Adding to my year of firsts, Indiana Trail 50 Mile at Chain O’ Lakes State Park was my first trail race and first ultra. I knew this would be hard, and it challenged me plenty, but I also found a lot of joy and peace out on the trail.
I woke up at about 3:45am, which meant I got to catch the tail end of Kipchoge’s historic 1:59 marathon attempt while I ate my oatmeal. What a gift to be able to carry that inspiration into my race. I had everything laid out and ready, so it was a smooth start to the day.
As we drove to the park in the pitch black, I realized I had underestimated the time I would have to run in the dark. I had not practiced any night time trail running. Rookie mistake (although most trails around here close at dusk, so how do people even do this?!). I felt a little anxious about the dark, but after lots of stressing leading up to the race, overall I was calmer than I expected to be. We spent a few minutes in the warming tent because it was about 34° out, and then it was time to head to the start line.
In a way, the dark was a good thing. It kept me from going out too fast. I knew it would rattle me if I fell early, so I focused on conservative, careful steps until the morning light. There was a strange beauty in the string of runner headlamps snaking through the trails. I got a laugh picturing us as the elves traveling to the Undying Lands from Lord of the Rings.
The first seven miles or so were in the dark, and I typically had runners in sight in front of me and behind. It helped with visibility to have our cumulative light. Night vision is not one of my gifts, unfortunately. Occasionally it was a little disorienting when our lamps cast long shadows or played tricks lighting up the fog. It was way too early for ultra-induced hallucinations, but there it was. A log became an animal, just about to pounce.
As dawn broke, I felt relieved to have made it without a tumble. With the rising sun, the field spread out and I had long stretches on the trail totally solo. The morning light was just breathtaking, lighting up the changing leaves and steam rising from the lake. It was such a peaceful setting, which helped me stay relaxed. The miles were ticking by and since it was only just daybreak it made it feel like we were just getting started.
From there, I was focused on getting the first stretch done without getting lost. The course is a twenty mile loop, so the 50 milers have a out and back section which includes the first 7ish miles of the course, then a short cut over to the last few miles of the course before embarking on two full loops. I had gone out to the park by myself for a test run and got lost trying to figure out which way to go to follow the exact course. Luckily, they had volunteers and extra flags marking the way for race day, and I found my way with no problems. I did help two men who had turned the wrong way get back on the right path. It is a tricky stretch, in part because it is really steep and the narrowest section of trail on the course.
I started the race with gloves and a jacket, fully expecting I’d ditch them when I saw Louie at the end of that first 10 mile stretch. Even with the sun, it stayed brisk and the wind picked up throughout the day. I ending up wearing the jacket for the whole race. While it certainly was cold, it was perfect running weather in my book. Cool, bright sun, low humidity. Yes, please. So much of my training for this race was sweat-soaked, salt stained and brutal. Midwest humidity was not playing around this summer.
Through the next section, my first full 20-mile loop, I felt strong and moved pretty consistently. Typically, I daydream when I run, but I stayed more in the moment, or at least in the race. I was either enjoying the scenery or thinking through next challenge or milestone, breaking the 50 down by aid stations where I’d get to see Louie and getting in nutrition needs.
The one strength I felt I was bringing to the race: I can put back food and keep on running. So guess what happened? I got behind on my calorie intake, in large part because of the darkness at the start. I found it difficult to eat or drink while I was being so focused on careful footwork. This is where practice might have come in handy. Picking up the cadence helped, but the deficit was already there. I meant to have about 750-1000 more calories than I did during the race. By my estimation, I took in around 1,400 calories, about half from Tailwind and the rest in 2 small potatoes, 4 grit cakes, 4 fig bars and one Picky Bar. This might be why the wheels started to come off, or maybe it would have happened anyway with the combination of challenging distance and terrain.
Things got tougher at about mile 38. Honestly, that’s a bit later than I expected for a first-timer. I was still moving pretty consistently, but I was feeling the effort and knew I wouldn’t be able to keep a consistent pace much longer. Mentally, I was daunted by how much was left to go. At mile 41, I went from only walking steep hills to incorporating longer walk breaks. Just before hitting 42, I took my first longer walk break and had a brief panic that I might have to walk the rest of the way. That would mean much longer time on my feet.
That thought, plus the motivation of seeing Louie at mile 42 got me jogging again. I was able to rally for a few more miles of run/walk. I saw more runners as I slowed down, which gave me a nice boost too. Everyone was really encouraging and I was still able to joke and laugh at least. I vowed to never complain about Indiana being flat again.
Eventually, my run pace wasn’t that much faster than my walk, but hurt a lot more. The balance slid toward more walking, especially miles 46-48. At some point, things were going to have to really suck, and here it was. Logically, I kept reminding myself the finish line was just a few miles away, but it was little comfort. Those last five miles were beyond anything my body knew. An old heel injury flared up. The back of my knees felt swollen. My quads were shot from all the hills.
It’s nearly impossible to describe my joy at getting to the last aid station, an old schoolhouse on the park grounds. They had the area all decked out with Halloween spookiness and the volunteers were in costume. Aside from feeling energized by their festive vibe, I had just run out of fluids (another rookie mistake!) too, so this stop was essential. I have never been so grateful for a sip of water! The wonderful volunteers and the water revived me enough to finish with a little more run in my run/walk.
I had really enjoyed most of the race, but slowing down was tough. I had hoped with my marathoning experience and all of the training time I had put in that I’d be able to run the whole way. My heart wanted to go faster, but my body was not on board. But I did keep moving. I had only seven minutes of non-moving time for bathroom and aid station breaks during the whole 11:22:47. That was part of my strategy. Just keep moving.
After my 31 mile test run at Chain O’Lakes, I projected it would take me 12 hours to complete the 50. I had really underestimated the terrain earlier in my training. Doing my longest training run on the actual race course was perhaps the best thing I did. It was a big wake up call that I needed to hit more hills and trails.
There were times when I felt like I was going overboard with my planning. I read countless blogs and three different books about ultra training. I tested so many brands of fuel, clothing options, blister prevention strategies. As I reflect on having my first ultra go off with no upset stomach, no blisters or chafing, I feel like it was time and money well spent.
I’m still recovering and eating my way out of calorie deficiency. After a night of sleep and a slow walk with my husband and dogs, I am feeling pretty good. Nursing some aches and pains, but nothing serious. I thought of some of the 100-milers—still out there on the course after I’ve had pizza, a hot shower, and a full night’s sleep. I can’t imagine. The struggle of my 50 pales next to that.
I didn’t take for granted that I might not be able to do this. The terrain is easy to underestimate and there were a lot of DNFs in the field. I had a lot of fears leading up to the race that I might be among those not able to finish. Luckily, on race day, not finishing never entered my mind. I was surprised to come in 7th place female, 22nd overall. Small field, but still, I’ll take it!
It takes a lot of people behind the scenes for one runner to complete an ultra. No way would I have had the day I had without the support of my husband Louie, who crewed for me all day. I am very grateful for all of the people who gave me ultra advice, joined me for training runs, and showed me new trails — many of them Oiselle Volèe teammates. The volunteers and race organizers did a wonderful job too. They clearly put a lot of heart into this event. I’d highly recommend it, if you are into sort of brutal long runs!
The details:
Indiana Trail 50 Mile at Chain O’Lakes State Park in Albion, Indiana
October 12, 2019
Weather: Dark and 34º at the start; brisk wind and blue sky into the high 40s.
Finish time: 11:22:47
p.s. And now my Scott Jurek signed copy of North is legit!