The road to UTMB - Chapter 4 - Vegan Power 50k

To be honest, I registered for this race because I’m vegan too and I was interested in meeting with and running with other vegan runners.  It’s been on my radar since last year when I joined the facebook group for it.  Over time I have been warming up to the idea of doing loops.  I have always considered it boring but I have realized that when the going gets stuff, it’s much easier to imagine points you have to reach rather than miles (which might feel like forever at that point).  Though it does work the other way, if the going is rough - you get the option to quit.  I registered in December 2018 for the race and got an interesting intro to the facebook group “Vikram Singh’s ultrasignup page reads like a love story to painfully hard races…” which I hadn’t really thought about but I guess it is sort of true.

The long drive to Western MA from NYC had me fairly tired by the time I got to the race.  Bib pickup was fairly quick.  A plain white shirt with some hammer (nutrition sponsor) products.  There was a real bathroom so I used that and then took a quick nap.  The course is 6 laps on a 5 mile loop and the relay and 50k started together.  Later in the day the 25k started.  The loop was fairly flat trail with some roots here and there to keep you alert and a small muddy section.  The race started with a small speech and it was mentioned that part of the reason of the race was to prove vegans could this without animal protein.  I sort of thought that was odd since ultramarathons and being vegan seems to be pretty common.  

The race started!  The loop starts with a tiny uphill on a dirt road section before hitting the trails.  As soon as we hit the trails, some of the people around me started breathing hard which was sort of alarming to me since it was very early in the race.  I passed a few people shortly and ran behind a man wearing long pants.  I thought it was a bit odd since it was summer but maybe he was from somewhere farther up or was doing the relay and just forgot shorts?  Think it would have been doable for one or two loops.  At the midpoint aid station I passed him.  I got passed a little bit after by two people.

I ended a little behind a Lindsay and followed her till the end of the loop.  At the start of the second loop I passed her but she was close behind.  It sort of pushed me to keep the pace when you have someone behind you.  Eventually we joined Juliene and started talking a bit.  Lindsay has run the 25k race before and is now doing the 50k.  Her brother is also running the race but she considered him the real runner (she ended up being 3rd place female).  Juliene is also from NY - from Peekskill, NY and also a marathon maniac.  She’s primarily a marathoner but has done the finger lakes 50 before.  I think the company really helped me stay strong.  I struggled on the fourth loop and we got passed by Lindsay.  Juliene and I ran up to the last 2 miles together where I was able to pick it up slightly.  I was a bit sad to lose her but we were close to finishing so I wasn’t too worried about her.  

There isn’t much to say about the loop, it’s forested and exactly what the description says.  It’s a singletrack that winds a lot so that makes it a bit more difficult but by the 4th and 5th loop, you’re an expert of the trail.  Like I said earlier, you could start to visualize points instead of mileage so that helps you continue mentally.  I finished in 5:45:47, an 11:06 pace and a massive PR in the 50k distance.  A lot of the assist in this was due to running with people!  Afterwards I hung out and cheered for a bit.  They had vegan pizza which was so great.  I took a picture with Juliene and just relaxed.  Then there was some light rain and I went back to the car.  I should have rested some more but I decided to start driving back.  I had some sleepy miles on the wheel that wasn't smart.  Eventually I stopped at a scenic point and took a quick nap.

This race gave me a strong confidence boost towards UTMB.  Success seems to be on the horizon!

The road to UTMB - Chapter 3 - Eagleman 70.3

Eagleman 70.3 was my third go at the Half Ironman distance and a buildup race to Lake Placid Ironman. The idea of doing it came from David. David DNF the swim course of the Syracuse 70.3 and signed up for Eagleman afterwards. I borrowed David’s swimsuit for my second go at Lake Placid 70.3 where I finally got through the swim and finished the race getting my first half ironman finish. When returning was when I first learned of the race. I told Jessica who has been interested in doing a half ironman and then my triathlon friends. Slowly there ended up being a group of six of going, five of us from the Queens Distance Runners team!

Five of us, Cathy, David, Matt, Yin, and I, along with Cathy’s boyfriend David rented a cottage about 20ish minutes from the race. I picked David and Matt up and used the bike rack I got from a friend Omar. It was only my second time using the bike rack and I needed some help from David in setting it up. It actually is pretty simple but it’s a bit nerve racking watching your bike hit bumps on the rear view mirror. We stopped by a dinner on our drive down Only problem with random dinners is the difficulty in getting vegan food without asking for modifications but I think I was okay with the food. We only stayed for one night so leaving NYC Saturday morning, bib pickup and bike drop and then racing Sunday.

We found street parking close to the Great Salt marshes easy enough and simply cycled the two blocks or so into the race village. We got our bibs which took quite a while to pick up. My previous two pickups at Lake Placid have been quick and smooth. I learned that the swim course had been moved to another side due to the water being too choppy. As soon as I heard this, I started thinking that the swim may be cancelled. I hadn’t prepared at all for the half ironman and the swim has always scared me. Sure I was still running and I tried jamming in a few bikes rides the week before but it was the swim that I was most worried about. Cathy and the others caught up and we attended orientation together. We learned that the swim course was supposedly in shallow water which was a big relief. It also led to quite a few jokes about our swim strategy. Cathy and Yin decided to swim a bit. I wanted to swim, however I also wanted to just relax for the race. Can’t cramp anything in at this point so I chose not to swim. My car, David, Matt and I were starving so we ate a Mexican place. I wanted to get this potato dish but the cheese was already mixed in it so I got it with avocado and black beans instead. How I wish there were easier vegan options. Then some grocery shopping and onwards to the cottage. The other group had already got in and were now leaving to get groceries and eat dinner. I thought of joining them for ice cream afters, a place had sorbet options, but I wanted to focus on relaxing and not doing too much do declined.

Race day came and the first thing we were relieved to see was that the race was wetsuit legal. Two days before the water temperature was too high and yesterday the water temperature was just barely below. A little bit after, just as I was about to start putting my wetsuit on, it was announced that the swim was cancelled due to safety boats not being able to be on the course. I jumped up for joy! The swim was freaking me out that morning. Then came the long wait to start the bike course. The atmosphere of the race became more chill. I met another man from Queens, Christian who was a strong swimmer and obvious disappointed. I hung out here and there with my friends trying to kill the time. Eventually we were off and boy did the bike start off fast. I made it to 18-19 miles an hour which was fast for me but I thought I could hold it since it was a flat course. I was still easily getting passed. About 20 miles in I started feeling pain from the bike seat rubbing against my skin. I have always used bike shorts but I forgot them and was using a tri suit that was a bit too small for me. It probably didn’t provide enough padding, also my seat was a bit in an angle sit it dropped a year ago. I was using my road bike instead of my tri bike so I didn’t really spend time trying to fix it since I was doing tris and all. In short, just unprepared. Eventually the pain became so great that I had to start taking breaks after 25ish miles. I would have to stop pedaling and stand on the seat for a bit. Around mile 33ish I found a position where the pain was bearable. I still had a slow 8 miles. I slowed down a lot and the race was essentially over me. I finished the bike ride but already knowing I performed badly I did an easy 2 hour half marathon. I mostly passed older racers at this point. Not a great race on my part but it fired me up and got me to start considering serious training for the full Ironman at Lake Placid.

I was the second last of my friends to finish. I was able to eat a bit and drop some things and watch the last of us come in to the finish. We decided to do a celebratory some time later. Our car ate with Jessica and her boyfriend. I had some eggplant pasta dish, pretty sure it wasn’t vegan but I tend to be more vegetarian after races. The post food options for the half ironmans are always pretty disappointing (especially when you compare them to some of the trail races I have been to). David was really looking forward to getting a cinnabon on the drive back but they were all closed by the time we got north enough to the NJ rest areas.

If it was just the race itself, I would say it was a bad experience but having friends to drive around with and hang out before and after made the trip a good one. Grateful to have other crazies in my life!