Race Report: Headlands Fifty, 50M, Rodeo Beach, CA

Summary

• Amazing scenery and course. Will definitely be on my list of races to run again in the future
• Perfect running weather, cool and windy
• Although my slowest 50 miler to date, one of my favorites in terms of overall experience

Elevation Summary

Gain- 5,520 ft Loss - 5,520 ft

Race Day - Getting to the Start

Much more cloudy on race day

The Headlands 50 took place at Rodeo Beach in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area just north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge. I drove to Sausalito for lunch on Friday, which is just east of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, so I had a general idea of where I would be heading on Saturday morning. The drive from my hotel in San Mateo took almost an hour and a half on Friday afternoon. Since I had not actually driven all the way to Rodeo Beach, I wanted to get to the race plenty early for the 7AM start time. So, I ended up getting up around 3:30AM on Saturday morning to get ready for my drive to the race. I did an excellent job of having everything I needed for the race laid out the night before. And, just to make sure I didn't forget anything like I had at previous races, I went ahead and took my entire bag with me that I had packed for the trip. I just through this in the trunk of the car, just in case I happened to have forgotten something. My drive to the race start was fairly uneventful, and much quicker than I had expected. I arrived at the race start around 5AM. I was the only car in a pitch black parking lot right next to the beach. I could hear the waves crashing against the shore, but could really see nothing at all. I sat there in my car for about 10 minutes wondering if I was even at the right place. Finally, another car pulled up and we confirmed we were at the correct location. It was not until closer to 6AM when a number of cars started to arrive. There ended up being around 125 registered entries for the race between both the marathon and 50 mile distance. I believe around 100 of those were registered for the 50 mile. I don't think it was until at least 6:15 when the actual race director arrived and they began to setup for the race. It seemed a bit unorganized at first, but we eventually got our race numbers about 20 minutes before start time. Probably about 10 minutes before the race start, I noticed a number of people wearing compression socks/sleeves. I looked at the hills I would be climbing for the entire day and thought that I should probably wear mine as well. Luckily, I had put all my other stuff I packed in the trunk of the car, and that included my Skins compression sleeves. After quickly putting them on, I walked over to where everyone was gathering for the start of the race. 

Race Day - The Race

The race started with the race director doing a short countdown on his megaphone. It was a very informal, one of the things I love about ultras. The race was basically a figure 8, 25 mile loop.

Michael Miller and I, Pre-Race

The race started with an immediate climb from sea level up into the first hill. Less than a 1/2 mile in I could overlook the Rodeo Lagoon which was a spectacular site. I really wish I would have taken a picture. There were probably so many times I wanted to stop and take pictures that I would have never finished the race if I did. I tried to take mental pictures the whole way instead. Anyway, about half-way up there was an old gunners crow's nest that we ran through. We entered from the front, and then went through a tunnel to exit out the rear. That was a pretty cool site to see. We continued climbing and then eventually descended to the first aid station at about mile 4. I was feeling great, so I just stopped for a quick electrolyte drink and moved on. From this point until close to mile 25, I was running with a friend, Michael Miller, who ironically has run in two of my first three ultras. It was very cool to run with him for such a long distance. It made the experience that much more fun. The next segment of the course ran along the Pacific Ocean. Again, amazing views. There was a sign along the trail that read "Oregon - 485 miles". I'm wondering if you can take this trail to Oregon? After quite a bit of climbing we again descended to aid station 2. I think I just refilled my water bottle at aid station 2. After leaving aid station 2, we ran back up the hills we had just descended. This was a very steep climb. I believe part of this section of the course is the same trail system as the Miwok 100. Unfortunately, in my first loop, I followed the wrong path and missed the Miwok 100 turn off and added an extra 3/4 - 1 mile to the segment. And worse than that, I know there were a couple people following behind me. Woops! Eventually, we descended back down to aid station 3, which was the same as aid station 1. At this point, I believe we were around mile 11. I stopped for a couple minutes to refuel. I was still feeling really good at this point. No problems at all. Aid station 3 to 4 was again a climb going out and then a descent to the aid station. This time we were overlooking the east side of the Headlands with views of what I believe was Sausalito. This particular segment was really windy, and you were literally seeing the clouds blow across the top of the hills in front of you and you would run right through them. After a quick refill of my water bottle at aid station 4, I turned back to head to aid station 5 (aid station 1). I didn't spend much time there; only long enough to grab a quick bite and then moved on to the last segment of the first 25 miles heading back to the start line. About a mile from the end of the first 25 miles, I got a lot of rocks in my shoes. I remembered what happened in my last 50 miler -  rocks in shoes = blisters. Since I knew I was only about a mile from the aid station, I decided not to stop to empty my shoe until I reached the 25 mile aid station. Luckily, I only had one small blister on my left heal as a result of the rocks. The first mistake I made was at this aid station. Between mile 17 and mile 25 I barely ate anything. And I left the mile 25 aid station without eating anything. So, by the time I was on mile 27-28, I was really hungry and needed food. I slowed dramatically, even on the down hill. I had no energy. I finally reached the aid station at mile 29, and ate a lot. The volunteers at the aid station were probably hoping I would move on and leave some food for others! I spent awhile at the aid station eating and refueling. It was not until about 3-4 miles into the next segment where I regained my energy and was feeling good again. From that point until the end of the race, I had a lot of fun. I talked to several people as I passed them or they passed me. I took time to take in the scenery as much as possible and enjoy the experience. I ended up finishing in 11:25, which was slower than my goal time, but I felt good about it considering the 11,000 ft of elevation gain and 11,000 feet of elevation loss throughout the race. On top of that, I didn't experience any soreness in my muscles the entire race and felt fine afterwards.

Post Race

After I finished, my enjoyable race experience quickly deteriorated. I walked over to get my t-shirt and finishers medal only to find out the finishers medals had not been received and they would be mailed out. It is now a week later, and still no finishers medal. I could deal with that though. I walked over and had a bite to eat and something to drink before I went to get my drop bag that I had placed at the first aid station. When I went to get my drop bag, I realized it was not there. I asked when they would be bringing the drop bags back and they said within the next 15 minutes. This was fine, because I remembered them saying they would be bringing them back every hour starting at 2pm. Well, I waited and waited and it never came. My keys to my car were in the drop bag, and my cell phone was locked in the car. It was really cold with the wind coming off the Pacific Ocean. I was actually shivering standing there waiting. Several people offered me a sweat shirt but I declined thinking my drop bag would be there any minute. Well, after an hour, I finally accepted a jacket from one of the aid station volunteers. He was a really nice guy. I ended up getting my drop bag 2 hours and 20 minutes after the race had finished. Not a great way to end the day, but I wasn't going to let that ruin my experience. In hindsight, I should have walked out to the beach and along the ocean. Oh well, next time..

Post-Race

Video:
My first attempt at recording video during a race. It was hard to evaluate the elevation while running/recording, so sometimes I was accidentally recording the ground when I thought I was recording an amazing view of the valleys.

What I did right:

• Wore my compression socks, I think they definitely helped, especially with all the climbing
• Walked early and often on the hills, and ran all of the downhills
• Enjoyed the scenery and the experience

What I learned from this race:

• Re-evaluate wearing some type of backpack to carry some essentials like snacks and my keys and cell phone
• Again, spend less time at aid stations, but remember to refuel at each station appropriately. 
• Walk less.. I still have a mental block about running more of the 50 miles. I finish no problem and am not even tired afterwards. I could definitely put more effort into the actual race
• Every ultra course has it's uniqueness about it. It's very difficult to set a time expectation when I've never run or seen the course before. So, until I repeat courses, my main goal is to have fun and finish strong

Random Race Pics:

Race Report: The North Face Endurance Challenge, Washington D.C. - 50M, Sterling, VA

Summary
I've given a lot of thought over the past few days of how I would summarize this race. The following list is what I came up with:

• Challenging - This was my first trail race. Although I had spent the last month running a longish trail run in preparation for running trails, there is no way I could have prepared for the various trails at TNF. In addition, the heat and humidity were a factor.
• Inspiring - There were many things that inspired me as I ran the race, as well as after finishing. Some of those inspirations include: the amazing, elite athletes competing in these events, the challenged athletes that don't let physical limitations impair their ability to reach their goals, and the overall drive and determination of each individual that participated.
• Fun - Trail running is definitely interesting and fun. Between the people participating, the change in running terrain and elevation changes, being out in nature and "exploring", there is so much to look forward to and to prepare for that makes each race unique and exciting.
• Motivational - I realized that I don't want to be a middle-of-the-pack finisher. I want to be competitive, which is going to require more focus, more intensity, and more dedication to my training

Race Elevation Profile

Race Day - Getting to the Start
I woke up Saturday morning to the alarm at 3AM. Knowing that I had all my stuff ready to go, I took my time getting out the door. I did some stretching, ate a couple mini-bagels that I had bought from the grocery the night before, drank some Muscle Milk Light and was ready to leave by about 10 till 4. The race start/finish was only about 5-10 minutes from my hotel. I mixed some Carbopro with water to drink on my way. Once I arrived at the race, I sat in my car for awhile. I had initially planned on carrying my CamelBak handheld water bottle, wearing my Camelbak hydration pack with the hydration reservoir removed so I could carry things like my pre-measured baggies of Carbopro, and having a drop bag available at the Great Falls Aid station which I would pass a total of 4 times during the race. While sitting in my car, I decided against carrying the Camelbak hydration pack and just throw my Carbopro in my drop bag along with a change of socks, an extra shirt, my Camelbak hydration belt and an extra Camelbak hydration bottle. I figured since I would be at my drop bag 4 different times, this would be sufficient so I would not have to carry anything on my back. At about 4:15 I took my drop bag over to the drop-off tent and then walked around the race area a bit. I talked briefly to a couple people as I drank a cup of coffee. It was great that North Face provided things like coffee, fruit and bagels pre-race. Every 5 minutes or so, they would make an announcement about the time until the race started, and any facts they had about the race course. Some interesting facts they mentioned:

• There maybe snakes on the course, so pay attention (I saw a very large black snake while running)
• There would be over 100,000 gallons of water available throughout the race at the various aid stations
• There maybe some very muddy portions of the trail and some streams to cross due to the rain the night before - should have been a trigger for me to bring more socks!

As I talked to different people, it was surprising to hear how many people said they were nervous about the race. I'm not sure how you can be nervous about a race that will take you 9-11 hours, but they were. I'm sure the pre-race announcements didn't help them at all, but I kind of liked the announcements. It made it more interesting than just standing there waiting for the start.

Starting Line

Race Day - The Race
The race started at exactly 5AM. There was a countdown from 10 to 1 and then "Go!" and we were off. Within the first 100 yards, I learned exactly what single track meant. Basically the path is just wide enough for you to follow directly behind the person in front of you. It is extremely difficult to get around someone unless they stop to let you pass. There was a lot of single track along this course.The first part of the course took me around a large field and then onto a paved golf cart road. The paved road was probably less than 1/4 mile and then we switched to a gravel path until we reached the first aid station. I was already sweating a lot from the early morning humidity, but I chose to pass this aid station because I still had plenty of water and I was only about 1-2 miles into the race. Once I passed the aid station, I switched back to a paved path for a half mile or so. Finally, I got to a real trail for the first time. This trail was the first loop portion of the course. It's a good thing the race requires you to wear a headlamp or carry a flashlight during the first part of the race because it was still dark out and it made it even darker under the tree-cover. I would say this trail was minimally technical with some roots and rocks, but nothing that would prevent you from running a decent pace, which I did. I ended up finishing the first loop and 4.8 miles in just under 45 minutes according to plan.

The second portion of the course was where the hills and more technical trails started. This portion of the course ran about 10 miles to what they called the Great Falls aid station. There was a variety of terrain including single track trails with waste-high grass, mud, a few steep climbs and small stream crossings. Once I progressed about half-way into this portion of the course, I was pretty much on my own. I was now approaching the 14 mile point and the spacing between runners had dramatically increased. This stretch was about the only part of the course I was a little disappointed in with regard to the number of available aid stations. There was one aid station at mile 8.1, and then no other aid stations until mile 14.8. This made for a long stretch without the ability to refill my water bottle. I reached the Great Falls aid station, mile 14.8 at 2:22 which was about 5 minutes behind my planned time.

Great Falls Aid Station

The third portion of the course was a 7 mile loop which included a decent number of smallish hills, mostly dirt track with some roots and rock, and then a very rocky portion that overlooked the Potomac River. I thought I might get tired of doing the same loop 3 times, but I actually ended up doing better each time I went through the loop. I became more familiar with what to expect and this helped with pacing myself while on the loop. The other helpful part of this loop was that it passed the Great Falls aid station 4 times, which is where my drop bag was. Each time I passed the aid station, I refilled my water bottle and had a serving of Carbopro. This was essentially the only calories I consumed during the race. I am going to have to figure out how to mix a bottle of Carbopro more often for my next race. It was the perfect source of calories for me. As I proceeded through each 7 mile loop, the temperature started to rise considerably. The humidity probably dropped a little, but it was definitely warm if I was not under tree-cover. Luckily, the majority of the race was under tree-cover though. Unfortunately, during this portion of the race, my feet were soaked from an earlier stream crossing and remained wet throughout the entire race because of sweat and humidity. I only had one change of socks which I changed at mile 28, but by this time I had already been running on blistered feet for at least 8 miles. Each step from mile 20 on was literally like running on tiny pins. At one point I stopped to take my shoes off because I thought there were tiny rocks in my shoes, but it was just the blisters that were causing the pain. I was actually doing fairly well time-wise as I finished the third 7-mile loop. I was at 6 hours 59 minutes and ready to start the home stretch. Total time for this portion of the course was around 4 hours 45 minutes, which included about 15 minutes of stopping at aid stations. I was still on track for a sub-10 hour finish.

Views of Cliff Portion of 7-mile loop

Little did I know, the last 15 miles would be very difficult for me. The first 7 miles were most difficult for two reasons. One, I did not have enough water to be able to run and stay cool during this stretch which forced me to do a lot of walking. Two, a large blister on my left heel was very painful. I could only run the up-hills and flat stretches because the down-hill stretches rubbed my heal so much. And my running was more of shuffling. Eventually, the blister did pop and I was able to get some pretty good stretches of running in within the last 5 miles of the race. I felt really good about this.

As I approached the final mile of the race, I had several thoughts going through my head: 1. Don't get passed by anyone 2. Try to catch someone 3. Be happy about completing my second 50 mile race. I managed to be successful with thoughts 1 and 3. There were 2 people I would have really liked to have passed in the last few miles, but I was unable to. It was really cool as I approached the finish line and they announced my bib number and name. I felt good.

Approaching Finish

Crossing Finish

Post Race
After the race, I went immediately to a tent where there was food, water and ice-water buckets. I sat in a chair and put my feet in the ice-cold water. It felt so good. I also managed to get an ice-bath for my legs for about 10 minutes. It was a great way to cool off and is also good for your legs post-race. I changed into dry clothes and hung around the finish area for about an hour. I was able to get some post-race food and watch other finishers complete the race. That was a lot of fun and a relaxing way to end the day. I am already looking forward to my next race!

Finish Area

Temperature During the Race

What I did right:

• Ditched the idea of carrying my Camelbak for the purpose of carrying things that could be included in my drop bag
• Took my time to get through portions of the race where I was running very low on water
• When I walked, I walked fast. I was averaging 14-14:30 miles when I was walking (when I didn't have my blisters to deal with)

What I learned from this race:

• Take into account the weather 
• How will humidity affect wetness of my socks due to sweat
• What do I need in my drop bag to prevent blisters (multiple pairs of socks, powder for my feet, maybe even an extra pair of shoes)
• Know how far one aid station is to the next
• Make sure I have adequate water between aid stations
• Make sure I have adequate nutrition between aid stations
• Don't be so conservative with not running hills. Just because a lot of other people are walking the hill, doesn't mean I need to. Have confidence in my training and run hills if I can run them.
• If it is very hot and humid, use my small Camelbak. Maybe start off with it empty, but if I need extra water, I will have an option to fill it at an aid station. 
• When I am on a single track course, take advantage of any small widening of the track I first see if I even think I might want to pass someone, otherwise, I may be behind that person for a very long time.
• Spend less time at aid stations, get what I need and move on

Race Report: Labor of Love - 50M, Lovell Canyon, NV

Summary
Overall, I'm very happy I chose the Labor of Love 50M as my first 50 mile race. It was a perfect initial exposure to endurance running. I couldn't have hoped for more with regard to the atmosphere of the race, the volunteers, other participants and the location of the race. I will definitely consider running this event again in 2011 as well as other events by CalicoRacing.

Since this is my first official race report and my first 50 mile race, it's rather long and drawn out!

Pre-Race
I planned my trip out to Vegas to exclusively encompass the race and nothing else. I wanted to focus on why I was there, accomplish my goal and return successful. Based on this I took a noon flight out to Vegas on Friday, April 9 and arrived close to 2PM in Vegas. It was a direct flight which made the trip very low key and relaxing. To occupy some of the 4 hour flight, I read some Runners World magazines, which luckily had some articles on ultrarunning, and dozed off and on listening to some of my favorite tunes. Goal to reach Vegas relaxed and stress-free - accomplished!. Once I arrived in Vegas, I picked up my rental car at the airport and drove to my hotel to check-in. I wanted to unpack and set out my gear for the race the following morning. This was a sort of double-check to make sure I had everything I needed. After laying everything out on my bed, I quickly realized several things I needed: sunscreen, smaller backpack, and bottled water for before and after the race. I ran to a local running store and picked up a Camelbak backpack for carrying my gear and also picked up two Camelbak sports bottles that are insulated to help keep your water cool. After that, I made a quick stop at CVS to pickup bottled water and sunscreen. Next on the agenda was a trip out to the race site. I wanted to make sure I knew how to get there, how long it was going to take to get there and what it was actually like at the higher elevation. I'm really glad I took the time to make the pre-race trip to the race site. It helped me to visualize what the next day would be like instead of jumping into an unknown scenario. After taking a few pictures, I headed back into town and grabbed some pasta for dinner. I ate at 3 Tomatoes and a Mozzarella, which was right across the street from my hotel - how convenient! After a quick dinner, I went back to my hotel, re-inventoried my gear for the morning, and then got to bed by 7PM.

Race Day - Getting to the Start
Alarm went off at 4AM and I was up and getting ready without hesitation. I had an awesome 9 hours of sleep and was totally rested. I mean, how often do you get up at 4AM with 9 hours of sleep! Very cool! My outfit for the race was a Brooks sleeveless running shirt worn under my Brooks ID t-shirt. I had Skins compression shorts on underneath my Brooks running shorts. Brooks socks and Brooks Ghost 2 running shoes completed my initial outfit. In my backpack I had my Brooks running hat for when the sun came out, sunglasses, sunscreen, iPhone, Garmin watch, 5 hour energy, some Clif Shotbloks and Clif Protein Bars just in case I didn't like what they were offering at the aid stations. I used my bottled water and made some Muscle Milk Light for breakfast. I was out the door by 4:45AM. Plenty of time to get to the race by 6AM for packet pick-up. On the way to the race, I stopped at Walmart to pickup some safety pins in case they didn't provide them at the race. That was a hassle! I had to ask 3 people where to find safety pins and traveled 3/4 of the entire Walmart store to finally find them. Time wasted! By the time I was out of there it was past 5AM. I needed to grab some real food and coffee on my way out to the race, because I cannot run on an empty stomach, and I need my morning coffee! So, I stopped at McDonalds since they seemed to be the only restaurant open at this time and picked up a McGriddle Sandwich and coffee to eat on my drive. Finally, I made out to the parking area for the race. Luckily, I made my pre-race drive out because it would have been difficult to find where to park and catch the shuttle in the dark. I actually parked and got on the shuttle by 6AM. I was on schedule. Good thing! Once I got to the actual race area, I picked up my race packet. First thought was, what do I do with the stuff in my race packet? I thought about just leaving it near the start and picking it up afterwards. As I walked around, I noticed someone getting their Garmin watch ready. Wait, my watch. I left it in my car! I hurried back to the shuttle and went back to my car to pick up my watch. I really needed it to help pace me. This actually worked out well, because I got to drop off my race packet in my car and head back to the race ready to go. By the time I finally got back to the start, it was 6:50, race started at 7:00. I met up with a veteran ultra runner, Michael Miller, who gave me a few last minute tips before the race started.

Race Day - The Race
After a few quick announcements as the starting clock counted down from 1 minute, we were off. My first 50 mile race had begun. I confidently walked to the starting line and eased into my starting pace for the first 11 miles. For the next 10 and a half hours, it was just me, my thoughts, and nature. Awesome!

The race course was an 11 mile out and back course with a total elevation gain of 4,500 ft and elevation loss of 4,500ft. In the first 11 miles, I tried to keep an easy 10 minute or so pace, walk large hills, and watch other runners to pick up any tips I could along the way. I used all of the aid stations setup for the marathon and half marathon to get small cups of Heed Endurance drink and kept hydrating with my own water throughout. I can't recall my thoughts through most of the miles. I remember watching some people struggle, some people pass by me, concentrating on running my own race, trying to take time to enjoy the scenery and take in the experience. Below are some photos of the race course:

 First 2-3 miles

High Desert Nature

Rolling Hills

The Big Hill overlooking the final 6 miles of the 11 mile out.

You can see the road in the middle of the picture off in the distance.

I felt really good through the first 22 miles with my slow pace and minimal walking of the larger hills. This picture was taken just before I reached the 22 mile point:

Over the 10 hours and 34 minutes it took me to complete the race, I actually remember very little about my thoughts and what happened around me. I do remember taking time to chat with some of the aid station volunteers. They were very helpful and encouraging. Since it was an out and back course, I would pass runners going out or back, so we offered words of encouragement as we passed each other. A lot of the time, I could look both in front of me and behind me and not see another individual. I enjoyed being out on my own. I paid a lot of attention to how my body was feeling, making sure I wasn't pushing too hard or feeling any adverse symptoms. I ate periodically at the ultra aid stations, mostly oranges and bananas and 1 peanut butter sandwich. Other than that, it was just me running. By the time I finished the race, there were finishers crossing the line every 10 or 15 minutes. A lone cow bell and a few volunteers clapping greeted me at the finish line. I felt pride in my accomplishment and a huge boost in confidence that I could now continue my quest to a 100 mile race. I sipped on some lemonade and sat by myself at an empty table and just took in all that had happened throughout the day. I was content with everything at that point in time.

Post Race
After the race, I rested up just a bit, I texted and called friends and family to talk about the race and let them know I finished, and then grabbed a ride from a volunteer back to the lot where my car was parked. I drove back into town, stopped by dairy queen for a post race blizzard and hamburger, and then went straight back to my hotel. I finished off the day with some Evopro to help with recovery, a shower, and was in bed by 8PM to rest up for my 6AM flight back to Columbus.

What I learned from this race:
1. Better plan what I'm going to eat the morning of the race
2. Double and triple check everything I need for race day the night before the race
3. Be less conservative with my pace in the early miles and walk less. I think I over did the the slowness of my pace in the beginning and probably did a little too much walking on hills that I could have at least jogged on.
4. Do hill training to prepare for race conditions
5. Plan drop bags instead of carrying my stuff with me. I wasn't sure how drop bags really worked, so I opted to carry my stuff with me. The biggest mistake was carrying an extra full water bottle on a hydration belt for the first 11 miles. This added extra weight on my lower back and waist that I was not used to. Luckily, I opted to get rid of this at the first turn-around point
6. Finish strong. By the time you've run for so many hours, you have the thought that what difference does it make if I finish in 10 hours and 20 minutes or 10 hours and 30 minutes. The difference in this race is that I would have finished first in my age division (30-39) if I had finished strong. Lesson learned.