The Dirty Thirty was a success. This is the first time I have run a distance this long without training on some parts of the course. I really didn't know what to expect except for a lot of climbing. I had trained well the past couple weeks on the hills and felt ready. I had a goal of 6:30 but I was really more concerned with running this race right. Fuel, hydration and race management were my focus. I ran with one handheld and my Nathan Hydration Vest.
The race starts off with a quick 1/4 mile stretch up a dirt road and then bottlenecks quickly into a short climb on single track. I started in the middle of the pack. As a result the first mile was nearly all walking. I planned on going out slow but not this slow. It really amazed me that very slow runners felt the need to start in the front. It wasn't until mile 3 when it started opening up. At mile 4 I was able to set my own pace. I was a little annoyed but not disappointed. I usually start off fast and fade later. This was a new approach and there were some early climbs so I probably only lost 5 minutes and it put me in a frame of mind of slowing the pace.
Mile 5 dropped the runners back down some pretty nice single track. I got an early runners high. I can't remember the last time I had one. I had 3 throughout the race which added to the experience. About 40% of the course was quality single track. The majority was rocky and technical. It felt like a tire drill at times. This was a mountain course in all respects.
I started getting some morning stomach issues around mile 10. I topped out on a rocky climb at mile 13 and took care of it. After that I was feeling great and enjoyed the scenery and very rocky trail. There were sections that were all rock and I had to be careful with my footing. It was slow moving but the trail was a lot of fun and the scenery was beautiful.
I pulled into the midway aid station at mile 16.8. I had a drop bag with an ensure and coconut water there. I loaded up on 5 strawberries, 2 oranges, 1 watermelon, an ensure and a turkey wrap. I filled my handheld with the coconut water. That was a lot of food but I knew I had a lot more climbing and the heat of the day was here. I had a 1000 feet of climb over the next 2 miles. I left this aid station walking while eating my turkey wrap. I felt a bit heavy at that point. Instead of running I kept walking and my stomach settled in. Fueling like this paid off.
By mile 20 I started feeling stronger. I felt great. I was still walking the hills but I was pushing a good pace. They weren't very suitable for running. They were steep and rocky and I really had no intention of blowing it early this race. Since I was feeling good my goal was to not get passed. I did some leap frogging with 5 other people. I passed the last one for good at mile 26. I passed another 20 or so runners from mile 10 to the finish. I was happy with this because I was getting stronger when others were getting slower.
After the last very steep climb at mile 30 I looked back and saw a runner closing in. I had not let anyone pass me for a while and I wasn't going to let this guy do it know. The last mile was downhill and good trail. I turned it on and ran a 6:19 last mile.
I wanted more. I left the race having learned a lot about fueling and hydration. Finishing out as strong as I did made me realize I left some out on the course. I finished in 6:37:38 which was good for 68th out 247 finishers. I'm still learning how to run a race. It's difficult considering the varying degree of differences in courses and distances. It's really interesting how delicate the balance is. Overall this was a great experience. I felt great at mile 32 and this bodes well for Leadville.
The course was very tough but I didn't let it beat me. I climbed a total of 7,205 feet with 5 climbs of 1,000+ feet and 2 other smaller climbs. The race was very well run and the aid stations were the best. I will take what I learned here and apply it at the North Fork 50k at the end of the month. I will try to push the needle up there and let it rip.
