"Don't get caught up in going for the win." That's what 50K racer and Brooks I.D. teammate Jean Pommier advised me when it became clear that I would have to face Todd Braje and Sean Meissner in the Jed Smith 50 Mile. Since competing with either would mean that I would have to run beyond my means in the initial miles, I knew that I would have to focus solely on breaking 6:30:00. And, soon after, race director Dennis Scott sent us on our way.
Braje and Meissner, of course, shot out to the front of the pack from the first few meters, but to my surprise so did three others. I found myself in 6th after the first of 15 3.31 mile laps at Gibson Ranch County Park, but I knew that if I stuck to my plan of running at 7:30/mile I would reel them in eventually. And sure enough, one by one, they all came back. I was in 3rd place after mile 13 and would remain there for the rest of the race. I cranked through the early laps fueled by a steady intake of Cytomax, GU, and salt tablets handed to me by my Dad each lap and in fact, I ate nothing else the whole race and never stopped at an aid station, which probably helped me shave an additional couple of minutes off my finishing time.
Aerial view of the course, courtesy of Jean.
The first half of the race went incredibly well. I ran consistent lap splits all within a minute of each other (not counting two brief bathroom stops) and crossed halfway in 3:07:13, exactly where I wanted to be and feeling remarkably better than expected.
I felt so good that I figured I would give the under-18 national record of 6:16:25 a run for its money. The record was set by a 17 year old Karsten Schulz way back in 1977 at the JFK 50 Mile, but I had cautioned myself against going for it while preparing for the race, knowing I might crash in the latter stages and run terribly if I went out too fast. But now I was at the halfway and within striking distance of the record. After all, the course was flat, the weather was good, and I wouldn't have another oppurtunity for several months. So I seized my chance. Lap 8 was my fastest on the day, and I remained on record pace up through lap 11.
But, with just 12 miles to go, I began to fade, and it was clear to me that the 32-year standing record would remain another day. I still clung to what was now a sub-8:00/mile pace for dear life and managed to keep my slowing lap times within reasonable range of each other. It was warming up by then and the sun was out, and I was running on fumes, but I sensed now that I was so close to such a huge PR (my previous 50 mile best was 6:50:00) and I had to make most of an oppurtunity that I had dreamed about for so many weeks and months.
With two laps to go, I calculated that I needed to run two laps under 28 minutes to crack 6:25:00. Lap 14 was my slowest on the day (27:41, only 8:21/mile) but with one lap to go I let out all the adrenaline and gave it every last ounce of effort I had. I'd dreamt of sprinting this last lap to a new PR for so long, and now there I was. My legs were on fire but I sprinted across the finish in a 26 minute personal best of 6:23:54! I was exhausted beyond belief but as happy as could be.
6:23:54, not 5:53:53. (I wish!)
This year's race also saw an awe-inspiring performance from Todd Braje, who won in 5:30:51!!! This is, to the best of my knowledge, the fastest 50 mile time in the U.S. in at least the last two years. He easily achieved the U.S. National 100K Team qualifying standard of 5:40:00 and, in my opinion, has established himself as the top road ultrarunner in the country with this performance. (An arguable exception could indeed be made for Michael Wardian, however.) Sean Meissner came in 2nd in 6:19:45, a PR for him despite crashing in the late stages of the race, and I think he is capable of even better on a good day!
Braje finishes his incredible race while Sean Meissner fights for 2nd place and a new PR.
Not to be overlooked was a solid performance from Chikara Omine in the 50K, with a blazing time of 3:08:44-that's 6:04/mile! Jean and Scott Dunlap also completed the 50K in 3:51 and 3:57, respectively. Congratulations to everyone else who competed in both races last Saturday!
Overall, I would say this was the most successful race of my life. Everything went well, from pacing (half splits were 3:07/3:16) to nutrition to weather, and it resulted in a 26 minute PR. There is still a long, hard road ahead for me in striving to reach my goal of breaking 5:40:00 and qualifying for the national team, and it will be many more months and years of training and racing before I can reach it. But whereas before, with a PR of 6:50, I had absoultely no shot at making the U.S. team, I would say now that I am within striking distance of being within striking distance of reaching that goal. And that feels good!
Results: http://www.capitalroadrace.com/results/09_JS_50M_OVL.HTM
Next race: Ruth Anderson 100K, 4/18/09, San Francisco, CA
