Race Report - American River 50 Miler

 
It finally happened. My tiny bucket list has one less item. Saturday, April 04, I ran my first ever 50 miler at the American River 50 that runs from Folsom to Auburn, CA. I've finally earned THIS beauty. Ultrarunnerpodcast threw in the >26.2 for free (thank you!) but I plan on just using the FIDDY.

Let's cut to the chase. Friday, Jon and I headed up to Folsom, and checked in to NorCalUltras at the Fleet Feet in Fair Oaks. I grabbed my cinch bag filled with my bib (#322), a green tech tee, some Gu Chomps, a Clif bar sample, some stickers, and my favorite - the American River 50 buff. 

The AR50 Buff

Look how round my head is!

We stayed at the Larkspur Landing hotel in Folsom, since it was affiliated with the race, and had a special discount. Our studio room was really nice, and the bed was fluffy and comfortable. It included breakfast at 4am for the runners, and the shuttle was just a quick walk across the street at the Hilton. The only negatives that I would give is that the air conditioning was a little intense, and the tub was very very slow to drain which can be kind of gross when you're covered in dirt and sweat.

My awesome running twin Rini, her husband Brandon, and her friend Lori met up with us and booked a room three doors down (yes, like the band). We ate our pre-race meals at Scott's Seafood Bar and Grill, and I indulged in a filet mignon and shrimp on a bed of rice. We all seemed pleased with our meals. Rini clearly had the most...ornate one of the bunch. 

After dinner, we made a quick pit stop at Walmart to get some last minute crucial items. Crewing isn't complete without a bean bag toss game, fancy folding chairs, and a cooler for the bacon flavored hot dogs and beer. 

Jon with his lawn games, arm chair, and rolling cooler.

Bedtime was around 10pm, and I was back up by 3am. It was painful. I rolled out of bed and strapped on the 50lbs* of running gear I dragged with me. The most notable items were my shoes, the Hoka One One Cliftons, the Hikers Wool for my feet, and my Garmin 920XT watch. Nutrition wise, I armed myself with Gu's, Pocket Fuel Naturals, and Nuun Tablets in my spiffy Salomon vest that held two 16oz soft-flasks (One for water, one for electrolytes).  *it wasn't really 50lbs

My race gear

Not happy at 3am

My five star breakfast was a gross boiled egg, some coffee, and half of a banana. Then we crawled on the shuttle with a large number of fellow zombie runners. The shuttle was a school bus, driven by a super nice lady that let us take shelter on the bus after arriving to keep warm. The weather wasn't too bad, but the wind made the start a bit chilly. There was also a tent available, but being in that tent made me very aware that people need to wash their gear. Runners stink. Present company included.

Rini trying to sneak in some extra Z's before the race.

On the bus

The guns went off at 6am. Most of us had headlamps on, which you could conveniently kiss goodbye to at mile five. And in my drunken tiredness, I forgot to pick it up and will never see it again. *sniff*

To my surprise (and obvious lack of research), the first five miles were on a trail. I wasn't prepared to run in the dark on a single track. It also blew my low heart rate plan completely out the door since I was starting off with a 160-170hr from all the little hills and focusing on not falling and being trampled alive. One notable highlight was the lunar eclipse that we all got to see. It was beautiful, and on the way out the moon was hanging low and it was still partially eclipsed. 

The Eclipse at 4:30am

About 5 miles in, post single track

Miles 5.5-20 were easy breezy for me, mostly flat and on a pleasant bike path. I was holding a steady pace, and felt good. I met our crew (Jon, Brandon, and Lori), and like a well oiled machine, they had my liquids replenished and sent me off for another nine miles.

Brandon running me in to the rest of the crew

I met them again at mile 29, a little more disheveled than before, but still holding up. My problem at that point was that I could not handle any of my Gu's that I brought. The only thing I ate up to that point was half of a Pocket Fuel and a Gu that I forced down. I don't know what happened because I never had issues eating these before, and I actually looked forward to them in training. 

The real fun began after mile 29. My vivid imagination painted a relatively flat course, with some happy little trails on some happy little slopes, but the cold reality was a lot of single tracks with seemingly endless hills. The terrain ranged from a soft soul sucking sand, to rock hard paths that were torn up by mountain bikes, to some loose rocks and big steps. I'm probably exaggerating here, and the ultra runner pros are probably laughing at me, but I thought it was surprisingly technical terrain.

The worst part for me were all the giant steps and stones. I swear some of them were a foot and a half or two foot drops, which are usually okay on fresh legs, but at over 30 miles in was just cruel. Especially with my stumpy legs. By mile 35 I was cursing like a sailor. Alone. In the woods.

Speaking of the woods, one thing to watch out for is the absurd amount of poison oak lining the trails! Luckily I don't seem to be susceptible to it, but I know some people are. I also heard through the grapevine that there were rattlesnakes on the course. Eek!

My classily titled Strava run, and the elevation my Garmin estimated.

Now here's the biggie. See the elevation total here? The website listed it as 3100' total, and I swear prior to that I saw numbers online ranging between 1500'-2700'.  After all, the reason I picked this course was because it was supposedly one of the fastest and flattest out there! Actually, it still is, but I'm a baby. As soon as my Garmin passed 3000', a bit of my soul died and I gave up on hitting anything near 9 hours. The best metaphor I could come up with is, imagine yourself waiting in line for a slightly thrilling but mostly serene ride on Splash Mountain, but then realizing after you sat down that you were actually on an extended version of the Tower of Terror.

The REAL course elevation

I hit the last crewed aid station at mile 40. They were worried about my lack of calories, so they mixed me a special brew of Carbo Pro, salt, and water and wouldn't turn me loose until I drank every last drop. They also cooled me down with a wet towel, and threw a cold wet bandana over my neck since the temps started to get a bit uncomfortable out there. All I could do was stare blankly and try to convince them at how hard it was, but only received the "yes dear" and pat on the back response that you'd give a delusional person.

My super hot double chin photo while getting my bottles refilled.

I turned to go back up this god awful hill that the aid station was below. On the way up, a runner that passed me on the way down shouted "LITTLE GOAT!?" and I got to meet a fellow instagrammer! I never thought I'd respond to the name Little Goat, or that anyone would even recognize me! Thanks for that little boost of energy Wingedling! 

The carbo pro kicked in, thank God. I was fading from only taking about 200 calories for the first 40 miles. I got some new found energy and managed to whip through the next three miles without too much of a struggle.

Miles 43-46 were PRETTY slow. It got to the point where I was telling myself to run every tenth of a mile. I had done the math in my head and was just trying to keep a 15 minute mile so that I could stay under a 10 hour finish. I had no clue how long the last three miles would take me, considering that the race ended with a notoriously killer hill.

I hit the last aid station, right before the big hill at mile 46. It was blasting some much needed metal music, and was decorated with a giant Red Bull archway. The volunteers were so incredible throughout the entire event, and gave the runners first class treatment. They ran out to every runner eagerly, and happily filled their waters or got them whatever they needed. Not only did they serve us like waiters in a fine restaurant, but they also shouted encouraging words like, "YOU LOOK SO FRESH!" even if I was walking crookedly with a limp with my sweaty hair in my face.

Part of Cardiac Hill. No fancy camera angles here.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know when you hit "Cardiac Hill". It was STEEP, and I was making desperate attempts to make it a little less horrible by trying walk backwards, or just swearing the whole way up. This is when my hamstrings began to threateningly twitch and were on the verge of seizing up. I took this picture of 3 miles left to go, simply because I clearly had the time and was not moving fast enough for it to be blurry.

The hill did round out after about a mile, and I managed to keep running even though it was still slightly uphill. I felt pretty encouraged, thanks to the mile markers. I managed to "fly" through the last three miles at a 12 minute pace.

Energetic and encouraging spectators were lined up along the finish line that I crossed at exactly 9 hours and 47 minutes, snagging me 159th place overall from over 600 finishers. I was handed my new shiny medal, and fluffy pink Patagonia jacket right away.

I thought I was running, but apparently not.

I was greeted with my wonderful crew too! The finish line "festival" was well executed as well. I was poured some piping hot beef chili and then sat for 10 minutes in these fancy air compressed recovery boots. They really did help get the blood flowing through the legs, but were out of my price range.

Rini is a natural at this long distance stuff, and despite getting lost for almost two miles, she still managed to surge ahead and finish with an awesome first 50 miler time of 9:37! She's an incredible person and athlete, and I am so glad we met each other last year! 

After chatting for a while, I went back to the hotel and did the big blister reveal. I had three blisters, all in the usual spots (two on the outside of my big toes, and one on my pinky toe). Nothing too horrible or surprising, I've had worse at marathons, but man my feet were FILTHY from the trail! I took a much needed ice bath, and then we went to eat at Hawks where I indulged in chicken, french fries, wine, and dessert. 

Yes, I was wearing shoes and socks!

So how do I feel post race? Well, my quads were completely blown out for the first couple of days. I actually got stuck on the 2nd step of our three step stairway to our driveway. I had gone down a stair, but couldn't bring myself to go down another, or back up because it hurt so bad to hold any weight on a bent leg. I just stood there laughing until I cried, and then Jon got out of the car to help me down the last step. Everything else is good though. Like...really good. Suspiciously good. 

Would I do it again? Ask me in a month, but I think I got away with a pretty ideal first 50 miler experience. The weather was perfect, my training was seamless, no major issues, and I was with a wonderful group of people. It was about 2000 feet more of elevation than I was expecting, but I guess the lesson learned is to REALLY do your homework. And oh, never believe the elevation charts. 

I'm glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and it was nice to experience that nervous/excited/unsure feeling again that I was beginning to lack with the marathon and half marathon distances. I should also mention that the course was profoundly beautiful. Wildflowers galore, the American River, and butterflies so numerous they literally hit me in the face!

Last but certainly not least, I want to thank my boyfriend Jon for taking such good care of me! I think he might have been more nervous than I was, and even made sure to poke me on the shoulder in the middle of the night to make sure I wasn't dead from the lack of movement. He also carried all of our stuff back to the car, and made me a fancy omelette in the morning.

Jon with one of the crew dogs - Kali!

I think we overpacked.

Oh, and just because.