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16d • 🏅 Races
15 hours. 64 miles. Then my stomach said no.
This past weekend I lined up for the Estes Park Backyard Ultra. Start time was 4PM, about 75 to 80 degrees, with 25 mph winds and 45 mph gusts hammering us until around midnight.
I ran for 15 hours. Roughly 64 miles. I was one of three left in the race. Then I started having trouble keeping food down and made the call to stop. A second runner dropped after the next loop and the last man standing ran one more loop to secure his victory.
But, I walked away happy! This was exactly the kind of training run I needed before Leadville, and it handed me a list of lessons I want to share.
Here are my five big takeaways.
1. Slow down. Then slow down again. Then slow some more.
These backyard ultras are painfully slow if part of you still wants to run fast. I have spent the last 16 weeks chasing speed work for Leadville, and what I thought was my easy pace was nowhere near easy enough. Whatever you think slow feels like, go slower.
2. Don't be first to finish the loop. Don't be last either.
Early on I kept coming in as one of the front finishers because I wanted 10 to 15 minutes to rest at the aid station. That time vanishes fast and I never wanted to feel rushed. But I watched other folks come in with only a few seconds to eat before the next loop started. That is what we call "circling the drain". The winner, who has now taken this thing three years in a row, targeted 7 to 8 minutes of rest between loops. Right in the sweet spot.
3. No guesswork. Be automatic.
My aid station looked like a 2 year old's buffet. PB&Js, cheese quesadillas, M&M's, Nerd gummy clusters, fruit, pretzels. My strategy was pretty loose in the beginning - pick 2-3 foods, salty, solid, and sweet and eat those before the next loop and change it up next loop to avoid flavor fatigue. The winner? His nutrition was dialed and his crew handed him exactly what he needed. High carb foods like ramen and rice. All measured out for him before he even finished the loop. No time wasted refilling bottles or deciding what to eat. He made every second of those 7 minutes count.
4. The eating mistake that ended my day.
I ate light after a few loops because I just did not feel like it. That backfired on me. I ended up overeating on later loops to make up for it, and that is most likely what wrecked my stomach. What I learned is that I have to keep eating even when my body says no. That is the piece I am taking into Leadville.
5. Everyone's race is their own.
Some people were out there to hit 30 miles. Some 50. Some 100. Some to win. Every single person was on their own journey, and that is the beauty of these events. The people I meet during these events are some of the nicest people I've met. Everyone is working towards their own individual goals, but they're also willing to step in, help out and encourage their fellow runners to keep racing. It's a pretty tight community.
So where does that leave me?
Today my body honestly feels okay. Just really tired and really hungry. But the bigger win is what is sitting between my ears. I just ran a 100k before I have even started my endurance block, and that is a massive confidence boost heading into my A race. Now I have real, specific ideas on how to tighten up my nutrition plan before Leadville in August.
Pumped to apply these lessons and keep stacking the work!
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15 hours. 64 miles. Then my stomach said no.
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