Run for the Ranch 6 hour: Pre-Race

The short version is here, and this posts starts the long version!

In early November, I started thinking about running one of the events at Run for the Ranch (R4TR). The race is put on by my local running club, Ozark Mountain Ridge Runners. I like to support OMRR, and the event location is less than 10 minutes from my house. The race has 4 different distances: a 1 mile, a half marathon, a full marathon, and a 6 hour race. I had reasons for doing each of them...the 1 mile state record is very attainable since there aren't many certified mile road races, it's been awhile since I've raced a half, I could use a sub-3 marathon this year, and I'd never run for 6 hours.

Then I got COVID and decided I wasn't doing any of them! But I ended up bouncing back quickly and after running 20 miles on Nov. 26 (because I was doing a mileage challenge that week), I decided that I was going to run for 4 hours on Dec. 3. If I could accomplish it and still wanted to run the 6 hour, I'd do it. Both things happened, and I was pretty amazed at how good I felt after running for 4 hours, which got me 30.2 miles. The other race options at R4TR seemed really fast, but running slowly for a long time seemed doable. I was also excited to try something different, with zero expectations (though not completely, because I looked at the 2022 ultra rankings before the event). I knew I'd likely have a lot of thoughts about what I should have done after the event, but much like with my first 50k, ignorance was bliss!

I didn't have any specific training for this race aside from the 4 hour run two weeks before it, but I figured I'd had 3 years of running 4000+ miles a year so that should count for a lot. I also rationalized that the way I gutted out both of my 2022 marathons had to have been good training - seems like I'm really good at running 7:15-8:15 pace when my body has nothing to give [spoiler: the end of this one would be slower than that]! Between the Twin Cities Marathon and this race I did one 20 miler the 30 miler, and on all of the others weekends I was running 14-18 milers so I wasn't unprepared - just not as prepared as if I'd focused on this race in advance (even before a marathon I do multiple 20+ milers, and before a 50k I do a lot of back-to-back longs runs). I didn't do any long race specific workouts; actually I did a speed block with my friend who was training for the one mile at this race.

I managed to talk my running buddy Colin into most of my 4 hour training run and this 6 hours event. He ran the Dogwood 50k (technical trail) last month, so had a recent run with 4:20 on feet, and I kept telling him that meant he was better prepared than me. Neither of us really knew what we were doing though. I talked to my friend Julie a couple of weeks before the race and found out her husband Eric was also running it, with similar pacing ideas as me and Colin. Eric had run it before, covering 39.3 miles, so had a better idea of what he was in for.

With Colin, Eric, & 6 gels in my
tights side pockets

Before the event, I asked the race director several questions, and he was kind enough to help me with all of them. He also told me I could set up a table by the course with my drinks and nutrition, a personal aid station of sorts. I took advantage of that and set up a TV table with my nutrition, a change of shoes, and extra clothes. Colin and Eric also placed supplies by the table, but the photo below is of just mine. My fueling plan was to take a gel or bottle every lap, plus water at the race aid stations as needed. I also laid out some UCAN bars in case I was run/walking at some point and wanted them.

Running forever takes a lot of stuff

On race day, after I set up my aid station, I sat in my warm car until 10 minutes before the start, when I got out to pee in a porta-potty that I was parked 20 feet away from. I then got back into my car until 5 minutes before the start. The wind chill was 13* at the start, with a brisk west wind of 20 mph. It was weird doing zero warm up, aside from foam rolling before I left my house and walking to the starting line, and it also made for a much colder bit waiting for the gun to go off!

I planned to run by effort, and fully expected I'd slow down sometime after 25-30 miles. I don't think anyone negative splits ultras this long. I also figured that Colin, Eric, and I would probably go through rough patches at different points, but as long as one person felt okay at any given time, we'd keep each other going. When I ran my 30 mile training run, I didn't feel that good at mile 15, but then at 20 I felt like I could go forever, the last 10 miles were a breeze, and I didn't fade one bit. That experience was helpful to think back on. I figured I'd go through similar phases in this race, and knew that things could always turn around from a bad patch. I also knew that there was a lot I didn't know - but I had 6 hours to learn it!

The story continues here.