In an effort to keep these recap posts from being a heckuva lengthy novel, yet describe some of my experiences surrounding this race, I’m providing multiple posts. But don’t worry, this won’t go on for an eternity and we’ll include other Nutrition Mechanickings soon. 😂😂
HAY IN THE BARN
Despite knowing that ultramarathon training involves many variables, I was still stuck in a “How many miles did I get in (or not get in) this week?” mode up until about the 3 weeks prior to this race.
For us older athlete folk who have been in the endurance space for 25+ years, it’s a paradigm shift to move away from a sole focus on MPW (miles per week) and long-a$$ back-to-back runs to looking at quality of training, strength training, and adapting for a more holistic, sustainable approach.
One of the neatest aspects of my Coach’s approach involves non-static programming. In other words, he gives real time training guidance for the next couple days at most. He pays attention to the flow and feedback of each day rather than forcing me into a traditional ultramarathon training box where you just run and run and run every dang day. This is very different than the majority of coaches out there who prescribe the next 1 to 4 weeks of training and only change it if stuff hits the fan.
Additionally, Coach understands the importance and differences of recovery for masters athletes (<— it doesn’t simply happen on a Monday each week, friends). Lastly, there’s also the delicate balance of not losing our souls in the midst of seeking preparedness for an ultra.
However, with my hectic March through July life-work-travel schedule, I needed reassurance from Coach that enough physical work had been done and I wasn’t out of this world crazy for trying such a race. Would I make cutoffs? Am I too slow for my age? Did he see the DNF rates?
Profile of the RunRabbitRun 100-mile course. Note the ‘fun’ first and last 5 miles.
The question of “Am I able to do this?” was not really the right question. [This is the case with most challenges in life, eh?] It’s more a question of “Am I ready to go for it with all of the unknowns that will pop up?” And add “…also with the risk of NOT finishing?”
Aha! Now we’ve got something!
I worked with Coach to get my mindset around this and also decided to consult with Dr. Justin Ross, an incredible resource in performance psychology whom I highly recommend for all athletes.
With Dr. Justin, I identified my primary goals for ‘in race’ as wanting to be calm and stay present, while having gratitude for the opportunity. Woowoo stuff? Perhaps, but these were important elements to me, just as much as wanting to finish the race. Dr. Justin coached me through various thought exercises and mindsets to practice in my remaining time leading up to the race. We translated fears and anxiety to trust, connection, and appreciation.
And what a priceless gift!
A couple pics from training runs in Steamboat Springs, CO.
In the final days of preparation, I finally accepted it wasn’t about all of the miles logged and the strength of the body that determined by ability and readiness. Rather, it was the combination of all of the beautiful elements that come together to put that hay in the barn and toe the start line:
Flexibility
Resilience
Troubleshooting
Self-talk
Gratitude
Trust
Honoring the spirit
An incredible support team
Celebrating humanity
…and the Courage to simply try.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for some nutrition info next and a bit more on the race itself.
-Dina