After my first ultra, I had a reckoning. I decided I never wanted to run another one of these things without being in the best shape I could possibly be in. Even then, I knew it wasn't going to be an easy race. None of these things are. So for many months leading up to Lake Hodges, I went to work. At the time that meant a LOT of rowing on the Concept2 and a lot of running. No lifting yet, and that detail matters later. But I got my VO2 max up into the mid 50s, which is exceptionally good for me, and my weight down to 168, which is quite low for me. Finally, I was in shape.
Pre-Game Nonsense
Of course, I couldn't just cruise into race day clean. About three or four weeks out, I went on a guys trip. And one of the things we do on guys trips is let ourselves go a little bit. Alcohol, poor sleep, not great food. Before that trip I had gone months without any alcohol at all, which was incredible. But the trip put a little chink in the armor, and here's the honest part: I discovered that Cutwater drinks are so incredibly delicious that I kept having them here and there even after I got back. Was I still in really good shape for the race? Yes. But looking back, that's one of my small regrets. The path into race day was shakier than it needed to be, and I did it to myself.
The First Six Miles & "The Spill"
Justin and I drove out separately this time. I can't remember exactly why, I think he had somewhere to be right afterwards. We met up, got our stuff together, made the race brief as we always do, and we were off.
And I will tell you, the first 6 miles of this race? Easy peezy. I felt REALLY good. My heart rate was totally under control, we were moving at a good clip, knocking the miles back quickly, and I remember thinking, maybe the whole race is going to feel like this. It helped that the early morning was crisp, cool, PERFECT running weather.
That was not to last. Any of it.
Around mile 6 and a half, I caught my toe. It happens in trail running. I took my eye off the ball for one second, caught a toe, and went head over heels down the trail. Full tumble, downhill, just missing a cactus on one side of me and just missing the edge of a drop on the other. And somehow I got up completely unscathed. A couple of scrapes on the palm of my hand and that was it. A gift, honestly. But it was an unsettling way to finish the first fifth of the race.
The Flats & The Increasing Heat
Deeper into the race, around mile 18, I was still cruising and doing fantastic. But by about 10:00 AM the heat kicked up, and we could FEEL it. And this is where I made my first real mistake of the day.
At one of the aid stations, I loaded up with full-concentration Tailwind, thinking I was staying ahead on sodium, electrolytes, calories, all of it. Looking back, I think it was one of the worst decisions I made out there. What my body actually needed at that moment was a huge amount of plain water. That one call changed how I think about hydration entirely. Your body's needs are not fixed. They change as conditions change, and the strategy has to change with them. Lesson logged, the hard way.
The Heat & A Sore Tooshie
Around mile 26 there's a climb you have to go back over, the second pass of the day. And honestly, it's nothing severe. Pretty mellow. But here's where it all stacked up: the heat, the botched hydration at that aid stop, and the fact that I hadn't properly strength trained. Remember, all that training was rowing and running, no lifting. The bill came due in the form of a really tight high hamstring, right at the very bottom of the cheek where the hamstring ties into the glute at the sit bone. The “lower right tooshie”, technically speaking.
At that point I sent Justin ahead, got myself down to the bottom of that hill around mile 27, and the last 5 miles of this race were pure walking.
Here's the thing I noticed though. It wasn't just me. Just about EVERYONE was walking out there. And honestly, that made me feel a little better. It wasn't me doing something dumb. It just got hot.
The Finish
Here's the cool part. I finished in 5:50:01, and I really, really wanted to break six hours. Mission accomplished.
Now, granted, my first ultra was The Peak, and The Peak was something else, a genuine ass kicker with way more vertical than this course. But still: 5:50 at Lake Hodges is about 3 hours and 13 minutes faster than my first 50K. That's what months of real training buys you, even with a few Cutwaters along the way.
More than anything, this race got me EXCITED. Excited about doing more of these. I can't believe how long it's been since I've done one, but the next one is coming, and I can't wait. What a great race.