Big Chief 50k
What a course!!! It was beautiful….but it was a tough one. When reviewing the elevation map prior to the race, my biggest concern was the ~3 mile 1k’ climb at mile 26. That climb after you’ve already run a marathon feels like some sort of sadistic experiment from the course creators. My plan going into the race was to take the climbs pretty easy in the beginning so I could save some energy for that last climb and finish strong.
The race started with a big climb up the ski slope which I took super easy. I watched people run up that hill jockeying for position but I knew there was still a long race ahead and I would see a lot of them again. After that the first 10 miles or so were pretty easy fire road with some single track mixed in.
At the first aide station I refilled my water bottles….which were nearly full still….and then took off again. Right out of the aide station was a gnarly climb that I hadn’t even noticed on the elevation map. It was steep and I took it easy. The next 5 miles were all single track with another big climb coming at mile ~15. Again, I took that climb easy and there was an aide station right at the peak. Here is where I found my spirit fruit which would get me through the rest of this thing. Watermelon. A fruit from the gods. It was so refreshing…..that sweet and juicy watermelon. My mouth is watering now just thinking about it. Watermelon, a cup of coke and a water refill became the norm at the remainder of the aide stations.
Coming out of that I started to settle in and pick up my pace. The course from here was all single track but really technical. There were tons of rocks to watch and avoid. Ups and downs, twists and turns, steep then rolling…..the course had a little bit of everything. One of the most challenging parts to me was the shale. Literally lots of sharp jagged rocks loosely scattered across the trail. It was different than anything I’d ever run on before. Over the next 10 miles you really had to mentally focus on EVERY SINGLE STEP you took. That is exhausting in its own right! I must have tripped around 15 times but was always able to stay vertical…..I never hit the ground (I heard a number of racers weren’t so lucky). I loved it though, at around mile 18 I really hit my stride and picked up a steady pace. I started gaining position and passing people as I caught them.
This was a well groomed section of the shale….look just to the right at all of the little pieces for an idea of what the rest was like.
I knew the “marathon climb” would be coming up soon. I maintained my steady pace and continued to pass people that were feeling the pain of those late miles. When I got to the climb I was ready. I muscled my way up it still feeling good but it seemed like it went forever. There was an aide station near the top which gave me some much needed watermelon and soda……I had two cups of soda there. The volunteers said there was still another 500’ feet to climb. I knew that once we got to the top it was all downhill to the finish. Thankfully I was able to stick to the plan along the way and was ready. Coming out of the aide station I took off running while everyone else was walking up the hill. I power hiked up a really steep part and caught a couple more people. About a 1/4 mile or so from what I thought was the top I started running again while everyone else struggled up the steep mountain climb.
My guess was correct, I had made it to the top and felt really good still. At that point I turned it on. There were ~2 miles remaining and they were my fastest miles of the race…..granted they were downhill. I continued to pass a few more people and ultimately ended up finishing 39th overall and 8th place in my age group. I was really happy with that. After finishing, I half joking with my wife said I could do the race again right now…..in all honesty….I probably could have at that same pace. I felt good.
Looking back, I think I could have pushed a little harder earlier on and still had some left in the tank to finish. It was a fun race and I’m really happy that I was able to stick to my plan over the 31 miles.
The race was really well put together from the correspondence, the course markings and the volunteers……a job really well done! I was impressed. A special thank you to all of the volunteers out there. They make these races possible and keep everyone motivated to keep moving.
Now to the future…..I’m going to be stepping back from the rigid training that I’ve done over the past two years. I have been so consistent with my run schedule. The only thing that has gotten in the way has been a nagging injury here and there. This past week was the first full week I’ve taken off (not injury related) in those two years. It felt kinda nice but I will be getting going again starting tomorrow. For the rest of this year it will be more sporadic though. When I feel like running I will. I will probably keep a semi normal schedule because that is how my brain works but it won’t be rigid. If I only feel like running 2 miles then I’ll run 2 miles. If I only planned to go 10 but I feel good I may do 20. Who knows!!!! I’m excited for this next 5 months of letting my body do what it feels like. I will likely jump into a more regimented plan in the beginning of 2022 as I ramp up for some races I have in mind. Until then I am shifting focus to a couple other areas of my life that I want to improve. The ultimate goal is to become a better, more rounded and capable human that can provide benefits for my family. I’m in the best shape of my life and I intend to stay that way.
Run a trail…..be happy!
