NJ Ultra Fest 50 Mile Race Report

As a writer, I'm struggling to make this race report interesting. You see, bad races have agony and disappointment and a writer can cling to them for good lines like a poor comedian clings to f-bombs. And races where you overcome bad spots and are triumphant; who doesn't love that? But if you have one of those rare days where everything just lines up and you knock it out of the park? Man, it's a great race, but I'm not so sure it makes for good writing.

Still, it's important to record these days so that we remember them on the days that suck, so let's do it, shall we?

The official tale of the tape will say I ran 50 miles in 7:55:47. It also says I finished in 6th place, 5th among men. Recause first and and third place overall were in my age group, I was also technically the AG winner for 40-49. And finally, everyone who recorded the race with Garmins (including me) found the course to be anywhere from .4 to .7 miles long. All of which goes to say that if you account for the longer course, I beat my reasonable time goal by 40 minutes and my stretch goal by 25 minutes. How the hell did that happen? Like I said, everything lined up perfect.

Rather than detail the race mile by mile, instead I'm going to try and answer the question above. How did I beat my goal by so much? What were the factors that made this a better race than I had envisioned?

1.) A great training plan. When I went to coach Missy about 14 weeks ago, I told her that I wanted her to put together a long run plan for me. I was in a great place of doing steady 40 mile weeks, and wanted to continue to do 5 seven mile runs, plus the long run she dictated. Though I have had builds with lots of cross training, truth is I'm in a good place right now just running, so that's what I wanted to do. We basically did 3 build of 3 long runs each, with a week recovery in between. They went something like: (2.5 hours, 3 hours, 3.5 hours)(3.5 hours, 4 hours, 4.5 hours)(5 hours, 5.5 hours, 5.5 hours)... after a recovery week, we did a very very very slow 5 hours 1 week prior to the race.

Missy had told me that the secret to getting through your first 50 miler is at least 2 5 hour runs... As you can see, we did much better than that. Still, I would never say those 5.5 hour runs were easy. In the end, I struggled in them quite a bit and was fairly surprised the race went so well.

2.) A great diabetic day. When I woke up, my BG was about 160, which isn't too surprising when I'm keyed up for a big race. I took a little insulin to correct to 100. Just before the race, I ate a Clif Bar (43g). Throughout the race, I would sip HEED all day and eat an energy bar every hour. I kept my basal rate the same on my pump all day. As I recall, I was about 150 at the 1 hour mark, but was 187 at the 2 hour mark. At that point, I took 2 units of insulin. From there on, my blood sugars hourly were between 78-116 the entire day. I ate tons of food and drink and needed no extra insulin. At the end of the race, I was 100.

3.) A great supplement plan. I sent the following account to Hammer:

“I’ve always been a fan of Hammer products and have consistently used HEED and Perpetuem in my previous marathons. But without ever tackling the 50 mile distance before, I wanted every advantage in my corner. For that reason, I went 100% to Hammer supplements in the weeks before my ultra.

For starters, I went on Premium Insurance Caps, simply because I’d never done so much distance in a plan and wanted to make certain my body got what it needed. While I didn’t expect much of a difference, I detected a noticeable energy boost from the very first dose.

While this was one of my healthiest builds, ever, I also kept Tissue Rejuvenator on hand for a few achy periods, and particularly after my long runs. The combination of those two brought me to the starting line healthier than in any of my previous long distance races.

But the long run plan was really where I stepped up my Hammer game. Following the recommended allowances, I faithfully dosed Anti-Fatigue Caps, Endurance Amino, Endurolytes, and Energy Surge on every hour of my five-hour long runs. To minimize break times, I pre-planned my dosages in the mini zip-lock bags, also provided by Hammer. Finally, I used Race Day Boost in the four days leading up to my race.

Though many of the Hammer supplements were new to me, HEED definitely isn’t, and I was thrilled to sip it throughout my ultra. As a diabetic, I also tested my blood sugar hourly throughout the event and during the times when I was going too low, I took an extra shot of Hammer Gel, which I carried in a flask throughout the race. While Hammer Gel is vital for any athlete, it’s a literal life and race saver for diabetics.

As if that wasn’t enough, I accidentally forgot my hand-held bottle and was forced to carry my traditional Hammer bottle for the entire race! While not as comfortable as my hand-held, it fortunately did the trick. Here’s hoping Hammer comes out with a hand-held bottle sometime!"

4.) Amazing shoes. If you watched my video, you learned that I had only done 1 previous long run in my Newtons, but these shoes are amazing. They wore great and were outstanding the whole day. While I had another pair available on stand-by, I wasn't tempted once to switch. I can't say enough about how these shoes force me into a natural gait, devoid of knee and shin pain.

5.) A good night's sleep and a great support crew. In addition to seeing me at aid stations, my wife insisted on adjoining rooms at the hotel. This was a brilliant idea... the kids had a blast and even though my wake-up time was 4am, I got real close to 7 hours of sleep.

6.) The team factor... This is the reason my wife thinks I had such a great race. The nature of the course meant that all day long, I was passing other Team Type 1 runners on the course, and rarely did one of those interactions happen without a high five or an encouraging word. Because we were the only team there, it almost seemed like the other runners adopted us as their own, too, and cheers of, "Way to go, Team Type 1" were common. Given all this, I can't say my wife is wrong. I was majorly stoked to be with these guys in this situation.

So, that's that. My first 50 miler. It was a blast... far more fun than I imagined and far more successful than I ever dreamed. If you are a split person, here are my splits for the first 47 miles, after which my Garmin died. The slow miles were mostly all aid stations, at which I would refill my bottle, eat my supplements and open my energy bar:

8:55
10:16 (We were in the dark and literally, got lost on the trail for a minute!)
9:16
9:28
9:12
10:57 aid
8:30
8:27
8:57
8:57
9:39
8:55
10:53 aid
8:35
8:36
8:46
10:47aid
8:57
8:42
11:10 aid
8:35
8:30
8:55
8:31
8:51
8:50
12:43 aid
8:40
8:54
9:14
9:03
8:59
12:49 aid
9:04
8:48
8:59
8:51
8:36
12:10 aid
8:55
9:36
9:35
8:45
9:17
13:05 aid
9:18
8:37
8:40 for .81 then battery died

The Post Before the Post

I have a race report to write; a very long report for two reasons: 1. It was the longest race of my life. 2. It was arguably the greatest race of my life so far. It's going to be a good report, but here's the thing: I have to write this post first while it's fresh in my mind. It's about the other runners on TeamType 1 who were at the NJ Ultra Fest with me and my family. While I only spent a few hours with these guys, it's important to me that you understand who they are and what they're like.

It seems to me that many times in life, we're looking for role models; people who cause us to aspire to do better in all things. I was blessed to be surrounded by several amazingly inspirational people this weekend, and I want you to know what I learned. Perhaps in this crowd, you'll find someone to think about when the blood sugars suck or the roads are too hilly or the wind is constantly in your face.

Tom Kingery
What Happened in NJ: An Ironman and member of TeamType 1's record setting RAAM team, Tom completed the marathon in 4:07.
What You Need to Know About Tom: Let's face it; running in many ways is a selfish activity. Before big races, we worry about our own stuff - our clothing, our food, our logistics. As team manager, Tom did all of this for us, planning the flights, the hotels, the meals, the gear, the race registrations, and everything else I'm forgetting. He did that for all of us. And then, and only then, he went out and banged out a solid 26.2 miles. And before and after that, he was a picture taking fiend, keeping the PR machine rolling steady.

Ben Semeyn
What Happened in NJ: Ben finished a career high 2nd in the marathon in 2:55
What You Need to Know About Ben: Ben had just finished the marathon when I checked in at the 32 mile aid station. The timing was perfect and he joined me for his own cool-down run. If you know anything about 50 milers, a friend at 32 is like an angel with wings landing on your shoulder and my time with him flew by like nothing. Like me, he had never been around diabetic athletes before this weekend, and we shared how much in awe we were with the experience. What I will also remember is how fresh he seemed to me after running so fast. Expect this guy to get a lot faster before he's done.

Matt Patrick
What Happened in NJ: Matt Patrick WON the 100k (62.5 miles) in 8:53
What You Need to Know About Matt: People who knew Michael Jordan say he was more driven to win than anyone they knew. That's the kind of guy Matt is. He went out hard in this race (his first 100k) and didn't stop until he finished. When he passed me at one point, I asked him how he felt. "Horrible!" was the answer from a guy who looked to be doing seven minute miles after 40 miles. The guy just doesn't have an easy pace and his other paces... wow. As one of the guys on the team with kids, Matt also went out of his way to make my wife and kids feel comfortable and welcome.

Ryan Jones
What Happened in NJ: Ryan Jones finished 4th in the 100 miler in 17:28
What You Need to Know About Ryan: While the team is full of great runners, there was no question that most of us had placed Ryan and Jon on a performance pedestal prior to meeting them; these two amazing diabetics for whom ranking high in 100 mile races is a regular occurrence. What I will remember about Ryan is two things: 1. If you wanted to make a mold of the perfect 100 miler body, you'd use his. It's as if his DNA was fused with a whitetail deer (albeit a diabetic one). 2. The guy is tough: I bumped into him at an aid station during the race. If memory serves he was around 35 miles. I asked him how he was doing. "Eh," he said. "It comes and goes." Do you understand what I just wrote? This was with 65 freaking miles left in the race. It comes and goes. That, folks, is guts.

Jon Obst
What Happened in NJ: Jon Obst DNF in the 100 miler. He made it 90 miles in 22 hours before stopping.
What You Need to Know About Jon: Jon did a 100 mile race 2 weeks before this one; one he felt he had to do as he had inspired it in his own town. He wasn't sure what would happen 2 weeks later, but he almost made it 2 in 2 weeks. I had the extreme pleasure of talking to Jon and Cale at dinner the night before and believe me when I tell you that Jon is an amazing person. His feelings are unbelievably close to the surface... so much so that you would think the emotional toll of everyday life - forget an ultra - would be difficult for him, but instead, it's the complete opposite. I've never seen someone just so.... engaged and content. Soon after I passed Ryan on the trail, I passed Jon. Because of what I'd witnessed the night before, I wasn't the least bit surprised when he greeted me with a big hug.

Eric Tozer
What Happened in NJ: Eric completed his first marathon in 4:26.
What You Need to Know About Eric:
A few months ago, my cell phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognize. On the line was Eric. "Hey," he said. "I'm driving across the country to my new job and thought I'd use this time to meet some of the guys on the team." From the very beginning, Eric got how special this opportunity was. To take the time and call a complete stranger on the phone and start a dialog like that was incredibly thoughtful and by the time I hung up 20 minutes later, we weren't strangers, anymore.

Bobby Heyer
What Happened in NJ: After telling me, "I'm no runner," Bobby completed the marathon in 4:28. His other 5 marathons have been on the end of Ironman competitions.
What You Need to Know About Bobby: I have no idea if Bobby drinks, but regardless, I'd wager he's been thrown out of a bar or two in his day. Imagine a smart-alec, hilarious, cut-up sort of guy... the type who could hold his own as a stand-up comedian. Now imagine that guy stopping his performance periodically to ask you how your blood sugar is. That's Bobby. I asked him if he was on Facebook. His response, "Yeah - I'm there, but don't go looking for me to tell you every time I take a ...." Well, you get the point.

Nathan Bartels
What Happened in NJ: Nathan completed his first ultra, a 50k, in 5:28
What You Need to Know About Nathan:
An accomplished triathlete and member of TeamType 1's World Record RAAM team, Nathan's not one to rest on his laurels. Rather than using NJ to complete his first marathon, he used it to complete his first ULTRA Marathon. Most runners, let's be honest, are kind of geeky guys, but Nathan comes across as the star quarterback type. Whether that's true or just fortunate maturing is anybody's guess.

Cale Gondringer
What Happened in NJ: Cale completed his first marathon, despite a nagging Achilles injury that severely limited his long runs, in 3:53
What You Need to Know About Cale: I think my wife has a crush on him. She told me he reminded her of me when I was young, except I was never that tall and never had a Southern accent. But after sitting beside him at dinner, heck, I had a crush on the guy, too. A dynamite triathlete looking to improve his run, you get the feeling that Cale will pretty much accomplish whatever he sets his mind to. He went into the race, claiming to be unprepared, and came out a marathoner with a great time.

Casey Boren
What Happened in NJ: Casey finished 7th in the marathon, winning his AG in 3:33. He didn't even look tired afterward.
What You Need to Know About Casey: Casey seems to attract diabetic fans wherever he goes. I know of two diabetic bloggers who drove to see him in NJ (As they put it, "We're going to see Casey.... and TeamType 1." Want more proof? When I called MY coach to brag about MY race, it only took her a few minutes to ask how Casey did. All kidding aside, he's an impossible guy not to like and looked amazingly fresh given his performance in NJ.

Kevin Powell
What Happened in NJ: Recovering from an injury, Kevin cruised home in the 50k in 7th place in 4:48
What You Need to Know About Kevin: There are only a couple guys on the team who fit into the "old guys with older kids" demographic and Kevin and I are both of them. He took special time to talk to my wife and kids about their sports and their activities and did a wonderful job making them feel comfortable. When I expressed my regret about leaving early to get the family home, Kevin fully understood, knowing the juggling game that's part of our lives.

Marcus Grimm
What Happened in NJ: I finished the 50 mile race in 7:55, good enough for 6th place overall, and 1st or 3rd in my AG, depending on how you count awards. (2 of the top 3 were in my AG)
What You Need to Know: I have never felt more grateful than to be able to tell you these things about one of the most wonderful weekends in my life. I have never been intimidated by my diabetes and have gone so far to say that if you gave me 3 wishes, being cured wouldn't be one of them. But after this weekend, I'm going to go one further; if you called me today and offered me a cure, I wouldn't take it if it would mean giving up my association with this amazing group of athletes. I have always been comfortable being diabetic, but after this weekend - well, I'm honored to be, too.

Final Pre Fifty Miler Post

The next time I write a blog post, God, Newton & Hammer Nutrition willing, I will have completed my first 50 mile ultra-marathon. In no particular order, here's a list of thoughts regarding the race.

1. I've been asked about a time goal. Do I have one? What is it? The answers are yes and no. First off, I am 100% comfortable with whatever happens. I can miss the following goal by two hours and will be fine with myself. But still, I am a competitive person. Moreover, the important thing about a time goal is that it can help you to set your pace early in the race when you don't want to go too fast.

In last week's newspaper article, I said I expected to come in around 8:30 and would be thrilled with an 8:15-8:20. Many articles say that a first time 50 miler should double their marathon time and add two hours. (3:20 x 2) + 2 = 8:40. However, I've noticed that many guys around my speed don't need that full 2 hours... many are closer to 1:40. Hence, 8:20.

In addition, my training runs have often had me around 3:50-3:55 for 25 miles. If we figure I'll be rested, tapered and racing, but will inevitably slide during the second half, it still puts me around 8:20.

To do this, I plan to go out around 8:40 pace (assuming I can see the pace in the dark) and maintain a running pace of 8:40ish as long as possible. There will be walking breaks, and eating breaks and blood sugar testing breaks, but when I'm on the go, I'm going to try to run 8:40 miles as long as possible.

And all of that being said, the last portion of the race will be a mystery. I remember coming into the last six miles of the Susquehanna Super Hike 45 minutes ahead of goal. "Surely, I can't lose 45 minutes in six miles!" I thought. But I did, and then some.. missing my goal by 23 minutes.

2. Will I listen to my iPod? Yes. In addition to music, I have the latest Stephen King book -- all 13 hours of it -- ready to go. I listened to 1 audio book on a long run and loved it and didn't have any drop in pace. The only thing I haven't decided is whether or not to start with the book. Part of me is worried about not being able to get into it if I wait too long to start it.

3. What will I eat? Anything that isn't nailed down. Though there will be a lot of food and Hammer Gels at the aid stations, I will be carrying plenty of Clif Bars. The advantage of aid station food is variety. The advantage of Clif Bars is I know the carb count. I'll mix it up as much as possible. All total, I expect to consume around 2500 calories and burn 5000.

4. Am I carrying a Camel-Bak? With aid stations no more than 6 miles apart, I won't need a Camel-Bak. But I love my hand-held bottle and will be carrying that. Typically, I carry water and take gels, but the ultra will have HEED, so I will likely drink that. However, you never know if they will mix it to the right strength, so I will have extra gel with me.

5. What am I wearing? This one bothered me much of the week. With a low temperature of 41 and a high of 48, you could justify shorts, or tights or sleeves. In the end, I'm pretty sure I'm going with shorts and Zensah calf sleeves, short sleeves and arm warmers. I expect to regret that decision for the first few miles, but will warm up nicely. And if the 50% chance of showers happens, my bare skin will be better than cold nylon tights. But still, I am packing the tights, just in case I change my mind.

6. Am I scared? Is there any chance I won't finish? How will I do it? These questions are all of the head trash variety and most of them don't come from other people. They come from the little voice inside my head. Here's how I answer it: Truth about these long runs is this, it's not about 50 miles. I have done so many 25-35 mile runs and at this pace, it's kind of boring, but it's not hard, so that doesn't scare me at all. What we're really talking about is the last 15 miles. While that's scary, as I've never ran more than 35 miles, in the end, it's only 15 miles of discomfort and I've done that many times. I know there will be a place where I ask myself, "How the hell am I going to do this?" because I've asked myself that question on every race of marathon distance I've ever done. I remember laughing on the trail of the Susquehanna Super Hike, being five miles from the end with utterly shot quads, honestly wondering how I would ever get it done. But in the end, the answer is simple: you get out of the mess the same way you got into it - one step at a time.

Comments Have Been Restored

So over the weekend Reyna commented on my Facebook wall wondering why comments were turned off on my blog, which caused me to go, "Huh?"

It seems when I switched blog templates a while back the commenting got all messed up. I didn't even notice it since many people comment on FB when I post on the blog, and those of you who aren't my friend on FB, well I just figured you didn't have anything to say!

So it appears comments have been restored, though I will keep an eye on it to make sure.

In other news, if you're coming here via the Lancaster Sunday News article, yesterday, welcome! And if you don't know what I'm talking about, feel free to read the story here.

Last Long Run

So yesterday was my last long run prior to next week's 50 Miler at the NJ Ultra Fest. How did it go? Well, see for yourself...

Road Work from marcus grimm on Vimeo.

Running With Isaac

In my last post, I mentioned that Team Type 1 is sponsored by Newton this year and that I'd be talking about that a bit. Since my first pair showed up last night, I took them for a spin today.

First a disclaimer: I won't be wearing the Newtons at the NJ Ultra Fest for one reason: the race is only 10 days away and Newtons are a different running experience. I'm crazy, but I'm not that crazy.

If you aren't aware, Newtons don't so much encourage midfoot striking as they force you into a midfoot strike. Running with a typical heel strike stride just feels wrong in these shoes, so you quickly learn to do what feels right.

Landing properly on the midfoot feels good and the fulcrum of the shoe gently propels you to almost rock forward to toe off. Pretty cool, I must say.

While it's a very different running experience, if you are a midfoot striker, already, it's less of a big deal. I put myself through the transition a couple of years ago and currently was running in Asics Skyspeeds and Saucony Kinvaras; relatively minimalist shoes.

With that experience, I found the transition to be very easy. In fact, after a little less than half a mile, I felt as if I'd found my "Newton stride." In the end, I did three miles in them, more than the 1 mile they recommend for beginners, but with no calf strain at all. Newtons are purported to make running faster easier, too. Time will tell about that one, though I would say that today's 8:24 pace was interesting... as my goal was a true 8:45 recovery day.

Moving forward, I'll be aiming to complete the transition to Newtons but will also be paying special attention to wear. While I'm not a heal striker, I AM a heel scraper and rarely get more than 300 miles off of a pair of shoes. As Newtons are the most expensive brand out there, that's something I'll be paying special attention to.

I would also agree with Steve Speirs' review in which he says that he wishes the Newtons were just a shade lighter. They're not at all heavy shoes, but if you're used to Kinvaras or Skyspeeds, they're a tiny bit beefier. That said, they do have a racing flat, which I plan to review in the coming months.

All in all, I expected to be impressed and I was. It was a great ride and I'm looking to seeing if the Newtons alleviate some of the wear and tear I've had along with my ultra training. And if I end up a bit quicker along the way, that'll be ok, too.