You Spin Me Round (Like a Record): PCTR Summer Solstice 24 Hour Run

On June 21, I ran my first 24 hour race at Crissy Field in San Francisco.  The goal of this style of event is to run as many miles in a 24 hour period as possible.  The event was hosted by Pacific Coast Trail Runs.  Race directors John and Maureen Brooks along with all of the wonderful ultra volunteers did a spectacular job providing accurate timing, food, and smiling faces all day and all night. 

I signed up for the race because it was part of the PAUSATF series and I wanted to help score points for the Quicksilver racing team.  I was also intrigued by this unusual style of race without a static finish line.  I wasn’t sure how I would fare at this event, however, since the course consists of flat 1.061 mile loops.  The first half of the loop is paved, and the second half is gravel.  In the past, I have had success with hilly trail events, so this was definitely a big step outside of my comfort zone, both mentally and physically!

Preparation:

I worked with my coach, Ian Sharman, to prepare for this event immediately after recovering from Miwok 100k.  After having trained on very hilly trails for several months, I had to quickly change gears and focus on running flat, fast miles. Ian also helped me to develop a run/walk strategy that I could use and adapt over the course of the 24 hour run.  I decided to begin with 2-3 minutes of walking for approximately every 3 miles (approx. 3 loops) of running.  I knew that I would have to be flexible and adaptable during the 24 hours of forward motion, however, depending on how my body felt and how the weather fared. The frequency and length of the walking segments would most likely increase every few hours, and it would be best to adapt my plan before troublesome fatigue set in.  In other words, I was going to have to be constantly aware of and in tune with how my body was holding up, both mentally and physically.

Another important factor to consider was what type of running shoes to wear if I am going to be moving on flat, compact terrain for 24 hours straight.  In my old road running days, I always had success with Asics.  So, I ordered a pair of Asics Gel Kayanos online and hoped that they would be kind to my feet for such extended use.

After 5 weeks of focused training, consisting of long, flat runs along the Alameda Creek trail, race day had finally approached…

Quicksilver runners before the start of the 24 hour race.

Race Day:

The morning of the event was pleasant and cool and I had pre-race jitters due to my uncertainty of how the day would go.  Burnout Bear set up “camp” at a location along the allotted stretch of dirt path, consisting of two chairs and several bags full of clothing and a cooler full of nutrition for both the day and night.

Views from the course (Golden Gate Bridge on the right)

My bib number was 134 and some Quicksilver race team members made jokes about trying to reach their bib number in miles.  It would take a miracle to reach134 miles on my first attempt, I thought.  My main goal was to reach at least 100 miles, so I was focused on reaching that distance, first.  Any additional miles would be “bonus” miles.  Some team members had also mentioned that there was a 120 mile standard to qualify for the national USATF 24 hour team, so I kept that in the back of my mind just in case I happened to pull past the 100 mile mark.  Since the flat course would require the same muscles to work over and over, I was unsure if my legs would fatigue prematurely.

Completing another lap, still early in the day.

…Slow down, Turtle!...

And, of course, I made the classic mistake at a 24 hour run: I started out faster than I had planned due to nerves and some pre-race mate tea (after having abstained from caffeine for 2 weeks.)  Even so, I still adhered to my run/walk strategy and made sure to walk 2-3 minutes after every third lap.  The walk/run strategy saved my race, or else I most certainly would have burned myself out!  I used this time to also ingest some Hammer Perpetuum, Endurolytes, and Anti-Fatigue tabs, as needed.  I wore a Fuel Belt to make sure that I had some Perpetuum and water with me at all times while out on the course. 

Another view from the course: Alcatraz Island

I found that my GPS was not adding up the mileage correctly and was already off by several miles only a few hours into the run.  Calculating the distance that I had run became a great exercise for my brain while I was running, however, and I was watching the clock at the marathon mark to find that I ran a Boston Qualifying time (~3:40).  This shocked me due to all of the walking breaks that I had been taking and I tried (unsuccessfully) to back off of the gas at this point.  I was still feeling full of energy, though, so even though I maintained the same walk/run strategy, I ended up with the following faster-than-expected splits: 50k around 4:20, 50 mile around 7:12, 100k around 9:17, and eventually I hit the 100 mile mark at 17 hours flat.  The 50 mile, 100k and 100 mile times were all PRs for me!

Danni Baird completing another lap with a smile.  Who wouldn't smile with these views?

…Then I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff…

The biggest problem that I encountered during the race was the gusty wind that began during the early afternoon hours and continued until sometime after midnight.  It was blowing extremely hard into the faces of the runners when running out from the aid station on the south side of the loop and this made that stretch very challenging and tiring.  I made sure to take more walk breaks when heading into the wind and eventually I found myself walking that entire half side of the loop.  The headwind was definitely wearing me out and I wasn’t sure if I would make it the full 24 hours if the wind continued on the entire time.  The wind also made for a much colder run, so I decided to change from shorts into running tights immediately after the sun set.  This ended up being an enormous challenge with stiff and wobbly legs!  Burnout Bear had to accompany me into the women’s restroom to help me change because I couldn’t do it on my own.  This was my longest lap at over 20 minutes.  Never again will I attempt to squeeze my legs into tights after running on them for over 12 hours!  Lesson learned (the hard way.)

Burnout Bear, my lifeline for 24 hours!

RD John Brooks and Greg Lanctot managing the timing system.

As soon as the sun set, I had a difficult time seeing the path and trail and I found that a headlamp was required to maintain a brisk pace.  At this point, I was speed walking a lot and found both my body and mind fatiguing.  Every time I had to stop to use the restroom or refill my water bottles, my legs would stiffen up due to the colder air.  Luckily, the gusty wind gave up sometime in the very early morning, and this relieved all of the runners, as well as the volunteers.  I found myself maintaining around a 14-15 min. per mile pace much of the night.

Burnout Bear now jokes that I am “solar powered” because as soon as the sun light hinted over the horizon, I began to pick up the pace (10-12 min. per mile).  This was due to the fact that I could see the path better and I suddenly felt more awake.  I felt as if I was just starting out for my Sunday morning run!  I was amazed by how much fresher I felt simply by seeing sunlight.

The most common question that I have received since the race from both runners and non-runners alike is: Wasn’t it boring?

Still running in the early morning...

Not in the least!  The 24 hours flew by.  This was the most social running event that I have ever participated in and it felt like an all-night party.  The loop viewed the Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the buildings and lights of the city of San Francisco.  There was a lot of comeraderie amongst the runners and many exchanged smiles, thumbs up, and words of encouragement to one another as one runner passed another.  (Although, during the later hours it was more like a half-smile and perhaps a flick of the hand at most, but it was the intention that counted!)  I met a lot of new ultra runners during this event and became more acquainted with others that I recognized from prior events.  It is refreshing to find that there are other like-minded individuals with an insane love for running and pushing the body to its limits to experience life in its purest and simplest form…  I can’t tell you how wonderful a poor man’s meal of noodle soup and a cup of Coke tastes at mile 110!

Quicksilver Club President Greg Lanctot helps motivate runners during the final morning hours.

Mark Tanaka finishes strong at a 7:37 pace for the final lap!

"Ultra Jester" Ed Ettinghausen finishes in third place after having run 100 miles just the weekend prior!  (He is striving for the record of running the most 100s in one year.)

Cecilia Santos completes another lap with a smile, while on her way to placing second overall female!

Post-race photo with two other Quicksilver race team members: Jean Pommier (left), finishing second, and Mark Tanaka (right.)  This was Jean's first 24 hour event, as well!

Finish line photo with the other successful, driven runners who ran for 24 hours straight!

The Outcome:

It was quite fitting that “Walking on Sunshine” began playing on my iPod as I jogged my final loop. I was in first place overall and was about to complete a total of 131.564 miles / 124 loops in 23:54:04.4 (an average of 10:54/mile.)  I never dreamed that I would complete this many miles in one day and the performance ended up qualifying me for the 2015 USATF national 24 hour team! 

Crossing the "finish line" for the last time!

And A GREAT BIG THANK YOU!

To John and Maureen Brooks for putting on a well-organized event!  Bravo.

To all of the “ultra” aid station volunteers for helping out all day and night.

To Quicksilver “Captain” Loren Lewis for his help and electric energy for 24 hours straight.

To Quicksilver President and Coach Greg Lanctot who helped all night and motivated me intensely during those final morning hours!
To Shir Kochavi for taking all of the high quality, lovely pictures posted in this blog, and then some.

To many other Quicksilver team members who stopped by Crissy Field to share smiles and words of encouragement!  It was uplifting to see you.

And the biggest, warmest thanks to Burnout Bear for his support and love, not only during these 24 hours, but continuously.    

Leaving the event with my supportive "other half".  Thank you, Burnout Bear!