I ran my first ultramarathon…Here’s what I learned
I’m not exactly sure what possessed me to sign up for an Ultra, but I know it’s been in the back of my mind for a while! After running 8 marathons, I started to look for something different and I turned to trail running. I dabbled in the trails here and there, but it wasn’t until I finally achieved the huge goal that I’d let hang over me for years: Running the Boston Marathon!
So, what does one do when they achieve a BHAG?? Well, if you’re a runner, like me, you likely choose an even bigger goal! And so, I set my sights on running an ultra. I was looking for something that had me less focused on time and allowed me to spend more time in places I love the most, the forest and mountains.
What is an Ultra Marathon?
An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon distance of 42.2 kilometres. I would soon learn that this can range anywhere from 50 to 100’s of kilometres, like people running for consecutive days!
Without knowing a whole lot about ultras and trail races, I didn’t realize how popular these races are and, so when my race of choice, the Squamish 50 sold out within minutes, I set my sights on WAM - Whistler Alpine Meadows 50km. Because, well, if I’m going to run a trail race, might as well make it a super hard one!! Although I don’t think I really knew what that meant at the time!
The race course consists of running up Whistler Mountain, around the stunning alpine, down the valley back to the village, and then finishing at the top of Blackholm Mountain. In total, this was 50 km / 31 miles, with an ascent of 3,500 m / 11,500 ft and a descent of 2,250 m / 7,400 ft. Which means it is a net positive route, meaning we climb over 1200 meters / 4000 feet MORE than we descend!! And I don’t think my knees were truly ready for that!
10 things I learned from my first ultramarathon:
Get a running coach
I’ve had great success working with a running coach in the past (shoutout to Mike at Positive Edge!), and I thought that it would be a good idea to work with a coach as I embarked on this new type of training. I’m soooo glad that I made that decision! After taking part in one of the RunBC Adventures with Jen Segger, ultra woman and adventurer extraordinaire, I was fortunate enough to grab a spot to training with her! If you don’t know Jen, check out her incredible roster of accomplishments in the ultra and adventure racing world! Jen provided me with a plan through TrainingPeaks that included what felt like endless hills, strength training and loads of hiking. I probably engaged her too close to the race with only 3 months to work together, but I would not have done this training on my own and I would’t have felt as prepared as I was.
Practice with and use poles
While Jen had recommended I train my long hikes and hills with poles, I did take regular hiking poles with me but found them cumbersome and heavy to carry through 50km, so I opted not to use poles. I had been trying to find the ultralight, carbon-fibre poles in my size for months, but was told that due to the high demand of cycling and ultra-light bikes, there was a supply shortage of carbon fibre to make poles! I finally ended up finding a pair about a week after WAM. I think this would have made huge difference for the uphills and also saved my knees on some of the very iffy downhills with my sore knee.
Falling is part of trail running
Unfortunately 2 weeks before the race I had a nasty fall just 2 minutes from my house. I fell and split my knee on a rock and while I did end up going back out and finishing that long training run, my confidence was shaken on the downhills. As a result I believe it also caused me to over compensate with my other leg and that ended up becoming the major pain point half-way down the decent from Whistler that had me at a full stop and walk at every downhill of the remaining 30 km. I felt really discouraged watching all the runners stream past me on the downhills and made me question if I wanted to keep going or bow out at the second aid station. Thankfully my hubby was at AS2 with food, a change of clothes and motivation to get my sprits back up…all I had to do was climb up one more mountain…that’s what I came for and so that’s what I did!
Strength training is imperative
All the climbing I knew I had to get a lot stronger if I wanted to get through this race. I was diligent with my strength training, focusing on 2 45 minute sessions each week, that had me working on my core, stabilizers and of course glutes and legs. I still have a lot to work on in this area, but I feel like I finally have a routine in place and know the things I need to work on to get stronger.
Train in the terrain or as similar as possible
I regret not spending more time in the alpine and at altitude. I did most of my training on the small, but hilly island I live on and while I started getting more comfortable with hills, I definitely felt the altitude when I started moving in Whistler. I was glad to have done one training run in Whistler that gave me an idea of what the trail and terrain would be like, but I would have liked to do more.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable
If there is one thing we know as distance runners, it’s that this is a mental challenge and it’s going to get rough. The more mental resilience that we can build in and out of training, the better odds we have of finishing an epic challenge like this.
Always be eating
As a nutritionist I am hyper-aware of what I’m eating and I had been testing out many different strategies and products throughout the 3 months of my training. I used to struggle significantly with GI issues when I first started marathon training, and it’s taken me years to get my tummy under control. With the very early start, I made sure to give myself enough time to have a bit of breakfast (banana with overnight oats), and then started fuelling early. I set my watch to beep every 30 minutes to remind me to eat something, whether I felt like it or not. Through the race I tried to be as self-sufficient as possible carrying a mix of liquid nutrition (Tailwind), Scratch matcha chews, and little cracker & cheese sandwiches. I only used the aid stations to fill my water, although I probably carried more than I actually needed. The last thing I wanted to do was run out of water on this hot and smokey day!
Make friends along the way
Whether it was chatting with the volunteers or fellow racers, keeping each other company and sharing laughs along the way is what make this sport so great! Its an odd thing to share our struggles, pains and low moments with complete strangers, and yet we know they know exactly how we feel, because they’ve been there too. I’m forever grateful for the lovely gal who gave me a Tylenol so I could finish the race in less pain!! Note to self, carry some form of pain meds because aid stations can’t give you any!
Take care of those feet
At several points along the trail there were many people complaining about their feet. I was so happy to see that my feet were in good form at the end of the race, although I was thankful to get my feet right into my sandals after I crossed the finish line. I had also been testing different socks and settled on the injini liner and cover. I love these socks soooo much and am positive they helped keep my toes in good form! No blisters and toe nails lost! I consider that a HUGE win!
Go easy on your recovery
I was very surprised at how good I felt the following day. Of course I had the regular aches and pains, stairs were hard, but in general, by the second and third day my body felt almost back to normal. The only thing that lingered and kept me keeping things easy was the level of fatigue I felt. For about 2 weeks following the race I felt unbelievably tired and just wanted to sleep. I tried to listen to my body and take the rest it needed in order to feel fully recovered. I was also very mindful of eating a variety of nutrient dense foods, high in fibre to help clear out the toxins generated through the stress this type of activity and I loaded up on water.
While I finished this race, it was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I’m so proud of my body and amazed at the places my two feet have taken me this year! I had hoped to finish around 8-8.5 hours, the reality of my knee pain and the terrain had me finishing just under 10 hours and I’m just glad to have finished in one piece!
Just one final shout out to Coast Mountain Trail Running and ALL the wonderful volunteers for putting on this incredible event. Having been a volunteer for the 100 miler race on the weekend, it was so inspiring to see the runners and community come together to help racers achiever their goals! Extra shout out to my family and hubby for all the support throughout the training season and at the event!
