50 Miler
(click on Tussey Mountain title for link to website)
A week ago I went up a mountain....10 hours later came down... this is that report
HR: Avg 155 Max 184
Leg 1: Start: 7:00am
Leg #1: Three Bridges, One Leg-Breaker
Mileage/degree of difficulty: 3.2 miles; difficult
Topography: Mostly gently climbing, with some steep ascents.
Projected time: 7:35am Total miles 3
Actual Time: Time: 7:33 am
Foggy and cold (46 degrees) at start. I was bundled up w/hat, gloves, jacket. I purposely lined up in back, no hurry, going to be a long day. As I looked around I noticed that no matter what happens today, I was here and I was attempting something that wouldn't have been possible three years ago, and I was excited. Bring it on! Then we were off. Of course, no matter how slow you intend to go, you never go that slow and so that and a combination of having to scale Mount Everest, I instantly was lacking oxygen and was wondering what the heck I got myself into... it was not even three miles in the race with 47 to go and I want to lay down and die. By mile 2, I had to take off the jacket, gloves, arm warmers and hat and was waiting to pitch them at the aid station drop off bag.
I did run the ENTIRE way up.. some people started to walk but I thought if I walked already that may screw me up mentally so I ran, and cursed, this is really messed up. The first place girl stopped at the first aid station to change out of her gear and I passed her.. for 1/10th of a second I was ahead of her...
Mile 1) 9.55 (up)
Mile 2) 11.08 (up)
Mile 3) 11.25 (up)
Break: 1 min (put gear in bag – hat, coat, arm warmers). This segment took 32mins to run with a 1 min break = 33.00
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Leg 2:
Leg #2: Down to the Swamp
Mileage/degree of difficulty: 4.0 miles; easy
Topography: Downhill to level; gravel.
Projected time: 8:15-8:21am Total miles 7
Actual Time: Time: 8:08 am
YIPEE, LOVE THE DOWNHILLS, I came out of transition and just floored it, knowing I was heading down and went down FAST, WAY to fast. I was THANKING GOD for the down hill, but knew I should not be running this hard. But I am such a child, my quads were screaming but I felt phenomenal and I couldn’t stop. I came into the next aid station happy and thrilled to see candy corn, grabbed a couple pieces and headed back out, 7 miles done. Sure ok I should be thinking ok, still like 43 to go but nope I was just like 7 down lets keep it coming.....
Mile 4) 9.25 (down)
Mile 5) 8.40 (down)
Mile 6) 8.42 (down)
Mile 7) 9.01 (down)
Break: 1 min (candy corn). This segment took 35 mins to run with 1 min break = 36.00
Leg 3:
Leg #3: Race to the Beach
Mileage/degree of difficulty: 3.8 miles; easy
Topography: Fairly flat; gravel and then finishes on paved road.
Projected time: 8:55-9:07am Total miles 11
Actual Time: Time: 8:48 am
SCREAMING, this next section kept the downhills coming but offered some rollers which I loved because I had enough momentum from the down to get up and over them with little effort, can’t believe I am up to mile 11 already. Doing a happy dance, I am clearing these miles and feeling good, now this is what I am talking about. At aid station #3, had half bottle of perpetium and stretched, and ate candy corn!
Mile 8) 9.04 (down)
Mile 9) 9.15 (down)
Mile 10) 9.30 (down)
Mile 11) 10.00 (up)
Break: 3 min (sat, drank half bottle perpetium, refilled heed and water bottle, stretched). This segment took 37.50 mins to run with 3 min break = 40.50
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Leg 4: 
Leg #4: Three Up, Three Down
Mileage/degree of difficulty: 6.2 miles; difficult
Topography: Gently rolling, with several long hills.
Projected time: 10:05-10:27am Total miles 17.2
Actual Time: Time: 9:55 am
HELL. Ok so you can WIPE that smile right off my face. I had foolishly used up my quads on the last two screaming down hills and rollers and now I was expected to run UPHILL, ridiculous..yeah a mile up hill WTF!
The hills were as bad as they looked. Yeah some twisted sole forged this road to the heaven, I had to walk some, ... you want me to die.. ! OH YEAH. I ran with another Ironman for a bit, he had never done a 50 miler either. Walk breaks are GOOD.
I noticed however, that Ironman was being stubborn and not stopping at the aid stations.. I stopped.. I aint a fool... and I still managed to catch back up to him. Take note of this because I will pass this man at mile 30 and never look back. There is something to be said about taking those couple minutes as a break.
I HATE HILLS…just for the record.... then I realized HEY.. I am at mile 17, cool and my time is good! At the aid station more candy corn and refill water bottle.
At the aid stations when you came in they would call out your number, I was number 38 and then yell ULTRA.. and then everyone would turn and clap and yell encouragement. Was kinda REALLY embarrassing. They would then write down my time for that segment (good way to keep people honest)...later on they would ask you random questions I am assuming to see if you are still with us.. like whats your name, I dont know...
Mile 12) 9.55 (down)
Mile 13) 10.55 (up)
Mile 14) 10.28 (flat)
Mile 15) 12.15 (up)
Mile 16) 13.48 (up)
Mile 17) 10.26 (Down then up)
Break: 1 min (candy corn, refill water bottle). This segment took 1 hr 6 mins to run with 1 min break = 1.07.00
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Leg 5:
Leg #5: The Breeze
Mileage/degree of difficulty: 3.4 miles; easy
Topography: All downhill or flat.
Projected finish: 10:45-11:07am Total miles 20.6
Actual Time: Around 10:28am counting breaks
GRATEFUL, very nice and grateful for the down hill, my body had no problem adjusting to going back down hills, I was so happy to be able to run full tilt again, especially getting towards mile 20. One of the forethoughts in my mind was.. least I got my 20 mile training run in. And I still felt good. Amazing, my Ironman buddy was still a little ahead of me and again went through the aid station without stopping, fool.
I stopped at aid station 5 to drink my perpetium, eat some candy corn and go potty, and to stretch. So perhaps took 4 minutes at this station but it was needed. Nice folks let me jump ahead at potty so I didn’t have to lose more time. Very cool. And YEAH I caught up to the Ironman again..
Mile 18) 9.35 (down)
Mile 19) 9.35 (down)
Mile 20) 10.08 (down)
Break: 4 min (sat, half bottle perpetium, refilled heed and water bottle, stretched, potty). This segment took 29 mins to run with 4 min break = 33.00
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Leg 6:
Leg #6: Made in the Shade
Mileage/degree of difficulty:5.3 miles; moderate to difficult
Topography: Gently rolling with some moderate climbs.
Projected finish: 11:45am-12:21pm Total miles 25.9
*Need to arrive by 1:00 for cut off
Actual Time: Around 11:29am counting breaks
UGH, SPIT. So I made the cut of by a lot of extra time but this was just a really nasty section, what is that??? 5 miles up hill??.. WTF!!!!!! walk, run, walk run, give me a freaking rope… CRAZY STUFF...I stopped at the aid station to get candy corn and didn’t stay long, maybe a minute or less. WALKING is the best thing in the world!
Mile 21) 10.07 (flat)
Mile 22) 11.30 (up)
Mile 23) 11.50 (up)
Mile 24) 12.43 (up)
Mile 25) 15.38 (up)
Break: 2 min (sat, candy corn, stretch refill bottle). This segment took 1 hr 1 min to run with 2 min break = 1.01.00
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Leg 7:
Leg #7: Miles from Nowhere
Mileage/degree of difficulty:4.9 miles; moderate.
Topography: Uphill, flat, then gently rolling.
Projected finish: 12:40-1:23pm Total miles 30.8
Actual Time: Around 12:32pm counting breaks
YOUR KIDDING RIGHT!?? Do you think the uphills could stop now… COME ON GIVE ME A BREAK... I mean how is it still possible to be going up!!! Temp was now in the high 50’s, low 60’s, still nice. I don’t know what to say but I was soo happy to get to mile 30 and still be in one piece, all I could think of was what Joe said about getting to at least 30 miles and then every mile after was extra.
I stopped for about 4 minutes at aid station for perpetium and candy corn.. this is the longest I have ever run in my life and my legs were still on and I only had 20 miles to go!!! YAHOOO…. EASY STUFF... HA… right when I crested the hill and headed down I not only passed the Ironman, I passed three other guys, something to be said about efficiently burning fat! I am a rocket!
Mile 26) 12.54 (up)
Mile 27) 15.30 (up)
Mile 28) 10.58 (down/up)
Mile 29) 10.51 (down/up)
Mile 30) 10.31 (down)
Break: 4 min (sat, half bottle perpetium, refilled heed and water bottle, stretched). This segment took 59 mins to run with 4 min break = 1.03.00
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Leg 8:
Leg #8: A Flash of Civilization
Mileage/degree of difficulty:2.8 miles; easy.
Topography: Mostly flat, then gently rolling.
Projected finish: 1:10-2:00pm Total miles 33.6
Actual Time: Around 1:07pm counting breaks
KEEP IT COMING, the down hill and rollers kept a coming. I felt like a butterfly… I pretended I was one I put my arms out to stretch them.. I AM A BUTTERFLY! I am sure down right C-R-A-Z-Y... something surely dropped me on my head when I was little because I was loving every bit of this run..sure I was crazy but who cares..I am doing it! I FREAKING RUNNING ....!!!
Running alone, amongst the chipmunks, lizards, birds, and other wild life, I could smell the pines, hear the streams, smell a wood stove burning, life was in fact really good. God has soo blessed me and I have now been running for around 6 hours now, SWEET.
A girl about heather’s age, young, who was on one of the relay teams passed me and slowed to tell me I was her hero.. wow, to think I can matter to someone so young, that’s just really cool, I had to think about that for a bit. Woman have come such a long way from being told they couldn’t run this far, to being some of the best ultra runners in the world, amazing.
Mile 31) 10.35 (up/down)
Mile 32) 12.18 (down/up)
Mile 33) 11.35 (up)
Break: 1 min (sat, candy corn, stretch refill bottle). This segment took 34 mins to run with 1 min break = 35.00
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Leg 9:
Leg #9: Head for the Lake
Mileage/degree of difficulty: 2.9 miles; easy.
Topography: Begins uphill, then gently rolling and downhill.
Projected finish: 1:41-2:37pm Total miles 36.5
**Need to arrive at 36 miles by 3:38 pm for cutoff
Actual Time: Around 1:47pm counting breaks
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the downhills, every mile is a blessing, started to appreciate that I have been out here moving for almost 7 hours straight. I noticed that when the fire road changed to regular road it made me feel like my teeth were going to explode out of my skull, the pounding on regular pavement was tough.
I stopped mid run to play with a beautiful orange lizard. Not even thinking the sucker could be like poisonous. Yup, crazy for sure. INFANT! I passed an apple orchard and thought about snatching an apple. Found a really cool feather.
Started to have a little cramping in the legs, nothing that I couldn’t ignore or make go away by changing my pace. At the aid station I told the girl my feet were on fire, she said she had ice, I said no way I am taking off these shoes, I sat and drank my perpetium, and stretched and went potty.
While stretching I heard an emergency call come through the aid station walkie talkie saying runner down between mile 40 and 41. A woman on the relay team, appeared to be asthma related. (she was ok but the fact she went down made me question what the next section would be like)…I got up and check out the next section..my eye balls popped out of my head.
HEINOUS, no wonder she was down! UGH.. I got myself together and heading out to battle the next 5-6 miles of hell.
Mile 34) 13.01 (up)
Mile 35) 11.35 (down)
Mile 36) 11.16 (down)
Break: 4 min (sat, half bottle perpetium, refilled heet and water bottle, stretched, potty). This segment took 36 mins to run with 4 min break = 40.00
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Leg 10:
Leg #10: Are We There Yet?
Mileage/degree of difficulty:5.3 miles; difficult.
Topography: Flat, gently rolling to more serious ups and downs.
Projected finish: 2:50-3:51pm Total miles 41.8
**Need to arrive at 42 miles by 5:00 pm for cutoff
Actual Time: Around 3.13pm counting breaks
HELL, HATEFUL, WORSE THAN HELL, I have a list of who I need to find that put this in here because it is JUST WRONG! At this point, I was lucky I could walk, let alone having to run and walk. When the elevation pulls at you walking, that ain’t cool.
Started to have some more cramping and had to stop occasionally and stretch. On one particular stop, I thought I would stretch my calf. SCREAMING IN AGONY, I thought my leg would fly off, it started flipping out (the calf muscle was contracting), I grabbed my leg and screaming in pain I got it out and realized um NO SUDDEN changes in movement!
So I got myself moving forward again.. and using every bit of mental strength I could muster I concentrated on NO PAIN.... this will NOT stop me.. and it went away.. My nutrition was working, which was a plus, and then I came to the vista.
Mile 37) 11.41 (up)
Mile 38) 13.55 (up)
Mile 39) 13.19 (up)
Mile 40) 13.48 (up)
Mile 41) 16.54 (up)
Mile 42) 12.57 (up)
Break: 4 min (sat, half bottle perpetium, soda, refilled heet and water bottle, stretched). This segment took 1 hr 20 mins to run with 4 min break = 1.24.00
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Leg 11:
Leg #11: Climb to the Vista
Mileage/degree of difficulty:4.0 miles; moderate/difficult.
Topography: Progressive ups and downs.
Projected finish: 3:35-4:51pm Total miles 45.8
Actual Time: Around 4:18pm counting breaks
UGLY, just when I think we cant go any higher… I encounter this craziness, this was an out and back section.. two miles out and then two miles back. This part of the road was actually more like trail and you had to watch for stones and your footing on a section of it.
I came up on a guy who was slightly ahead of me who turned around and said, “Hey didn’t I see you before?” (I am thinking I don’t remember but I said sure I bet), and he said, “You were like WAY AHEAD OF ME”… (meaning that I was NOT now).. and he continued to run ahead of me.. IF I had a fork I would have impaled it into his brain.
There was a beautiful view after you reached the peak of this section, it was UTTERLY breath taking, I actually yelled out loud, “OH MY GOD, is that not the
most gorgeous thing ever!” and the person nearest me said this was his favorite part of the race. So we both walked and looked.. I wish I had a camera… I am understanding what this run is about..I saw a couple of gals on the other side of the road so they were about two miles behind me. I could tell they were ultra girls by their numbers.. I wasn’t planning on being competitive but knowing they were there and NOT wanting to be passed with say a few miles left, my competitive spirit took over and well I just couldn’t stop. Being hunted is so NOT COOL. UGH.
NOTE TO SELF: I shouldn’t have sipped that soda at the last aid station, stomach issues, not good.
Mile 43) 15.45 (up)
Mile 44) 13.13 (down)
Mile 45) 14.29 (up)
Mile 46) 10.52 (down)
Break: 1 min (candy corn, soda). This segment took 54 mins to run with 1 min break = 55.00
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Leg 12:
Leg #12: Trucks Use Lower Gear!
Mileage/degree of difficulty: 4.2 miles; easy.
Topography: Mostly downhill, winding.
Projected finish: 4:10-5:51pm Total miles 50.0 **Need to arrive at 50 miles by 7:00 pm for cutoff
Actual Time: 5:03pm
NO STOPPING NOW...., NOW THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT, downhill! So NO fooling, I literally ran my legs off for the last three miles. I ran by my 89 year old buddy (whose relay team was Old Men of the Mountain) he was doing this last leg (4.2 miles) and he looked really strong, I yelled for him to hang tough.. god bless him.. man I hope I aint doing this shit when I am his age.
The last half mile was exceptionally tough..I thought I would pass out right before the finish line. I was pushing myself faster than I think I had ever pushed my body before. I actually knew it was getting close because I could hear ringing in my ears, and I was super focused, I saw nothing but the finish line.
DONE, I stopped running and looked up..wow.. I went up this mountain 10 hours ago........ and came back a different person..........
Mile 47) 12.05 (up)
Mile 48) 8.58 (down)
Mile 49) 9.32 (down)
Mile 50) 9.31 (down)
*Need to arrive at 50 miles by 7:00 pm for cutoff
Break: 0 min. This segment took 39 mins to run with 0 min break = 39.00
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The FINAL Results:
http://www.tusseymountainback.com/results/Results_2009.pdf
SIGNED UP: 68 people signed up for the Ultra
• 53 men
• 15 woman
DNS: 5 people did not start (3 men/2 women)
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STARTED: 63 people started the Ultra
• 50 men
• 13 women
DNF: 5 people did not finish (2 men/3 women)
FINISHED: 58 people finished the Ultra
• 48 men
• 10 women
My placing was:
• 5th Women’s Masters (out of 7 women masters)
3rd Age 40-44
• 8th Overall in Womens (out of 10 women who finished)
• 49th Overall (out of 58 men/women)
http://www.tusseymountainback.com/results/Results_USATF_2009.pdf
Page #2: is the USATF Women’s Open placing
Page #4: is the USATF 40-44 Age group placing
Page #6: is the USATF Masters placing
