On Saturday night, I drove an hour to Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet, Texas for the last event in Tejas Trails’ Capt'n Karl's Night Series Challenge. It’s the only one of this summer series that I took part in, though I’ll admit something about this set of races appeals to me…runners that take part in all four at the 60km distance earn a belt buckle for their efforts. Maybe another year. For now, I have other A race goals.
Can I just say, that although I really don’t like wearing race bibs at all, that Tejas Trails does a fantastic job at 1) keeping their bibs on the small side, and 2) making them super fun and attractive. So pretty!
And speaking of pretty, Reveille Peak Ranch was gorgeous—what I could see of it in the light, anyway! Here’s a picture from the race hub, pre-start-line:
My race was a 20k—two identical 10k laps—run almost completely in the dark. The start line was at 8:30, half an hour after sunset. I turned my headlamp on just a minute to two after the gun, and only got to see these views on instagram. Though I did imagine their beauty while running over those rock formations throughout the night . . . cruel to know the view exists? Not sure. I do know that I did sign up for a night race, though, and that this specific experience benefits me in other ways.
If you want to know more about “why a night race,” scroll on down to the last page break, and skip this next section on race strategy and details.
Last week, in addition to approaching my upcoming race with trust in the process, I also discussed race strategy with my coach in my training log on Friday:
Kim: I'm wondering if I can experiment with negative splits for this one. It's two identical laps...and lately I've felt that it's *really* hard to hang back at the start line...so maybe I practice hanging back and settling into my own pace, with the goal of increasing as my body warms up and the miles tick by?
Jenny: Yesss let's use this race to practice that and see how it feels!! Do this by setting out at mod effort (not hard) and setting into a "run strong all day" kind of effort. Then in the second lap really lean in and at every opportunity think about giving it a push!
In this race, a negative split would mean that I run the second lap faster than my first lap. I figured that since I knew I’d need to respect any healing that my body still needed to do, that keeping it chill at the start line would also help me to *notice* what my body needed, and to give myself a chance to ease into race mode. (Knowing that if I wasn’t able to turn the pace up on the second lap, that was okay too—I can absolutely celebrate a finish—not every race needs to be my best effort!)
So when I took my place in the starting chute, I picked a position about half-way back. I didn’t want to get carried away with the front runners, but I also didn’t want to spend the first mile of my race saying, “excuse me/pardon me/hey there, on your left” because I was stuck in the back if we hit the single track trail before I could oochie my way into an appropriate-for-me-pace.
And for the most part, it worked!
Spoiler alert—I *did* achieve my goal of negative splits!
This is not to say that my race was without issues. For example, I would have loved to have run an even stronger second lap than I did. I do wonder where else I could have shaved time off—perhaps even in the last couple miles of the first lap?
I also really struggled with nutrition in the second half. For the first lap, I followed my fueling plan exactly: one 100 calorie gel every twenty minutes, and one 200 calorie flask of Gatorade to be sipped throughout that first lap. When I crossed the timing mat at the 10k mark, I ran directly to my drop bag, replaced the flask with a fresh one, and grabbed three more gels for the second lap. The plan for lap two: exactly the same. Trouble was, when the next twenty minute timer sounded on my watch I felt like my mouth was coated with an uncomfortable sugary residue, so I gave myself a pass for that one, sipped clear water instead, and got back on track with the next one. That time, I paused to walk while I took the gel, which helped me to focus on getting it down, and I made sure I ingested the gel which had the highest caffeine content too. By the finish line, it turns out that I failed to take my third gel as well, and only got down half of the 200 calorie Gatorade flask. Not a HUGE deal for a 20k, but not great practice for longer races in my future either. I also experienced minor cramping in my calves in the second lap, so that’s a good sign that I still need to iron out kinks in race-day nutrition and hydration.
Another hiccup that wasn’t fun to deal with: by the third mile of the race, I noticed a burning under my arms where my bare upper arms were brushing against my tank seam below my arms. By the time I reached my drop bag after mile six, it was painful and raw. Although it wouldn’t do anything to soothe it, I slathered on a generous amount of Squirrel's Nut Butter from my drop bag to protect the sites from future chafing. Throughout the second lap when the areas under my arms burned, I reminded myself that they at least weren’t getting any worse. For me this is a common chafing site, especially in humid conditions, so I probably should have applied the anti-chafe BEFORE the start line!
Despite these rough patches, I felt the overall strategy worked really well. It’s been several races since I’ve been able to run a stronger second half than first half, and honestly, I just love the way it feels. There’s nothing wrong with running faster in the beginning and slowing down as needed to finish—in fact, many races are won this way—it’s just that for me, this is how I feel my best. I think that it’s how my mind and body both work: I get the first half to settle in and find my flow, then in the second half I start focusing on reeling in the runners in front of me, one at a time. And with a lapped course like this one, I know exactly what terrain and distance is ahead, and can better gauge what I can afford to spend as I do that.
More on night racing:
Not only is night racing one of the only ways to comfortably race in the Texas summer months, but it’s an opportunity to safely hone my running-in-the-dark-over-unknown-terrain skills. My A race this year will take me over 24 hours to complete, which means I have to be prepared to cover A LOT of miles after the sun goes down. So far, so good—it’s a careful balance of speed and caution to run trails in the dark. If I could have a dollar for each time I heard a runner trip, roll an ankle, or kick a rock out there…not for the faint of heart. On this note, my new headlamp worked great! I honestly never fiddled with it, and didn’t even take it off immediately after I crossed the finish line—a sure sign that I didn’t find it uncomfortable or cumbersome at all!
One of my biggest concerns about taking on a 100 miler next year is that I’m just not sure how I’ll do with the sleep deprivation! Although finishing a 20k at around 11pm isn’t the same as running *through* the night, I do still get to experience sleep deprivation. Those gels that I took—the ones with caffeine in them? Yeah, they made sure that I wasn't able to hit the hay the minute I got home. I also don’t typically sleep well after evening exercise, and I never experience restful or solid sleep the night following a race. So even though I was home by 1:00 am, I was still hyped, and used the time unpacking and cleaning my gear, eating some, and writing up my race report to my coach while it was still fresh on my mind. Then I laid down in the dark and stared at the ceiling before finally falling to sleep sometime after 4:00am . . . and though I was groggy when I woke up and started my Sunday, I had the energy I needed when I needed it. So as crazy as it sounds to stay up all night, I think that these night race experiences teach me that when it’s time, I’ll be able to do it.
It’s the recovery process the next week that may kill me.
Thank goodness for Sunday afternoon naps. And Monday morning naps. And Monday afternoon naps. And Tuesday sleep-ins.
Oh my goodness, hopefully I make up this deficit sooner rather than later!
L and I watched a horror movie a couple nights ago and I tried to get her to go flashlight hiking in the woods afterwards but she wasn’t having it. 🔦 🌳
Which 100 miler are you doing??