2019 Eagle Up 24

A 24 Hour Fun Run

 

Eagle Up 24 is only four weeks after Dawn to Dusk to Dawn 50K and just a week after my IHM 5K Nun Run. I'm going into the race without being fully recovered and with low or no expectations. I do want to run a minimum of six laps which would give me 30 miles so I can count it as an ultra, and hopefully run as many as 50 miles before I stop. If I decide to stop after 6 full laps, I will do the extra out and back for a full 50K.

The trip down went smoothly though I was very close to an empty gas tank when I arrived in Canal Fulton and found a gas station to fill up. After picking up my packet, I texted my friend Susan to let her know I was there. After we connected, we waited for another friend, Laura, to arrive for dinner together. We took advantage of the pre-race pasta dinner at the restaurant next to packet pickup which simplified the plans. After dinner it was back to the hotel and a restless night's sleep. It's a good thing I was waking up every hour or so and finally decided to get up and get ready at 4:15 AM, because I never got my 4:30 AM wake up call. That's too early for breakfast at the hotel, but fortunately the same place where I got gas on Friday is apparently open all night because I was able to get a pastry and coffee there in the morning. By the time I got to the race tent city (camping was allowed Friday night as well as Saturday night), Susan and Todd were up and getting ready. Todd would hold down the fort while Susan and I ran.

After pre-race announcements and singing the national anthem, the start was a low key event. I think many of us must have been half asleep with the 6:00 AM start. With around 500 runners between solo runners and relay teams, it took 35 seconds to get across the starting mat. Susan and I were planning very different paces so I made no attempt to run the first lap with her. Hopefully we'd be able to run or walk a lap together later when we've both slowed down from our initial paces. I started at run 2:00, walk 1:00, more conservatively than my usual run 3:00, walk 1:00, but this was more about staying on the course as long as possible. I held that through 4 laps or 20 miles before switching to run 2:00, walk 2:00, then run 1:00, walk 1:00 on lap 5. While not official splits, my Garmin splits should adequately reflect that I was keeping a reasonably consistent pace: Lap 1 - 1:07:39 Lap 2 - 1:08:01 Lap 3 - 1:10:37 Lap 4 - 1:11:52 Some of the slowdown on laps 2 and 3 were due to the time I needed at the aid station to find what I wanted, then walking while I ate and drank. Lap 5 - 1:20:58 Lap 6 - 1:32:20 I should have taken a break after lap 4 or 5, but I wanted to push through 6 laps to have the minimum distance to call this an ultra. I walked the entire 6th lap and my legs were really tired even before the end. I had no real choice about taking a long break then.

I had just finished my 6th lap when I saw Susan and Laura near the aid station. Laura had recently arrived and was getting ready to walk a lap with Susan. Unfortunately there was no way I could accompany them, so I missed walking with Laura. She was up for only one 5 mile lap. I took a long break then while they walked, then joined Susan for a lap while Laura called it a day. In the time it had taken Susan and Laura to walk a lap, I made a good recovery. Susan said we were walking sub-16:00 miles and I didn't feel like I was pushing the pace at all. Susan wanted to make some changes after that lap, so I continued on my own at a slightly slower pace, taking Susan's advice to heart. I finished that making sure to cross the mat so the lap would be recorded, then took another break. Lap 7 - 3:17:27 which includes the time I was resting Lap 8 - 1:26:08 When you look at lap 8 versus lap 6, you can understand why I think I should have taken my first break earlier. This time I got out my sleeping bag and stretched out for a long nap. I didn't really get any sleep, the the rest was needed. When I finally got up from my nap, I was stiff and a little sore. Walking over to the men's rest room, then over to the aid station didn't help at all, so I decided that was enough.

Even after getting something to eat, I didn't feel great so I stopped at the first aid tent to get an assessment. Everything was within reason given I had run 40 miles, but of course they picked up on some of the cardiac issues I've had, so they called the EMTs to evaluate me. They didn't find anything I wasn't already aware of and had been cleared by my cardiologists, so I signed a form that I had refused transportation to the ER. By this time I was finally feeling find. Of course this was where Susan and Todd found me since I wasn't at the campsite. Susan was about finished also and had only the out and back to complete 100K. Once that was done Todd insisted we sit and rest while he broke camp.

Since we finished early I was in bed by midnight and got a good night's sleep. While stiff and sore the next morning, I could still walk up and down stairs, so it wasn't too bad. I had the day to relax since I wasn't driving home until Monday. On reflection I realized that I should have taken my first break after 25 miles, or even after 20 miles, trusting that I wouldn't tighten up too much. There was no reason for me to tighten up at that point because I was still moving well. I think a half hour break, then another lap, maybe two, then another break, and I could go a lot farther following that pattern. Also I think I had a good handle on hydration and eating. Once again I had no problems with my hands getting stiff, swelling and getting puffy, all indications of improper hydration and electrolyte imbalance. The Sun and heat were not factors, so Endless Summer 6-Hour and Lean Horse 30M will be good testing grounds for how well acclimated to heat I am and whether I can make the necessary adaptations under those conditions. I am gaining confidence that I can finally put together a good race at North Coast 24.