Limberlost Challenge Race Report 2015

I wanted to do one more great trail race before moving to Vancouver to both capitalize on any remaining fitness from Sulphur Springs back in May and enjoy the Ontario trails before leaving the province.  The best race for me was The Limberlost Challenge in Muskoka on July 11^th.  This race is a 14km loop around 5 lakes and competitors can choose to complete 1, 2 or 4 loops.  I decided to do 2 loops for 28km mainly because I knew I wouldn’t have the fitness to complete 56km after my offseason.

Another early morning

After a 4am alarm and 4:30am departure I headed North on the highway.  Thankfully the race started at 8:20am so I had plenty of time to drive, register, tape my feet and get ready.  It was going to be a humid and sunny day.  I brought everything except bug spray, and the mosquitos and black flies were out in full force.  My race plan was to push relatively hard on the first lap (160 bpm heart rate) then hang on for the second.  I knew the second half wasn’t going to be pretty as my longest training run since my May ultra was 10km.

Lap 1 – A place to run, a place to grow, Ontar-iar-iar-io

The pack set out at a brisk 5:30 min/km pace.  I held back at 6min/km pace to control my heart rate.  Within 500m we were on technical single track with rocks, roots, mud, boulders and stream crossings.  I was having a blast – the views were amazing and the course was fun and really challenging. 

Due to the technical nature of the course I wasn’t able to open it up on the hills.  My favorite part of trail running is bombing the descents, however with so many rocks and roots that would have been disastrous so I held back. 

At 6km it got really muddy and this lasted until about 10km.  Sometimes I was able to get around the mud but mostly you had to pick a line, plow through and hope your shoes stayed on.  I was glad to have my Merrill trail shoes with massive lugs.

The final 2km was on slippery boardwalks through marshlands.  The water levels were so high that many of the boardwalks were underwater.  Good way to wash off the mud, but impossible to maintain dry feet.  I finished lap 1 in 1:49:40, definitely slower than expected but in good shape and spirits.

Lap 2 – Racing without training

I refreshed my nutrition at the start/finish then set off for my second and final lap.  At Sulphur Springs in May I raced after 20 weeks of training, which built upon 11 months of Ironman training.  I intentionally decided not to train for Limberlost to see how much of my remaining fitness could be salvaged.  In summary I was good for about 20km, then the wheels fell off hard.

The course was so well marked that there was no chance of getting lost.  This meant I could actually enjoy the beautiful views for split seconds when not looking down to avoid race-ending rocks and roots. 

At around 20km my quads and calves stated twitching, just a little bit at first then to the point that I worried they wouldn’t support my weight.  I stumbled a couple times going up and downhill and knew the best thing I could do was get to the finish line while minimizing the damage. 

I was still having fun, despite the pain and slow pace.  As I approached a 3 foot high boulder blocking the trail I decided to leap on top of it in a single bound.  When I pushed off with my right foot my calf muscle completely seized.  My momentum carried me to the top of the boulder but I collapsed in pain and a string of expletives on top of the rock.  The rest of the race wasn’t going to be pretty. 

I hit 25km in 3:30 and knew I just need to run 10 min/km for the final 3km to finish under 4 hours.  Based on my current pace and the shape of my quads and calves I knew this was unlikely but decided to push to finish sub 4.  I made it to 27km with 1km to go at 3:50 and things weren’t looking good for the final km.  I passed a couple people in the final stretch but it wasn’t a glorious finish and I didn’t go sub 4. 

My lap 2 time was 2:11:24 for a total time of 4:01:03 and I finished 58 out of 93 competitors.  Overall it was a fantastic race, a beautiful course and really challenging.  I loaded up on meat, carbs and electrolytes, popped a couple advil then started the long drive back to Toronto. 

 

Coolest race medal ever!

Regrets??

This was my first race where I didn’t specifically train.  I could have adequately prepared, taken a half hour off my time and prevented the muscle cramps and fatigue but I have no regrets.  I wanted to run this trail race before moving and needed the offseason after Sulphur Springs. 

The Limberlost Challenge is a great race with fantastic volunteers, beautiful scenery and amazing post-event food.  I highly recommend this to anyone that’s looking for a fun and challenging trail race, but hope all competitors train more than I did for future events!

The Offseason

The Offseason

Following the ultra-marathon on May 23^rd I entered my 1-month offseason.  This was not a difficult decision as my every muscle from the neck down tortured me for 10 days with screaming pain.  I literally could not stand up normally from a chair for a week following the race.  In hindsight I should have spent more time stretching, foam rolling and on recovery spins, but instead I employed the advil and IPAs methodology which was enjoyable but didn’t speed recovery.

I planned to remain vegetarian for the rest of 2015.  This diet helped get me to the start line of the ultra in peak shape and racing weight and I felt no desire to resume eating meat.  This feeling lasted 10 days.  By the beginning of June I was back enjoying sausages, chicken wings, and poutine.  It didn’t help that Christina started eating meat again, and being the only veggie in the house was too much pressure!  So much for an ethical or nutritional commitment to a vegetarian lifestyle. 

The maniacal and borderline crazy focus during the lead up to the ultra-marathon had past, and just like post-Ironman in 2014 I had an opportunity to reinvest in family, friends and work commitments.  The first 2 involved lots of time on patios drinking beer and eating cheeseburgers, and the last meant not going trail running every day at lunch.  I thought I would have so much more time in the day, but that wasn’t the case.  With Jon Stewart retiring in August there was a lot of required catching up on The Daily Show!

At the end of my offseason I became infatuated with Western States, arguably the most famous 100-mile ultra-marathon in the world.  Running Western States was quickly added to my bucket list of races, with Ironman Hawaii and the Boston marathon already on the list.  To qualify for the Western States lottery you need to do a 100km or 100 mile race in a specific amount of time.  I hastily research 100km qualifiers across North America then picked 3 possible races for 2016 – 2 in California and 1 in Alberta.  The plan is to run one of them in 2016 then qualify for the Western States 2017 lottery.

In August we are moving from Toronto to North Vancouver, and our house backs onto Grouse Mountain so I plan to run mountain single-track vertical daily.  However, before leaving Ontario I wanted to do one more great trail race.  I picked the 28km Limberlost Challenge in Muskoka on July 11^th (see next blog posting for race report).  A 1-month offseason post-ultra brought me to June 23^rd, with not a lot of time to train or condition for Limberlost.  My hope was that my ultra-marathon aerobic and strength base would swiftly carry me to the Limberlost finish line.  Spoiler alert on the best laid plans….

As a student of periodization a well-planned offseason is an essential part of the annual training plan. I enjoyed the mental and physical break from training.  Without another “A race” on the calendar for 2015 I don’t have a specific training plan for the rest of 2015, which is a stark contrast to the past couple years.  I’d like to do a couple shorter trail races in BC this fall, perhaps 5-peaks Whistler. 

My love affair with trail running continues, especially with the pending move into the mountains.  I haven’t stepped on a scale, done core or strength work, or used my GPS watch since May 23^rd and am very happy.  There will be plenty of time for micro-cycles, negative splits and calorie counting, but until then I’m really enjoying my offseason! 

Sulphur Springs Race Report – 50 miles

May 23, 2015

After 20 weeks of physical training and mental conditioning the big day finally arrived.  I was excited when the alarm went off at 3:15am on Saturday morning.  The weather was going to be perfect; I felt prepared and had a solid nutrition plan.  The biggest unknown was that this was an 80km trail race, my first ultra-marathon, and the longest I had ran during training was 50km.  Every step of the final 30km was going to be unchartered territory.

Pre-race

I arrived at the race at 4:45am in plenty of time to register and get my gear in place before the 6am start.  My plan was to proactively tape my feet and change socks between every 20km lap as my biggest fear was blisters leading to a DNF. 

Lap 1 – By the Book

I had been thinking about lap 1 for 5 months.  I had everything planned out for this lap – 145 bpm heartrate max, walk the hills, 80 grams of carbs per hour, drink to thirst, learn the course (so I can run on autopilot later in the day), and run my own race.  Temperature was 5 degrees for the start, perfect for shorts, long sleeve shirt, and thin gloves. 

This lap went exactly as planned, and it helped that I had ran the course twice in training so knew what to expect.  The main loop was lots of fun, especially the single-track descent to the river crossing.  And the 7km lollipop was a good early test of my legs, constant ascent for the first half, then downhill on the way back in.  I really held back, as I didn’t want to trash my glutes on the ascent or quads on the descent too early.

My goal for lap 1 was 2:30 and was happy to come within 4 minutes of this.  I ran my own lap and didn’t get caught up with what other racers were doing. 

Lap 1 time 2 hours 26 minutes

Lap 2 – It was the worst of times, it was the best of times

After a quick transition to refill nutrition and water I was down the big hill for my second lap.  It was slowly starting to warm up and still perfect running conditions, dry and cool.  From listening to hundreds of ultra-running podcasts I decided to get ahead of my nutrition.  The body can typically absorb between 50-80 grams of carbs per hour.  However, in anticipation of stomach shutdown later in the race some people take in more carbs early to get the fuel in their system.  I did this, meaning I overdid this. 

On lap 1 I consumed 100 grams of carbs per hour.  They say nothing new on race day, and I had never tried this before, so I don’t know why I thought this was a good idea on my first ultra.  For the first 10km of lap 2 I battled heavy GI issues, and a stomach that felt like it was full of lead.  Luckily I recognized this, stopped eating, and drank lots water to dilute my gut.  My apologies to anyone running behind me on this lap as I worked out my indigestion! 

After about 10km into lap 2 I worked the excess carbs into my system.  I was immensely relieved to get through this and learned my lesson, the rest of the race I was going to eat smart.  I was eating Clif Bars, Bloks and Gels and alternating between Gu and water in my hand-held water bottle.

By the time I got to the 7km lollipop I was feeling really good, especially having come through a bad (self-inflicted) patch.  The climbs were fun and I kept my heart rate in my 145 bpm MAF zone.  On the descent I decided to open it up and make up some of the time I lost dealing with my gut.  I love descending fast, and gave my quads an early test.  Then the inevitable happened, my toe caught a root and I went down – hard.  Luckily my hand-held water bottle took 90% of the impact and spared me from any physical injury.  I was covered head to toe in dirt but got up and kept going barely missing a stride.  However, now I was going to concentrate on the trail and not look too far ahead. 

My goal for lap 2 was 2:30.  I was definitely slower for the first half of the lap due to GI issues, then faster on the second half with renewed running vigor.  I finished the first half of the race in less than 5 hours.  I briefly thought that I could finish sub-10, and then realized there was no way on earth I could pull of a neutral split.   

Lap 2 time 2 hours 32 minutes

Lap 3 – Burning matches

I took a longer transition as I changed socks, taped my feet, put on sunscreen and refreshed nutrition.  And I took 2 minutes to send a couple texts and check my Clash of Clans, then back down the hill for lap 3.  The racers had thinned out and I found myself running alone for some time which I enjoyed. 

After a quick bathroom break one of the 100 mile runners caught up with me and we ran together and chatted.  This was my first ultra but I’ve immersed myself in the sport and had lots of questions for him about how and why anyone would want to run 100 miles.  I knew I was running faster than I should but I didn’t look at pace or heart rate and decided to hold on for as long as I could.  After about 5km running fast with him I stopped to walk, matches were burnt and I was only half way through lap 3.

I hit a big low point.  I was alone again, I struggled on the hills, was slowing on the flats, and my knees were hurting on the descents.  Plus my stomach turned and I couldn’t take any more sugar – no more bars, bloks, gels or Gu.  The next 10km was really hard, but I knew that Christina and the kids would be there when I finished the lap.  The lollipop was killer – painful on the ascent and slow on the descent. 

As I crested the big hill I saw Christina, Brigid and the kids.  Darien ran across the finish line with me, just like 7 months ago at the Ironman.  However, this time I still had 20km to go. 

I didn’t have a goal for lap 3, but all things considered I was happy and surprised to finish the lap in less than 3 hours.

Lap 3 time 2 hours 52 minutes.

Lap 4 – Social, suffering, then a fast finish

I talked to my kids as I got ready for the final lap.  My wife Christina was pacing me for the final 20km so we set off down the hill together.  I was so happy to run with my wife, especially since we never get to run together as someone always has to stay with the kids!  I talked nonstop for the first 5km and told her every detail from the preceding 8 hours.  My gut was still off sugar and I had switched to real food at the aid stations.  Boiled potatoes, cookies, chips and cheese sandwiches gave me the required energy without any GI distress. 

After 1 hour into lap 4 the pain and suffering returned with a vengeance and eclipsed the joy of running with my wife.  I stopped talking, shut down mentally, and spiraled into another low point.  The hills were killing me and I was barely managing a slow jog on the flats.  The mile splits from my GPS watch had gone from 12 minutes to 16 minutes per mile.  Leaving the final aid station and heading into the last 7km I knew that the final hour was really going to hurt. 

The climbs on the lollipop were killing my glutes and hamstrings.  Thanks to my long legs I was still able to drop a couple of the other 50 mile runners on the ascent.  For months I had proactively trashed my quads with trail descents and I planned to hammer the final 2km downhill.  As we approached the turn into the descent I asked Christina to stay behind me, then I took off.  I knew the finish was only 3km away and my mind took control of my body.  My muscles, joints, bones and gut stopped hurting and I ran hard at a 5 min/km pace the entire way.  I was getting close, and the realization that I would finish in less than 11 hours fueled my pace.  I wouldn’t have bet I’d be able to run this fast after 77km and I loved every step. 

Christina and I actually managed to jog up the final massive hill and I was ecstatic to finish my first 50 mile ultra-marathon in less than 11 hours.  Paul was there to cheer me across the line and got the great finisher pics. 

Lap 4 time 3 hours 1 minute.

50 mile (80km) final time 10 hours, 53 minutes, 30 seconds.

Post-race

I sat on a rock and celebrated with Christina, Paul, Brigid and the kids.  Overall it was a near perfect day; I enjoyed the highs, suffered and pulled through the lows, and loved the fast finish.  I have a significant appreciation for what it takes to complete an ultra and will certainly do another one, but probably not until 2016!