Headlands Hundred 50 Miler

Third time lucky - an ultra finish for me! After my DNF at Pioneer a few weeks ago, I signed up for the 50 at Headlands Hundred. It was my first 50 in 2014 and I completed then, and a generous cutoff (the 100 mile has 33 hours, and that is somewhat flexible thanks to awesomely supportive race management). As long as you can keep crawling in a vaguely forward direction, you can get it done. Exactly what I needed to before Rio 100. 

Picture from PCTR facebook page

I was using this as a training run, with the main goal being conquering one of the most difficult parts of ultrarunning for me - eating. This was the first trail race I've not relied on Tailwind. I still think it's a great product, but it's time to play with new stuff. I definitely didn't eat enough this race, leading to dips in energy level, but anytime I really felt like I couldn't keep going I remembered that there wasn't the steady intake of calories that I'm accustomed to. I definitely didn't take in anywhere near enough, indicated by the rollercoaster energy, and how sore I still am today. While it's a tough course, I shouldn't be feeling as sore and stiff as I am. I'm very confident that better calorie intake would have helped with this.

As opposed to non-hazardous cliffs? Photo from PCTR FB page

Another reason for choosing this race as an event with a high likelihood of finishing was the weather. Marin is cool and foggy, just like running in Fort Bragg. My ideal climate. It doesn't have the shade that we have on the Mendocino Coast, but the temperature never really gets hot enough for it to be an issue. Sunscreen is definitely important, and I had planned on using my Blenders sunglasses to see if it helped the headache I usually get after running there. It was so foggy that I never needed them, and after they blew off my hat on one of the ridges I tucked them safely in my pack. It was cold even for me in some spots, and I actually changed into a warmer shirt later in the day. My Spandits boardies (FIN-tastic with pocket a-la-carte) performed flawlessly as usual. And the bra chafe that plagues me every race in some way or other? Not this time. I taped under the shoulder straps just in case, there are little plastic adjusters that sit right where the pack straps do, but I'm not sure it was necessary. I might find a little fleece cover for them to try. Good job, Victoria's Secret! Though it's going to take a while to get used to them being closer to my face than usual, not mashed against my body. Hello boobs!

From my Strava - got hills?

I was out there a little longer than I had hoped, but it was good practice to finish in the dark and try to not fall asleep. I carried my headlamp all day, it made more sense than risking getting caught out without it for the sake of a tiny weight. The sleeping wasn't too bad this time, but by the time the sun went down I could smell the barn. Had I been heading out for another loop I'm not sure that would have been the case. I also had the company of another runner, and a section of trail where the Night Sweats 15k race was coming up a technical section as I was coming down, so with that much activity it would have been hard for me to sleep walk! I struggled mentally this race. I went in completely depleted emotionally, and that certainly took its toll, including a complete breakdown that resulted in bawling my eyes out on the side of the trail not moving anywhere. Very mature way to deal with things, but it made me feel a lot better. I didn't take any pictures the whole course (hence the borrowed photos - the photographers on course haven't posted anything yet).

I learned some useful things at this race. Fueling is so crucial and I have to find a better system for eating more regularly. The M&Ms and Skittles both worked pretty well, but it would have been better to have them in a ziplock baggie for easier eating. Soup works really well at night, warming and salty. Just staring at the aid station tables wasn't particularly helpful, but when a volunteer listed items off to me things started sounding good. Sitting down felt really good for a moment, but a volunteer found out from me how long I wanted to sit for, 2/5/10 minutes, and as soon as my time was done made sure I got up. My hands didn't really puff up like they usually do, they started to a few times and I'm not sure what I did differently for them to equalize again, but they would. There was some cramping, and again I'm not sure whether the water I would chug or the endurolytes were what helped - that's an experiment for a training run. There was a point where I realised that walking hurt just as much as running, so I might as well make some time, and it actually helped me feel better. Anytime I caught myself walking for too long I would run for at least 5 minutes to break up the trudgery and make sure I didn't fall into a death march.

Photo from PCTR FB page

I have lots of things to put into practice, some good ideas for what training I want to focus on between now and November, and a 50k to practice aid stations. For now, it's focus on recovery, and learn to use my trekking poles (and get my shoulders accustomed to them) in time for Sonoma Ultra 50k, with 9500' elevation gain, in 3 weeks.