OPSF 50K: Ultrarunning Remediation

In novels, I often think of the basic structure of a protagonist who wants something, and at the end of the novel, they either a) get it, b) don’t get it, or c) get it but realize they didn’t really want it and so they still aren’t fulfilled. My experience at OPSF 50k yesterday was another version of this: I had a very specific goal in mind, but the lessons I learned in NOT achieving it were more valuable than achieving it would have been.

Last year, I finished first female in a time of 6:36 with nasty conditions: rain, snow, sleet, hail, and MUD unlike anything I had ever seen before. I came back because I assumed I would be able to run significantly faster because conditions HAD to be better. I set 3 tiers of goals: A) Break 6 hours, B) Under 6:14, the fastest women’s time I had access to, albeit on a different course of the same race, and C) faster than last year’s time of 6:36, which I thought was a given.

In the month leading up the race, I struggled with IT band pain, and a combination of high (for me) peak mileage of 64 miles plus running on slanted surfaces like the beach aggravated it to the point that I didn’t run at all for 3 days before the race, scheduling ibuprofen and feeling anxious. It was possible I would run 1-2 miles and then DNF. I adjusted my goals as I lay in bed the night before: 1) Be grateful, 2) Take the downhills hard (if IT band allows), and 3) Run to respect yourself the next day. I thought #3 would mean go hard the last 8 miles rather than cruising in, but it ended up meaning something different.

The weather was terrific: 20s to 40s and sunny and the trail conditions were reportedly the best they will ever be for this race. But the course sits on natural springs and so there was still a fair amount of mud, worse than my muddiest of training runs in Ohio and at times deep enough to come up 2 inches above my ankle. The hills are a bit nasty, even the lead men in the 14 mile race were walking them. And almost the entire course has uncomfortable footing, not with the rocks and roots that I find fun, but with mud, ruts, and debris. By the end of the race I had learned that when I wasn’t sure where the course went and the options were what looked like a nice even trail or a nasty wide ditch of mud, I was supposed to go through the ditch of mud.

Even with my adjusted goals, I still fixated on my pace early on in the race, targeting a 6 hour finish. My legs were tired by mile 13. Whoops. A woman named Victoria caught up with me, also interested in targeting a 6 hour time, so we planned to run together. She was running this 50k as TRAINING for a marathon: crazy! After a few more miles, I was no longer able to maintain the pace I had started with, and I slowed dramatically.

Throughout the run, I recited my goals to myself. As soon I thought, “Be grateful,” I immediately felt better and realized how lucky I was to even be running on such a beautiful day. Even though my second half was slow, I was smiling for most of it. I realized that I am the only person who cares about my time or place, and people who love me care about those things only because I do: If they stopped mattering to me, they wouldn’t matter to my loved ones either. I also realized that I have no business using my GPS watch in race. Pacing should be based on effort level, not pace or place in the field.

Within minutes of the finish, I saw Victoria ahead of me, walking. I could have run hard to try to pass her at the end to finish 3^rd place female, but that wouldn’t be in the spirit of the sport. Instead I jogged in to finish likely 10 seconds behind her in a time of 6:44. This quiet jog to the finish ended up being how I met my goal of respecting myself the next day.

While I failed to achieve my time goals at OPSF 50k, I learned some really valuable lessons. This year, I am targeting sub-24 hours at Burning River as my “A” goal. Without this experience at OPSF, I think I would have been likely to make the same mistakes at Burning River. Now, I will think about that time goal to motivate my training, and if appropriate, at the end of the race, but otherwise put my focus on things like gratitude.

Speaking of gratitude, thank you so much to the RDs and volunteers who made this event possible and fed me grilled cheese when I finished!

Jordan