So for months and months you are training for this thing, and the next thing you know you are in Cape Town and the Ultra is a couple of days away.... then a day... then hours... then minutes... then seconds, eek!
Thursday:
If I were to advise anyone doing Two Oceans, it would be to get there a few days earlier and go to Expo early!! I arrived on Wed with a few friends and we went to the Expo on Thursday morning and it was busy, but not crazy... found all the right sizes, bought all sorts of random running things, and just enjoyed the atmosphere. We literally spent almost 4 hours there. NOT something wise the day before the Ultra, so even though we had to take a rest after, it was good to be relaxed and not too too worried about spending too much time on your feet. Expo was fab and because the rand is soooooo good right now compared to US dollar, which is linked to the dirham, it was incredibly cheap for us. Almost felt bad practically yelling, "OOMMMGGG, this is sooooooooo cheap!!" Because I know the locals around don't think so!! So stocked up on things like racefood (nutrition bar that is small and easy to digest and just yummy!) that we DO have in Dubai, but just a lot more expensive!!
Food: Was a bit... well, a LOT less nazi than I usually am.... well, pretty much the whole training. Just got sloppy and although was a kg or two heavier than I would have liked, somehow wasn't too bothered by it. So Wed had a burger for dinner (hehe, it is S. Africa afterall! But shows how relaxed I was), normal breakfast (not even carb heavy), and had pastas for lunch and dinner, but also a wee bit of protein, BUT nothing heavy. People kept on saying that THIS day was the most important for just... eating, eating, and eating as food will be processed by Sat vs. Friday it might be too close. So although it sounds silly, just tried to keep eating, but small stuff, like rice cakes, gluten free cookies, etc. Overall, enjoyed the Expo and got in the spirit:
Thursday was also prep day for the run, getting the outfit ready, analyzing the course, looking at pics of the medal and envisioning the finish line:
Yes, there are different medals depending on your time. So under 4 hours, under 5 hours, under 6 hours, and under 7 hours all get different medals!
Friday:
The Friendship run! As international runners we pay more, BUT we get a lot more. On Friday, they organize what is called a Friendship run, an easy breezy 5.6km jog/walk around the waterfront. Just an opportunity to shake the 'ol legs, meet other international runners, and get excited for the next day's big run. It was super fun and it was a lovely beautiful and gorgeous day. I just loved the views, the fresh air, and again, the lovely easy going atmosphere. We literally stopped every km or so and re-grouped, took pics, and just laughed and had fun!
Pre Friendship Run meet-up
Below: The start!
And we're off!
At the end, running BFF Kathryn and I!
Food: Did mostly carb heavy and again, tried to just snack and eat, eat, eat. This day really hardly did any protein or fats on purpose. DEFINITELY NO fiber for this day and even a day or two before!
Saturday: RACE DAY!!!!!
Weather predicted report: The whole week and even the day before and morning of, it was predicted to be rainy all morning and then windy AND get a bit cooler. Almost reminded me of Boston!
Run Outift: Pink'ish shorts that had a zipper in the back where I put 2 extra backup gels. My pink/purple'ish CEP Compression socks, my HOKA bondi shoes (yesss!), a Dubai Creek Striders vest (tank top), a race belt (that I bought at the expo and stuffed 3 racefoods in (which I never used, hmph), Hammer electrolyte capsules, 5 gels, and some jelly beans)), sunglasses (which came in handy!), and orange arm sleeves! That was a big debate but at outfit decision time, the weather was supposed to get cooler, it was going to rain, and be windy... and I didn't mind them during Boston marathon with similar conditions AND was happy overall with the outfit at the end.
Alarm: 3:20am
Breakfast of champions at 4am - gluten free rolled oats with water, chia seeds, almond butter, cranberries soaked overnight. Yes, I brought all of this although the hotel was super kind and had a 3:30am breakfast for us... just would rather be safe than sorry and had my own little routine.
4:30am: Meet fellow DCS in hotel lobby where we arranged a shuttle from the hotel to take us to the start area
5:00am: Eat a banana
5:00-6:30am: Go to the toilet a couple of times, try and hide from the rain, go to our corale (for me it was corale C (it got up to E. So 2O is gun time, so although the timing starts when the gun goes off, NOT when you cross the mat. A corale C placement is a marathon under 4 hours). Fortunately, Corale C was not too far behind from the start, I think just a couple of minutes). Tried to stay hydrated but not too much as then would have to go to pee. Could have done better with moving around instead of standing around and chit-chatting, but we were all doing that! So... there was a lot of standing around.
6:25-6:30am: Up till that point, I was feeling oddly relaxed. What to do now at that point? Excited yet nervous. Then they had a moment of silence for a race director that was called "Mr. Two Oceans" as he had sadly passed a month back. That kind of saddened the mood a bit. Then they did a traditional African song that picked up my emotions a bit and by the time they did the South African national anthem, I had to take a few deep breaths to hold back a bit from being teary! It's an emotional experience!!! THIS IS IT!!
6:30am: GUN GOES OFF, RACE BEGINS!!!!!
The run:
How to summarize it? Well, all these running Ultra things I had read said to make a plan and/or race strategy. As with the marathon, mine was to break it up in parts. It kind of varied a bit, but what I did is every 15km'ish, took a Hammer Endurolyte capsule to help (psychologically!) "prevent" muscle cramping. I would rather have a capsule (that has magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnase, and some other random electrolytes).Then was planning on taking a GU Roctane gel every 10km around 1/2 marathon marker. Basically it came out to doing something, no matter how minuscule, approx every 5-8-10 km, on top of 1/2 marathon point, full marathon point, etc. Little rewards to myself.
As you see, am fairly relaxed with my "hands up" waving approach! And the above pics were taken at different points of the course, but still smiling in all!
GU's/Gels: I think I took 4 total? Wanted to be proactive, so although felt fine at 21km, took one then, then at around 32km'ish, just after a hill, then after the marathon marker, 42km) then at 50km. Also just to prevent boredom, twice took a couple of jelly beans.... easy to chew and swallow while running and... just another "treat" to myself after reaching a point in the race.
Food: Had a 1/2 banana at 32km (in the tunnel at Chapman's Peak) and then a BarOne at 45.5km (which was a bit much and hardly could chew it all while running, ha ha. AND it came just with a hill so was also breathing hard from that!).
Pacing: Ahh... now the fun begins. Well, as had NO idea how this would go, considering my marathon time and how I run, it would be reasonable to expect and want to do around 5:30 (5 hours and 30 min). If I had a super dooper crazy awesome day, it could be 5:15, if I had an "meh" day or "off" day, was fairly confident I could do under 6 hours. So one of my awesome running buddies who ran it last year gave me this AMAZING chart that took into consideration the route and the 'top heavy' course (meaning that the 1st half was fairly easy, the 2nd half and more so after the 42km mark is when the race starts):
5:30 pacing strategy
Km - Avg pace - Time
5km - 5:34 - 27:51
10km - 5:22 - 54:39
15km - 5:25 - 1:21:46
20km - 5:29 - 1:49:10
21.1km - 5:32 - 1:55:19
25km - 5:54- 2:18:14
30km - 6:25 - 2:50:21
35km - 6:25- 3:22:28
40km- 5:50- 3:51:39
42.2km- 5:34- 4:03:54
45km - 6:25- 4:21:53
50km- 6:25- 4:54:00
56km- 6:00- 5:30km
Another strategy: Times your marathon time by 1:437 to get your overall goal time and then divide that by 56km to get your average pace. Basically, it was said that for the 1st 30km or so, your pace should be 10 seconds slower than your marathon pace, and then it obviously gets slower with the top heavy hills.
Actual splits:
Start: 2:53 (meaning I was 2:53 off from the start line)
Split 1 (28km): 2:37:07
Split 2 at marathon (42,2 km): 4:00:39
Split 3 (50km): 4:52:10
FINAL: 5:27:19!!!!!
Avg pace: 5:48 km/min
The key for me was to remember the overall time and more or less splits (I just thought around 5:30 avg pace) at the beginning as EVERYONE had warned us to NOT take it out too fast. Fortunately it takes me a loooooooong time to warm up so REALLY forced myself to slow down and keep that average pace, at least till the 1/2 marathon marker. Then really didn't look too much at my Garmin, BUT at the marathon marker when I saw I was at exactly 4 hours, it was a bit of a confidence booster as was totally on target for a 5:30pace. And as someone else said, at that point, even if I walked, I could get under 6 hours. But then again, if you are so close to your goal of 5:30, why not?
Hills:
The first 30km, more or less, are fairly flat. A smidge of inclines and declines here and there, but nothing even noticeable. So here I just enjoyed the people, the atmosphere, the FRESH air, felt fairly relaxed. THEN comes Chapman's Peak, MANY people talk, talk, talk about this as it is the first big hill, but for me, I REALLY enjoyed it! Felt super comfortable and strong on the hill and ran the whole way. As our legs are fairly still "fresh" at that point, most people seemed to run it. Befriended a runner that had run 13 of these (it's super cool how they write down the number of 2O ultras you have done and also which decade age wise you are in... that's another topic later!) and chatted with him a bit and he gave me little tips on the upcoming looong downhill and to "save the legs, don't go crazy there." Soo, Chapman's Peak has a gorgeous view and loved it! Then comes the downhill... it really was never ending. Although was trying to stay relaxed and be "light" on my feet, it really felt never ending and I was anxious for an uphill (even though that sounds crazy). I definitely could then feel my legs a bit more after that, but more or less still okay. After that is some mini hills, then as was forewarned, Constantia's neck after the marathon marker is when the race begins, this BIG o steep hill. Just before then I was starting to get a wee bit of a cramp on my left side under my rib and was trying to run and stretch it out, but then when the hill came and I saw sooooooooooooo many people walking around me, I thought, "I'm no hero, let me walk this and work out the cramp." Brilliant idea as kind of enjoyed the walk AND worked out the cramp. Didn't feel guilty about it whatsoever that I "should" be running as probably wouldn't go that much faster anyway! I think there was one more sharp'ish incline a couple of km after that that I walked, but mostly ran.
Camber's (slopes on the course):
Again, although had been warned about this, didn't realize how "bad" it really was. There were some parts of the course, even early on, that had camber's, I actually tried running in the middle to keep things even and then had quite a conundrum on which camber side to run on, the one that sloped down (or up) on the left or right. Have my recent sciatica and leg issue on the left, but my right is weaker. I guess favored the right a bit more, but it was tough to navigate, especially those last 10km AND at km marker 48 and 49km as the camber's were quite steep. I guess I can summarize as:
1st 1/3 of the race - ran in the middle (gentle camber's)
2nd 3rd of the race - ran a bit in these gutter-like things and on the side that looked less slopey (prob lost a lot of time going back and forth on times)
Last 3rd of race - when I could I ran off to the road a bit on gravel (near gutter), but I guess stayed on one side.
Also to note: Cat eyes in the middle of the lanes, they are those reflection things you see at night to divide the lanes. Quite big and unfortunately, saw many people fall over them :-(
Niggles/Dissociation: Although started off a bit stiff, especially on the left leg, nothing new there, it loosened up and generally felt fairly good the whole run... of course legs getting tired, but nothing unusual for running that distance. The last 10km started to get niggles, like twinges, in my peroneals (outside of my legs), more my right than my left, and this is because of those darn camber's. So with my new approach to cramps and niggles being disassociation, I told myself to relax and kind of wiggled my foot around and tried to NOT have my gait change (as I felt it was doing, especially those last km downhill, plop plop plop), and tried to focus on ANYTHING but these potential cramps (which felt 110% different than my Dubai marathon cramps, just felt ... twingy). Then did a tactic that my swimming friend does when he swims loooong swims, sings mundane songs in his head which he told me was "99 bottles of beer on the wall." Hahhaha. So I seriously did that! Was playing around with numbers and as soon as felt a twinge, 'sang' louder in my head. It actually worked! Thank gawd!
Last 10-15km: Again, when the race starts! First you get hit by the Constantia Neck and that BIG o hill, then it's the camber's, THEN it's just a lot of up and down... literally, there is even a mini hill at the 53-55km mark, really? Ran all this and it goes through this little forest area, so although a bit humid, was okay. So my Garmin initially was almost spot on with their markers, but then it was waaaay off. So the last couple of km are quite weavy and with these mini hills, that seem like BIG hills when you are tired, just kept coming! So I was totally unsure of where or when the finish was as couldn't see the finish line. Then we were still on the street and my watch was saying .5km to go and then I see the 55km marker, "what?" But then it seemed like .2 seconds later we enter the stadium and the crowds are there and we run on a grassy surface (which actually made me nervous) and then plodded my way to the finish and saw 5:27 on the big o clock and was soo happy! I wasn't even looking at my watch at that point, had stopped probably after the marathon marker, although during those last 15km I did hear people talking about how they were on course for 5:30, so just stuck to that! Funny as it sounds, felt MUCH better than after a marathon! I think it's just running overall at a slower pace, being relaxed, and NOT racing it. HURRAAAHHH!!!
Actual weather: The weather ended up being.... Cape Town weather, ever changing! Started off with some light rains (lining up and then starting). Then it became misty and humid for the first 10-15km. Then it was cloudy and got humid. Then it got sunny and dry, then cloudy, then pockets of kind of strong winds. Then sunny'ish. Then humid. When I was finishing it was getting more cloudy and a bit more windy. So it is NOT a lie when they say that Cape Town typically has 4 seasons in a day!!!!
Inspiration: What I found most inspiring about this Ultra run was the people. You really see all sorts of shapes and sizes. Everyone has a story, everyone has committed to this. BUT was even more inspiring is.... AGE! Yes! So on the bib numbers, under 40 years old had nothing, then there was a "40" if you were in that decade, 50, and 60. I was SHOCKED to observe that it seemed 70% and more were over 40 years old. Then I realized from my group of 15+ that ran this, I was literally the "youngest!" There was a LOT of 60 year old that had more than 20 or so Ultras ... and were running it then and there. Amazing!! The bibs had that decade year and also how many times you have done the Ultra. Soooo inspiring! Really, "if THEY can do it, really, you can do it" was what I was saying to myself. AND everyone was soo friendly, people were chatting to me, encouraged me "Looking strong Dubai" has had my Dubai shirt on. Soooo nice! From runners themselves AND spectators!
After I finished I saw this long line and found out it was the line to get our bags, booo! It was horrible! The line was foooooooooooooooooorever long and I literally had just finished, got my awesome medal, grabbed some water and a banana, and then 100 m later was in this line just standing forever! Fortunately made friends in the line and shared experiences about the run and ran into people I knew. I felt sooo happy!!! Ran into a friend that said finishing was super emotional for her and she couldn't stop crying. Really? She was actually jealous of me I was so happy and relaxed. I guess I felt like that after Boston, it's just an overwhelming experience Boston, but this one I just felt soo comfortable and honestly REALLY enjoyed it! So was smiling and happy! HOURS later (okay, probably 30-45 min), went to the International Tent where all my friends were there OR coming and it was such a FUN atmosphere congratulating each other, again sharing stories, and just being HAPPY it was done with!! WE DID IT!! WE ARE ULTRA RUNNERS!!!!!!!!!!!
Body and legs? Felt... okay! Of course stiff and achy, but 203948230948230948239048239 times better than a marathon as NOT overusing the same muscles over and over and over again, running hills is just amazing!!! Didn't feel any localized aches and pains, just general normal stiffness. Woo hooo!! So not only finished comfortably and relaxed, but also injury free! YAYYYYYYY!!!!!!! Could I have pushed it more as I was so relaxed? Yes, but why? What would be the difference in say 5:27 and 5:20? Glory rights? The key is I did it and the BIG hallmarks are say sub 5 hours or sub 6 hours. Being that I was smack in the middle, felt NO need or desire to kill myself so that's why I maintained a comfy and steady pace.
Da da dum, you can do 1 Ultra or 230948230948230948, so... I did ONE but am officially an ULTRA RUNNER!!!!! Despite some setbacks, definitely some lulls in training ("Is this EVER going to end? Am feeling tired of running"), and sacrificing on social life, it was all worth it and am proud of myself. It's one of those accomplishments where I was the one who ran, I did it. No one else! Yes, had lots of guidance and support, which I am immensely grateful for, but it was my legs and my brain (for the mental strength) that got me through it. The mental part is HUGE!!! Can't even say enough how important that is. If you give up mentally, you are done. No matter how hard you train. I think with these races that are new to me, new environment, people to watch, things to see, I thrive in that environment. I really do! I used that energy to carry me along. I was so relaxed during the run, was chatting with people, was looking at the beautiful scenery, and most especially was taking deep breaths of the magical CLEAN and CRISP and FRESH air! It sounds sooo stupid to go on and on and on about things like fresh air, but it REALLY invigorates me... especially after being in Dubai where that doesn't exist.
Overall, again, REALLY enjoyed it! It's a TOTALLY different race strategy than marathon running which is race strategy. Again, here was just totally relaxed and casual, enjoying the atmosphere, talking to people, listening on other conversations, sometimes joining others (S. Africans are SUPER friendly!), high-fiving spectators, just having fun! I know it's crazy to imagine having fun or enjoying an ultra marathon, but that is the mental part, and it's so so important! Although was worried my confidence because lost my game a bit with my ailments, thankfully the week before my confidence went up with feeling better (physically), focused on positive energy, and this re-charged my running mojo and had game face on for SMASHING IT (that's our group's motto for this year's run!) for the run.
I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM AN ULTRA RUNNER!
WOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
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