The Accidental Runner—My Journey to an Ultra Marathon (Race Day)

I went in a marathoner and came out an ultra trail runner…. I am humbled and forever changed ~Shelly L. Hess 

Race Day—Oriflamme 50k

No matter how many marathons I’ve ran, race day is always a little nerve racking and my anxiety that morning was 10-fold.  I set my alarm early and actually woke up 10 minutes before it was due to go off. There wasn’t time to hit the snooze button, I jumped out of bed and started my pre-race routine.  I fed the beagles (I have 3), ate my breakfast, got dressed, prepared my hydration pack with Tailwind, and checked my car at least three times to make sure I had everything I needed—shoes, socks, gaiters, Camel Bak, sunscreen, peanut butter packs, pretzels, salt packets, Cryoderm for my hip, and Kool-n-Fit for my calves. 

I left my house around 4:00 am as I had planned. During the hour drive from my house my mind wandered back to my first day of kindergarten.  I was a very shy and timid girl. I was afraid of the world, and going somewhere new by myself absolutely terrified me.  My sister walked me to class that first day and all I remember was running after her down the hallway crying and pleading with her not to leave me.  Reflecting back on that moment I was in awe of how far I’ve come.  I was also wishing my sister was with me because I felt that same sense of nervousness and fear of the new experience I was about to encounter.  I was worried about being out of my element, not fitting in, not being good enough to be there.  I was also nervous about the trail.  Under different circumstances I wouldn’t have started out the race with such a negative Nancy attitude, but I was mentally prepared for a DNF.  Physically I felt better and my knee and my hip seemed to be healed, but I knew there was a possibility the injury would rear its ugly head and I wouldn’t be able to finish. 

After the long drive up the winding hills to Julian, I finally got to the start line. There were a few other cars already parked when I arrived.  It was pitch black (what I like to call the dark dark…. nighttime without city lights and streetlights). Everyone was bundled up. One thing I’ve learned is you can’t choose the weather on race day.  A cold rainstorm had swept through San Diego County that weekend.  The cooler temperatures were welcomed. Even the rain before the race was nice because the sandy areas were a little more compacted than usual.  I just hoped the rain held off until later in the evening as predicted (fortunately Mother Nature was on our side and it did).

 I sprayed on sunscreen and took advantage of one last opportunity to pee before I went over to pick up my bib. I nervously told the crew who was checking us in that it was my first ultra and first trail run and then I asked them if they needed my ID,  I the fact that I was a newbie was apparent to them because they said they don’t check IDs, they trusted us.  It actually made perfect sense, who in their right mind would willingly run that kind of distance for someone else, plus it’s a really small tight-knit community where everyone knows your name. 

I put my race shirt and the adorable beanie they gave us in my car and lined up at the start with the other early starters.  I was pleasantly surprised and relieved when I saw a familiar face—Yen.  She was one of the pacers during the race where I got my marathon PR.  I don’t think she remembered me right away, as a pacer during the road races I’m sure she meets a lot of people.  To me it was like a celebrity sighting. I took advantage of the opportunity to let her know what an impact she had on me.  I immediately thanked her for helping me get my marathon PR during Surf City 2016. 

We all gathered around the start and waited a few minutes. Then John, the race director, said go and we and we were off.  I found my place towards the back of the pack behind Yen.  I was comfortable with her pace, I knew if I could stick with her I would have a strong chance of finishing.  She truly was my angel that day. 

We were well into the first mile before I realized I didn’t turn on my music. I don’t know if it was my excitement about seeing Yen and getting started or my nervousness about this new challenge I was taking on. My first ultra and my first trail race.  I’m still surprised I forgot to turn on my music. It’s my tradition to start every race listening to Cowboy Mouth’s song “Go.”  It’s comical, I had read a few articles where the authors recommended runners try running without music. The thought of it always seemed impossible to me before.  Something magical happened on the trail.  I quickly realized I didn’t need to hear the music; I just took in my surroundings. In fact I didn’t even turn on my iPod until mile 19 when we started the climb back up the hills (I’ll get back to this). 

Yen and I stayed together. We chatted off and on about different races, how nice the course was, and she gave me a little bit of insight of what to expect.  Around mile 5, I was following behind her and started admiring her gaiters.  As I was thinking to myself, so that’s how you put them on, I suddenly realized I had forgotten mine.  I was bummed. I did all of that research and finally found a pair that worked for me and I left them in the car.  I tried not to let it get me down.  I decided I would just deal with it. 

We ultimately made it to the first aid station.  Everyone was so friendly and helpful.  I was very grateful for their hospitality.  I didn’t need water; I still had Tailwind in my pack.  I ate a small piece of banana and we were off.  We started our descent down into Oriflamme Canyon.  I didn’t really realize how big the hill was while we were going down.   We were almost to the bottom of the first hill when the first of the elite runners passed us.  We cheered him on and he cheered back.  Everyone was very supportive as they ran ahead of us.  It felt familiar and safe, like being in the CrossFit community. 

Once we made our way down the first hill the course was flat for a short period of time. Then we started making our descent down the second hill, the one I had read about in so many blogs posted by other runners. No words or pictures can describe how intense it was.  While many runners were breezing by us and taking advantage of going downhill, Yen and I paced ourselves so we wouldn’t slip and fall.  I welcomed that strategy. I didn’t want to do anything to aggravate my knee or my hip. 

Once we reached the bottom we started running along the desert floor. It was sandy, but as I mentioned earlier, the bottom layer was pretty compacted from the rain.  Just as I was getting used to running in the sand out of nowhere I felt an excruciating pain on my leg near my ankle. I looked down and noticed a huge cactus ball aka jumping cholla had made its new residence on my leg.  I immediately panicked and tried to dislodge my new stowaway, but realized that wasn’t going to work because the spines were so sharp and painful. I was looking for something to help give me comfort so I could pull it off when Yen suggested she use her walking stick. At that point I didn’t care how she got it off as long as it was removed. She started swatting it and each time she did I felt it start to come off.  It was a mix of pain and relief as the barbed wire like spines were released from my skin. I am pretty tough and can endure a lot, but needles have a way of breaking me down!  I don’t even like to get a TB test for work.  I was a damsel in distress and started crying. Right about the time Yen had successfully removed the ball of spines from my leg two really handsome runners  (special thanks to my heroes #99 and #44).  stopped to assist.  Blood was gushing from my leg.  Yen pulled out a napkin before I was able to grab a Kleenex from my backpack.  Fortunately one of my other rescuers had tape.  He immediately started bandaging me up.  Once I was taken care of they started running again.  I regained my composure and pride, and then Yen and I started running again.  We were only at mile 12…. we still had a long way to go. 

We continued to make our way through the desert floor. Everyone at the aid stations was so friendly and supportive. Everyone was surprised I chose Oriflamme as my first 50k.  Most of the volunteers runners or race directors.  Yen introduced me to a lot of race directors that day. I left the race with a list of others to run. 

Yen and I made good time; happily we made it to the turn around before the cut off.  As we started to make our way back Yen warned me it would take us longer because of the incline.  I was very cautious was we crossed back through what I now call the trail of the evil needle bombs aka jumping chollas. 

Before I knew it we were at the base of the infamous hill. Words cannot describe the long and winding steep ascent out of Oriflamme Canyon and pictures don’t give it justice so I’ll talk about strategy.   As we started our way up I decided it was time for reinforcement and I took out my iPod.  Listening to music was like having good friends along the way cheering me on…. I was ecstatic to hear a new favorite, Eve Selis singing, “I still have a long way to go.”  Yen and I just kept moving up the hill at a nice steady pace, one foot in front of the other.  Every once in awhile I looked down, just long enough to try to capture the perfect picture.  I quit looking up because whenever I thought we were almost to the top, I realized it was like mirage in the desert—a façade just teasing, taunting, and challenging us. 

When we reached the top where we were greeted with a refreshing box of water bottles strategically placed there just in case we needed a boost until we reached the next aid station.  Yen was surprised there was so much water left. Runners weren’t drinking as much because it was so cool that day.

The trail flattened just for a brief period of time and then we were making the climb up the second hill.  It was much different from the first one, challenging in a different way.  We were greeted at the final aid station with hot soup and ginger ale.  Fortunately we made it there before the cut off and were allowed to continue to the finish.  We were ready to take on the last six miles of “rolling hills.”  Honestly, those last few miles seemed like the longest part of the race. Physically I was feeling fine, it just seemed like we were close to the road we needed to cross, but the trail led us in a long parallel direction.

After what seemed like eternity we finally crossed the road.  It was just a short mile to the finish.  As we were heading back I started looking for my BCBG hooded packable jacket that I had tucked away in a bush. I had read about that trick in another runner’s blog.  Even though I labeled it, I learned the hard way I should have brought a less attractive jacket that I didn’t care about. Despite my search efforts I did not find it.  (I even went back after the race to look for it.  I was sad and disappointed, but rationalized losing it by thinking whoever took it needed it more than I did. )

 

Crossing the finish line was monumental.  I had done it—I was officially an ultra marathoner.  I’m sure this has been said before, but my words sum up my experience from running the Oriflamme 50K:

I went in a marathoner and came out an ultra trail runner…. I am humbled and forever changed ~Shelly L. Hess 

The Accidental Runner—My Journey to an Ultra Marathon (Training, Healing, Learning...Repeat)

Training, Healing, Learning….Repeat!

Training

As I mentioned before, I am an accidental runner.  Although I had successfully finished 19 marathons when I decided to run an ultra and 20 before I took on the Oriflamme challenge, I had never really intended to be a runner or had any instruction how to run.  I told myself if I was going to be serious I needed to hire a running coach to help me work on my form.   I immediately started searching online for a coach. I found a few really highly recommended coaches in San Diego.  I was going to contact one of them, but something stopped me.  Every Wednesday evening during my CrossFit workouts I   I admired his patience with them and saw them gradually improving with each week.  I started thinking to myself why I am going to ask a stranger to work with me, when I had known and worked out with Paul for 7 years.  I admired and respected him, and not only was he held in high esteem by the CrossFit community, he himself was a triathlete. 

had been watching Paul, our coach and owner of the gym, work with a group of young athletes.

Nervously one night I told Paul about my goal and asked him if he was interested in working individually with me—not only to help me with my running form, but also help me work on my injuries.   I was anxious about asking him because I knew he worked with very skilled top performing athletes.   To my surprise he accepted the challenge.  I signed up for 5 sessions. Five sessions turned to ten sessions, which turned to 15 sessions….now I’ve lost count. 

Almost every Sunday morning since that night I’ve met with Paul for personal training sessions.    He has intuition and the patience of a saint.   True to CrossFit form, no two sessions have been the same. Paul tailors each one of my sessions to how I’m feeling and the goal for the day.  The only pattern I’ve noticed is after an intense warm-up when I feel like I am ready to die, Paul says to me “now we work out!”  As I reflect and think back I realize the sessions have been designed to help heal my injuries, increase my coordination and flexibility, strengthen my core, develop or I should say regain the strength I’ve lost during the time I’ve been healing, improve my running form, and increase my endurance and speed.  Paul helps me focus on conditioning my whole body.  After all, what’s the use of great tires if the engine won’t start?

Healing

Along with personal training sessions I started physical therapy to help address my injuries.  Hindsight is 20/20.  Looking back now I probably should have healed my injuries before I started training, but I am stubborn that way. I had set a goal and a developed timeline for myself, I was determined to give it my all and just and see what happened.

I tried getting help through my healthcare provider, but just didn’t feel I was getting the treatment I needed.  While I was waiting for my doctor to recommend physical therapy, I found Pluta Therapy through the recommendation of a friend.   Nataly and her team were a perfect match for my needs.  

About three weeks before the race I was really worried and ready to wave the white flag. Unfortunately, during a short 11-mile training run, my tendonitis flared up around mile 4.  I knew if I didn’t get better I would not finish Oriflamme, especially since hills were kryptonite for my tendonitis.  I shared my nervousness with Nataly and Katie and they put healing into overdrive.  Their holistic, full-body approach helped me heal.   

Learning

Oriflamme was not only my first ultra marathon, but also my first trail race. As a veteran marathoner I had road races dialed in. Not only did I have the perfect shoe, I knew my limits and what my body could handle. I knew how to estimate my finish time based on a worst-case scenario.

Although I was an avid hiker, trail racing was completely new to me.  I immediately went into geek mode and started doing my homework.  I researched everything there is to know about ultra marathons and trail running. I read every race blog I could find about the Oriflamme 50k and talked to friends who had ran it.  I read all of the reviews on trail shoes, GPS watches, gaiters, hydration packs, nutrition, and headlamps.  I joined a group on Facebook which virtually introduced me to veteran trail runners who not only provided invaluable information but also gave me tremendous inspiration. 

I learned a lot in a very short time. Some of the most valuable lessons I learned—trail runs are slower than road races, the recovery time is quicker, and every race is different.  I got a crash course in anatomy and physiology through my personal training and physical therapy sessions.  I also learned Tailwind is an absolute must, tart cherry juice works miracles on inflammation, no one shoe is right for every foot  (I went through three pairs before I found a good fit) and well, when you’re in nature and nature calls you become very intimate with a bush. I don’t know why that was a big surprise or where I got my sudden sense of modesty. For goodness sakes, I was raised in the back woods of Missouri.  I spent most of my childhood roaming off the trails through the forest by my house. 

Training—Hitting the Trails

In addition to my personal training sessions with Paul I incorporated a 30-mile run, and a few 20 mile trail runs.  I admit was a little nervous being a single woman running the trails alone.  I was worried about being on my own and the possibility of encountering a rattlesnake or a mountain lion.  Before one of my training runs I watched the episode of Six Feet Under where a man was running on a trail and got mauled by a cougar.  Of course, after I saw that I added “cougars” to long list of topics to learn about.   I was also worried about bumping into a shady human character. Once I started putting my fears into perspective I felt more comfortable.  On the road I always had to contend to the risk of the random drunk, distracted or texting driver.  Pepper spray in hand and all geared up, I let go of my anxieties and ran.  

I loved the trails, but the first two long runs gave me a swift kick in the booty!  I broke the cardinal rules of running by trying out new shoes. I had only tested them out on the road for a few short miles before I ventured out on my 20 milers.  I know people swear by zero drop shoes, but they were not a good match for my high arched feet.  I felt the sensation of every rock shoot all of the way up from my foot way through my legs. It felt like what I would imagine a bolt of lightning would feel like. The gaiters I had chosen weren’t much better.  Although I have learned to embrace my German legs (aka huge ankles and calves), I quickly discovered one size does not fit all.  The gaiters dug into my ankles.  I ended up taking them off around mile 7. Needless to say, I was completely battered when I got home from that run!  I fed my three beagles, crawled into bed without dinner for myself and slept until the next morning. 

Of course, I did not learn one single lesson from my first training trail run. I traded in my shoes and once again I  only broke them in during shorter runs on the road.  I set out on another trail run without trying out my shoes on the trails.  Although the experience was not quite as bad as the first one, it wasn’t very pleasant. To top it off, I ran out of water. Once again I wobbled home defeated, dehydrated, and sore. 

The third time is truly a charm!  I found success with a pair of men’s Hoka One One Challengers.  (I love saying One One, because just saying one once is not enough).  I also found a pair of gaiters that didn’t feel like they were going to cut my foot off and Garmin finally released the Fenix 3 HR. 

The Accidental Runner—My Journey to an Ultra Marathon (The Formative Years)

Walt Disney wrote,  “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

Walt’s projection became my reality two weeks ago when I accomplished one of the most challenging goals I’ve ever set for myself—I ran and finished my first ultra marathon—Oriflamme 50k!   As you read my story you will see how getting to the finish line began a long time before I even stepped my first foot across the start line of the race.

Going Way Back…..The Formative Years

If you follow my blog you’ve probably already heard pieces of this part of my story in this crazy world we call life. I’ll keep it brief, but it’s worth mentioning again because it helps illustrate how far I’ve come in regards to my athletic abilities. 

I never really intended or dreamt that I would be a runner, let alone an ultra marathoner.  I was far from being athletic as a child.  If I wasn’t playing school, baby dolls or Barbie dolls with my best friends Shannon and April, I was tucked away in my room reading a romance novel or outside rescuing the neighborhood stray dogs in my small rural farming hometown in Missouri. 

 I guess you can say I was somewhat of an awkward kid.  At school I was always the last one picked in gym class to have as a teammate. As embarrassing as it was, I don’t blame the team captains because inevitably I was always the first one out when we played kickball, softball, dodge ball, or pretty much any kind of game.  Last one picked, first one out, was my reality.

I didn’t have much more success when it came to running. I actually despised running as a child. In fact, to this day, I still have deep traumatic memories of running being a punishment.  It was something we had to do when our teacher was dissatisfied with our performance.  I dreaded those words “run a lap around the track” or “run a mile.”  Sometimes it felt like the teachers gained a deep sense of pleasure in the possibility that we would run until we hurled.

In junior high I joined track, but that was mostly because of a crush that I had on a cute boy.  I don’t really remember much from that experience, except running a short distance and feeling tortured and conflicted every minute of it.  As soon as I found my happy pace, mental negative talk always set in. This is something I still struggle with to this day. 

 In high school, when I had the choice I opted for dance (although I wasn’t very good at that either), but it satisfied the requirement.  In college I chose to transfer without an associate degree because I did not want to be bothered with a physical education course.  If my younger self could see me now, not only the distance I run would amaze her, but also by the fact I pay to do it. 

So you’re probably wondering how did I ever start running marathons and what made me decide to run an ultra marathon. 

Well, I actually started marathon training as a walker.   I wasn’t really interested in running, but I loved the mileage, the long walks and conversations with friends.   I walked my first marathon in 2006.  Then somehow in 2008 I became an accidental crossfitter (another story for a different time).  Running was incorporated into many of our workouts.  Before I knew it I wasn’t just walking marathons, I was running them. Of course, I was running at a slow place considered by most standards, but a tremendous triumph and improvement for me. 

Turning the Corner—My Decision to Train for An Ultra

I’m sure many ultra marathoners start out with that goal in mind. It wasn’t something that was on my bucket list. If anything I’m pretty sure it was on my f….et list.  

My thoughts changed early last fall.  In late September I started nervously thinking about the Long Beach marathon. It was the last race in my 4^th year of the Beach Cities Challenge.  Not running was not an option for me.  Not only was I determined to finish the series, I was also determined to maintain my Beach Cities Legacy status.  Unfortunately, a few weeks before the race I had three huge strikes against me. I had gone from a PR at Surf City 2015 (thanks to Yen and Jean for pacing me) to one of my worst marathon times in years at the OC marathon in May.  Work obligations completely threw off all of my training. I wasn’t putting in the miles and my CrossFit workouts were sporadic. When I was closing down the district office, I was missing the evening CrossFit classes and my weekend run, walk, crawl sessions.  I just didn’t have the energy or motivation to go to the 5:15 am class before work and by Saturday I was beat.    

Lack of exercise and training took its toll on my body.   I was feeling my age as injuries started creeping up.  A nagging knee injury had been lingering for about 9 months. If that wasn’t enough, I ended up with a rotator cuff injury.  The entire left side of my body was a mess—I woke up several times during the night in excruciating pain.  (I should mention in February tendonitis in my right hip was added to my list of injuries).

There I was completely unprepared and the third blow came—the weather forecasters were predicting a record-breaking heat wave topped off with humidity, like a cherry on top.

Under trained, injured, and extreme heat created the perfect storm for a race disaster.  I needed nothing short of a miracle to get me through the miles. In my desperation for inspiration I started browsing Amazon for a running book to read. I happened to come across ‘Ultra Marathon Man’ by Dean Karnazes. I read his book cover to cover (or whatever they call it on a Kindle).  His story resonated with me and touched me in so many ways. I smiled, I laughed and I cried as I read about his experience. When I finished reading the book I was refreshed, rejuvenated and hopeful. 

I had heard about ultra marathons before reading Dean’s book. In fact, I vividly remembered the conversation Jean and Darcy had about ultra marathons during the 2015 Surf City marathon.  I admired them, but thought  to myself “that is lovely ladies, have fun with that….I just hope I can make it to mile 26.2 with you.”  I finished the race about 30 seconds after Yen and completely forgot about ultra marathons. 

I suppose reading Dean’s book was just another nudge from the universe calling me to take on the challenge to go beyond 26.2 miles.    I decided as soon as I finished Long Beach I would get serious and start training for my first ultra. Baby-steps! I would start with a 50k in 2016 and then work my way up to a 50 miler in 2017.

I ran, walked, and mostly crawled the Long Beach marathon. It was 99 degrees when I finished the race.  I was even slower than I was during the OC marathon, but I didn’t care.  I didn’t have any intention of pushing myself and getting heatstroke during that race. I just had fun during the miles and took advantage of the opportunity to spread my smiles. I met a lot of first-time marathoners and gave them inspiration, I walked a few miles with some of the true legacy runners who gave me 30+ years of running wisdom, and I got to be an angel on the course when I gave the last bit of my Kool-n-Fit to a fire fighter who needed some pain relief.  I was also blessed got to run across the finish line with another legacy runner, Phil. It was one of the best and most memorable races ever!

Choosing the Race

After I finished Long Beach I started searching the ultra websites for a 50k.  I immediately fell in love with the Old West 50k. It was perfect and it was relatively close to my house.  I was really disappointed when I realized I had a conflict, I was going to be in Chicago for a conference that weekend.  My heart was set on an ultra in Julian, CA.  As I was searching for another race, I came across the Oriflamme 50k.  The course looked a lot more intense and intimidating, but I decided it was the race for me.