet). In fact, 2 months ago I ran my first 25K trail race which was my longest run up to that point. So, my Mac 50K race strategy was actually not to race per se, but to just run, enjoy and finish. I've never run a trail marathon before so I didn't have that benchmark in my mind either, which in hindsight might actually have been a good thing.
I ran slowly not knowing what to expect around each turn, or from my poor body for that matter. I didn't want to experience the dreaded bonk and then DNF. I started the run on my own, not really knowing anyone in the crowd. I soon hooked-up with Julie Sandoz and we ran about 8 miles together talking about engineering and other nerdly pursuits. She soon pulled ahead as we approached the bottom of Extendo and then stupidly, as I was admiring some Iris flowers (which were in awe-inspiring abundance) at around mile 9 or 10, I rolled my right ankle pretty severely. I've never done that before so I just kept running through the pain and it eventually went away after about another 15 miles. Hmm...probably not the best race strategy, but it worked. I told myself that I would finish this thing no matter what happened, regardless of my overall time, even if I lost an earlobe in an encounter with a rabid hummingbird, or a drop bear ripped-out my hair or something as equally traumatic happened to me.
The middle of the race was fun, especially the Hippies servicing the aid station on Dimple Hill. I soon caught up with Jamshid Khajavi at Chip Ross Park and we ran together for about the next 4 miles or so. What an interesting character. He's a 54 year old ultra fanatic from Kirkland, WA who was coming off a 100-miler last weekend in Moab and then planning to race back-to-back 100-milers the following two weekends. That's 331.5 miles of tough running in 4 weeks, not including his training miles. Whoa. And, he's an endurance swimmer to boot! He gave me some much-needed perspective on what's possible if you put your mind to it. Thanks Jamshid! As the Aussies say, "Good on ya!"
In fact, I think that was the slowest pace I have ever run over a set distance; I averaged about 12 min/miles which isn't too bad for a first timer. I felt like I was wearing Granny panties or concrete shoes or something. And, to make this race even better, there was a heckuva lot of climbing, like 6,600 feet of cumulative elevation gain. Fortunately, I like climbing. The only downside was the lack of the infamous "Mac Mud", for which the race is so well known. That kind of bummed me out, given that I live for thick gloopy mud caked around my ankles. Shouldn't complain though, the trail conditions were superb.
I spent about 20 minutes in total at aid stations working on my ankle. When Jamshid and I exited the trails and hit the fire road at about mile 24.5 I felt really good and decided to push my pace a little. I ran that last 7 miles at a faster pace (even including that loooong hill right after the Lewisburg Saddle aid station), so obviously I had something extra left in the tank. I was quite spent at the end though. The run ends with a curvy 1+ mile rooty single-track descent that toasts your quads and I burned down that at like a 7:00 min/mi pace. Gravity was my friend. It sure was a great feeling to finally cross that finish line with everyone whooping and hollering for every finisher. I wasn't certain if they were laughing at my completely decimated state of being or just cheering for everyone, regardless of goofiness factor. I'll have to assume the latter for the sake of my self-dignity.
The end is so sweet. I just stumbled half delirious into the Forestry Cabin needing to consume large numbers of calories, which were replenished with some tasty organic soup and bread served by two lovely volunteers. I sat down to ice my ankle and had a chance to talk a little with the grandfather of Oregon trail running, Clem LaCava (founder and past RD of the Mac 50K as well as all-around nice guy). Then I had a fun rambling conversation with Melissa Heggen, a super smart H.S. math teacher from Denver, who was in town to visit her Dad. She got my vote for the most individually stylistic runner with a super cool pink Adidas headband matched to short pink shorts and a pink top. Check out her hilarious blog. Not to mention that she came all the way from Denver for the race!
Scott Dunlap told me a few weeks ago that this was a tough race and I have to say that for a first-time 50Ker like myself, yeah, it was tough. Yowza! I suppose I have Scott Jurek to thank/blame for encouraging me to try it. He knows about my training, my desire to run a 50K and my lust for the muddy trails. So when he told me that he and Leah were going to run it I decided to take the plunge and do it too. I'm very glad that I did. The drive down from Seattle sucked but the race more than made up for it.
It was as tough as it was rewarding. Perhaps it didn't help that the furthest distance I had ever run before was 35K and that was only 2 weeks ago out in Mazama/Twisp (see the Sunflower Iron post). Seriously, I've never run further than 22 miles in either training or racing. D'oh! I know someone will tell me that was an ignorant move or just plain dumb, but please hold your tongue. I really enjoyed it and seem to have suffered no ill effects (yet). In fact, 2 months ago I ran my first 25K trail race which was my longest run up to that point. So, my Mac 50K race strategy was actually not to race per se, but to just run, enjoy and finish. I've never run a trail marathon before so I didn't have that benchmark in my mind either, which in hindsight might actually have been a good thing.
I ran slowly not knowing what to expect around each turn, or from my poor body for that matter. I didn't want to experience the dreaded bonk and then DNF. I started the run on my own, not really knowing anyone in the crowd. I soon hooked-up with Julie Sandoz and we ran about 8 miles together talking about engineering and other nerdly pursuits. She soon pulled ahead as we approached the bottom of Extendo and then stupidly, as I was admiring some Iris flowers (which were in awe-inspiring abundance) at around mile 9 or 10, I rolled my right ankle pretty severely. I've never done that before so I just kept running through the pain and it eventually went away after about another 15 miles. Hmm...probably not the best race strategy, but it worked. I told myself that I would finish this thing no matter what happened, regardless of my overall time, even if I lost an earlobe in an encounter with a rabid hummingbird, or a drop bear ripped-out my hair or something as equally traumatic happened to me.The middle of the race was fun, especially the Hippies servicing the aid station on Dimple Hill. I soon caught up with Jamshid Khajavi at Chip Ross Park and we ran together for about the next 4 miles or so. What an interesting character. He's a 54 year old ultra fanatic from Kirkland, WA who was coming off a 100-miler last weekend in Moab and then planning to race back-to-back 100-milers the following two weekends. That's 331.5 miles of tough running in 4 weeks, not including his training miles. Whoa. And, he's an endurance swimmer to boot! He gave me some much-needed perspective on what's possible if you put your mind to it. Thanks Jamshid! As the Aussies say, "Good on ya!"
In fact, I think that was the slowest pace I have ever run over a set distance; I averaged about 12 min/miles which isn't too bad for a first timer. I felt like I was wearing Granny panties or concrete shoes or something. And, to make this race even better, there was a heckuva lot of climbing, like 6,600 feet of cumulative elevation gain. Fortunately, I like climbing. The only downside was the lack of the infamous "Mac Mud", for which the race is so well known. That kind of bummed me out, given that I live for thick gloopy mud caked around my ankles. Shouldn't complain though, the trail conditions were superb.
I spent about 20 minutes in total at aid stations working on my ankle. When Jamshid and I exited the trails and hit the fire road at about mile 24.5 I felt really good and decided to push my pace a little. I ran that last 7 miles at a faster pace (even including that loooong hill right after the Lewisburg Saddle aid station), so obviously I had something extra left in the tank. I was quite spent at the end though. The run ends with a curvy 1+ mile rooty single-track descent that toasts your quads and I burned down that at like a 7:00 min/mi pace. Gravity was my friend. It sure was a great feeling to finally cross that finish line with everyone whooping and hollering for every finisher. I wasn't certain if they were laughing at my completely decimated state of being or just cheering for everyone, regardless of goofiness factor. I'll have to assume the latter for the sake of my self-dignity.
The end is so sweet. I just stumbled half delirious into the Forestry Cabin needing to consume large numbers of calories, which were replenished with some tasty organic soup and bread served by two lovely volunteers. I sat down to ice my ankle and had a chance to talk a little with the grandfather of Oregon trail running, Clem LaCava (founder and past RD of the Mac 50K as well as all-around nice guy). Then I had a fun rambling conversation with Melissa Heggen, a super smart H.S. math teacher from Denver, who was in town to visit her Dad. She got my vote for the most individually stylistic runner with a super cool pink Adidas headband matched to short pink shorts and a pink top. Check out her hilarious blog. Not to mention that she came all the way from Denver for the race!
Amazingly, I'm not really sore today after icing my ankle and muscles and I'm feeling really good about the entire experience. I learned a lot. I learned to eat while running, that HEED is one nasty drink, that bugs on the Mac 50K trails don't taste half bad, and that running a 50K can be a blissful experience. It was a beautiful course, with a crazily twisting trail that was very well marked and staffed by magnificient volunteers who made the run a real treat. To top it all off, all finishers were handed a well-earned 22 oz. bottle of the Mac Mud Porter from the Oregon Trails Brewery. Now that's the way to end a trail race (RDs take notice)!
So, the question is this: Would I consider running another 50K this year. Hell yeah! I'll definitely do another 50K this year, maybe even a few if my schedule will permit it. I have the ultra trail running bug now. Happy trails!
So, the question is this: Would I consider running another 50K this year. Hell yeah! I'll definitely do another 50K this year, maybe even a few if my schedule will permit it. I have the ultra trail running bug now. Happy trails!
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