Run

18 Nov

JFK 50 Miler
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JFK 50 Miler Race Report
AKA "My First (and Last?) Ultra Marathon"
AKA “Putting Total Trust into Total Strangers”
AKA "What are we DOING here?!"
AKA “Welcome to the Dark Side… We Have Cookies”
AKA “I am NEVER doing this again! Maybe… Heck, I’ll be here next year.”
AKA “50 Miles is One Far @$$ Race”

“Before I realized what I was about to do”—There was nothing to report about pre-race really. I spent the night at a total stranger’s house, I’m on a team where I don’t know or couldn’t recognize anyone, I dropped my mid-race bag off at a total stranger’s house (who I didn’t even meet until mile 27.1), and I was about 90 miles away from where I left my car the day prior. I didn’t eat my normal pre-race breakfast (salmon, baked potato, challah, and OJ) and I didn’t eat my normal pre-race dinner (Ben & Jerry’s with sushi). A recipe for success, to be certain. Luckily all of the Montgomery County Road Runners Club (MCRRC) runners had black shirts that said “Welcome to the Dark Side” on the back so we could recognize each other. Before I knew it, we were lined up behind some sort of start line facing a huge asphalt hill. If there ever was an appropriate time to pee my pants, that would have been it. Then the gun (buzzer, horn, whatever it was) went off! I was ready to peel out of there with my record-breaking 14:00/miles. Goals are good.

Lessons Learned—Figure out how often to eat/drink BEFORE the race starts, don’t even think about the fact you’re about to run 50 miles all at once, racing a marathon (even Goal B) is too soon to run a 50 miler afterward. Oh, maybe it’s a good idea to at least meet the people you’ll be spending the night with and leaving your stuff with beforehand.

“Panicking Before the Appalachian Trail”—A bunch of us ran the Appalachian Trail (AT) a few weeks prior, so we knew how much this part was going to suck. On a scale of suckitude of 1 to 10, our practice run on the AT was an 11. I had never felt bones splintering before. As we were rocketing up this asphalt hill road (by rocketing I mean we made snails look like they were going mach 3), I just started to panic more and more as I reflected upon the training run two weeks ago. But it was also a nice chance to talk to some folks and follow some experienced MCRRC ultra runners.

Lessons Learned—Running the AT beforehand was the smartest thing I have ever done in my life. That part of the race demands respect, and I bow down before thee with humility. I also wore exactly the right clothes for the weather (low 40’s to mid 50’s, cloudy). I also set my watch timer to beep at me every 20 minutes so I would remember to drink. After every 2-3 beeps I would eat some gels or a snack. I also ate something at every aid station.

“Let the Bone Crunching Begin!”—We finally reached the AT… and it was NICE! My biggest fear in this race was that the leaves (the horrible, loud, dry, ugly death leaves) were covering all of the rocks (whose only purpose was to crush my body and soul). But most of the leaves were gone or smashed down! Oh man, was I ever singing my halleluyas! Literally. For 14 miles of trail I was singing this. Good thing I learned lots of Halleluya songs in Hebrew school. I walked a lot of the trail with a guy from southern PA who was running with Team in Training and a guy named Blake in which the JFK 50 Miler was his first race EVER. Ouch! Partway through the AT we walked/ran up a very hilly stretch of road. Halfway down the AT we ran through an aid station through a grassy field, and man, I totally felt like a rock star. I actually ran through it twice since I felt so cool. I survived the AT without even a scratch, thank the high heavens. And, dare I say, it was fun!

Lessons Learned—I had forgotten how much fun it is to run on trails. I miss snowshoeing. And I think I converted some people to snowshoeing out on the trail, which ROCKS!

“Crossing Over to the Dark Side Part I”—Most people I talked to after the race didn’t feel any type of low point or hit the wall, etc. I entered the 7 level of hell at mile 16, right after we crossed over to the C&O Canal towpath. I wanted to jump off a bridge, but I couldn’t find one. I wanted to trip on a rock and just roll down the towpath for a while so I wouldn’t have to use my legs, but no big rocks could be found. I wanted a strong man with highly defined muscles and a PhD in astrophysics to whisk me away so we could go elope… oh wait, the 50 miler. Anyway, my body was hating life, and it was only mile 16! I was in some trouble. My lower legs were hating on me, it was so freaking quiet out there, and I needed some external stimulus. There just wasn’t anything out there. I just focused on making it to the next aid station and trying to find more MCRRC runners to pathetically latch myself onto.

Lesson Learned—Next time I will take a long break at the aid station at the beginning of the towpath. I also know that we run west and not east along the Potomac (that was an unpleasant surprise!). It would have been nice—no, necessary—to run that part with someone. Misery makes company or so they say. I should also have made a list of “35 Things to Think About,” one item for each mile to keep my mind occupied.

“From Death March to Looong Delusional State”—I remember the exact moment I felt 10000000000000 times better. A porta-potty was positioned on the left side of the towpath at around mile 20ish. I could see its angelic rays of light radiating from all its glory. The pot of gold (figuratively) at the end of a rainbow. The powerball jackpot. Christmas morning (well, being Jewish, I can only imagine this). This is where I knew Goal A would be achieved. This was my first religious experience out on the trail. I wonder if the Talmud says anything about that. Moving right along. At around mile 22ish I found some MCRRC runners who didn’t mind my incessant talking! Score! This group became the Pied Piper for MCRRC runners throughout the day, and I was their first rat. Their plan, headed by a 3x JFK finisher, was to walk for one minute at every mile marker and then run to the next one. Genius, I tell ya! The only time I looked at my watch during the race was at the halfway point.

Lessons Learned—I saw the most awesome gaiters everywhere! I really want to buy a pair of those. I wonder if they’re waterproof for snowshoeing too… Leaves, sticks and crap kept getting into my shoes and socks. Setting goals before the race is key. Walking breaks are good, stretching breaks are bad. Potato chips and salty pretzel nuggets work great! My fanny pack/water bottle holder didn’t bother me one bit.

“Don is My HERO”—I left my mid-race bag at “Don’s” house with some snacks, socks, and my purple Asics! YESSSSS!!! There he was at the MCRRC Illegal Substance Table at mile 27.1 with my bag! And I had an opportunity to meet him. Putting those shoes on felt like a feet transplant, my body flooding with happiness (still in the delusional state). And the MCRRCs were off again.

Lessons Learned—Fresh shoes and socks (with pre-sprinkled foot powder) is the best feeling ever. Also, challah is my favorite food in the world. This rest station may have been better than the finish line for me.

“More Pied Piper Action”—For a while we were running in a group of 12 or so, having a great time! I don’t remember anyone’s names (well, we had 4 Daves, so I can remember that. Oh, and my buddy Angelo), but I know all about their feelings on potty training pets, Turkey Day plans, marathon history, and why the F they were all doing this race. This segment (miles 27-39) actually went by very quickly, and everyone felt and looked fantastic!

Lessons Learned—Oh man, I think my happiness from rest station 27.1 carried me through these miles! The time went by very quickly when everyone started remembering why they were out there in the first place. None of our reasons were even close to being rational at this point.

“Enter Dark Side Part II”—At mile 39 the gnome village which usually lives happily in my GI system (they're known for rebelling) all at once staged a huge offensive on my left arch! I have never felt anything like this before. I could have sworn my foot totally broke in half and that the only thing keeping it together was my magical purple Asics lightly coated with foot powder. Those gnomes were armed with medieval maces, battle axes, flamethrowers, rabid dogs, killer squid, you name it. Oh, it was awful! I had no idea what was going on down there, but I decided that if I stop running now, it was all over. I wanted to be done running SO BADLY that nothing was going to stop me. I wanted to take my shoe off more than I wanted that finishing medal! This was my second religious experience. I knew I could finish, but more importantly, I was so thankful that I had developed the mental and physical strength to actually push the pain aside and finish upright. My Goal A could be achieved! I would finish in one piece under 12 hours and have a religious experience!

Lessons Learned—Motivation is motivation, I suppose.

“Hauling Buns to the Finish Line”—I thank my lucky stars every minute not only for the smashed leaves on the AT, but for having run Riley's Rumble 1/2 Marathon this past summer. The last 8 miles of the race I ran alone (since I wanted to finish so badly!), and the atmosphere of this part of the race was identical to that half marathon. I was SO excited to be out on a real road! I ran the entire 8 miles.

Lessons Learned—100 mile week saved me, long runs the day after tempo runs saved me, hilly half marathon training saved me, saving tons of energy with the MCRRC Pied Pipers saved me, paying attention to nutrition and hydration saved me, changing shoes saved me, and I had FUN!!!

“I RAN 50 MILES!!!!”—I still can’t believe that I actually achieved my Goal A for this race. It didn’t really occur to me that I could break 10 hours until I was about a block away from the finish line. I had NO clue how to run an ultra (still don’t), and to break 10 hours was the applesauce with my latkes. Oh man, I was SO surprised! As I was running up that hill toward the finish, people were cheering so loudly, and I actually saw E-Speed cheering for me at the finish too! I hadn’t seen her all day, and she had an absolutely fantastic race also! (I wonder if she went bowling afterward…) It was completely awesome watching people finish this race! What a trip!!!

Lessons Learned—I did take my time on that last mile, just to try to soak in as many emotions, feelings, sights, sounds, tastes as I possibly good. I also remembered my own reasons for being there, and how wonderful the feeling was. It was simply amazing.

“Big MCRRC Family”—I love the MCRRC team. All of them. The person who was supposed to drive me back to my car didn’t finish the race, and she actually went back to her house an hour and a half away. I was stuck there! I started to panic. But I just found some MCRRC shirts and our team captain, and within a few minutes, a bunch of people offered to give me a lift. Whew! It was so nice! I did lose my 27.1 mile bag somewhere, and I hope I get that back. It still has some challah left in there.

Lessons Learned—I need to find a tri club or a running club no matter where I move! If there isn’t a club, I’ll start one. There is no way in heck I would EVER do one of these again without having the teamwork and camaraderie that only a team can provide.

“24 Yr Old Woman in 100 Yr Old Body”—Everything was/is stiff and sore. I broke ALL recovery rules! I could definitely write a book on what NOT to do after long races recovery-wise. But I did make it to IKEA on Sunday night, which heals all wounds. I actually rode my bike (albeit very slowly) to the hospital this morning. Now that’s progress! The foot is still quite painful, but it’s nothing a butcher knife can’t take care of.

Lessons Learned—I’ll write about recovery later. It’s time to drink another beer and eat another bowl of Ben & Jerry’s.

“Would You Do It Again?!”—Not having children of my own (only a 7 yr old sister and a 23 yr old sister), I can only speculate. But someone once told me that running long distances (marathon +) is like childbirth. You have to forget about the pain of the first one before you even think about trying again. Can I get an amen?? I DID have fun, but man, I am messed up! But it’s not something (a lot of) turkey and pie can’t fix. If YOU decide to do a 50 miler, make sure you talk to me first!

Splits for last 7 miles (I forgot the first one of the 8 road miles, 9:06 avg pace)
8:41
9:29
8:17 (+1:31 for 9:48, fizzy Pepsi was a BAD idea)
18:10
8:46
8:51

First Half--5:45
Second Half--4:04
Total Time--9:49:37 (11:47 pace)