Pioneer Spirt 50

Note to self - get better at blogging, at least for events!

A week ago Saturday (*now 2 weeks ago tomorrow...), I ran most of the Pioneer Spirit 50, put on by Single Track Running. The goal of running this race was some course recon for Rio del Lago 100 miler, and to practice heat management. **Short version - it was f*cking hot and I dropped/missed the cutoff at mile 44.** 

Photo by Elicia

There was a shuttle that would get us from the parking lot at the finish line at some ungodly hour, but Mel (of Boots and Saddles fame) and I had Best Crew Ever, aka Elicia, who rolled out of bed at a slightly later ungodly hour to drive us to the start and follow us around all day. There was an option for a 4am start, but I decided that since either way I'd be running through the hottest part of the day, the extra hour in bed would be preferable.

We started near the back of the pack, and followed the train of headlights winding its way down the dusty trail for the first part of our Cool cloverleaf. We would come through the first aid stations 3 times before heading for Folsom. A few slightly tricky footing sections due to the darkness, but mostly a steady pace. Mel and I ran together for most of the day, the first time I've raced with someone. Every now and again one of us would pull ahead but we would either catch up on trail or at the next aid station. While we paced well together, we both knew that if it was time for one person to push on solo that they should do so.

The race was going well all the way up to No Hands, AS5. I had a little chafing issue that I kept forgetting to take care of, but I was anticipating the heat and dousing myself in water and cramming ice in my bra and hat as soon as it got a little warm. I noticed at Cool (AS4, mile 16) that I wasn't drinking enough, and made a mental note to take in more from my pack on trail. At this AS and the one before, I guzzled about 3 cups of water, it was more delicious than my tailwind. This should have been my first clue!

Photo by Elicia, ~14 miles

After No Hands Bridge is a big climb, and the point where I started feeling the heat. I've ridden this trail once before so thought I knew where we were headed. I made it most of the way up before finally finding somewhere to pull out of the train of runners, pretty sure the puking was about to start. A few minutes standing in the shade helped me feel better, and I pushed on with my stomach content intact. I noticed my hands swelling, and tried to sip some tailwind but it left a funky taste in my mouth. A steep (very steep, couldn't stop running if I wanted to, quad-busting steep!) singletrack downhill brought us most of the way to the river. I caught back up to Mel in time for the trail to somehow get steeper, and we both ended up using our butts to shimmy down to reduce the risk of falling. There was some language used. The steep trail brought us out on some rocks by the river, but the trail wasn't done with us yet. There was some scrambling, climbing, shimmying, jumping over gaps where the trail disappeared completely, and some precarious balancing on trail narrower than my the shoe I was trying to keep traction with. My legs had been threatening to cramp, and after half a particularly big step up my left leg, the one perched on the rock I was climbing on, completely seized. Poor Mel was stuck behind me, I was blocking the whole trail and unable to move. It was about 30 seconds before I could get going again, and was very aware of the cramping coming back. Seeing an easy route to the river was a very welcome sight, and I sat there cooling off for a few minutes. I still wasn't drinking anywhere near enough, and by now it was hot, and mostly exposed trail. Fortunately we were done with what Mel and I fondly referred to as the 'Death trail'. Prior to that section we were solidly on pace for our hoped 12-hour finish. In the space of a few miles we had slipped into 14-hour beat-the-cutoff pace.

Mel navigating part of 'death trail'

It was only about 2 miles to the next aid station but a hot climb to get there. I got a little light headed, and was trying to drink more but feeling nauseous. I asked Elicia to just top off my pack with water, I finally realised that if I added tailwind I wasn't going to drink anything. My big mistake here was not taking food, and without tailwind I was heading off without calories in an already depleted state. I did get some candied ginger which really helped settle my stomach. The next section was in the shade along the canal, and I really enjoyed it, cruising along at a good pace. I had heard a lot about the Cardiac hill - another quad buster down to the aid station. On the way I could feel something going on with my socks, so at the aid station I sat down to fix them. Unfortunately the only chairs were the folding ones with a seat a few inches off the ground. Cue cramping, which persisted every time I tried to get my foot near enough to remove my shoe, fix the problem, and put my shoe back. It didn't occur to me to ask a volunteer to help me, so took twice as long as it should have done. After San Diego, I have learned my lesson about not fixing foot niggles before they become problems.

I'm not quite sure what happened on the next section. We had plenty of time. Then we didn't. Somehow Mel and I found some scrapings at the bottom of the tank to push us into the aid station when we realised how close to time we were. We arrived with less than 5 minutes to go until mandatory Out time, volunteers flurrying around us making sure we were ready to throw us back on trail so we didn't get disqualified. A volunteer was sponging me off when I suddenly felt really light headed, saw spots, and swaying. I sat down and still felt like I was going to pass out when I heard "30 seconds remaining" from a volunteer and Mel's "Cyd, are you coming, we have to go NOW!" So of course, up I got and off we went. I didn't grab food again!!! Mel had grabbed otter pops for us, and gave me a couple of boiled sweets. The little bit of sugar got me to the next aid station, but wasn't enough to revive me. I still wasn't drinking, and was fading fast. The next aid station was only a few miles away, and again I left with no food. I've been using tailwind for more than 2 years, so never had to think about calories, I fill my pack and go. I also wasn't taking electrolytes.

I love this picture! No Hands Bridge, ~21 miles

I had heard lots of stories about the meat grinder, and while it certainly wasn't the most fun trail I've ever run, or "run", it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It was slowly cooling off, and I was starting to drink the water from my pack more regularly. It had occurred to me a while back that I hadn't had to pee in a long time (ask my running buddies - I stop to pee annoyingly frequently). I finally had to stop, and without going into details, the colour was not appropriate and it was very uncomfortable. I slowly dropped back until Mel was out of sight. I called Elicia after a mile or so, explained I wasn't feeling good, but that Mel should be in shortly and to make sure she got out of the aid station quickly. I was feeling light headed and nauseous again, but wouldn't let myself sit down. Soon a pacer came by heading out to meet their runner, and said I was about a mile from the aid station and that I could make it. With 6 minutes to cutoff, that wasn't going to happen on fresh legs with good hydration, let alone now. It also turned out to be further than a mile. What I didn't know was that they had extended the cutoff from 5:12 to 5:30. I learned this when Elicia met me about half a mile down the trail. She had brought me some ginger ale, which I forced a little down, and finally sat.

If I had pushed myself, I probably would have made it by 5:30. Even after sitting on the trail for a few minutes, and not even trying to keep a decent hiking pace, I only arrived 5 minutes late. They may even have let me continue on at that point. My concern was how dehydrated I was, and the aching I had been feeling in my lower back was higher than it should be for muscle fatigue or hip tightness. Slogging out another 6+ miles may have been doable, but at what consequence to my recovery? My goal is to complete Rio del Lago 100 in November. While pushing through to finish would have been great mental training, it certainly wasn't the best choice for my health.

I'm not pleased that I didn't finish, but I took a lot away from this race. I am more familiar with some of the trails I'll be running on the 100, I learned that I need fueling options other than tailwind, my heat management was actually pretty good if you exclude the hydration factor. Plus, I decided that I really need a finish, so I went ahead and signed up for Headlands 50 on September 10th! So instead of a 50 mile long run, I'm getting a 44 mile and 50 mile. Headlands was my first 50 in 2014, and the cooler temperatures and generous cut off times make a finish more likely - I'm not sure mentally I can go into a 100 miler coming from 2 DNFs. It also gives me a chance to practice fueling with food instead of tailwind.