Mike, myself and my dad at the 22 mile aide station/bag drop. After changing our wet shoes, socks and shirts.
All smiles as we run to the finish line! My first ultra!!
Showing posts with label DWD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DWD. Show all posts
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
I'm an ultra-marathoner! DWD Review & Reults!
The Short:
AMAZING! One of the most fun I have had in a race. Ran 50K/31 miles through trails, woods, water, vines, picker bushes, you name it. I have cuts up and down my legs to show for it. I walked away with another awesome racing experience as well as a 3rd place finish in my age group and 5th female overall! Next year I fully intend on doing the Dances with Dirt 50 miler.
The Long:
Our day started bright and early at 4am. Dad & I got dressed, brushed our teeth, loaded up our gear, grabbed a bagel and headed out the door by 4:30am. We stopped at Mc D's for some caffeine (coffee w/ cream) and hit the highway. I was obsessing over the weather. They were calling for rain, but when I checked it that morning, it changed! It was going to be dry.
We arrived to Halfmoon Lake at about 5:15am. This gave us 1 hour to park, use the the port-o-potty a couple times, find my dad's friend Mike and get to the start line. The three of us planned to run this thing together! Since sunrise was not until 7am meaning the first 5.3 miles will be ran in the dark. It was hard running through the woods on a technical trail with only a headlamp. Lucky for me, my dad and Mike were in front of me and would yell out things like "rocks", "roots", "step up", "step down" so I knew what to watch for. At the first aide station (water and Gatorade only) we were able to drop our headlamps and continue on. We ran another 4.95 miles to Hell Creek Ranch to the first fully stocked aide station. We're talking coca cola, sprite, water, Gatorade, oreos, fig newtons, pringles, Gu, bananas, orange, boiled potatoes, salt, etc... I had a volunteer fill up my fuel belt bottles and I ate 1 fig newton. I also grabbed an espresso Gu. I knew I would need the caffeine later on. The only thing lacking were port-o-potties. They had one, so we stopped for about 5-10 minutes while my dad waited in line.
We continued on for another 4.75 miles. This had one of the roughest stretches, flat ground. Seriously. When you get off the trail on to flat ground, you start to think of all your aches and pains. My hip hurt, my foot hurt, I had to pee... We came up to a fluids only aide station and I ducked behind a volunteers car to relieve myself. I filled up my water bottle and off we went.
This next leg is where we experienced the famous "butt slide" and "stripper pole". The butt slide is exactly what it means. A dirt path so steep you can't help but almost sit down and butt slide to the bottom. You run a bit through the woods and come to the "stripper pole". Basically you scale the side of a dirt cliff in the middle of the woods. Crazy!! I found a video someone made on you tube. You can check it out here.
We ended up going through not 1, not 2 but 3 river crossing and then had to make our way against current for roughly a 1/4 mile in a river to the 22 mile point. Here is a video from youtube of one of the river crossings and here is a short video of heading up stream. We climb out of the river at the 22 mile point. We had our drop bags at this location so we were able to change out of our wet gear and fuel up. We took a good 10 minutes driving off our feet, changing out shirts, shoes & socks and grabbing a few snacks off the aide station table. I stuck a Gu in my fuel belt, drank a shot of coca cola and had a handful of trail mix before we headed out for our final 9 miles. The last aide station was 2.90 miles into our final 9. I stopped at the port-o-potty, ate an Oreo (my first oreo in about 10 years!), sipped one some sprite and head out to a familiar trail, the Poto! We run this trail often so I assume my final 6 mile leg would be smooth sailing. Not so much. I was really starting to feel sluggish. I kept telling myself to correct my posture and watching my footing. About 2 miles in, I figured I better take a Gu. Again, I took one with caffeine. I wanted to make sure I could make it through these last 4 miles without totally crashing. I pushed on, thought of "pick me up" songs while frequently reminding myself to correct my posture and watch my footing. We came off the trail, crossed a road and headed into the parking lot of Halfmoon Lake towards the finish. All three of us picked up the pace and cruised to the finish line. Mike placed 1st in his age group earning him a DWD hat and DWD camp chair. My dad placed 2nd in his age group earning him a DWD camp chair and I placed 3rd in my age group earning me a DWD mug (also placed 5th female overall). Our official time was 6:16:56.
What an experience. Completely different from road racing. I loved it and can't wait to run more trail races in the future. I am really developing a love for distance running and trails. I will be running this event again, but next year I am moving up to the 50 mile!!
Once the professional pictures are available, I will make certain to share them with you all.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Dances with Dirt pre-race logistics
2 more days until my first 50K. And not just any 50K, Dances with Dirt Extreme trail 50K! They also have a 50 mile race and a 100 mile relay race. My dad has done the 100 mile relay so at least I will be with someone who knows what to expect. If you are curious what the course is like and what we will encounter, click here.
Since this is a trail event, we must have a headlamp or flash light at the start. Our start time is 6:15am, which calls for us to be out the door by 4:30am. I have decided to stay the night at my dad's the night before for various reasons. One of them being that I do not have to drive. Ha. Joking. Maybe. It really just makes it easier on us both. We will consolidate our drop bag so instead of each having one, we will pack our stuff in one larger duffel bag. We will need extra shoes, socks, shorts, gels, body glide, ivy block, etc... I laminated us 2 maps; one to carry with us and one to keep in our drop bag in case the other gets ruined. I am hoping we won't need to use them though!
We have 2 options of checking in prior to the event; either the night before or the morning of. I will be going to the start area Friday evening to turn in our signed waivers and to pick up our race packet. It will make it easier on us come the morning of the event. We've already decided on our pre-race dinner and breakfast; pizza Friday night and bagels w/ coffee Saturday morning.
I hope I am ready for this. At this point, I really have no choice. I can't wait to be able to wear one of those famous DWD shirts!
Since this is a trail event, we must have a headlamp or flash light at the start. Our start time is 6:15am, which calls for us to be out the door by 4:30am. I have decided to stay the night at my dad's the night before for various reasons. One of them being that I do not have to drive. Ha. Joking. Maybe. It really just makes it easier on us both. We will consolidate our drop bag so instead of each having one, we will pack our stuff in one larger duffel bag. We will need extra shoes, socks, shorts, gels, body glide, ivy block, etc... I laminated us 2 maps; one to carry with us and one to keep in our drop bag in case the other gets ruined. I am hoping we won't need to use them though!
We have 2 options of checking in prior to the event; either the night before or the morning of. I will be going to the start area Friday evening to turn in our signed waivers and to pick up our race packet. It will make it easier on us come the morning of the event. We've already decided on our pre-race dinner and breakfast; pizza Friday night and bagels w/ coffee Saturday morning.
I hope I am ready for this. At this point, I really have no choice. I can't wait to be able to wear one of those famous DWD shirts!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Pushed it at the Poto
Taken from Runner's World: Potawatomi Trail
Pinckney, MichiganThis 17.5-mile mostly single-track loop in the Pinckney State Recreation Area, 20 minutes northwest of Ann Arbor, twists and turns around kettle lakes and bogs and undulates between lush forested lowlands and along the high crests of glacial-formed ridges. Known locally as the "Poto," the hard-packed dirt trail has plenty of technical terrain features, including several creek crossings, steep climbs and descents, and many sections with gnarly roots. Not surprisingly, the Potawatomi plays host to some of the best trail races in the Midwest, ranging from 5 miles to a full marathon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday morning my dad, his friend Dave and myself headed out to Pinckney, MI to run the Poto. My dad and I are training for DWD Ultra 50K and Dave is part of the 100 mile relay team. We need to get in as many training runs as possible out on these butt kicking trails. We have less than 4 weeks until the event. Time to really get cracking here!
It turned out to be a perfect morning to run. It was cool, light breeze with some sun and clouds. My dad wasn't feeling 100% so he was unsure how long he would last. Well, I think he discovered the best remedy for a cold. Run for close to 3 hours and 40 minutes! Yep. We ran the trails for just over 3.5 hours. It was awesome! I felt great almost the entire time, other than being stung/bit by something in the ear. We all got a bit tired towards the end, but that is to be expected when running the terrain we were on and for that length of time. Afterwards we walked over to Silver Lake to soak our legs. Taking a dip in a cool lake after a sweaty run is so refreshing!
This coming weekend we are changing up the terrain and heading to flatter trails. After having 3 weekends in a row of killer hills, I could use the break. We are going to run in Toledo at Oak Openings. It will be nice to have the softer ground under foot, yet still be able to run a faster pace.
I am taking 2 days off from running (took Sunday off and will take Monday off too). My legs are sore so I'd rather make sure they recover before pushing it. I've got a two-a-day lined up for Tuesday and Wednesday, easy 6-8 mile run Thursday, yoga Friday, long run/trail run Saturday and strength training/cross training on Sunday. I have tried to follow a specific training program, but lately I've been "winging" it. It's sort of difficult to find a training program to prepare you for 6.5 - 7 grueling hours of mud, hills, rocks, roots, water, etc... I am getting really excited for this event though. I am ready to take on the challenge and earn the right to wear a DWD shirt!
Pinckney, MichiganThis 17.5-mile mostly single-track loop in the Pinckney State Recreation Area, 20 minutes northwest of Ann Arbor, twists and turns around kettle lakes and bogs and undulates between lush forested lowlands and along the high crests of glacial-formed ridges. Known locally as the "Poto," the hard-packed dirt trail has plenty of technical terrain features, including several creek crossings, steep climbs and descents, and many sections with gnarly roots. Not surprisingly, the Potawatomi plays host to some of the best trail races in the Midwest, ranging from 5 miles to a full marathon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday morning my dad, his friend Dave and myself headed out to Pinckney, MI to run the Poto. My dad and I are training for DWD Ultra 50K and Dave is part of the 100 mile relay team. We need to get in as many training runs as possible out on these butt kicking trails. We have less than 4 weeks until the event. Time to really get cracking here!
It turned out to be a perfect morning to run. It was cool, light breeze with some sun and clouds. My dad wasn't feeling 100% so he was unsure how long he would last. Well, I think he discovered the best remedy for a cold. Run for close to 3 hours and 40 minutes! Yep. We ran the trails for just over 3.5 hours. It was awesome! I felt great almost the entire time, other than being stung/bit by something in the ear. We all got a bit tired towards the end, but that is to be expected when running the terrain we were on and for that length of time. Afterwards we walked over to Silver Lake to soak our legs. Taking a dip in a cool lake after a sweaty run is so refreshing!
This coming weekend we are changing up the terrain and heading to flatter trails. After having 3 weekends in a row of killer hills, I could use the break. We are going to run in Toledo at Oak Openings. It will be nice to have the softer ground under foot, yet still be able to run a faster pace.
I am taking 2 days off from running (took Sunday off and will take Monday off too). My legs are sore so I'd rather make sure they recover before pushing it. I've got a two-a-day lined up for Tuesday and Wednesday, easy 6-8 mile run Thursday, yoga Friday, long run/trail run Saturday and strength training/cross training on Sunday. I have tried to follow a specific training program, but lately I've been "winging" it. It's sort of difficult to find a training program to prepare you for 6.5 - 7 grueling hours of mud, hills, rocks, roots, water, etc... I am getting really excited for this event though. I am ready to take on the challenge and earn the right to wear a DWD shirt!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Training, races and other ramblings
I am going to apologize in advance at how "all over the map" this post will be!
I have an ultra marathon in less than 7 weeks. Am I ready? Not at all. I am following Hal Higdon's intermediate I marathon training since I am running the Detroit Marathon in less than 10 weeks but have altered the program to include my races as well as trail running. I really need to get some distance running done on the trails or I will never survive Dances with Dirt! The longest I have run on the trail is 13 miles. That won't cut it!!
I had a long run of 15 miles this past weekend. My goal was to force myself to run 30-60 seconds per mile slower than my marathon goal pace. I ended up running an 8:00 pace. Not only did I run much faster than I intended, but I did it in the sunshine and humidity. As much as I know long runs should be runner slower, I really needed this. I've felt so sluggish over the past few weeks so this was definitely the boost of confidence I needed.
Here are my splits for my 15 mile run I did on Sunday on Grosse Ile.
Mile 1: 8:05
Mile 2: 7:52
Mile 3: 8:00
Mile 4: 8:01
Mile 5: 7:53
Mile 6: 7:54
Mile 7: 7:50
Mile 8: 8:08
Mile 9: 8:01
Mile 10: 8:06
Mile 11: 8:26
Mile 12: 7:51
Mile 13: 7:57
Mile 14: 8:05
Mile 15: 8:08
Mile .01: 7:30
I've been running with a group from the YMCA. Last week I ran with one of the runners only twice and spent the rest of the time on my own. It definitely made me realize how I miss running alone. I was always a solo runner, unless I ran with my dad. I recently began running with a group at the gym every morning at 5am. As much as I enjoy the company, I need to get out on my own too! I was able to get a great speed work out in (on the treadmill), had a fast long run and even hit the track. Now, to break it to the group that I just can't run with them every day.
I have a 10 mile race this weekend. I am really looking forward to this race. The course is quite hilly and I could use a good hill work out. I have decided to use this as a training run and not race it. Wish me luck on sticking to that goal! I will be arriving to the location bright and early that morning to help out. It's my uncle's race and he can use the assistance. My dad is arriving at 4am to set up all the water stops on the 4.8 and 10 mile courses. I really hope this race has a great turn out. In years past, prior to the 3 year hiatus, they had close to 1300 runners. From what I have heard, there are only 300 registered. :-(
Another thing that has been on my mind a ton lately are shoes. I love my Brooks Adrenaline's but I need something lighter in weight for speed work and tempo runs. I really want to try these from the Brooks PureProject line, but they do not come out until October. I also like the look of the Saucony Mirage and Saucony Kinvara. Running Warehouse also has Nike Free 3.0 for $64.88 and I can use a code to get an additional 10% off. What to do, what to do. I know the simple answer. Head up to Running Fit and see what they suggest!
I have an ultra marathon in less than 7 weeks. Am I ready? Not at all. I am following Hal Higdon's intermediate I marathon training since I am running the Detroit Marathon in less than 10 weeks but have altered the program to include my races as well as trail running. I really need to get some distance running done on the trails or I will never survive Dances with Dirt! The longest I have run on the trail is 13 miles. That won't cut it!!
I had a long run of 15 miles this past weekend. My goal was to force myself to run 30-60 seconds per mile slower than my marathon goal pace. I ended up running an 8:00 pace. Not only did I run much faster than I intended, but I did it in the sunshine and humidity. As much as I know long runs should be runner slower, I really needed this. I've felt so sluggish over the past few weeks so this was definitely the boost of confidence I needed.
Here are my splits for my 15 mile run I did on Sunday on Grosse Ile.
Mile 1: 8:05
Mile 2: 7:52
Mile 3: 8:00
Mile 4: 8:01
Mile 5: 7:53
Mile 6: 7:54
Mile 7: 7:50
Mile 8: 8:08
Mile 9: 8:01
Mile 10: 8:06
Mile 11: 8:26
Mile 12: 7:51
Mile 13: 7:57
Mile 14: 8:05
Mile 15: 8:08
Mile .01: 7:30
I've been running with a group from the YMCA. Last week I ran with one of the runners only twice and spent the rest of the time on my own. It definitely made me realize how I miss running alone. I was always a solo runner, unless I ran with my dad. I recently began running with a group at the gym every morning at 5am. As much as I enjoy the company, I need to get out on my own too! I was able to get a great speed work out in (on the treadmill), had a fast long run and even hit the track. Now, to break it to the group that I just can't run with them every day.
I have a 10 mile race this weekend. I am really looking forward to this race. The course is quite hilly and I could use a good hill work out. I have decided to use this as a training run and not race it. Wish me luck on sticking to that goal! I will be arriving to the location bright and early that morning to help out. It's my uncle's race and he can use the assistance. My dad is arriving at 4am to set up all the water stops on the 4.8 and 10 mile courses. I really hope this race has a great turn out. In years past, prior to the 3 year hiatus, they had close to 1300 runners. From what I have heard, there are only 300 registered. :-(
Another thing that has been on my mind a ton lately are shoes. I love my Brooks Adrenaline's but I need something lighter in weight for speed work and tempo runs. I really want to try these from the Brooks PureProject line, but they do not come out until October. I also like the look of the Saucony Mirage and Saucony Kinvara. Running Warehouse also has Nike Free 3.0 for $64.88 and I can use a code to get an additional 10% off. What to do, what to do. I know the simple answer. Head up to Running Fit and see what they suggest!
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