I trained all spring for the Niagara Falls Ultra in mid-June. I was ready. I'd gone up an age group by turning 45 and now only needed 3 hrs 50 minutes to qualify. I'd run 3 hours 54 minutes in Chicago in the fall and 3:52 and 4:01 in marathons I'd done on my own in the last year or two. I did the speed workouts, the long runs, the tempo runs, etc.
I started out great-I was ahead of almost all the other women and felt great. I hit the first aid station and passed through. My coach and a teammate were waiting for me at 10k and I wore my vest so I could swap out a bottle there and not have to stop at every aid station. My watch predicted I could run 3:49:09 so I didn't have a lot of wiggle room.
Things were going great, at 10k, my coach caught up to me and grabbed my flask to fill, a bit after the 10k is the only uphill-I was able to run up it and passed about 3 men on the way up. Then I hit 13k and I started cramping. Leg cramps, side cramps. I drank more. I took a salt pill. They got worse instead of better. I gritted my teeth and continued running. The course seemed to be slightly downhill and was losing shade. I was on course to make the Boston time at the 1/2way point but was cramping badly. Shortly after the turn around my times started getting slower and the cramping worse.
Boston time did not happen. The wheels fell off at 13k, I held strong to 21 and was on target at 1:53 at the 1/2 way but the last 29km of the race I was running on cramped legs. I finished in 4:10. 20 minutes I won my age division. 6th female 33rd overall
I ended up not being able to put any weight on my leg for 2 days after and spending 6 weeks pretty much unable to run. I then could run trails a bit, but stayed off the road. By last August I was starting to really feel recovered.
Things were going great, at 10k, my coach caught up to me and grabbed my flask to fill, a bit after the 10k is the only uphill-I was able to run up it and passed about 3 men on the way up. Then I hit 13k and I started cramping. Leg cramps, side cramps. I drank more. I took a salt pill. They got worse instead of better. I gritted my teeth and continued running. The course seemed to be slightly downhill and was losing shade. I was on course to make the Boston time at the 1/2way point but was cramping badly. Shortly after the turn around my times started getting slower and the cramping worse.
Boston time did not happen. The wheels fell off at 13k, I held strong to 21 and was on target at 1:53 at the 1/2 way but the last 29km of the race I was running on cramped legs. I finished in 4:10. 20 minutes I won my age division. 6th female 33rd overall
I ended up not being able to put any weight on my leg for 2 days after and spending 6 weeks pretty much unable to run. I then could run trails a bit, but stayed off the road. By last August I was starting to really feel recovered.
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