Race review: Dunes 100

My First 100 Mile Race: The Dunes 100

Running my first 100-mile race has been a long time coming; I completed my first 50k in 2010, my first (and only) 50 miler in 2015 and my first (and only) 100K in February 2016. I’d given myself the goal of completing a 100-mile race before I turned 40 (October, 2017) and after pouring over the Florida ultra-marathon calendar I settled on the inaugural Dunes 100.

Although the goal was set in my mind, I kept putting off the actual registration. Why? I was scared! I know, I know: goals are important and the first step of goal-setting theory is to actually accept the goal, and yet I procrastinated. BTW, this is exactly how goals don’t get met! The excuses kept coming: “I’ll register after running next weekend.” I was running the Celebration Marathon on January 29th so “I’ll register after the Celebration Marathon if I’m still feeling good.” “I’ll register after logging another 50k training run.” On and on it went until, two weeks out, my wife helped me recognize my lack of commitment and suggested I should register if I was doing the race. Two minutes later:

Thanks for the push, Harmony! You know exactly what I need!

A little backstory on my support network, I met my wife the day of my first half-marathon (January 21st, 2007). Since that day, she has inspired me to run more and to run farther and she always supports my ever-enlarging fitness goals. BTW, she has a 3:00 marathon PR so that obviously provided a little jump in my competitive drive too! I cannot emphasize enough that she has made me what I am! Her support has been integral to my success, not just as a runner, but in life. Thank you, Harmony!

For weeks before the race I poured over ultra-marathon race reviews, mental tips, fueling strategies, etc. I wanted to be as prepared as possible and if I weren’t, it wouldn’t be because I hadn’t read enough on the subject. It was all consuming. I had made a packing list with each item I was bringing and which items were going into which drop bags. A week before the race, everything was laid out on the floor of my office.

The Dunes 100 was held at the Jonathan Dickerson State Park in Hobe Sound, FL and because I had never been there prior to the race, course reconnaissance was part Google Earth, part trolling other runners’ photos taken at the park. The course is a 25.286 mile out-and-back, completed four times for the 100 mile event, with approximately 45 miles of sugar sand, including the “Dunes of Heaven” and “Dunes of Hell.”

Race weekend: I drove to Jonathan Dickerson State Park for the first time on Friday afternoon to attend the pre-race briefing. It was then I saw the Dunes of Hell for the first time as I drove along U.S. 1. Wow! They were definitely steeper than the photos I’d seen showed. I should mention that the descriptive name, Dunes of Heaven, is only appropriate when juxtaposed with the Dunes of Hell; true, they are not as bad as the Dunes of Hell but they’re still small rolling hills of deep sugar sand. They’re far from the ideal running surface and definitely not heavenly!

The Dunes of Heaven east bound

The Dunes of Heaven west bound

The race briefing was laid-back and it was fun meeting the other runners and race organizers. There were a lot of first-timers running the 100 miler and as well as meeting new friends, I got to meet several friends I had only known from Strava. Pre-race photos were taken and introductions to all 100-mile runners were made (something fun and not possible at larger events).

Race morning arrived and I got to the start area about 30 minutes early. A few more pre-race photos were taken before we filed into the starting corral.

Taken just minutes before the start.

For each 25 mile leg of the race there were 6 aid stations (AS): AS1 (5.9 miles), AS2 (7.7 miles) and AS3 (12.5 miles/turnaround), AS2 (17.4 miles), AS1 (19.2 miles), and start/finish/turnaround (25 miles). The aid stations were well-stocked with typical ultra food: water, Gatorade, soda, bananas, oranges, pickles, pretzels, Rice Crispy treats, M&Ms, quesadillas, broth, potatoes, PB&Js, etc. The list is longer but you get the picture, right? There was more than enough variety and quantity of food for even the pickiest eaters. The adage made popular in Chris McDougal”s Born to Run that ultras are “eating and drinking contests with a little exercise and scenery thrown in" was not disproved at this race! Eating, specifically foods I don’t usually eat (chips and soda), are, for me, one of the many draws of ultra-running.

So what did I eat? I didn’t want to only rely on aid station food so I made 8 PB&J sandwiches that were cut into quarters. I calculated each sandwich was about 450 calories and I ate one sandwich on each 12.5-mile section (one quarter every 3 miles or so). I kept the sandwiches in my drop bags and would grab one on my way through and stuff it in my pack before heading back out on the course. My PB&Js were just supplemental; as mentioned above, I ate potato chips (crisps), potatoes with salt, pickles, and what seemed like gallons of Mt. Dew at each aid station. When out on the course I only drank water but due to the heat (it reached 86°F/30°C) I was literally drinking gallons. My pack’s bladder held 1.5 liters and while the sun was up I was refilling it with ice and water at every aid station. I also carried a soft flask on the front of my pack with extra water.

Aid station 2

On to the race itself: I used time-tested ultra advice to ensure I finished. "Start slow and taper off from there." Wise words, indeed! Although my first lap was a little fast, it was in my plan. I wanted to get as many miles in before the sun came up and the temperature soared. The first 12.5 miles were awesome; the park was especially beautiful as sun rose and the fog slowly burned off.

Sunrise through the fog at Jonathan Dickerson State Park

Almost immediately after beginning the second lap, my watch reset and I could not turn it back on. This was an early mental setback as I contemplated running the next (possible) 20 hours without knowing my pace or distance. Luckily, the watch started working again and I only missed a few miles of data. After completing the first lap, my original plan for laps two and three was to run 20 minutes and walk for 5 minutes. I ended up using a 10/1 split which was much better. For the whole race I planned to walk up any incline (this was imperative!). Even though I had a plan I was fortunate that, around mile 26, I began running with Eddy Souza. It was Eddy’s first 100-miler too and it was fun chatting as the miles passed. 

Eddy and I on the most runnable part of the course

The Dunes 100 allows runners to use pacers after the first 50 miles and Eddy had arranged for four friends to pace him for each 12.5-mile section of the final 50 miles. Without a doubt, Eddy was a HUGE part of my success, but the pacers, Sebastian Rovira, Nick Stump, Nathan Gehring, and Tom Walters, were definitely the glue that held the race together for both Eddy and me. My race plan for lap four was to simply get through it and just keep moving and the pacers ensured the relentless forward progress that was needed. No one ever completed an ultra by standing still, right?!

L to R: Tom Walters, Nick Stump, Eddy Souza, & Nathan Gehring

Running into AS4 (mile 62.5) and picking up pacer, Nick Stump.

I read so much about the devastating lows runners can experience when running ultras. It’s understandable; the distances seem insurmountable and the only way is to break it up into bite-sized chunks. I attribute my good mood for most of the race to having company, however, it wasn’t all cake and ice cream. At around mile 70 I was getting a little overwhelmed by the thought of running another 5 miles only to turn around for another 25 mile lap. Moreover, this last loop could quite possibly take us 7 hours. Getting started again at mile 75 was tough, but again, having a pacer saved the day and encouraged Eddy and me to run several minutes before taking another walk break (repeated over and over). The last miles were a slog. We walked as fast as we could for the last few miles, without running a step, until we were about 200 meters from the finish line! You can’t walk across the finish line, can you?

Crossing the finish line with Eddy was the sweetest finish I have ever experienced. It was a unforgettable journey resulting in personal achievement. It was a unforgettable journey resulting in team achievement. Eddy and I both completed our first 100-mile race in 21 hours, 40 minutes and 55 seconds. We tied for first place!

And of course, what 100 mile race would be complete without the buckle! It's gorgeous and most definitely hard-earned!

I have to give a huge thank you to all the volunteers who donated their time to help me meet my goal! You are all incredible and I'm not exaggerating when I say the volunteers at Dunes 100 were the best I've seen at any race!

To everyone at Down to Run, you guys seriously know how to put on an event! Thank you for your commitment to our sport and help making goals (dreams?) come true! 

Did I miss anything in this review you want to know about? Write a comment and ask!

Miscellaneous information:

GPS Watch: Garmin Fenix 3

Pack: Salomon Skin3 12 Set

Shoes: Nike Wildhorse 3s

Gaiters: Salomon Low Trail 

Headlamps: Nathan Halo Fire and Black Diamond Spot

Hat: FUR flap hat

Heed the call (of your body)

I want to recognize what many runners often find themselves dealing with, or not dealing with: pain/discomfort/injury. I, like many of my running peers, think we know what to do when it comes to training and injury prevention. We read countless articles, books, and scientific studies on the subject. To say listening to your body is important is a massive understatement. We know we ought to take a rest day (or several) when needed. Although empirical evidence supports we only lose a negligible amount of fitness after a two-week hiatus and that fitness is quickly regained, we often fret if we can't meet our subjective running goals. Why this willful ignorance when it comes to our own fitness and/or running? Why doesn't this blindness apply when we're talking to others about their goals and training structure. When talking about our sport with others, we truly want what's best for them and will err on the side of caution to help them avoid any unnecessary hardships and barriers to their training. With others, we use scientifically supported training principals which can be (inconveniently) forgotten/ignored in our own training. When questioning if I ought to do something (training or otherwise), my wife will sometimes ask if I would advise my daughter to do the same thing. This question helps reframe the situation. If I decide the answer is no and still go ahead and take the questionable action (e.g. double run day when the I'm overly fatigued) then I'm a hypocrite and ought not be surprised with a negative reaction. Furthermore, I may find myself in a state of cognitive dissonance which is not a comfortable psychological state to be in. Avoid it by taking actions that align with what you know and hold to be correct.

Why am I writing about this now? Well, if you follow me on Twitter or Strava you may know that I've been having some pain in my butt/groin/hip. Back story: in 2014 I broke my hip (stress fracture) while running the Boston marathon. It happened towards the end (near the Citgo sign) and I managed to finish the race. After stopping, I could barely walk! Below, the first MRI has an arrow showing the location of my 2014 stress fracture. The second MRI is zoomed in a little closer so you can see the fracture.

After about 6 months of low/no impact training I was able to resume running. I knew I needed to be more careful with my training and one of my 2015 goals was to avoid injury. Fast forward to today, the summer of 2015, and I'm training for a summer ultra marathon, The Pinellas Trail Challenge. Obviously, the heat has made it difficult to run but I've adopted running considerable slower than I used to. My easy runs are easy, rather than the moderate effort I used to run most miles at. I've enjoyed running more and my volume increased quite rapidly. Too rapidly for me. I know my orthopedic threshold is lower than I'd like but I've been ignoring that fact; I needed (wanted!) to train for my upcoming race!
Unlike my 2014 stress fracture that occurred suddenly with acute pain, my injury now feels relatively minor. I hope it’s not another one! However, the feeling is disturbingly similar to my 2014 stress fracture. When I first felt it last week, I took two days off then, on the third day, ran an easy 11 (see the video I made on that run below).

The discomfort was still there. Ugh! WHY IS IT SO HARD TO JUST STOP? Well, I've stopped now and it's not pleasant but I'm happy; I know I need it! I'm writing this during a two hour sesh on the elliptical. I am taking a whole week off from running before I reassess. Saturday August 8th will be the soonest I run. I have to identify a date in here because it, and my readers (all three of you (LOL)) will hold me accountable. If there is any pain I will hold off for longer and, if necessary, cancel my race (I REALLY don't want to do that!).

So...something to take away...hmmm. Although I am self coached, I see incredible value in getting one. She will give you structure to your training and workouts tailored to your individual abilities/needs. If you adhere to the plan, I think you'll be less likely to become injured. I also see incredible value in the running community, especially online; you can communicate with thousands of people and see what they're doing. Moreover, the running community provides support when you're doubting your own training. Although we think we know best, sometimes it helps hammer home an idea when you hear about and see others doing what you know to be best. 

Many thanks to my wife and running peeps for what you do. You don’t know how much I value what you provide!

Lesson learned: Pace yourself to meet your goal

You know how it can take an extreme example to prove a point? This is what happened to me with the point that going out too fast in a race is not the most effective way to run a race. Going out too fast in a race is a rookie mistake. It is a rookie mistake that even after running for 10 years, I still make. When racing, I often find myself running faster than planned during the early miles; I’ll think about banking time knowing (when I say “knowing” I mean “incorrectly assuming”) fatigue in the latter miles will force me to slow down. My reasoning for banking time is that during the latter miles, I will be able to cash in the banked time and still meet my goal. While I can tell myself this strategy is successful because I meet my subjective goal, it is clearly an anecdotal fallacy; there is a ton of evidence supporting the claim that running a positive split (running the first half of the race faster than the second) is not the most effective way to meet your racing potential.

I’m not going to go into the data supporting negative splits but if you’re interested, this link provides a great analysis of some race times and allows you to draw your own conclusions about successful pacing strategies. If you typically run a positive split in your races, don’t feel bad; you’re in good company (and the massive majority). Why? It’s really hard to run a negative split!

Check out this Runner's World article: What World Records Teach About Marathon Pacing

My unintentional experiment came on a day I had planned to run 13 miles. I have recently been trying to slow my roll, to run the majority of my runs easy, rather than at the medium pace that I would usually fall into. 

Running slowly is like a breath of fresh air; it’s fun (and easy). I like the idea of the 80/20 running plan (80% of your mileage is an easy effort, 20% is a medium to hard effort), and especially the data and scientific support behind it. FYI, It’s likely I have been encouraged by Matt Fitzgerald’s book, 80/20Running, which I am currently reading. 

Although running slow is fun and easy, I still need to do some hard work to harness my full potential (I cringed at writing that but I’m leaving it in!). That was my thought as I set out to keep my heart rate (HR) below 140bpm (70% MHR) except for the 5 X 0.75 mile intervals I wanted to do. By the way, this run started at 10am with a temperature of 89F (31C). It was HOT! I warmed up for three miles before starting the intervals. I noticed my HR was not going under 140bpm during my recovery (0.25 miles) but I wasn’t worried; I had several miles to run after the intervals in which I would run in the easy zone 2. However, much to my surprise, my HR was extremely hard to get into zone two after the intervals were done. I really slowed down too! It want’s until I slowed to a walk that I could get my HR into the mid 130s. A lot of runners don’t like to walk (I am one of them), even if their goals would be better served by doing so but I think that comes down to ego (fodder for another post). Anyway, after my short walk, a very slow trot kept my HR in the range I wanted but it was several miles before I had recovered enough where I could speed up without putting my HR through the roof. Below is a graph of my pace and HR.

So, what did I learn from this workout? Well, nothing I didn’t already know but rather, something I chose to ignore. Recovering from a hard effort take longer than I thought! If I were racing a long distance, I would have jeopardized my race, or at least my race time, by burning through my glycogen stores so quickly. Then there is cardiac drift which is the normal phenomenon where your HR increases throughout your run (exercise session) although your speed remains the same. Even if you don’t increase your effort, your HR increases. If you raise your HR too early it has nowhere to go. Your effort will, obviously, be unsustainable. Although my interval workout and racing are not exactly the same, the lesson I learned is if you want to meet a certain goal (time, HR), correct pacing is the key to success! Deviating from your race/workout plan can lead to goals not being achieved.

Run hard when you have to, run easy when you don’t.

Race report: 119th Boston Marathon (2015)

Hooray! Marathon Monday is upon us again! The Boston marathon is a revered race in the running community. The 119^th running was my third consecutive time running it. It didn’t disappoint…of course, it can be cathartic to complain about something and the weather forecast provided such catharsis. The race was still super fun! A few days before, this was the forecast. 

 

Burr! Needless to say, there was a lot of moaning and groaning within the online running community.

Exited to get going on my race weekend, I left Tampa, FL early Friday morning, flying into Manchester, NH.

I am fortunate my parents live pretty close to Boston so I can stay with them. This has so many benefits above being able to combine a family visit with a race; I get to eat my normal food and stick to a fairly similar routine, which is something that can be lacking when you travel for a race! I had mailed some food items to cut down on food preparation time and to ensure I had exactly what I wanted. Some may call this “rigid” or “fussy,” I call it rigid AND fussy, but I also call it being well-prepared. It makes me happy, reduces stress, and makes me happy. Who is against happiness?

Like every runner before a big race, I had been checking the weather, compulsively. In a nutshell and as you can see from the forecast above, it didn’t look good. However, the weather in the three days leading up to the race were beautiful: sunny skies and mild temperatures. But, really, who cares about the weather before a race? It’s race day that matters.This was a video I made on my Sunday shake out run, the day before the race. Look how beautiful the weather is!

The taper ought to be a time of celebration. It's when your hard work and preparation get rewarded with tons of rest. Although I walked quite a bit in the days leading up to the race, I had reduced my mileage and eliminated any additional cardio activity (elliptical, Stairmaster, bike) in the two weeks leading up to the race. Although I know I have rested, I struggled with not feeling as rested as I'd like. Why were my legs a little achy the day before? There were little feelings of discomfort on my shakeout that had me worried in the beginning, although they soon went away.

Race day arrived and I had slept well, which can be unusual before a big race. I made it to the drop off point in a light rain …

…but by the time the bus reached Athlete’s Village it had stopped. I only had about 30 minutes before I had to walk down to the start line and in that time I had another banana (my fifth of the morning) and a spot of coffee. It’s about ¾ of a mile from Athlete’s Village down to the start line and, as usual, the atmosphere was thick with excitement with runners making their way. I was still wearing my warm clothes, which I was grateful to have; the temperature was 41 without any wind-chill. About 5 minutes before the start I shed my sweat pants and trash bag rain jacket, keeping my sweatshirt, hat and gloves on. Unfortunately, the planned Army helicopter flyover was cancelled due to a low ceiling, which was funny; the news helicopters’ had no trouble flying over the crowd. Oh well. 10am arrived quickly and we were off. For those who don’t know, the first miles of the course are downhill. After a taper, and with extreme excitement and eagerness to run, it almost feels like you’re falling. Below is the course profile with my pace (the dip in pace at mile 14 came courtesy of a potty break)!

Early running is easy but IT’S A TRAP! Going too fast here can cost you later in the race. I managed to hold back and was quite pleased with the restraint of my first three 5K splits: 20:45, 20:29, and 20:40. I felt good and could have gone way too fast! At mile 8 the rain began and at mile 11 is was a complete deluge. I was soaked and, worst of all, my shoes were soaked. I cannot emphasize enough how miserable I was between miles 11 and 13. It was so cold. My face felt frozen. In short, it was very uncomfortable! My metal game went out the window with the downpour and I had to battle to get it back. I kept on and when I checked my watch at mile 16, saw a 6:31 split, and felt good, I knew I had made it through the worst. I would not allow any mental weakness for the remainder of the race! Next up was the Newton hills, culminating with Heartbreak hill. I knew the hills started at mile 16 and ended around mile 21. I told myself I was up for 5 miles of work and my reward would be an easy 5 (mostly downhill) to the finish. I used a few mantras during the hill climbs including “run within yourself” and “do what you can do in this moment.” Furthermore, I refused to look up the hill. I kept my gaze about 20 feet in front and hammered it out. The final 5 were not as easy as I told myself they would be, due to the pounding my legs took in the hills, but it was nice knowing I was so close to the finish. At this point, I saw my average pace, up until this point, was 6:44 and I knew, barring anything unforeseen, I would be achieving my primary goal time: under 3 hours. I was very happy but I tried not to focus on the finish, yet. “Do what you can do in this moment!” I ran as hard as I dared (could?) in the last 5 miles and I felt great! Turning onto Boylston is a real treat; you can see the finish line in the distance and the crowds really motivate you to go all out!

I crossed the line in 2:57:39. This was my third time running Boston and I had made it a goal to go under 3. 

It turned out, in spite of, or perhaps because of the weather, to be a fantastic day…until I stopped running. Wow, that is when the cold hit me. Luckily, my parents were quickly on scene and had a sweater and jacket for me but it was still SOO cold. I knew I’d be posting about the race so I took a few (freezing) minutes to take some photos. 

The walk to the car was brutal but I made it to the sweet warm cocoon. Speaking of sweet warmth. This review is being written on an insanely turbulent flight back to Tampa but I have warm temps to look forward to upon my arrival.

Congrats to all runners who ran today! You’re all amazing athletes!

Leaving the GPS

There have been several articles in various running publications about runners' reliance on their GPS (Click here for one published by Competitor.com). I will usually read them, contemplate them for a very short time, and move on. Why do I move on so quickly? I am one of those data obsessed runners. I can't wait to get back from my run and look at my stats: pace fluctuations, splits, and, when I'm wearing a monitor, my heart rate. It's a huge part of the fun. Furthermore, I get a kick out of seeing where I ran; that little map with the red line showing my course brings a little more brightness to my already amazing day! I'm really showing my simplistic tendencies! The thought of not tracking my run seems like it's wasted. That's horrible to admit and seemingly goes against my statement, in a previous post, that I'm intrinsically motivated to run. However, my Garmin/running relationship is what icing is to cake. Well, that's not entirely true; I prefer icing to cake so, to be truthful, that statement ought to be: my running/Garmin relationship is what icing is to cake; I'll always eat the icing but a little cake can improve it and add to it! Just to drive this analogy into the ground, I will eat icing without cake but I will not eat cake without icing! Done!

Anyway, what was this post supposed to be about? Ahh yes, going without a GPS for a change. Today was that day for me (Gasp). Well, sort of.

I ran a 10k this morning and although I wore my Garmin, I pledged not to look at it throughout the race (I still wanted the stats and the map!). I would not use it to set my pace.

Let me interject a short story: I arrived at the race site at around 6:10 for a planned 7am start. I went for a warm up, did a few strides and got back to the start area around 6:50am. The crowd seemed pretty thin. Where was everyone? I asked another runner and was met with incredulity as he told me the race didn't start until 8am. I was then told that it would be unsafe for runners to run in the dark! I guess I'm just a rookie who (obviously) can't follow directions (race start time) or understand basic safety procedures. I wanted to rattle off the many races I've run that began before sunrise and the plethora of races that last through the night, but I resisted. To fill the extra time, I went for another warm up run. I ended up running 6.29 miles before the race.

Ok, back to not using my Garmin. My plan was to run as hard as I could for the whole distance (I guess that's what racing is all about) without using my watch to keep pace. I had set a goal to go under 40:00 for the 10k which equates to a 6:26 per mile pace. I haven't run a 10k in years and had no idea how I would do. 40:00 seemed like a nice round number. The race started and a few guys took an early lead. After about 1/2 mile I could feel my heart beating and I wondered if I was going too fast. Nah, just hang on! The miles clicked by and I started to feel I was slowing down a lot. I knew I was not maintaining the same pace as in the beginning but I wasn't getting passed so I figured I wasn't completely doomed. The vibrating on my left wrist, a Siren's song begging me to look, came without fail every mile. I didn't submit to it!
As the finish line approached I saw, with amazement, 38 minutes was on the clock. I had run faster than I'd planned because I didn't use my Garmin to set the pace. Would I have been slower had I looked at my watch? We'll never know, but it was surprisingly refreshing, and freeing, not to glance at my wrist every mile (at least).
A bonus is that I was able to look at my data after the race. According to the Garmin, I ran 6.27 miles in 38:34. That's a 5 second PR!

Check out the pace and map. Aren't they fun to look at!