Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Race Recap: How I took off 7 hours off my 100 mile time (16:37) in one year

Last year, I had some running highlights: Running 3:00 at the Boston Marathon, Finishing my first 24 hour race with 103 miles (second place) and winning a 50 mile road race in June. I also ended the year on a low note as I was not able to train more than 30% due to a piriformis hip injury that started in August. I was in denial and just never gave my hip time to heal. What should have taken 2 months ended up taking 4 months to get back to feeling well enough to train. The blessing of this set back is I learned to swim laps and cross train (Lunges, Squats, etc.) which was lacking from my training and contributed to my running injury due to lack of core strength.



http://www.coachcaleb.com

I started the year off with a coach for the first time after seeing the improvement other runners were having with a structured & balanced approach. Caleb Masland of Bonk Proof Running has agreed to help me which will introduce periodization to my training scheduled based on my races in the first half of the year and my “A” race (Uwharrie 100) in October. I am not running more miles but am doing more variety in the running workouts and at least 3 strength / core workouts a week. I also have become a big fan of swimming laps. I have found swimming to be a big advantage for runners. Swimming gets your heart rate up while your lower body recovers from the pounding of running. Swimming also gives a good upper body strength workout. I am currently swimming on Monday and Friday mornings before work. I do most of my cross training (lunges, squats, stair-master, free weights with a 20lb weight vest) at the gym during lunch. The other key aspect of Bonk Proof training is your recovery/adaptation days should be easy and the hard days should be really challenging as running each day at the same intensity.

 My training leading into the Umstead Endurance Race had been good. I went and ran at the course 2 times including a 38 mile long run by myself. I was consistently running 70 to 80 miles a week on 5 days while swimming 2 days a week. The week of the race, I had intentionally scheduled some business travel and we had an unexpected situation come up with a family member that took all my time. I did not run a mile for 5 days leading up to the race on Saturday. It was a blessing as I was healed and feeling rested.

My goals were in this order: Finish, Break 24 hours, Break 20 hours and if I really dreamed big and everything worked well I thought I had a chance to break 18 hours.  One of my Hero’s from Charlotte Mosi Smith had run 17:06 last year so I knew breaking 18 hours would be a stretch for me. I wanted to take all the thinking out of the equation and spend less than 1 minute at my own aid station per 12.5 mile loop. The race is made up 8, 12.5 mile loops on a rolling hill course. The course is on carriage paths which are smooth so all you have to do is run. Easy in theory.

I arrived at the course Friday afternoon to setup my own aid station with table to hold my bags, cooler and a chair to hold my clothes. I wanted to save time by not stopping at any of the 4 aid stations per loop. I only stopped at my own aid station to grab a new bottle (brought 8; 1 for each loop) using the Orange Mud handheld.

The Orange Mud Handheld is my favorite for 3 reasons:

·        Hand strap is adjustable so I can fit my entire hand including my thumb which gives more support.

·        The outer sleeve is flexible and is easy to switch out bottles without having to remove the lid of the bottle

·        The outer sleeve has pockets and holds a bunch of stuff (salt tabs, gels, etc)

http://www.orangemud.com/collections/orange-mud-gear

My liquid fuel during the race was Scivation Xtend Endurance in Green Apple flavor. The carbohydrate drink mix is gentle on my stomach, gives consistent fuel for long events, and tastes good. It also has a bunch of BCAA (Branch Chain Amino Acids) in the formula which helps with recovery and keeping your body from breaking down muscle for fuel during long events. I would use 1.5 scoops per 20oz bottle which gave me 150 calories. Xtend is available on Amazon.

Xtend Link on Amazon

My goal was to consume 300 calories per hour. I would carry in my vest a Cliff Bar and a bag of trail mix to each on each loop. After loop 2 (25 miles) and the rest of the loops (3 to 7), I started to drink a vanilla flavored Ensure drink with 300 calories. I would grab the small bottle from the cooler and drink it before I left the start finish area. After lap 1, 3, 5& 7 I consumed a Vespa Gel pack to help encourage by body to use fat at the main fuel instead of just carbohydrates which is the reason I never bonked (“hit the wall”) during the race.

I also carried a gel bottle with me to help with consistent energy. I hooked the gel bottle to my waist band and filled it with 3 gels of Hammer Chocolate Espresso (50 grs of caffeine) and enough for 2 oz’s of maple syrup. Mixed together the combination was gentle on my stomach and I did not get sick of it like I have with the thick Hammer Chocolate Espresso in the past.

The weather was perfect as it never got above 50 degrees and we had a consistent 10 miles per hour wind which kept my core body temperature low which made it easier to push late in the race. The start of the race was 30 degrees Saturday morning and it was forecasted to get down to 26 degrees late Saturday night which was more reason to push hard so I could finish as early as possible.

I had looked at past race reports and thought if I could run the first 50 miles (4 loops) around 2 hours per loop (9:36 pace) then I had a shot at breaking 18 hours. In practice, I had run my 3 laps in under 2 hours per lap so I knew on a good day it was possible. I had been training going down 12% on the treadmill for 60 minutes to strengthen the quads and be able to run all the hills during the 100 miles. It is a tough workout.

The Umstead Endurance Race is sold out every year in less than 6 minutes. You have to be at a computer when the noon comes around in the fall. It is the best run race I have ever been a part of. They offer a 1000 mile finishing buckle once you have completed 10 finishes. Umstead offers 2 finisher buckles for 100 miles. One for finishing under 24 hours which says “100 miles in 1 day” and the other says “100 mile finisher.” The aid stations have just about every food you can imagine to help runners finish under the 30 hour cut off. An added bonus of finishing Umstead 100 miles is being able to enter the Western States lottery.

My plan for the race was to take the thinking out of my plan and just run. I wanted to keep my heart rate in my aerobic range of 135 to 145 beats per minute. I knew the first 50 miles I would feel like I was holding myself back and saving some energy for the last 50 miles. On my watch, I only followed 1 thing which was my heart rate. I never looked at pace throughout the race.  There is 1 downhill on each loop where I would accelerate so my heart rate would not dip under 135. I was really happy how fast my heart rate would recover after each hilly section. A couple of times I saw my heart rate get up to 150 on the steep hills and I would slow down until I got back into the zone. Many racers passed me in the early laps because they were feeling good. Later in the race, they were getting lapped as they had used up all their energy. The reason I only care about my heart rate is it keeps me from running too fast because I feel good at the start of the race and end up paying for it later on. I adjust my heart rate goals based on the distance. In a race of marathon length I will try to keep my heart rate at 160 bpm. A fifty mile race I will focus on staying at 150 to 155 bpm. As long as I stay hydrated and consume enough nutrition (300 to 400 calories per hour), my aerobic engine should carry me to the finish.

The last 4 laps (50 miles) of the race can be with pacers. This was the first race I had pacers to help me continue to push hard. I ran with members of the Mangum Track Club Bryan H Hojnacki from Charlotte on lap 5 & 6. Eric Fogleman from Alberdeen paced me on lap 7 and Carl Douglas Hunt. from Wilmington paced me on lap 8. Umstead provides pacers for the final laps. I will use pacers whenever it is possible in the future. Big advantage.

Time: 16:37:29 (9:59 per mile)

Lap Times (12.5 Miles)

Lap 1: 1:52 (8:52 per mile)
Lap 2: 1:53
Lap 3: 2:01
Lap 4: 2:05
Lap 5: 2:04 (9:55 per mile)
Lap 6: 2:07
Lap 7: 2:14
Lap 8: 2:20 (11:12 per mile)

I wore Injinji 5 finger socks and Skechers Ultra shoes. I did not change my socks or shoes during the race. My lightweight vest is by Nathan.

Overall it was a good race and I appreciate all the thoughts and prayers.

My Upcoming races are:

·        Rattler Trail Marathon: May 9th- Sanford NC

·        Quest for the Crest 50K: May 30th- Burnsville NC

·        Dust to Dawn 50 Miler: June 27th- Pinehurst NC

·        Grandfather Mtn Marathon: July 11^th- Boone NC

·        Death Before DNF 50 Miler- August 15^th- Black Mtn NC

·        Table Rock 50 Miler- September 26th- Morganton NC

·        Uwharrie 100- October 24^th- Troy NC

Dust to Dawn 50 Miler Race Recap

 

 

The SPUR (Southern Pines Ultra Running) club put on a run Saturday night in Southern Pines NC within the Ft. Bragg military training area. The course was run on two lane roads in the middle of a forest. The only light along the course was from the passing cars and our headlamps. I was surprised by the amount of rolling long hills. There was one hill early in the race in the teen miles that I would put against anything I will be running at Grandfather Mountain Marathon in July.

 

 

The SPUR group started with 3 rolling aid stations that would move as the pack of runners move along the course. The actual route was a 52 mile loop so you never came back to your vehicle until you were finished. The volunteers at the aid stations were super helpful and enabled the runners to get back on pace quickly. The aid stations were 3 miles apart.

The race started at 7pm and everyone was required to bring a light and hydration bottle. I used my waist belt with a 20oz bottle on my backside. The fuel I mixed with water during the race was Xtend Endurance.

Martin and Mose Smith

 

I rode to the race with Caleb and Shane. Caleb’s monster truck is a great vehicle to travel to races in as we each had plenty of room for our gear and coolers. We got there in plenty of time, said hello to the other runners I see at Ultra events and got ready to start. The race had some military runners, which was great to see. I set my watch to show my heart rate.  My heart rate was the only thing I focused on for the first 20 miles, as I would not allow myself to go over 145bpm except when I was running up the hills. The idea was to stay in my low aerobic zone early in the race so I could finish strong. I always feel in long races like I am a horse and I need to pull in the reins early so I don’t go too fast and burn up all my stored energy. Late in the race, I feel like I have to whip myself to stay on pace and finish strong. My heart rate drops going downhill so I really pushed hard on the down hills to gain time and keep my heart rate in the 145bpm zone.

 

My training has been going well. I have been doing a 2-hour run on Friday with a 3-hour run on Saturday and a 1-hour run on Sunday besides track on Tuesday and 8-mile tempo runs on Thursday.

When we got to the race site, everyone with the SPUR group was helpful and excited about the race. The aid stations were mobile (every 3 miles) so as the runners ran along the course, the aid stations would move along the 50-mile course.

The race started at 7pm. After the first mile, I think I was in 10^th place as many runners went out super fast. My heart rate at 145bpm came out to a 7:30 pace which was fine with me. I settled into an easy pace and comfortable breathing while talking to some of the runners.

Around 4-miles, some of the runners started slowing down as they had gone out too fast to hold the pace. I was putting Scivation Xtend Endurance mix in my water bottle I was carrying in my waist pack to give me the fuel to keep the pace without bonking. At mile-24, the last runner in front of me started walking. I stopped and asked if he was ok and needed any water. He said he was ok and needed to take a break. My mind started racing that I might be able to win this event. I started telling myself –I have 26 miles to go and I need to focus on this mile only. I started asking at the aid stations how far I was in front of the next runner. Each time the volunteers would tell me that he was slowly gaining on me and I needed to keep pushing. At mile 32, I asked who was the runner gaining on me is and they told me it was Tyler Peek from  who won the Boogie 50 miler 2 months ago. I knew he was an accomplished runner so I figured if he wanted to win, then he would have to come and get it. I stayed with my 145bpm and plowed on. At mile 38, I asked again about Tyler and they said again that he was gaining on me. I had upped my pace heart to 150bpm to put a little distance on him and he was still gaining on me. The last 10 miles had some big hills. One of the benefits of running in complete darkness is you are not able to see the hills. I noticed my foot was landing at an upward angle, which told me I was running up a hill. Occasionally a car would drive by at 2am and I could watch the lights rise in the distance to tell me what type of grade I had coming up with the next hill. I finished at 3:01am and won my first 50-mile race. I told the folks at the finishing line a runner was right behind me and they started laughing. It turns out the 2^nd place runner was having a hard night with the lights from cars and talked about stopping a couple of times. The race volunteers kept telling him I was slowing down and he could catch me if he kept going. Both of us ran better races because of the volunteers feeding us incorrect information. 

Caleb and Shane

 

Martin, Caleb, Tyler and Shane

My recovery drink was Scivation Xtend Intra-Workout Catalyst. Xtend (watermelon flavor) is chock full of amino acids to help with the muscle recovery and rebuilding process. I ran in Sketchers Ultra shoes, which have enough cushioning to handle 50 miles on the road. Caleb ran a smart race and got a new personal record. Shane made a wrong turn, ran 58 miles and finished with a good attitude. I ran in Skechers Ultra shoe. The shoe continues to provide me the comfort and support I need in a long distance shoe.

1st Place Female and Male