The Fall Back into the Trails 50k Re-cap

 It's been 3 days since I ran "The Fall Back into the Trails 50k ultra marathon". The race was held on Sunday, Nov 7th at the Red Wing Recreation in La Grange. It was a sunny but chilly 23 degrees at the start. The course consisted of 5-10k loops and about 5000 feet elevation gain total. There was no cut off time so no pressure on crossing the finishing mat in a certain time or not having support at the start/finish area.  

Loop 1 started at 7:20am. There was no pressure. I ran mostly alone with a few runners in sight. The first loop was about getting familiar with the course. The first hill climb starts shortly after the 1st mile. Steep but not terrible. Then just pass the 3.5 mile mark there was an aid station. Just pass the aid station there was a series of 4 hill climbs with each one getting steeper. So steep, that I had to lean my torso over my quads to prevent myself from falling backward. The descend was also steep forcing me to hike down most of it.

My strategy after running the first loop. Hike the hills, run the flats and some of the downhills. Adjust the strategy as the race goes on.

Loop 2  felt the easiest. I ran most of it with an older gentleman. And, of course we talked about running.

Loop 3,  still felt pretty good. I saw Keith Johnson, an old coworker, and his wife Pam. It was a great boost to get some cheers from the Johnson's!! That boost lasted most of the course. Which, was great because for the rest of the race, I would be out on the trail alone. It was during this loop that I cut the inside of my right ankle with the heel of my left sneaker. Needless to say, I kept hitting that cut over and over again throughout the race. It hurt like a mother trucker. There was a lot of cursing going on. As I near the end of loop 3, I tripped on a root and fell to the ground. I quickly got up, but, from my torso all the way down to my toes my muscles went into a quick, brutally painful spasm. I let out a big"FUCK". I quickly controlled my breathing and the spasms quickly subside. 

Loop 4  just fucking sucked balls. At this point, my calves hated me on the hill ascend and my quads and knees hated me on the hill descend. There was a lot more hiking going on during this loop. But, who cared! I was moving forward. Putting one foot in front of the other. It was slow as fuck but still moving ahead.

Loop 5. My last and final loop. I pretty much felt like a poop pile. But, I was going to get her done. There was no way I was going home with a DNF. Fuck that shit. I hiked a bunch. I ran when I could. I talked to myself, cursed A LOT, and spoke with God himself. I asked him to give me strength and to protect me on my journey. "Please don't let me die out here." Because it would be hours before anyone would find me, is all I kept thinking. The final loop took me what felt like forever. The woods felt like I was going through hell. Every root, branch, and rock was out to trip me. When I finally made it off that trail and could see the open field with that finish mat in sight, I just smiled. It was over! I did it! I finished my first 50k ultra marathon! 

Some of the things I didn't do to prepare for the race.

No prep time on the trail. All my runs were on the road or on the bike trail. I would recommend some trail running. Roots, branches, and rocks are the devil. One wrong step and it could take you out of the fight. I tripped so many times during the race. I was very lucky to have only fallen once with no injuries sustained. Lesson learned. Practice trail running for a trail race.

Glad I had trail sneakers but, you guessed it, I did not have any running time on them. Prior to the race I wore them on a short hike and on an obstacle course. That's it! Although, my feet did not suffer during the race, I should have taken some runs on a trail with my trail sneakers. I love my Altra road and trail sneakers. They haven't failed me yet.

Some of the things I did to prepare for the race.

5 days of fat load. 1 meal and 1 day of carb load. Coffee cut for 5 days! No coffee for 5 days is dangerous, but, feeling that first coffee punch after not having it for 5 days, is worth it to me. 

Race day nutrition 3 hours prior to race start.

Coffee!!!! of course. Bagel with PB and banana. 1 and a half hour before race, 8oz's of beet juice. 

Go to the bathroom. Again, again, and again.... Get all that shit out. Literally, lol. 

Small sips of water infused with a nuun electrolyte tablet half hour before the race.

Body glide everything!!! In-between every crack. The bra line for the ladies. Every part of the feet. Needless to say, everything went smooth in that department.

Nutrition during the race. I left most of my nutrition at the start/finish area. After completing each loop, I would take in fuel. Such as dry fruit, NOKA superfood smoothie, and untapped maple syrup athletic fuel. After the 3rd loop, I ate a PB and banana sandwich and drank some water  infused w/ nuun electrolyte tablet. I drank water at every mile from my hydration pack. 

My energy was threw the roof! What slowed me down was the difficulty of the course. 

Mentally, I did not break down! Why? Because, I'm that crazy running lady in the neighborhood that runs the same loop over and over again alone for long distances. 

 3 days later I am still a bit sore, but, less than yesterday. I can not wait to get back to my running and lifting. Contemplating what my next adventure is going to be. I have to say a year off from training for and running races gave me the opportunity to build my endurance engine. 

I am no expert but I have a lot of personal experience. If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to reach out. And, thank you for taking the time out of your day to read.

Happy Running 🏃‍♀️