If you are like me, you saw the videos and photos of all the smiling, happy racers at the starting gate and the finish line of The Rock the Ridge 50 Mile Challenge. Splashed in, you saw the spectacular views that were calling your name. Like me, you pictured yourself running The Challenge. This is true for almost any ultra-marathon - the marketing lures you in.
The videos and photos always show the top finishers and they
are practically sprinting to the finish line.
You will see all those happy, smiling people at the starting gate. While
watching all that is inspiring, if you are like me in the middle of the pack in
two races and towards the back of the pack in another, you should erase that
video from your mind because that (most likely) will not be your race.
That was me four years ago -- a 57 year old man who had
never run anything longer than a half marathon and thought he could do 50 miles
easily. The crazy thing is, I did it not
once but three times! While it is not
easy, it is certainly possible as my accomplishment can attest too. First of all, there are 49 other miles that
are not on the video highlight. Those 49
miles are between the beginning and the end, which highlight videos don’t
always capture but should not be taken lightly at all. While I did finish the race, I saw many
people who did not. I observed that
there are lessons to be learned from them as well.
Meet the Doubters –
While you will be excited and pumped up after signing up for the ultra, others
will not share your enthusiasm. As I did
The Challenge, I talked with other
runners and almost all of them had someone tell them they couldn’t do it. Stay away from those people because those
seeds of doubt may crawl into your head as you run. I met one woman, Linda, who was an avid
runner and a marathoner, who was told by an ultra-runner that a 50 mile run was
too big a jump and that she should do a 50k.
It may be impossible to avoid all the doubters. If that is the case, what I did was use the
doubters as a motivational tool. They
are the ones who I want to tell first that I did it. I also kept going because I did not want to
go back to work not finishing the run, as that feeling would be awful. I met another woman, Jen, whose (almost)
entire office told her that she couldn’t do it.
Yet when we met up, I told her let’s finish this race no matter what, so
you can show your co-workers your medal.
I think that helped get her to the finish line.
Mother Nature is Not
Your Friend – I know that the purpose of the race is to preserve land and most
ultras are in beautiful areas. It may
seem counter to the purpose, but be prepared for what Mother Nature has in
store for you. The three times I did the
race it rained and was cold. Especially
the second year. This was without a
doubt the main reason people did not finish.
It is one thing to run 10K in shorts and a t-shirt on a cold, rainy day
but quite another to do 50 miles.
Instead of being out in the elements an hour or two, you will be out in
the elements 10 to 15 hours and you can easily get hypothermia. I know because I saw so many runners ill
prepared for the cold and rain. Linda,
who I mentioned earlier, brought along garbage bags with cut-outs for her head
and arms so she could stay dry, and it worked.
I packed a poncho and it was amazing how much warmer that thin poncho
kept me.
I brought something for all different types of weather, and
then the night before decided what to wear and put in my drop bag after viewing
the weather reports. While I did not
have the opportunity to run in sunny, warm weather, if it was warm I was
prepared.
Prepared for Mother Nature
Stay Confident –
One of the reasons why the weather is such an obstacle is that it plays tricks
with your head and your confidence. You
not only wonder if you can go another 20 miles or so, but you wonder if you can
tolerate being cold, hot, sore, wet for another four or five hours. Negativity has a way of creeping in when
things are not going well, and believe me, somewhere along the line something
will go wrong.
You need to develop mind games that keep you focused and
staying positive. For me it was breaking
the race into finishing the various legs, not finishing the entire 50
miles. So when I got to the last leg
(which was at mile 37), I could say that now that all I have to do is a half
marathon, which I have done before. When
I was cold and wet despite my gear, I told myself that I have been colder
during the numerous Tough Mudders I had completed.
On my first race, I made a wrong turn that forced me to run
an extra six miles. The hard part of
that was not the extra mileage, but the way it shook my confidence, which did
not come back until I met a new friend.
Meet Trail Angels and
Take in the Views –As I previously alluded to, I made a wrong turn during
my first race. My confidence was shaken,
and it was like a cloud of negativity following me (as were actual rain
clouds). It was not until I met another
racer, Jen, did my spirits lift and my confidence return. I would also mention that she was in just as
bad shape, if not worse than I was, but having another person just to talk with
helped her as well. We later met up with
another woman whose race partner could not finish. We all became close through the end of the
race. I called them my trail angels.
The next year when I did the race, I made it a point of
starting conversations with fellow runners, which was a very positive
experience. You will be surprised that
for miles you will be running with the same people, so why not talk with each
other? In fact, everyone was so
encouraging to each other that we, in essence, kept each other going. I ran with one man for several miles just
because he liked my pace. I ran with a
complete stranger for 15 miles who really kept a good pace.
I should also mention that there were numerous day hikers
and rock climbers on the trails, and almost all of them were cheering the
runners on. Not to mention the race volunteers who are so positive. You must
and I can’t over emphasize this enough always thank the volunteers. Without
them you will not make it to the finish line.
While my fellow racers kept me positive and confident, so
did the beautiful landscape. Even in the
rain, the views were inspiring. Awosting
Falls made me stop to take in the sights and sounds of the water. I know, believe me I know, that you just have
to keep going to finish, but every once and a while you also need to slow down
and take in views of a truly beautiful place.
Be a Trail Angel
– As I have run this race three times, I have been a trail angel to others.
During the first race, I gave away one of my water containers to a runner who
was not prepared.
The last time I ran, I brought along some Ibuprofen, (I had
tweaked my knee a few days before the race so it was hurting) and twice near
the 37-mile mark, I overheard two runners looking for aspirin from the medical
staff, only to hear they had none. I
told them that I had Ibuprofen and they eagerly accepted it. They both thanked me profusely at the finish,
indicating that they were not sure they would have been able to finish without
it. Can’t tell you how great that made
me feel.
Keep the Pace -
The first time I did The Challenge, I walked the last 20 miles because my new
best friend, Jen, had hurt her knee and could not run. I figured a regular walk was not much slower
than a slow run -- boy was I was wrong.
The second time I ran almost the entire time, albeit not very fast but
consistently.
I mentioned Linda before, she had a timer, running four
minutes and walking one minute. I stayed
with her a long time, but eventually at the hills could not keep up. I continued that ratio and actually found a
second wind the last 13 miles, which was one of my faster legs.
The second time (in much worse weather) I was able to finish
in daylight, while the first time it was closer to midnight. A slow steady run
really helped. I didn't linger for long
at the aid stations. The first time I
ran, I sat to rest and it took my body a long time to get going again.
Bad Weather Training
– As I stated, the longest I ever ran before the Rock the Ridge 50 Mile
Challenge was 15 miles the first time and 20 miles twice since
then. With my schedule, it's difficult
to do very long runs of 20 or more miles with any regularity. I did however, run often and completed two
long runs on back-to-back days. What I
found extremely helpful was running in any kind of weather whether it was snow,
rain, frigid temperatures or even sunny, hot days.
This accomplishes several things. It gets you accustomed to dealing with all
types of weather conditions, and I soon realized that once I started running I
was fine. You don’t want the first time
you run in a cold rain, to obviously be in an ultra-marathon. It also helped me overcome the weather as
being a factor in breaking my confidence, and I could honestly say that I have
run in worse weather. As far as I know,
you can’t simulate the weather on a treadmill.
Just as important as the mental aspect, is the
physical. If you brave the elements, you
will find out how to dress for the different weather conditions and what gear
works best.
I am also noting that you should train on hills. Running on flat ground is one thing, but the
hills drain your energy. I would also
recommend that you do some trail running because it's a lot different than
running on a road.
Use a Drop Bag and
the Aid Stations – If you plan it right, you do not have to carry much food
or water with you because there are aid stations frequently available. I was able to refill my water supply and
graze on some snacks as I went along.
The first time I did it, I was carrying too much food and found that I
could get by solely on the aid stations for food, though I did carry some. This is a matter of preference. There may be certain foods that you are partial
to, so bring them. I have to say that
the hot chicken broth with brown rice at one aid station really lifted my
spirits, and the second time I ran was really looking forward to the aid
station because I knew what food was there.
Since I am not an ultra-runner, I found that the drop bag
was great. I changed my soaking wet sneakers
and put on warmer, dry ones for the second half. If you will be ending in the evening like I
did the first time, you will greatly appreciate your flashlight or
headlamp. The drop bag definitely helped
me prepare for the poor conditions.
The Challenge will
Stay with You a Long Time – Some things are hard to explain unless you have
experienced them, and I believe that completing your first ultra-marathon or
any ultra for that matter (if you are not an ultra-marathoner). Technically, I
suppose that I am now an ultra-marathoner since I have completed it for three
years in a row. I have also completed
three 50ks since my last one.
There are very few instances during a lifetime when you feel
you can accomplish almost anything, but that is how I have felt each time I
finished the Rock the Ridge 50 Mile Challenge. Every time I complete The Challenge, I carry the finisher medal in my pocket for a couple
of weeks. This is unusual for me because normally I am thinking about the next
event, but for some reason, this one is makes you feel great for a long
time.
I was at the farmer's market where I am a regular, and the
woman behind the stand saw my shirt that had imprinted “Rock the Ridge 50 Mile Challenge”
and she asked, “You really did 50 miles?” I said yes, and before I knew it she
was putting a free soup in my bag. It is
that sense of awe that you get from others which gives you a tremendous sense
of pride (I have to admit having gray hair and doing 50 miles probably helps
impress them as well.).
You will get remarks like I got several times -- "50 miles! I get tired driving 50
miles.”
Not to make it too idyllic, you will most likely be very
sore for a week or so. To top it off, on
two occasions I have lost toenails, but not to fret they do grow back.
As I was slowly but steadily trudging along at about mile
40, a person walking in the park said to me, “You are killing it man!” Now I
know that while I was not walking the race, I was hours behind the leaders and
told him that I was not killing it. He
replied, “Only about 1% of the populace can do this so you are killing it!” You
know what? He was right -- I killed it, and so can you.
