Ahh, well... best train-up ever, and high aspirations, but my stomach didn't care about any of that. After 38 ultras without a single vomiting episode, I finally gained full ultrarunner status during this race (multiple times). I was racking my brain trying to figure out what I was doing wrong with my nutrition and hydration - too much, too little? - even though I was doing exactly what I always do. Couldn't figure it out. Even so, I was in striking distance by halfway, and I was still holding on to the possibility of a rally through Foresthill (even though I was well behind your advice by then). I faded from there, and once I accepted that 24 hours was gone, I had no motivation for anything but a finish (which of course I felt guilty about - my dysfunctional hierarchy of goals).
Turns out my son (crew/pacer) threw up several times on Saturday afternoon (thankfully not while he was on one of the aid station shuttles) before he joined me at Rucky Chucky, and my wife (crew/pacer) had the same thing (but worse) after the race. Correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation, but it seems likely it was a bug rather than something I did wrong. Anyway, I think I'm comfortable taking this as an explanation rather than an excuse.
that's rough! similar to my HiLo last summer (first time puking in my ultra career).... I hope you can figure it out and have a strong sub-24, if not at States then maybe elsewhere. Rio del Lago is a good backup for that goal!
Aw man, seems suspicious; and it could explain the whole “off”feeling from there. Odds are, it was a stomach bug and that is a tough thing to accept when everything seemed to be on point.
Thank you for sharing--a good read and very helpful! I usually do a high, a medium, and a low goal for races. I'm trying to figure these out for ES100 now.
I'd be interested to know how you choose those goals, Tammy (but I guess beating your outstanding time from last year is a good starting point). I thought I had goal selection down, but this latest experience tells me otherwise - I clearly have more to figure out (probably I should write my way through it).
If it is a race I've run before, usually my high goal would be to PR. My low goal is usually just to keep going and not quit, which is nice because it is something I actually have control over. Middle goal is just somewhere in between those two. For Eastern, everything went so well for me last year. I am trying not to get my heart set on beating that time because my head is telling me that is not probable, and I don't want to be in the race feeling upset if I am not on track to do so. Anyway, I really found your write up to be relatable and helpful. And for what it's worth, just as a member of the local trail running community, I really felt happy and proud of what you did at Western States!
That all makes sense. The part about "trying not to get my heart set" is where I went wrong this time - it's easy to say, harder to do. Thanks for the kind words, and good luck at Eastern!
Jeff, sounds like you had a bit of bad luck mixed in with your excellent train up. Sorry to hear you had highly suspicious stomach issues. Puking is bad enough when you’re at home and managing let alone running a 100 miles. I can’t imagine how much that took out of you and your body’s ability to perform at it’s best.
I would have been so disappointed to have an unknown blindside me during a highly anticipated event. It sounds like you you’re working through that and although your hierarchy of goals may have lacked your seal of approval in the end, I personally think it would have still been hard to accept the adjusted goal for a variable (highly suspicious stomach bug/issue) you couldn’t control. Most of the other train/race variables you had dialed in. Ugh!
Disappointment is hard in the moment as we all know, But there are rewards and blessings that await in future experiences and pursuits. I know you know that, and I am confident you will figure out what’s next and crush the top goal and perhaps even the reach goal.
Journey on my friend.
Thanks for sharing and what a great reminder of how someone else’s moment in time(the pass) can reignite our being with exactly what it needs.
This really is the reason we have to run the races or play the game - if outcomes were a given based on how well we've prepared, we could do it all on paper (everyone just post your training log and we'll send you your buckles), right? Anyway, we learn from everything, including disappointment (sometimes more from that than anything else), and I'm doing that now.
Oh, and yes, the pass... agreed - we never know when someone is watching and drawing inspiration from what they see (either positive or negative). A good thing to remember, and not just while we're running.
Thanks for linking to my post.
Tell what happened...why did you miss your goal(s)? Bad races are good teachers!
Ahh, well... best train-up ever, and high aspirations, but my stomach didn't care about any of that. After 38 ultras without a single vomiting episode, I finally gained full ultrarunner status during this race (multiple times). I was racking my brain trying to figure out what I was doing wrong with my nutrition and hydration - too much, too little? - even though I was doing exactly what I always do. Couldn't figure it out. Even so, I was in striking distance by halfway, and I was still holding on to the possibility of a rally through Foresthill (even though I was well behind your advice by then). I faded from there, and once I accepted that 24 hours was gone, I had no motivation for anything but a finish (which of course I felt guilty about - my dysfunctional hierarchy of goals).
Turns out my son (crew/pacer) threw up several times on Saturday afternoon (thankfully not while he was on one of the aid station shuttles) before he joined me at Rucky Chucky, and my wife (crew/pacer) had the same thing (but worse) after the race. Correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation, but it seems likely it was a bug rather than something I did wrong. Anyway, I think I'm comfortable taking this as an explanation rather than an excuse.
that's rough! similar to my HiLo last summer (first time puking in my ultra career).... I hope you can figure it out and have a strong sub-24, if not at States then maybe elsewhere. Rio del Lago is a good backup for that goal!
Aw man, seems suspicious; and it could explain the whole “off”feeling from there. Odds are, it was a stomach bug and that is a tough thing to accept when everything seemed to be on point.
Thank you for sharing--a good read and very helpful! I usually do a high, a medium, and a low goal for races. I'm trying to figure these out for ES100 now.
I'd be interested to know how you choose those goals, Tammy (but I guess beating your outstanding time from last year is a good starting point). I thought I had goal selection down, but this latest experience tells me otherwise - I clearly have more to figure out (probably I should write my way through it).
If it is a race I've run before, usually my high goal would be to PR. My low goal is usually just to keep going and not quit, which is nice because it is something I actually have control over. Middle goal is just somewhere in between those two. For Eastern, everything went so well for me last year. I am trying not to get my heart set on beating that time because my head is telling me that is not probable, and I don't want to be in the race feeling upset if I am not on track to do so. Anyway, I really found your write up to be relatable and helpful. And for what it's worth, just as a member of the local trail running community, I really felt happy and proud of what you did at Western States!
That all makes sense. The part about "trying not to get my heart set" is where I went wrong this time - it's easy to say, harder to do. Thanks for the kind words, and good luck at Eastern!
Jeff, sounds like you had a bit of bad luck mixed in with your excellent train up. Sorry to hear you had highly suspicious stomach issues. Puking is bad enough when you’re at home and managing let alone running a 100 miles. I can’t imagine how much that took out of you and your body’s ability to perform at it’s best.
I would have been so disappointed to have an unknown blindside me during a highly anticipated event. It sounds like you you’re working through that and although your hierarchy of goals may have lacked your seal of approval in the end, I personally think it would have still been hard to accept the adjusted goal for a variable (highly suspicious stomach bug/issue) you couldn’t control. Most of the other train/race variables you had dialed in. Ugh!
Disappointment is hard in the moment as we all know, But there are rewards and blessings that await in future experiences and pursuits. I know you know that, and I am confident you will figure out what’s next and crush the top goal and perhaps even the reach goal.
Journey on my friend.
Thanks for sharing and what a great reminder of how someone else’s moment in time(the pass) can reignite our being with exactly what it needs.
This really is the reason we have to run the races or play the game - if outcomes were a given based on how well we've prepared, we could do it all on paper (everyone just post your training log and we'll send you your buckles), right? Anyway, we learn from everything, including disappointment (sometimes more from that than anything else), and I'm doing that now.
Oh, and yes, the pass... agreed - we never know when someone is watching and drawing inspiration from what they see (either positive or negative). A good thing to remember, and not just while we're running.
Oh, and older, faster, stronger, (wiser).... thanks for the shout out.
You deserve it. And I have to remember to add the "wiser" when I use that phrase, because that really is the most important part of it.