The Plan

The ultra is now three days away. John Pearch, the race director, has sent out the aid station mileage as well as a finalized course. I thought that I would share my plan with you all. You can check out the course map here and the aid station mileage here.

The race starts Saturday morning at 6 in the morning, which is basically first light. Therefore I will be driving up Friday afternoon and camping at what is essentially the start line—Margaret McKenny Campground. My folks asked why it was that I wasn’t staying in a hotel room. The simple answer is that I don’t think I am going to sleep well Friday night, so it makes little sense to spring for a bed and shower.

As for the race strategy itself, the course is 50 miles long, and there are three main sections. The first is the initial climb to the summit of Capital Peak, followed by a small loop where you lose elevation, and then a .8 mile, straight climb back to the summit. Aid station #4 marks the end of this first section which is just shy of 20 miles. This is also the big work of the run. The next section is out and halfway back a long ridgeline comprising about 15 miles. The last fifteen miles section starts with a drop down for about seven miles to aid station #8, climbs back a small hill for a few miles to the last water point, and then out to the finish line.

These sections are, to a degree, my arbitrary designations. There are nine aid stations in total which will offer things like energy gels, solid food, salt pills, water, and even soda. The flat sugar water can be a real pick-me-up when things are going poorly. We are provided with the opportunity to also have a bag of supplies dropped at nearly all of the stations as well. My plan is to have one bag at Wedekind, which is both aid station #5 and #7 (miles 24 and 35). This will give me the chance twice to fix any problems I might have.

As for the bag itself, it will have the following things: change of socks, dry shoes, dry shirt, Body Glide (which is an anti-chafing substance), electrolyte drinks, and Gu. Although the day is supposed to be dry, if the trail is really muddy, I am going to want to have the option of changing socks and shoes to prevent blisters. As well, I plan on carrying some Perpetuum with me, but I will want to refill it twice.

As for pacing, I plan on taking things pretty easy for the first twenty miles. I am looking to be moving at around a 9:45 mile. This includes walking sections of uphill including the steep “Grunt” section. This puts me at A4 (19.7mi) around 9:15. I hope to be at A5 by 10am which is just shy 24 miles into the race. Here I plan on taking a brief respite to take stock of things: hamstrings, electrolytes, hydration, energy level. The goal is to be out of the aid station by 10:10. I recognize that the next eleven is going to be the toughest. My focus is to stay consistent and relaxed. If I can be back to A5, which is also A7, by 12:15pm, I will be doing well. This leaves the last 14.7 miles back to the finish. To meet my goal of 9 hours, I will need to maintain a pace of about less than 11:15 per mile, which is very doable. A 10 minute mile will get me done in about 8 hours and 40 minutes.

Lastly my plan includes staying flexible and staying attentive. Unlike my previous marathons where I had splits per mile and strove to hit them precisely (which I did usually within 15 seconds), this will be a very different animal. Paying attention to and responding to all the little details will be paramount. My biggest concern is going too hard early and flaming out. Not hitting target times is going to be ok, particularly in the small scale. In the end, it is all about pacing and staying focused on the big picture.