Dick Collins Firetrails 50: DNF
‘DNF’ three letters no runners wants to see when they view the results of their last race. For me, it was bound to happen and honestly I am not surprised with the struggles I faced this past Saturday when I participated with Brian N. in the Dick Collins Firetrails 50. It was my second 50 mile attempt, the first coming this past April when I ran the American River 50 Mile Endurance Race and finished 8 minutes from the 14 hour cutoff time. It was an amazing accomplishment for me to see just how far I could push my body, physically and mentally. Saturday was the same distance, but factors leading up to the race were against me. Still a ‘DNF’ is better than a ‘DNS’ (Did not start) and I was able to complete nearly 22 miles.
Still I find it very difficult to consider myself an ultra runner, completing 3 ultra races (two 50k and one 50M), yet based on the distance I am an ultra runner. Being fast is not necessary, being consistent is important especially when it comes to the long distance running. Only having one 50 mile race under my belt made the Firetrails 50 a real challenge. Viewing the course profile, there was rarely ever level ground on this course that saw runners start at Lake Chabot and run the ridge to Tilden Park, make the turn around at mile 26 and return. A total of 50 miles with an elevation change of 7,800 feet. The elevation alone was cause for concern when I registered, but felt confident in my running abilities to “get it done.”
For Brian N. and I the day did not start off well. As we hit the first hill about 1.75 miles in Brian was experiencing ankle pain. Unlike AR50 and running on a bum ankle for 21+ miles, he pulled out of the race at mile 3.2, the first aid station and walked back to the start/finish line. I kept looking behind me for the next few miles hoping to catch sight of him, but I never saw him. I received a message on Facebook (yeah I was running while posting updates) saying, “keep going brother! i dropped im at skyline gate.” While I was disheartened to hear the news, I attempted to remained focused and continued running.
The split chart I created was based on each aid station and the cutoff times enforced by the race director. There was a 13 hour time limit, which was hour shorter than what we had at the AR50, a race I finished in 13:52:50 with not much time to spare, but I knew departing the final aid station (at AR) I would finish. Going into Firetrails I was concerned on where we could make up :52 minutes. The terrain and elevation were against us from the start with 7,800 feet elevation change, this race was challenging! While I wasn’t feeling confident before the race began I had no idea just how bad it was going to get.
Everything was going well through mile 10.5 when I arrived at Big Bear Gate, I was 7 minutes behind my estimated arrival time at 10:05 A.M. I was running about 6 minutes ahead of schedule up to this point. Just prior to this checkout I shared on Facebook, “9 miles in just over 2 hours not sure how far back Brian N is with ankle problem.” If I would have been a bit more coherent at this point I would have done the math in my head, maybe it was a task I was avoiding because I knew what the outcome and time wasn’t on my side. For much of first 15 miles, I based my split times on a 15 minute mile or 4 miles an hour. This was about 30 seconds shorter than what was required over the entire 50 miles in order to finish.
Problems truly began about mile 15, about 3 hours, 45 minutes into the race. As I came up the hill I saw Brian, which boosted my confidence that I could keep going, but pulled into the aid station :29 minutes behind my estimated arrival at 11:18 A.M. The last 3.5 miles had been literally been an uphill battle, one that I conquered but cost me in overall time and amount of energy expended. My feet were throbbing, lower back was aching and I was drenched in sweat as I refueled. Unlike AR, I didn’t spend much time at any of the aid stations, needing to get back out on the course as time was a factor and out of my control.
The run to Sibley Volcanic aid station was only 3.4 miles, it was during this segment of the run I began seeing opposite direction runners. While not thinking clearly and a bit discouraged, the math wasn’t adding up and I questioned this, “how do we have runners already heading back to Lake Chabot from the turn?” It wasn’t until I slowly started the up the mile long, 600+ foot hill to Steam Trains aid station that I realized these were marathon runners, not the 50 mile runners. This was a very technical portion of the course, the footing was terrible. Not only did I need to watch every step I took, I had to keep my head up and alert for runners flying down this steep slope.
What I found interesting as I got closer to the turn around area, the volunteers (I thank them all!) were more boisterous, calling you by name and cheering you one. This meant a considerable amount as I came out of the trees and could see the aid station amd Brian N. waiting for me. I felt their energy and mustered what little I had left to finish this portion of the trail as strong as possible. By this point I wasn’t tracking my split time, I know I was well behind the curve. Talking to Brian helped, but I knew from looking at my split chart it was going to be another uphill battle to Stream Trains aid station.
At this point, it was a matter of pride, my body was barely responding and the worst was yet to come. Mile 19 cost me nearly 30 minutes and I was physically dragging. I overheard runners going the other direction say, “I remember being in his position and struggling.” That was salt in the wound for me, but I attempted to remain positive, putting one foot in front of the other. I was also envious of many of the runners who passed me coming downhill and how easy they made it look while I was doing everything I could to get to the next aid station, while sucking down fluids and eating my burritos. One day I want to be that runner, appearing to be gliding down the hills, barely breaking a sweat making this ultra running look second nature. As I glanced at my watch, I snapped back to reality and the quick math told me I had less than 30 minutes to run 4.3 miles and make the 6 hour, 16 minute cutoff.
As I crested the hill I saw the aid station, heard my name and the cheers from volunteers, but my day was done. I unclipped my hydration pack and told the aid station lead I was dropping out after 5:49:25, 21.06 miles and 4,222 feet of elevation (View the entire run as seen in my Garmin 920xt). I was frustrated and discouraged myself, especially after my performance at American River, yet that was a very different race than Firetrails. The elevation and energy required to continually climb was something I was not prepared for. Yet going into the race I knew this. Maybe my conviction to finish was so strong I didn’t want to think otherwise and a ‘DNF’ was out of the question.
After having time to reflect on the race neither Brian or myself were ready to run this race. My running had been spotty at best leading up to Saturday and I was not able to get in a 50k training running about 3 weeks prior. Not that it would have made a world of difference, but it would have been more miles under my belt. I spoke of consistency before, which is something I did not have in my training plan. The planned I had laid out was adequate, but the reality was time was something I did not have much of, being pulled in a number of other directions that seemed to take priority over running. For me, finishing it winning. I don’t need a medal but there is something magical about crossing the finish line. That feeling will be put on hold for now.
The race aside, I felt my fuel and hydration were two aspects that were stronger than my first 50 mile run. This time around I made Unfried Black Beans, courtesy of Protective Diet and placed them in flour tortillas (not PD, sorry Julie). I had considered corn tortillas, but was never able to get them to bend and fold without breaking, so I opted for a 99% fat free flour tortilla. I also bought 10 Larabars of various nature ingredients, none that contain oil or additives, just 3 simple ingredients. The plan was to fuel every 5 miles, a burrito and bar with constant hydration. This time I decided to use Nuun tablets to help replenish my electrolytes. During AR, I got very tired of drinking water and yearned for some sort of flavor, Nuun seemed to fit the bill. I used a few different flavors and only used a few tablets over the course of my 21.06 miles.
Not quite sure when I stopped eating, but I come home with many more burritos than I had planned on, as well as a full container of mac and cheese since I never made it to the turn around at mile 26. I did like my food choices, portable, easy to eat and didn’t cause any stomach problems over the course of my day. I did supplement with a few quartered PB&J sandwiches and some cut bananas as well as a salt tablet from a few aid stations.
Overall it was a true learning experience, maybe bordering on stupid for even attempting 50 miles over such hilly terrain. I know I was not trained well enough to run hills for 13 hours, this was a tough course. Yet in the end I did the best I could and time was not on my side. While I would have loved to cross the finish line, my race was over long before it began, but went out and did what my legs and body would allow. I will make some adjustments and hopefully work up a better training schedule for my next race, which will be sometime early next year.
