Mohican 50 miles weekend
IT WAS A GREAT WEEKEND!!!
I had a blast this past weekend. Last year I was planning on doing the 50 miler at Mohican but the plan got derailed and I was not ready for Mohican 50. So, I ran the double marathon at Run with Scissors (RWS) in October instead.
Since I was not able to run the race last year, I helped marking and sweeping the course to learn the route. It was a fun weekend to get involved in a race without actually running it.
This year I'd been careful with the weak ankle in the training and replaced easy run days with biking, which worked really well. I also cross-trained by doing kickboxing and yoga to strengthen the core and upper body. Finishing the double marathon at RWS gave me the confidence that I could also finish Mohican 50. The advantage of running the 50 miler at Mohican 100 is that we have the same cut-off time as 100 mile runners (32 hours). So, as long as we keep moving forward, everyone will finish.
The day before the race (Friday)
This year I was part of the marking crew again and took Friday off. Luckily, it turned out that more people showed up than anticipated on Thursday so they got the majority of course marking done. On Friday, we had to check the course marking and mark the area around the campground (start/finish). Some of us went to check the course marking by running/walking it. My team was in charge of the start/finish area marking. We got the majority of it done by noon. The crew had lunch together and did the final marking in the afternoon. After we finished, it was time to check in at the cabin. This year I shared a cabin with S., T., and A. It was nice to be able to stay in Loudonville on the race weekend so I did not have to worry about waking up super early on the race day and driving to the race.
After we checked in at the cabin, we all went to dinner in town. Loudonville is a small town and most people that we saw at many places were either runners or people that were involved in the race somehow. After dinner, we went to the pre-race meeting. It was great to see many people I knew and got to catch up with them before the race.
The race day (Saturday)
I woke up at 4.45am to get ready for the race. The 50 miler started at 6am. I wanted to have enough time to get dressed, ate the pre-race breakfast, and took care of myself. S. could not run the race this year so she offered to crew for me. She also drove me and A. to the start. I was kinda anxious about this race because it would be my first time running on trails in 3 weeks. I did not know how my ankle would handle the trails.
It was expected to be as hot as last year (if not hotter). The race started at 6am sharp in a low-key, no cowbell, no loud music fashion (that's why I love trail races). I hung back with a couple of people I knew and walked with them during the first mile. My race strategy was to stay conservative - start slow and keep a consistent pace (whatever it would be).
After I reached the first aid station (Gorge overlook), I finally felt like the race had started. I focused on the pace, how I felt, my calories intake, and whatever was in front of me at the moment. From Gorge overlook to Fire tower, I ran with J. who was running her first 50 miler. We had a great conversation until we reached Fire Tower AS.
Mohican 50 mile runners had to run 2 loops - the long loop (27 miles) and the short loop (23 miles). The first loop went pretty smoothly. I ate, drank, and took salt tablets as planned. S. met me at all aid stations that allowed crew access. It was nice to see her face and to have her cheering me on. I ran into T. and B. on the trails (they were just out there running the course) and we ran together for a while before I finished the first loop. I forgot to top up my water at the last aid station and it started to get really warm toward the end of the first loop. I ran out of water at about 2 miles before the start line aid station.
S. was waiting for me and helped me fill the bladder, gave me a towel filled with ice to take with me on the run, and handed me something to eat. It was REALLY nice to have a crew. I left the aid station to start the 2nd loop with ice on my head. I walked the first 3 miles because it got really hot. Thank to the cooling towel that I bought from REI. I was able to cool down during the race.
I would say 75% of the race I was in the "zone". I only focused on the pace, how I felt, what I ate, what I would need at the next aid station, my heart rate, my perceived effort, etc. I did not chat much with other runners (very atypical Sydney). At Mile 35-40, I almost lost the smile. All I could think of was my running...
The second loop went by at a consistent pace and I finally found "THE PACE". R. ("Master") told me that I had to find a pace that I could keep on going and still maintain the same level of perceived effort. I'd been trying for a while and finally found it during the race at Mohican!
I ran the first loop (27 miles) in 7 hours and I thought I would slow down a lot in the 2nd loop as it was a lot warmer and I was tired. It turned out that I ran the 2nd loop in 6 hours and 40 mins. Thanks to "the pace". I finished the race in 13 hours and 40 minutes - 20 minutes faster than my expected time.
As for the ankle, it hurt like hell. Actually, everything hurt like hell...
The day after the race (Sunday)
I slept for about 4 hours and woke up around 1.30am. My plan was to go volunteer at Gorge overlook AS with S. who'd been there all night since she saw me finish. I wanted to volunteer at the wee hours of the morning in ultramarathons as that's the time when you saw runners at their most tired, zombie-like stage (and imagine myself being like that in 3 weeks O_o). I was at the Gorge overlook AS from 3 to 6am when R. finally came through with his pacers. T. was his crew this year and had to take on the pacer role from Gorge to Hickory Ridge AS. Originally, I was supposed to pace another runner in her final loop (if I could) but she dropped. So, I told R. that I would pace him from Hickory Ridge to the finish. I then took on the crew role and followed R. and T. to every aid station. We switched at Hickory Ridge and I paced R. to the finish (about 6 miles). After running 50 miles, my legs were tired, my body was sore, my quads were screaming but I could still keep running. Everyone thought it was a good training run for me (on really tired legs) to prepare for the Canal Corridor 100.
After R. finished, T. drove me to my car and I drove home. It was about 1pm and I was REALLY tired. This weekend was incredible and now I understand why everyone loves Mohican 100 so much. It's not only a race but it's a family and a community. You see the same faces every year and get to hang out with them over the weekend. That's why I love ultramarathons <3
See you next year, Mohican!
Orangy, The Syd, "Grasshopper"
I had a blast this past weekend. Last year I was planning on doing the 50 miler at Mohican but the plan got derailed and I was not ready for Mohican 50. So, I ran the double marathon at Run with Scissors (RWS) in October instead.
Since I was not able to run the race last year, I helped marking and sweeping the course to learn the route. It was a fun weekend to get involved in a race without actually running it.
This year I'd been careful with the weak ankle in the training and replaced easy run days with biking, which worked really well. I also cross-trained by doing kickboxing and yoga to strengthen the core and upper body. Finishing the double marathon at RWS gave me the confidence that I could also finish Mohican 50. The advantage of running the 50 miler at Mohican 100 is that we have the same cut-off time as 100 mile runners (32 hours). So, as long as we keep moving forward, everyone will finish.
The day before the race (Friday)
This year I was part of the marking crew again and took Friday off. Luckily, it turned out that more people showed up than anticipated on Thursday so they got the majority of course marking done. On Friday, we had to check the course marking and mark the area around the campground (start/finish). Some of us went to check the course marking by running/walking it. My team was in charge of the start/finish area marking. We got the majority of it done by noon. The crew had lunch together and did the final marking in the afternoon. After we finished, it was time to check in at the cabin. This year I shared a cabin with S., T., and A. It was nice to be able to stay in Loudonville on the race weekend so I did not have to worry about waking up super early on the race day and driving to the race.
After we checked in at the cabin, we all went to dinner in town. Loudonville is a small town and most people that we saw at many places were either runners or people that were involved in the race somehow. After dinner, we went to the pre-race meeting. It was great to see many people I knew and got to catch up with them before the race.
The race day (Saturday)
I woke up at 4.45am to get ready for the race. The 50 miler started at 6am. I wanted to have enough time to get dressed, ate the pre-race breakfast, and took care of myself. S. could not run the race this year so she offered to crew for me. She also drove me and A. to the start. I was kinda anxious about this race because it would be my first time running on trails in 3 weeks. I did not know how my ankle would handle the trails.
It was expected to be as hot as last year (if not hotter). The race started at 6am sharp in a low-key, no cowbell, no loud music fashion (that's why I love trail races). I hung back with a couple of people I knew and walked with them during the first mile. My race strategy was to stay conservative - start slow and keep a consistent pace (whatever it would be).
After I reached the first aid station (Gorge overlook), I finally felt like the race had started. I focused on the pace, how I felt, my calories intake, and whatever was in front of me at the moment. From Gorge overlook to Fire tower, I ran with J. who was running her first 50 miler. We had a great conversation until we reached Fire Tower AS.
Mohican 50 mile runners had to run 2 loops - the long loop (27 miles) and the short loop (23 miles). The first loop went pretty smoothly. I ate, drank, and took salt tablets as planned. S. met me at all aid stations that allowed crew access. It was nice to see her face and to have her cheering me on. I ran into T. and B. on the trails (they were just out there running the course) and we ran together for a while before I finished the first loop. I forgot to top up my water at the last aid station and it started to get really warm toward the end of the first loop. I ran out of water at about 2 miles before the start line aid station.
S. was waiting for me and helped me fill the bladder, gave me a towel filled with ice to take with me on the run, and handed me something to eat. It was REALLY nice to have a crew. I left the aid station to start the 2nd loop with ice on my head. I walked the first 3 miles because it got really hot. Thank to the cooling towel that I bought from REI. I was able to cool down during the race.
I would say 75% of the race I was in the "zone". I only focused on the pace, how I felt, what I ate, what I would need at the next aid station, my heart rate, my perceived effort, etc. I did not chat much with other runners (very atypical Sydney). At Mile 35-40, I almost lost the smile. All I could think of was my running...
The second loop went by at a consistent pace and I finally found "THE PACE". R. ("Master") told me that I had to find a pace that I could keep on going and still maintain the same level of perceived effort. I'd been trying for a while and finally found it during the race at Mohican!
I ran the first loop (27 miles) in 7 hours and I thought I would slow down a lot in the 2nd loop as it was a lot warmer and I was tired. It turned out that I ran the 2nd loop in 6 hours and 40 mins. Thanks to "the pace". I finished the race in 13 hours and 40 minutes - 20 minutes faster than my expected time.
As for the ankle, it hurt like hell. Actually, everything hurt like hell...
I ran to the finish line where my friends were waiting for me. It was nice to see their faces, receive hugs from them, and chat about my running. S. handed me a beer and it tasted like heaven water. I came back to the cabin and took a shower. T. went to get me some food before she left to volunteer at Gorge overlook AS. A. finished her race and came back to the cabin. We chatted about her race a bit before I fell asleep.
I slept for about 4 hours and woke up around 1.30am. My plan was to go volunteer at Gorge overlook AS with S. who'd been there all night since she saw me finish. I wanted to volunteer at the wee hours of the morning in ultramarathons as that's the time when you saw runners at their most tired, zombie-like stage (and imagine myself being like that in 3 weeks O_o). I was at the Gorge overlook AS from 3 to 6am when R. finally came through with his pacers. T. was his crew this year and had to take on the pacer role from Gorge to Hickory Ridge AS. Originally, I was supposed to pace another runner in her final loop (if I could) but she dropped. So, I told R. that I would pace him from Hickory Ridge to the finish. I then took on the crew role and followed R. and T. to every aid station. We switched at Hickory Ridge and I paced R. to the finish (about 6 miles). After running 50 miles, my legs were tired, my body was sore, my quads were screaming but I could still keep running. Everyone thought it was a good training run for me (on really tired legs) to prepare for the Canal Corridor 100.
After R. finished, T. drove me to my car and I drove home. It was about 1pm and I was REALLY tired. This weekend was incredible and now I understand why everyone loves Mohican 100 so much. It's not only a race but it's a family and a community. You see the same faces every year and get to hang out with them over the weekend. That's why I love ultramarathons <3
See you next year, Mohican!
Orangy, The Syd, "Grasshopper"
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