Red Dirt Ultra (Race Recap)

Provencal, LA

Saturday, February 17

Weather - Overcast, breezy, cold

While I had seen this race in ultrasignup previously, I wasn't necessarily super interested in running it until I heard that it would be the last year they would be hosting the 100 mile distance. Less than a month out, Ben and I decided that it could be "fun" to go out to Louisiana to see where our long distance fitness was. We didn't tell anyone we were planning on going, which it made it even more fun since I knew multiple people that would be there. 

Race Day

I only woke up once during the night, so I think I actually slept pretty decent. I did wake up about 15 minutes before the 4 am alarm, but didn't get out of bed until I had to. Turns out the early wake up (I had wanted 4:10) was beneficial, because with everything we needed to do, we barely got out on time at 4:40 am.

It was a 35-40 minute drive to the start line. Most of it was on a two lane road, and I always get nervous when there is no actual address for a start line. We didn't have anything to worry about - we found the start with no problems.

We still had to get all our packs and drop bag ready. I figured I would use the bathroom and get our bibs, as well as ask about the hoodies they had for sale. It was WAY colder than I expected. I ended up buying hoodies for both of us - just in case our current layers weren't sufficient, at least we would have some back up clothes.

Before we knew it - people were hovering around the start and we did a quick pre-race selfie.

On paper, this didn't look like a tough race. 33.3 mile loops, with each loop having around 2,800' of gain. 

Loop 1

Within a few minutes, I became irritated with the chest strap. I had loosened the pack and somehow the extra slack of the strap was flapping around. It kept me occupied for a LONG time trying to figure out what was happening. I also think that I got hot and took of my R1 pretty early.

The trail was sandy at the start, the pic below is an example of what it looked like the first half of the loop, pic stolen from Steph. It almost looks like the trails are muddy, when in reality it is just light colored dirt. 

Weirdly, it also seemed like the climbs were really steep. I kept glancing at my "total ascent" field and thinking, wow, this isn't moving at all! Funny story though, I was looking at current elevation, not total ascent. Haha. 

I'm not sure where this was on the course, but a lot of the first half of the loop was this sand 

There were a decent number of people we were with for the first half. The "big" loop was for the 100 mile runners only though. I believe we met up with the 50k and 100k runners who were doing the "small" loop somewhere around 13 miles in. They started an hour after us and I think were 2 miles lower in mileage than we were.

The course was really pretty though, once we got away from some of the mud. Lots and lots of giant puddles (that were mostly avoidable) from all the rain that had fallen earlier in the week.l

The below water crossing was one of the widest on the course. There were some big rocks that we were going to try and use to get across so we wouldn't get our feet wet. Spoiler, even with Ben's help, I fell in. 

Finally arrived at the halfway aid station, Coyote Camp. I was pretty hungry at this point and I was mildly irritated with how many crew/family were there. There were also a lot of runners, so it was chaotic and crowded. I had to use the bathroom (and had to wait) - it was decorated both inside and out for Mardi Gras (I think) - but the streamers were really creepy while I was sitting.

Already irritated with lack of good food options, but I still grabbed a peanut butter and jelly and some other snacks and then we headed out. There was a bit of sand right after the aid station, but the second half of the course was a lot better! We had some leaf covered trails that were more packed down (although we were worried in some areas where the trail was hard to see and hoped we didn't roll an ankle somewhere). I don't remember a lot of the section to the next aid station which was on a dirt road. This aid station was run by high school age kids that had camped out overnight and had hammocks set up. We ran down the road for a bit, maybe 2/3 of a mile, then went more into the woods. Lots of leaves and views of the bayou here.

More water crossings, but pretty easy to keep feet dry for the most part. When we were moving near the bayou, Ben asked if there were alligators in there. I wasn't sure, so I asked Siri, and she did say that there are alligators in Louisiana, but that didn't mean they were in this area. Didn't stop us from looking.

I was feeling strangely exhausted and tired this whole loop. Why was I so tired so early? I had gotten a decent night's sleep, but I felt like I was already 60-70 miles in. This wasn't a good sign. There were some crossings where Ben claimed he could walk over a downed tree to stay dry. I told him there was no way he would do it, but he did.

My feet got wet, his didn't. Not a big deal, I don't usually have issues with wet feet, other than my feet were cold because the air was cold. More bridges.

The last aid station before start/finish was in a parking lot and they even had an espresso machine, which I gladly took coffee from. We had a decently long trek up another dirt road, about the same length as the last one.

Once we got back into the woods we had more of the same, but this time we had areas of chunky mud also. Later I was told that all the tire tracks were from ATVs (that ARE allowed on these trails). 

We had spent a long time talking about gators, but all we saw was a croc. We laughed way too hard about this.

Ben and I were having tough conversations about whether or not we wanted to drop down to the 100k - I said if I kept feeling this bad there was no way we would be able to finish the 100M. There were two pretty deep and mostly unavoidable water crossings just before getting back to the start/finish. For whatever reason, this loop seemed impossibly hard and totally kicked my ass. We had been dreaming of gumbo, and THANKFULLY they still had some left, because the aid stations hadn't been super interesting on loop one and we were starving. We also saw Elizabeth, who was very surprised to see us!

Loop 2

We talked to the race director and hypothetically asked about dropping down to 100k - whether it was an official finish, if we got an award, etc. We were told the cutoff trail was closed for the race and we would have to do a big loop again, regardless, so the minimum we would be doing would be a heavy 100k of at least 66.6 miles. 

We stayed MUCH longer at the start/finish than we probably should have, but I had been tired and while I was eating, I wasn't eating enough. So we both downed multiple bowls of gumbo (how have I never eaten this before?? It was SO GOOD.) By the time we were going back out, it was well over 10 hours into the race. We were definitely going to need a 180 to get this done!

We headed out a few minutes after our buddy we had chatted with a bit on the first loop (one of the only guys to bring poles) and caught him after a mile or so. He says "I'm so happy to see you guys!! I wish I would have stuck with you, I've been by myself forever and struggling." We stayed with him a bit, but I had taken one of my caffeine drinks and after a bit I felt a TON better and started running. And running. All of those hills that had seemed so big the first loop were nothing this time around. 

Before we knew it, we arrived at the first aid station. We went in the tent to get some food. One of the volunteers is signed up for Bigfoot and she was asking for tips. I told Ben we needed to get out of there because we were blowing time. Sun had gone down, so we needed to run with our headlamps (both of us had opted to leave the Kogallas at home).

We ran really well this whole section, although our headlamp batteries seemed to be dying really fast and we only had a few extra sets. When we arrived back at Coyote we got some food and I asked if they had any spare batteries (they did!) so we swapped out and headed out, already halfway done with the loop and still feeling good! Ben said it was time to throw in music, so that was a fun distraction. There was another girl aid Coyote who headed out right before us, but we passed her pretty early. I believe we passed another 2-3 people in this section!

Arrived at the kid's aid station on the road and had our first disappointing aid station in many hours. Asked "what hot food do you have?" Answered with "peanut butter and jelly?" Repeated the question and finally got a response that they had broth, but then it took a bit for them to bring it, and by then I was getting annoyed because I could tell we were getting closer to the loop cutoff.

We headed out and I was still feeling good and still running. Ben at one point waved at me (both of us still having music but we were running single file) and suggested I take it easy so I don't burn out. I'm still wanting to give this 100M a go, so I keep running.

We rolled into the last aid station before the start finish and and got food and asked for more espresso. It was going to be close, but with a good last section, we would have time to get this thing done! We took some food out with us, and somehow, my legs just stopped working. The temperature also seemingly dropped a good 20 degrees. Suddenly, we were freezing and now just walking. Time was slipping away, but we couldn't seem to fix it and I also was getting tired again. I pulled out my emergency rain jacket thinking the layer would help - and it unfortunately didn't. We had been using handwarmers most of the loop, and now I was up to four upper layers. We were both still wearing shorts. I had pants, but with the water crossings, I wasn't sure that would even help, so I didn't bother to put them on.

We were getting closer to the start/finish and knew we wouldn't have time to go back out for the last loop. Sigh. And we saw someone behind us with a headlamp running and we were wondering who it was - oh, the winner of the 100M. Thankfully he crossed right before us, so we didn't steal his glory.

Our race was over, coming in 11 minutes after the cutoff to leave for loop 3. Since we had already talked to the race director about dropping we were immediately handed our 100k medals.

Official Time - 21:11:54

Garmin Time - 21:11:47 (Run 7:08:56, Walk 12:27:40, Idle 1:35:18)

Garmin Distance - 67.69 miles

Elevation Gain - 6,361'

Miles 1-10 - 16:00, 13:53, 15:11, 15:15, 15:47, 15:36, 16:50, 16:15, 15:47, 16:54

Miles 11-20 - 16:27, 14:59, 15:51, 15:09, 15:53, 25:03, 16:19, 15:15, 14:50 , 14:59

Miles 21-30 - 14:54, 15:51, 20:03, 15:43, 19:41, 17:05, 20:40, 26:46, 17:33, 17:01

Miles 31-40 - 20:04, 19:46, 19:09, 52:05, 19:57, 16:48, 17:18, 16:46, 16:52, 17:16

Miles 41-50 - 28:03, 17:51, 16:48, 20:19, 17:39, 16:07, 17:14, 16:40, 17:37, 29:17

Miles 51-60 - 16:54, 15:07, 18:08, 16:31, 17:24, 18:38, 20:48, 16:53, 16:38, 16:46

Miles 61-67.69 - 20:04, 28:09, 18:57, 19:42, 25:08, 23:24, 24:35, 24:27

We sat down and had been hoping to get food, but it was really cold, so we accepted a few beers and then decided we should sit in the car and try to warm up.

We cranked the heat and ended up napping for a few hours. I got up around 8 because I was starving and had to pee. I don't think I did either of those things, but I did go and sit at the campfire to chat with the race director, volunteers and other runners. 

Am I disappointed? Sure. I would've been on the podium if I had finished - only one lady crossed the 100M finish line. I'm not sure what happened the first lap, but after having more than 3/4 of the second lap go well, it was frustrating to have a crappy last few miles into the start/finish and run out of time. But, it is what it is. Onto the next adventure!

Thoughts:

• Course was very well marked. No a handful of times at night I had to look around a bit as sometimes the markers were behind a tree or something. But overall, good. All flags had reflectors.
• Aid stations were meh the first loop, and all but the one run by the kids was good at night. I get why they don't want "interesting" things the first loop, I just always wish there were different calorically dense foods. But I digress.
• Never ran out of water between aid, they were spaced really well.
• Swag was good. We registered late, after the shirt deadline, and still got one! The hoodie was a nice, inexpensive ($35) add on. Medal is nice, and the buckle and AG awards were pretty sweet! 
• Out in the middle of nowhere race. Shreveport is the closest airport, but as a regional airport flights were crazy, and no direct flights. Major airports "nearby" are Dallas, Houston and New Orleans - all over 3 hours away.
  
• A good event, put on by good people. I won't run again because it was tough/expensive to get to. The race itself isn't expensive, so if I was closer, I would do it again.
• Gear - CVG 5" shorts, Rabbit team tee (not EZ, not sure what line it is from), Patagonia Airshed Pro, Patagonia R1, and for the very end my Montbell rain jacket. One pair of Ultraventure 2's/gaiters. ZERO blisters or hot spots - yay! Zensah crew socks, Zensah high neck sports bra. During the day, my Tahoe 200 hat, at night my Bula fleece-lined hat. Gloves and switched to mittens for overnight. Handwarmers. Salomon vest. Hypothetically, if I could have checked a bag, I'd probably have brought my poles. 

Week in Review (July 30 - August 5)

Tuesday (12,502 steps) - Strength class during lunch. Skipped Milk Market to go to Heather's house for Taco Tuesday.

Matt and the family were visiting from Florida - we had a great time socializing and roasting marshmallows. Also was nice to get out of the Denver heat for a bit.

Also, a cool surprise was a "Squirrel Girl" bobble head from my friend Dan. I've had that nickname since high school, and apparently it is now a Marvel character/collectible.

Wednesday (19,415 steps)  - Core class during lunch. Runners Roost Boulder! We were running late and had to meet people at the trail head (which is what we planned anyway). Difficult run up NCAR, but surprised myself by running a bit faster than usual.

Thursday (12,282 steps) - LONGEST.DAY.EVER. Got to work early, worked through lunch, worked late. I had called the hotel to make sure they had me down for a late checkout, only to find out that if I arrived after 2 am they would not be able to check me in? Even though they have a 24 hour front desk? Ugh. Then sometime after everyone left for the day I looked and my already very late flight was delayed a half  hour and ETA into St. Louis was 1:55 pm. Magically, I was able to switch to the earlier flight, but that meant I had to leave RIGHT THEN to get to the airport on time. I got there in plenty of time and went to Root Down for a beer before boarding.

Flight was still delayed, but I did get there an hour or so earlier than I had planned. By now, after midnight.
Friday (48,403 steps) - The line for the rental car was pretty insane, but I was able to get my Nissan with very few problems. It was only a 15-20 minute drive to the hotel, which I found with no problems. It was also one of the top three sketchiest places I have ever stayed. First off, it was like there was a block party in the lobby. Guys eating and watching TV at volume a million and there was no one behind the desk. Guy finally shows up. He seems nice enough, but already sensing issues. Like I have to make an additional $20 deposit because their key-maker isn't working? Whut. Finally it's about 1:30 and I'm walking to my room. "Thankfully," the hallways were darkish as it was FILTHY. My room was no better. Quick rundown - floor probably hadn't been vacuumed in months. The window and TV were covered in something that was leaving stains. The bathroom floor was sticky (change was glued to the floor). Used soap in the shower and on the counter. TRASH HAD NOT BEEN EMPTIED. Pretty sure I was going to get bedbugs or murdered. So gross. (Really wish I'd taken pictures, but I kinda want to forget this experience ever happened).

Interestingly, I actually got some sleep (trying not to think about the incredibly stained pillows and hoping at least the sheets were clean). I was awoken by incessant knocking on the door around 8 am. Thinking it was housekeeping, I told them to go away. Knocking continues. Irritated because there was no door hanger to put out saying "do not disturb" I finally got up. (Mind you, I had planned on sleeping until 10). It was a man who was raving about "things hanging from  my window. Whut. I have no idea what is happening. I tell him WTF I checked in after one in the morning, you need to leave. (I did check and saw nothing outside my window). Tried to go back to sleep, failed. Finally took a shower and got the eff out of there. Interestingly, when I checked out - the same guy was there that had been knocking. No name tag and had not identified himself as staff. I mentioned it was one of the most disgusting places I had ever stayed and I was NOT happy about my early wake up call. He seemed uninterested in my complaints. (FYI, avoid Super 8 in Bridgeton/St. Louis at ALL costs).

With now HOURS to kill, I decided to head into the city and wander around downtown. I hadn't been to St. Louis since I was there to run the Rock n' Roll in 2011, and I remember traffic/construction irritating me back then. Really hadn't improved. Struggled to find street parking, then walked around, got some pictures of the arch and had lunch.

Finally I decided I would just head to the race start, thinking maybe I would be able to take a nap in the car. Spoiler, it's a million degrees, so no, a nap didn't happen.

The Shippey 100K.
Saturday (82,125 steps) - Continuation of The Shippey 100K.

Prior to travel, I had looked to see where the breweries were closest to the airport. The one I really wanted to go to didn't open until two, so I went to the other one. I decided to close my eyes for a minute, and next thing I knew, Ben was calling. I had passed out for about 45 minutes, which I meant I just headed right to the one I initially wanted to go to. Had two beers and some popcorn at Six Mile before going to the airport.

I had managed to switch my flight to an earlier one. It was also delayed, but I was so tired that I ended up falling asleep on the plane. Woke up with about an hour left of the flight. Landed only a bit late. Took FOREVER to get back to the lot to get Lucy. Ugh. Home by 9ish. Ben had come down and bought pizza and beer, but he had fallen asleep waiting for me (he had to work the 3 am shift, so it was understandable). I went to bed shortly after eating. LONG DAY.
Sunday (10.849 steps) - Slept until almost 10. After having coffee, we decided to take Pika for a walk to the lake (and for once, we got Ariel to go with us).

Snacked on pizza, and then Ben and I went to 4 Noses.

Picked up Torchy's on the way home. I think that was it? Pretty low-key day.
Monday (14,972 steps) - Blah work. Met Ben (and Tyler) at North Table. They were doing the big loop, and I was planning on staying on the canal trail and walking with Pika.

Had street tacos from the food truck and beer.

Stats:

• 200,548 steps
• 65.2 miles run
• Two gym classes and lots of walks

The Shippey Endurance Runs 100k (Race Recap)

High Ridge, MO
Friday, August 2 - Saturday, August 3
Ultra Marathon #25
Weather - Hot & humid

After my DNF in June at Black Hills, I was struggling a little bit (mentally). I kinda wanted to run another 100 mile race, but there was nothing that really sparked my interest. The Shippey Endurance Run was something I stumbled across the day (or maybe the day before) it sold out. It intrigued me because there was a relatively decent amount of climbing, it fit into a weekend when A would be at camp, and I'd only need to take off one day from work. Not to mention, I was able to get airfare for around $130 round trip! Ben was able to talk me out of running the 100 miler, but the 100k seemed like it would actually be perfect training. Good distance, plus - a night start! Never a bad idea to be out on the trails more at night.

I arrived at the start area of Beaumont Scout Reservation with more than enough time. I sat in the car and tried to nap, but it wasn't happening. Picked up my bib right at 4:30 and found out I wouldn't be getting a shirt because I registered too late. Womp womp. I still had 90 minutes to kill, so I redid my drop bags, lubed up my feet and put on my socks. Chatted a bit with a gal that was also running the 100k, and headed over to the start line with about 10 minutes to go.

Giant bib that I couldn't fold down because of where the timing strip was

Very short race announcements - the course did make a lot more sense when it was explained with arm gestures, haha.

Right at 6 pm on the dot, we were off. The course was set up as a 20 mile "loop" which consisted of 5 legs. The first leg started on pavement for about two tenths of a mile, then we headed onto the single track. (I had loaded the gpx into my watch, although I never needed it). I was in the very back with two other gals and an older gentleman that was an incredibly fast hiker.

Photo cred: Norman Drabek

It was definitely hot and humid, but we were in the comfort of trees, so the sun was not actually blaring down on us.

I was already feeling a little apprehensive about the steepness of the climbs. If it was hard now, how was I going to get through this later? The gal I had been talking with before the race really seemed to want to latch onto me and was pretty chatty every time I slowed down or walked. The trails were pretty - wooded and obviously not heavily traveled. There were also TONS of downed trees. We had to jump/climb over or duck under. Really added an OCR element.

In and out of the first aid station pretty quickly, just stopped long enough for a 1/4 grilled cheese and to get my Kogalla. I wasn't sure how long the next leg was going to take, or if I might end up needing light before getting back to the aid station again.

This leg didn't seem quite as hard, I was able to run a lot more - and even passed the other gal that had been "just in front of me" for miles. I had a bit of a scare around mile 8 or so when my right big toe started hurting - badly. It almost felt like something was digging into my foot and I know I walked a bit more trying to figure out what was going on with it. Luckily, whatever it was, it went away after a mile or so. I turned on my Kogalla maybe 15 minutes before arriving at the aid station. I got in and out of this one even faster.

From here on out - it was going to be darkness (on unfamiliar trails) for the next 9-10 hours. I got into a pretty good groove. Hiking climbs, running flats & gradual uphills and downs. Even though the sun had set it was still incredibly warm and humid. I was drinking at least a 500 ml body bottle between every segment, sometimes more. I was using a half tablet of Nuun in each bottle and I was sweating profusely - so I assume I was hydrating well.

Although the course had seemed to be very confusing, it was really nice going in and out of the aid stations the same way - and in the earlier miles I actually got to see people occasionally.

Most of the race is already a blur. I liked that the longest stretch between aid was just over five miles. I got something small to eat at every aid station and consistently filled bottles. (Unlike the disaster of trying to use the front pockets of the Hardrock vest at Black Hills, the Adventure Vesta I got was amazing, and no issues).

Left the aid station after leg one of the second loop and ended up chatting with another runner, Hayden. He was using poles and I remember telling him that I wished I had brought mine as the climbs were definitely more challenging that I had expected. We ran together for a bit and he would lose me on the climbs and I would catch him on the downhills.

Keep on running... I remember finishing leg two of the second loop (so somewhere around the halfway point, thirty miles) and the two gals I had been neck and neck with after 5-10 miles were there too - which meant they were more than four miles behind me. That was a pretty great feeling. As I was leaving, a volunteer mentioned something about first place being a bit more than an hour ahead of me. Looking back, I think he confused me with one of the two other ladies. This segment had a small section of pavement after leaving the aid station so I pulled up the live tracking and it turns out that *I* was in first by over an hour. What?!

Hayden and I ran together a bit more of leg three, but at some point I moved on ahead and by the time I came in and out of the aid station it was obvious he wasn't going to be able to catch up to me.

I was pretty happy to be starting my last loop, but I was dreading the climbs in legs one and two that were definitely the toughest. For some reason I thought the 20 milers were starting at 6 am and I was just waiting for them to catch me. Arrived at the chapel aid station and was so happy to finally get ice in my bandanna and... AN OTTER POP. The sun started coming up on the second leg, which helped a bit, although obviously that mean the heat would be coming in.

I was definitely alone out there. This loop was "clearing the cobwebs" - literally. Every minute or two I'd walk through another one. Gross and frustrating. I came into the chapel aid station for the last time and was able to get another otter pop. (Volunteers told  me I was lucky to have gotten one because the 20 milers hadn't been through yet).

Leg three was when I really struggled. I hadn't gotten overly tired overnight, but I was "tired" of being on the trail. I had picked up two sticks but I think they might have actually been slowing me down a bit. I sat on a log and texted Ben to tell him I was going to nap. He very lovingly told me "the longer you are out there the longer it will take to finish." Ugh. Fine. I tossed down my sticks and headed out.

Honestly, I was actually feeling pretty good, I just wanted to be done. Came into the aid station for the last time before heading out for my last leg.

Photo cred: Norman Drabek

Photo cred: Norman Drabek

I debated leaving my pack there since I was just using bottles anyway, but decided to just leave it on. The climb out is probably one of the steeper ones and I was getting passed by the 20 mile runners. I took a random selfie of a turtle and then I did some run/walking to get through it.

REALLY happy to be done with this one - and pleased that I ended up with first female. (Incidentally, since this was an inaugural, I technically have the course record - well, for one year until someone beats it, haha).

Photo cred: Norman Drabek

Collected my buckle, "medal" and award. Walked to the car to get out of my shoes and my legs immediately reminded me that I had just done nearly 62 miles.

Stuck around at the finish for a bit having another otter pop and some pizza.

Official Time - 17:41:54
Garmin Time - 17:41:59
Garmin Distance - 61.75 miles
Elevation Gain - 8,264'
Garmin Pace - 17:12
Miles 1-5 - 15:44, 14:18, 12:31, 15:42, 13:29
Miles 6-10 - 16:12, 11:27, 15:41, 15:58, 15:21
Miles 11-15 - 17:08, 15:53, 16:05, 15:29, 17:28
Miles 16-20 - 13:48, 17:14, 17:28, 14:33, 16:16
Miles 21-25 - 17:46, 17:12, 15:10, 16:20, 18:49
Miles 26-30 - 19:10, 13:50, 17:01, 18:26, 17:33
Miles 31-35 - 20:23, 18:05, 16:43, 16:26, 17:28
Miles 36-40 - 18:42, 15:00, 22:51, 15:11, 15:50
Miles 41-45 - 17:54, 21:42, 17:30, 16:52, 18:18
Miles 46-50 - 16:57, 22:40, 13:32, 18:08, 20:28
Miles 51-55 - 20:06, 24:27, 24:09, 17:58, 19:00
Miles 56-61.75 - 21:31, 15:03, 15:59, 20:35, 15:37, 16:15, 15:35

Thoughts:

• For an inaugural event (or any event, really) - this was spectacular. The aid stations were perfect. Lots of variety, very helpful volunteers. I think they had Tailwind, but since I use Nuun I didn't pay attention to what the electrolyte drink was.
• Communication was great. I had a handful of questions that were answered pretty quickly through Facebook and we got a few emails in the week leading up to the race - including information regarding Strava segments & camping, etc.
• Course was marked AMAZINGLY. Unlike a few races I've done where I have no idea where I'm going, I rarely even had to pause to look for the next marking. Markings also had reflective tabs, which was very helpful.
• It was great having timing! There was a timing mat at each of the aid stations, so it was nice to know who was out.
• Buckle is nice, cool to also get a "medal" - and of course it is pretty amazing to get a sturdy "poster" that boasts about me being first (and only) female. I have to figure out where I'm going to hang that.
• I wouldn't run this again, but really only because of location. If this was a local race - sure, I'd do it again.