The Breakdown
Fairbanks,AK
State 19 – 50K
5:29:54
In the fall of 2009, Molly had contacted me and said she was looking at moving to Fairbanks, Alaska. She said she heard of a great opportunity to and had been interviewing to be a nurse practitioner at a community clinic. One of the guys she interviewed with mentioned the Equinox Marathon. Molly told me if she took the job, she would be there for one, maybe two years and I should do the marathon.
Being Alaska, I wanted to make it more than just a weekend trip. I didn’t think it was going to work for 2010 since there were plans for a 2 week family trip to Greece. This trip ended up being cancelled, and when it was cancelled, I had vacation time open up. Making lemonade out of lemons, I decided, that meant I should go up to Alaska. When I told Ultra Jen of my plans to run the Equinox Marathon, she mentioned they actually have an ultra marathon, so I should add on an additional 5 miles since I’m already out there. I knew the run would be in the mountains, and I figured, since it was a tough one (ranked just behind Pikes Peak) it would definitely be a run/walk, so I might as well increase the distance.
It was official; I was signed up for the Ultra Marathon (50K), in the spring. In June, I booked my plane ticket. I made a detour in San Francisco/San Jose since Becky just moved there and spent 5 days (not including day of travel), in Alaska.
The vacation part of Alaska was great. It was like the Ultra Marathon was a side thought. It was a race to enjoy the state, and put the time/pace on the back burner. On the Wednesday before, Molly and I hiked the out/back portion. This would be miles 13 to 17. It was rocky and bumpy and I thought, there is no way I will be running this, falls would really hurt! I knew I had 10 hours to finish, so really, just 3 miles an hour was all I needed to do.
Friday, Molly and I went out to Denali Park (Mt. McKinley). It was a clear and beautiful day. We had a great time there, and then made our way back to Fairbanks to pickup my race packet. Packet Pickup was again, a smaller venue, no ids required just give your name, and then get your shirt and a water bottle. No timing chip for this race, once the gun went off that’s when the clock started.
Saturday morning I got up, Molly took me to the start (University of Alaska). I was hoping there would be a gear check, and I believe this is my first marathon race without a gear check. I made the mistake of tearing off this tag on my bib, thinking it was for gear check and I put it on my bag. When I realized there was no gear check, Molly just took my bag.
What I took with me on the run
~ Molly’s Ipod as my shuffle stopped working somewhere on this trip and I otherwise only had a big ipod.
~My work blackberry just because I knew I’d be calling Molly with about 5 miles left to come watch the finish, and my work blackberry is ATT while my personal is Sprint. Out in Alaska, sprint doesn’t work too well.
~Four Gus (I only ate 3)
~Two Aleve (Never took).
I originally wanted to bring a camera, but I didn’t like the thought of falling on it. If Sprint weren’t unreliable in Alaska, then I could have brought my phone with a camera on it. My work disabled the camera function on my Blackberry so there was no camera. I should just be thankful I had a functioning phone the whole race.
If you visit the equinox marathon website, you would see a picture of the start. The start consists of running through a field and up a hill 250 feet. When the gun went off to start, we all started running up this hill which then funneled onto a trail. Because you had to make it through the gate, even if you ran up the hill, you had to then stop and wait to make it through the gates, and run on a trial single file. The race started off in a great way, feeling so laid back. I wasn’t here for time; this was another one of those ‘remind me why I love running’ races.
We managed to make our way onto an open road and everyone spread out in their respective paces before the next trail. I couldn’t tell you what pace I started off with, because I wasn’t worrying about time. I also didn’t mind the trails so much, because my legs were fresh. I was actually having a lot of fun. About 5 miles into the run, I started talking to a local, Keith. He pointed out a lady just ahead of us who holds the female course record. This time would be 3:20ish back in 2002/2003 (that is the Marathon distance, not Ultra). That should give some perspective on the toughness of the course.
Around mile 8, we actually started running with Ms. Course Record holder, and I think her husband, which she was pacing for this race. At one point, Keith pointed to the mountain a little bit away and he said, that’s the top of Ester Dome, which is what we are climbing today. Okay, I knew we had climbed on the drive, but seeing the exact mountain and how high it was from the distance we were at, that put the whole race on a new level. I reminded myself, 3 miles an hour, and since I was already doing over 6 an hour at that point, I could go even slower on that climb.
Before Mile 9, I decided to Breakdown the run into sections. The portion I just talked about was the warm up run portion. The next few portions include:
2) The Climb;
3) The Bumpy Hike;
4) The Oh $hit, let’s not die on the down;
5) The Fast Down;
6) Extra Credit;
7) Final Mile.
2) The Climb. I started with Keith and his friends. However, I pushed ahead. I knew they had a goal to make the initial part of the climb running until we hit trail again. I almost managed that but walked a little earlier on. Once I hit the trail, Keith and friends passed me. This was between miles 9-10 and I was walking a brisk walk, and my calves were burning. When I could run, I would run, or more or less jog. Before Mile 10, I started to pass this man and just as I was passing, I hit a root, and tripped. I caught myself, which he applauded my catch, but that scared me enough to slow down and walk again. This guy and I started walking and talking together. He mentioned he was doing the relay with his wife and son. He had the toughest of the legs. He made climbing the mountain not so bad. Once we got on the open road, I did try to run for a bit and left him. I managed to make it to mile 13 which meant I was close to part 3: the bumpy hike. I decided since I had my phone, I’d give Alison a call, and tell her so far I loved this race- walk or run- it was a great challenge and beautiful.
There was a porta potty and I got all excited, having to go to the bathroom, so I stopped. This concluded part 2 at about 2 hours and 20 minutes (the half marathon marking)
3) The Bumpy Hike. From the point of Molly and my hike, to actually being out there for the race, I gained a little courage. Unless it was one of the huge inclines, I was running this portion. The bumpy hike is also known as the out/back. The turnaround is part way through a decline. They had a water stop at the turn around, so I stopped, grabbed a drink and walked on the incline (like everyone else). At the end of this portion, I stopped to refill the bottle I was carrying with me.
4) The Oh $hit, let’s not die on the down, is also known as the Chute. I’m pretty sure this isn’t part of a real running path, it was along some power lines and you had to jump back and forth left to right, for the most compact rocks that didn’t make you slip. If you looked up (which I could really only do on the peripheral), you saw this was nearly a vertical drop and if you tripped and fell, you would be tumbling into a bloody mess (which has happened before). I managed fine at first, but when I didn’t know where this down would end, and how long I would have to shuffle and kill my quads and knowing you couldn’t stop because if you stopped, you would then just slide on down (and become a bloody mess), I could feel the tears forming in my eyes (and I said out loud- I want my Mommy!). I was catching up to a girl in front of me as I could hear a guy right on my tail. I really worried he was going to try to pass me and that would trip me up. The guy behind me told me we were almost to a place where we turn off and go back on a path. When I completed this portion, I’m pretty sure I had a loud sigh and as I started to pass the girl who was in front of me I said “I’m so happy I’m still in one piece” she agreed.
5) Being alive and in one piece, I made our way to the next portion. Still very steep, but more manageable was the fast down. I don’t know if it was Idaho that prepared me for this, but this is where I passed lots of people. I started to use music (I needed to be focused on my step for parts 2-4 so there was no music then). I also don’t know if it was because I was taking it slower and walked some, but I still felt more than fine. I figured I should live it up as my quads were really killed on this section and part 4, so soon enough I would be slowing down. Around mile 22, we made it back on a trail, and I was still really enjoying the run. I gave Alison a call just to tell her I was doing a lot better than all my expectations and still loving the run minus the part where I thought I was going to tumble into my death. Not only did I get to talk to her, but I also got to hear from Michelle. I might have looked like an idiot running on my phone, but it made me happy. Around mile 25 I called Molly to tell her when I had about 6 miles left. I told her, this could either take me 50 minutes, or an hour and a half. I also told her the part of my bib I put on my bag thinking it was gear check- I needed it for the finish. So I asked her to bring that with her and pass it off to me just before I finished. We agreed I would call her again with 4 miles left, so she could make it there on time.
6) Extra Credit. If you know Tony, he introduced me to the term ‘extra credit.’ Tony goes out to the Tour De France course every year and bikes it. They aren’t the people actually racing the Tour De France, but his group is out there during the race and just does random parts of the course. Each day they have X amount of miles to accomplish, then they have some extra miles/extra climbs they call extra credit. Since the marathon/ultra was together until just over the 25 mile marker, I decided the ultra distance was my extra credit. This course was very soft and woodchippy for the most part. It was rolling hills and awesome. I walked/ran more and was all alone- just me and Molly’s music which I really enjoyed the randomness and so many songs with memories of College. Every now and then I’d catch up to a person and exchange a few words before passing. You had to watch the course arrows because the path was windy and you could easily turn a wrong way. Around mile 19.5, I wasn’t sure I was going the right way. Just as I realized I was correct, I tripped. Somehow, after 29.5 miles, I still caught myself without falling, but that sent a Charlie-horse like pain up my leg. I stopped for a minute to regain control of my leg, and then walked some. I finished mile 30, as the course turned off the trail and back on a hill, on a magnificent decline. I could tell I was near the finish.
7) The final mile was brought us back with the Marathoners. It was also a steep down for a lot of it. Somehow, I was still feeling great where I picked up my stride. I was listening to Lips of An Angel, and was so into the song and the down, I blasted my music, which I think turned a few heads- oops! The .2 was all that remained. We were back on that open grass where we started. And some sick joke of the race, we had to climb half way up the 250 foot climb again before we could go back down it to the finish. I did walk on that up until the turn down, and then I picked up the down. I grabbed my little ticket from Molly, and I sprinted the final 200 feet to the finish. It felt so great to finish in just under 5 hours and 30 minutes.
Because this race was tough, and I knew I should just take it easy - I managed to really enjoy it, and I managed to cross the finish line feeling happy. I really didn’t know if this would take me 6 hours, 8 hours or the full 10. Breaking down the race really helped my mental game, and remember all the different parts of the race. It was a great state #19, and I kind of want more like it.
Fairbanks,AK
State 19 – 50K
5:29:54
In the fall of 2009, Molly had contacted me and said she was looking at moving to Fairbanks, Alaska. She said she heard of a great opportunity to and had been interviewing to be a nurse practitioner at a community clinic. One of the guys she interviewed with mentioned the Equinox Marathon. Molly told me if she took the job, she would be there for one, maybe two years and I should do the marathon.
Being Alaska, I wanted to make it more than just a weekend trip. I didn’t think it was going to work for 2010 since there were plans for a 2 week family trip to Greece. This trip ended up being cancelled, and when it was cancelled, I had vacation time open up. Making lemonade out of lemons, I decided, that meant I should go up to Alaska. When I told Ultra Jen of my plans to run the Equinox Marathon, she mentioned they actually have an ultra marathon, so I should add on an additional 5 miles since I’m already out there. I knew the run would be in the mountains, and I figured, since it was a tough one (ranked just behind Pikes Peak) it would definitely be a run/walk, so I might as well increase the distance.
It was official; I was signed up for the Ultra Marathon (50K), in the spring. In June, I booked my plane ticket. I made a detour in San Francisco/San Jose since Becky just moved there and spent 5 days (not including day of travel), in Alaska.
The vacation part of Alaska was great. It was like the Ultra Marathon was a side thought. It was a race to enjoy the state, and put the time/pace on the back burner. On the Wednesday before, Molly and I hiked the out/back portion. This would be miles 13 to 17. It was rocky and bumpy and I thought, there is no way I will be running this, falls would really hurt! I knew I had 10 hours to finish, so really, just 3 miles an hour was all I needed to do.
Friday, Molly and I went out to Denali Park (Mt. McKinley). It was a clear and beautiful day. We had a great time there, and then made our way back to Fairbanks to pickup my race packet. Packet Pickup was again, a smaller venue, no ids required just give your name, and then get your shirt and a water bottle. No timing chip for this race, once the gun went off that’s when the clock started.
Saturday morning I got up, Molly took me to the start (University of Alaska). I was hoping there would be a gear check, and I believe this is my first marathon race without a gear check. I made the mistake of tearing off this tag on my bib, thinking it was for gear check and I put it on my bag. When I realized there was no gear check, Molly just took my bag.
What I took with me on the run
~ Molly’s Ipod as my shuffle stopped working somewhere on this trip and I otherwise only had a big ipod.
~My work blackberry just because I knew I’d be calling Molly with about 5 miles left to come watch the finish, and my work blackberry is ATT while my personal is Sprint. Out in Alaska, sprint doesn’t work too well.
~Four Gus (I only ate 3)
~Two Aleve (Never took).
I originally wanted to bring a camera, but I didn’t like the thought of falling on it. If Sprint weren’t unreliable in Alaska, then I could have brought my phone with a camera on it. My work disabled the camera function on my Blackberry so there was no camera. I should just be thankful I had a functioning phone the whole race.
If you visit the equinox marathon website, you would see a picture of the start. The start consists of running through a field and up a hill 250 feet. When the gun went off to start, we all started running up this hill which then funneled onto a trail. Because you had to make it through the gate, even if you ran up the hill, you had to then stop and wait to make it through the gates, and run on a trial single file. The race started off in a great way, feeling so laid back. I wasn’t here for time; this was another one of those ‘remind me why I love running’ races.
We managed to make our way onto an open road and everyone spread out in their respective paces before the next trail. I couldn’t tell you what pace I started off with, because I wasn’t worrying about time. I also didn’t mind the trails so much, because my legs were fresh. I was actually having a lot of fun. About 5 miles into the run, I started talking to a local, Keith. He pointed out a lady just ahead of us who holds the female course record. This time would be 3:20ish back in 2002/2003 (that is the Marathon distance, not Ultra). That should give some perspective on the toughness of the course.
Around mile 8, we actually started running with Ms. Course Record holder, and I think her husband, which she was pacing for this race. At one point, Keith pointed to the mountain a little bit away and he said, that’s the top of Ester Dome, which is what we are climbing today. Okay, I knew we had climbed on the drive, but seeing the exact mountain and how high it was from the distance we were at, that put the whole race on a new level. I reminded myself, 3 miles an hour, and since I was already doing over 6 an hour at that point, I could go even slower on that climb.
Before Mile 9, I decided to Breakdown the run into sections. The portion I just talked about was the warm up run portion. The next few portions include:
2) The Climb;
3) The Bumpy Hike;
4) The Oh $hit, let’s not die on the down;
5) The Fast Down;
6) Extra Credit;
7) Final Mile.
2) The Climb. I started with Keith and his friends. However, I pushed ahead. I knew they had a goal to make the initial part of the climb running until we hit trail again. I almost managed that but walked a little earlier on. Once I hit the trail, Keith and friends passed me. This was between miles 9-10 and I was walking a brisk walk, and my calves were burning. When I could run, I would run, or more or less jog. Before Mile 10, I started to pass this man and just as I was passing, I hit a root, and tripped. I caught myself, which he applauded my catch, but that scared me enough to slow down and walk again. This guy and I started walking and talking together. He mentioned he was doing the relay with his wife and son. He had the toughest of the legs. He made climbing the mountain not so bad. Once we got on the open road, I did try to run for a bit and left him. I managed to make it to mile 13 which meant I was close to part 3: the bumpy hike. I decided since I had my phone, I’d give Alison a call, and tell her so far I loved this race- walk or run- it was a great challenge and beautiful.
There was a porta potty and I got all excited, having to go to the bathroom, so I stopped. This concluded part 2 at about 2 hours and 20 minutes (the half marathon marking)
3) The Bumpy Hike. From the point of Molly and my hike, to actually being out there for the race, I gained a little courage. Unless it was one of the huge inclines, I was running this portion. The bumpy hike is also known as the out/back. The turnaround is part way through a decline. They had a water stop at the turn around, so I stopped, grabbed a drink and walked on the incline (like everyone else). At the end of this portion, I stopped to refill the bottle I was carrying with me.
4) The Oh $hit, let’s not die on the down, is also known as the Chute. I’m pretty sure this isn’t part of a real running path, it was along some power lines and you had to jump back and forth left to right, for the most compact rocks that didn’t make you slip. If you looked up (which I could really only do on the peripheral), you saw this was nearly a vertical drop and if you tripped and fell, you would be tumbling into a bloody mess (which has happened before). I managed fine at first, but when I didn’t know where this down would end, and how long I would have to shuffle and kill my quads and knowing you couldn’t stop because if you stopped, you would then just slide on down (and become a bloody mess), I could feel the tears forming in my eyes (and I said out loud- I want my Mommy!). I was catching up to a girl in front of me as I could hear a guy right on my tail. I really worried he was going to try to pass me and that would trip me up. The guy behind me told me we were almost to a place where we turn off and go back on a path. When I completed this portion, I’m pretty sure I had a loud sigh and as I started to pass the girl who was in front of me I said “I’m so happy I’m still in one piece” she agreed.
5) Being alive and in one piece, I made our way to the next portion. Still very steep, but more manageable was the fast down. I don’t know if it was Idaho that prepared me for this, but this is where I passed lots of people. I started to use music (I needed to be focused on my step for parts 2-4 so there was no music then). I also don’t know if it was because I was taking it slower and walked some, but I still felt more than fine. I figured I should live it up as my quads were really killed on this section and part 4, so soon enough I would be slowing down. Around mile 22, we made it back on a trail, and I was still really enjoying the run. I gave Alison a call just to tell her I was doing a lot better than all my expectations and still loving the run minus the part where I thought I was going to tumble into my death. Not only did I get to talk to her, but I also got to hear from Michelle. I might have looked like an idiot running on my phone, but it made me happy. Around mile 25 I called Molly to tell her when I had about 6 miles left. I told her, this could either take me 50 minutes, or an hour and a half. I also told her the part of my bib I put on my bag thinking it was gear check- I needed it for the finish. So I asked her to bring that with her and pass it off to me just before I finished. We agreed I would call her again with 4 miles left, so she could make it there on time.
6) Extra Credit. If you know Tony, he introduced me to the term ‘extra credit.’ Tony goes out to the Tour De France course every year and bikes it. They aren’t the people actually racing the Tour De France, but his group is out there during the race and just does random parts of the course. Each day they have X amount of miles to accomplish, then they have some extra miles/extra climbs they call extra credit. Since the marathon/ultra was together until just over the 25 mile marker, I decided the ultra distance was my extra credit. This course was very soft and woodchippy for the most part. It was rolling hills and awesome. I walked/ran more and was all alone- just me and Molly’s music which I really enjoyed the randomness and so many songs with memories of College. Every now and then I’d catch up to a person and exchange a few words before passing. You had to watch the course arrows because the path was windy and you could easily turn a wrong way. Around mile 19.5, I wasn’t sure I was going the right way. Just as I realized I was correct, I tripped. Somehow, after 29.5 miles, I still caught myself without falling, but that sent a Charlie-horse like pain up my leg. I stopped for a minute to regain control of my leg, and then walked some. I finished mile 30, as the course turned off the trail and back on a hill, on a magnificent decline. I could tell I was near the finish.
7) The final mile was brought us back with the Marathoners. It was also a steep down for a lot of it. Somehow, I was still feeling great where I picked up my stride. I was listening to Lips of An Angel, and was so into the song and the down, I blasted my music, which I think turned a few heads- oops! The .2 was all that remained. We were back on that open grass where we started. And some sick joke of the race, we had to climb half way up the 250 foot climb again before we could go back down it to the finish. I did walk on that up until the turn down, and then I picked up the down. I grabbed my little ticket from Molly, and I sprinted the final 200 feet to the finish. It felt so great to finish in just under 5 hours and 30 minutes.
Because this race was tough, and I knew I should just take it easy - I managed to really enjoy it, and I managed to cross the finish line feeling happy. I really didn’t know if this would take me 6 hours, 8 hours or the full 10. Breaking down the race really helped my mental game, and remember all the different parts of the race. It was a great state #19, and I kind of want more like it.
That was really great! very inspiring. You inspired me! Nice one!
ReplyDeleteHappy Trails!
~ mountain hardwear ~