This past Saturday 9/21/09 was the first of two 50M ultras on the fall schedule.  The event was the North Face Endurance Event/Gore-Tex 50 Mile Ultra just outside of Washington DC (Algonkian Park, Sterling VA).  It is one of five North Face regional events across the country.  This course description provided in the race info packet:

“The North Face® Endurance Challenge returns to Algonkian Regional Park, Great Falls Park and the Potomac Heritage Trail again in 2009. The course keeps runners on their toes with ever-changing terrain. Overall, it consists of 50% singletrack, 40% dirt or gravel doubletrack, and 10% gravel carriage. The Great Falls sections are highlighted by some intense elevation changes, with steep-but-run-able climbs up to 300 feet. The River Trail covers what is widely held as the marquee section the event: up to three miles of tip-toeing and hopping along bluffs high above the Potomac River. The tedious-but-scenic time it takes to cover this section is more than offset by cruising sections of undulating trail in the river basin..”

The course is a 14.8M out, including a 3M hitch, and back plus three 6.9M loops at the out end.  The course profile is shown below with 4656 feet of gain/loss.

Here is a summary of my experience at another great ultra event.

Pre-Food:

A peeled peach and two bananas.  Over the past two/three weeks I have been experimenting with a low-fat nutrition approach as outlined by Dr. Douglas Graham in ‘The 80/10/10 Diet”.  Noticed a huge spike in energy ever since which was also evident in this event.

Weather/Course Conditions:

About 62 degrees at the start; about 70-75 degrees later in the day with a light breeze.  Clear skies and low humidity.

Race Plan:

Go out at about a 10 min/mile pace, manage my energy and stay focused on technique.  I had not really trained very much at all for this event.  In the 8 weeks leading up to the event, my mileage average was about 35 miles, with a 33 long and a 27 long.  So I was running mostly on technique with the goal of efficiency from alignment and relaxation.  I also wanted to finish strong since maintaining my energy on long events has been an issue in the past.

Course Summary:

We started at 5AM.  All participants were required to have a headlamp.  Considering the event starts in a park and gets into single track quickly, you can imagine why.  The start and first 10-12 miles until the sun came up presented an interesting experience.

• Being ready to run at 5AM.  I felt a little rushed at the start; getting there and then getting settled.
• Starting with 211 other runners and adventuring off into the dark was inspiring.
• Finding myself on my own at times in the darkness created a deep sense of calm focus.
• Being on single track with rocks and roots in low light conditions.
• Observing a great orange sky sunrise over the river.

The course begins along some park fields then down a gravel carriage road before getting onto single track.  A quick hitch 3M loop then off along the river.  Mostly flat runnable sections with a few exceptions:

• Small drainage dips in the trail about 3 feet deep.  Seem insignificant but disruptive.
• A few streams to navigate with steep slippery banks.
• Steep uphills and downhills as the trail leaves the river and then returns.
• Some sections that were barely a path with hay and weed overgrowth.

Aid stations at miles 4.6 and 8.1.  Just a water refill for me.  After mile 8.1 the next aid station is mile 14.8.  6.7 miles is a big gap; not that evident on the way out but was on the way back.

After about 12 miles along the river, the course turns in land a bit on more single track, double track, a bit of field, and a brief section along a road.  At mile 14.8 you come to Great Falls aid station.  At this point, you have three 6.9M loops to complete before you head back to the finish.  The first part of the loop is an out 2.7 miles to another aid station called Difficult Run, then back 4.2 miles to Great Falls.  This whole loop is a very hilly section of mostly rocky carriage road.  There is one part on the return referred to above in the course description as ‘up to three miles of tip-toeing and hopping along bluffs high above the Potomac River’. Much of this you could not really run; this first time around I was wondering what it was going to be like on the third lap.  This section of course was very scenic with two spots where you were literally three feet from the 75′ edge of the river gorge (just kidding Mom!).

After the three loops, the course returned along the same path back to the finish.

Key Focuses:

My main objective was to stay relaxed and efficient.  I used every ChiRunning focus in the book; a few key ones:

• I carried my Metronome in my hand the whole time.  I alternated between having it on and off over random intervals.  If others were around I would shut it off or muffle the sound with my finger.  If I felt tense or in-efficient I would turn it on and focus in on it.  A metronome helps you keep a high cadence which is much more efficient.  You can also match it to one part of your motion to improve form or distract you away from tension elsewhere.
• I also considered riding a bike a lot, with a focus on just picking up on the pedals that were positioned behind me.  This creates a very light ‘up’ focus and also keeps a high cadence with minimal effort.
• I ran most of the uphills except for the really steep sections.  When I came to a (runnable) hill, I said to myself ‘oh great, now I get to rest my legs*’.  I have a tendency to tense up my back/glutes/hips when I come to a hill.  So I just focused on alignment, falling up the hill, using my arm swing, and staying totally relaxed from the mid-back down.  It worked great and I passed many people on the hills.  I also finished strong using this technique since about half of the 1.6M final leg was a gradual uphill.

[*This concept from Danny Dreyer, creator/author of ChiRunning® who used this mindset on many ultra marathons.]

Food on the Course:

First food for me was at Great Falls aid station, mile 14.8.  Alternated between a banana and boiled potatoes** with a little salt at each aid station from then on.  The energizing effect of boiled potatoes is amazing.  Prior to my last loop at Great Falls, there were no more potatoes at the aid station.  I still had one loop to go and I was hoping there would be some at the Difficult Run aid station.  When I got there, there were two servings left.  There was zero hesitation on my part.

[**Danny Dreyer, creator/author of ChiRunning®, has on numerous occasions talked about the physical and mental transformations that occur on an ultra from boiled potatoes dipped in salt.  This is the second ultra in which I have benefited from this knowledge.]

Overall I managed my food intake and energy very well with one exception.  After my final loop I was at the Great Falls aid station.  My next step was to head back to the finish.  There were no more bananas at the aid station so I went to my backup in my drop bag. I had two bananas and walked a bit with a box of raisins; and headed for home.  The next aid station was 6.7 miles away and it seemed to take forever to get there.  About 5 miles into this leg, my energy crashed and I lost a lot of time walking.  When I got to the aid station, the medic was watching me and suggesting to eat this and that.  Again, a bit of boiled potatoes and I felt better immediately.  The medic even said I looked better with ‘color’ returning.

So here was my goof: instead of eating two bananas and a box of raisins at the previous aid station, I should have had one banana and carried the second one for the long leg to the next aid station.  This was my thought earlier in the day.  I also should not have eaten the raisins; and just carried them until later closer to the finish.  I believe the high-glycemic raisins caused the energy dip about hour later.  So, no more raisins on race day unless I am within a mile or two from the finish (as in the Hatrun earlier this year).

I only drank water on the course.  I set my countdown timer to 12 minutes and took a mouthful of water every time it went off.  I carried my water in a diagonal water belt.

Key Take-aways:

- Another great ultra event; the people who participate and volunteer are just an amazing group of people.  The course, the support; everything was first rate.

- Another great ultra experience.  There is always something new to learn about yourself and about life from others.  For example, there was a lower leg amputee woman there who set the 50M world record that day.  I ran with her a bit at the beginning and it was very moving to see her out there.  At the awards ceremony, she gave an inspiring speech with the simple point “we all have our challenges, mine is just more evident than yours.  Take what life gives you and make the most of it.”

Some may think we are crazy.  Why? Why do you do it?  I would like to think we do it because we want to experience the most from each day we are granted; and an ultra is just another way we can do that. Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

“But all I ever settled for is that we’re born to live and then to die, and … we got to do it alone, each in his own way. And I guess that’s why we got to love those people who deserve it like there’s no tomorrow. ‘Cause when you get right down to it, there isn’t.”, Louden Swain, from the movie Vision Quest

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Here are the numbers for those who need to know:

- Overall time: 9:56:34.

- 54th out of 179 men.  16th out of 41 AG.

- 212 runners total, 33 women.

- Official Results here soon: http://www2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/

Note: There were also a 50K, 1/2M and 10K events on the same day which started at 7AM, 9AM and 11AM.  All were sold out with 1100 runners total on the day.

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Brief post event update 9/23/09:  Ran again Tuesday 9/22 after the race about 5 miles trails at about 8:20 pace.  Feel great with little to no recovery, only minor fatigue and a little stiffness that worked itself out quickly.  Plan to run again Thursday PM or Friday PM.  Then back to regular long Sunday runs and preparation for the JFK 50 Miler on 11/21.

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David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor. For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

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