{"id":112,"date":"2011-04-12T14:45:13","date_gmt":"2011-04-12T14:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pov.clansmith.org\/?p=112"},"modified":"2011-04-12T14:45:13","modified_gmt":"2011-04-12T14:45:13","slug":"run-toto-run-psycho-wycho-feb-12-2011-50k-ultramarathon-race-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pov.clansmith.org\/?p=112","title":{"rendered":"Run Toto Run – Psycho Wycho Feb 12, 2011! 50K Ultramarathon Race Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was about to attempt my 2nd<\/sup> Marathon distance race, and my first Ultra Marathon distance race.\u00a0 Psycho Wyco Winter is a 10.35, 20.7, or 31 mile race (1, 2 or 3 loops).<\/p>\n

I have read others race reports listing around 5000ft of incline per loop. \u00a0For those who don\u2019t feel like doing the math only 22% of the race is flat or 2.277 miles are flat and almost 1 mile of climbing PER LOOP!<\/p>\n

Sarah and I woke up at 5:30am.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kansas City, Ks weather was reporting: 48F\/26F (High\/Low)<\/p>\n

Race will begin @ 8am.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We had to leave the hotel round 7am HOPING we could get a parking spot (we were wrong).<\/p>\n

I got out my Garmin 405 out only to realize in my haste I forgot to grab the charger and consequently it had fully discharged overnight.\u00a0 That was so very frustrating but lesson learned.<\/p>\n

We had breakfast at the hotel.<\/p>\n

I had a bagel with peanut butter, banana and a coffee.<\/p>\n

The girls had some cereal and Sarah had something (sadly I didn\u2019t pay enough attention since I was getting mentally prepared for what was about to happen)<\/p>\n

I was dressed in tights, shorts, compression long sleeve, and technical mizuno long sleeve shirt, injinji smartwool socks, and my NB MT101\u2019s.\u00a0 I figured I\u2019d be cold\/cool in the early hours then hot later.\u00a0 It was a calculated risk I was willing to take.\u00a0 I also had 2x handheld water bottles, my older Nathan, and my newer Ultimate Direction both full and ready to roll.<\/p>\n

We arrived at Wyandotte State Park in Kansas City at 7:20am to find the entire parking lot was full and Sarah and our two little girls would have to shuttle to the starting line if they wanted to see daddy.<\/p>\n

Race directors: it doesn\u2019t matter how many aid stations you have, what food or drinks you have, if my wife is pissed at me and the race itself before I even come close to toeing the line, I have lost.\u00a0 So please plan on more than you expect then be pleasantly surprised when you have TOO MUCH parking.\u00a0 I know there are a lot of things race directors and organizers go through and I appreciate and respect their sacrifices!\u00a0 But I need my support team happy!\u00a0 Even if that means you have separate parking for racers (Especially for out of towners) .\u00a0 Heck I\u2019d PAY to have a space available stress free, hassle free.<\/p>\n

As a result of the parking stress I really didn\u2019t expect to see my family until after the race.\u00a0 I met up with another awesome runner and good friend, John Mossman. JoMo, Super Moss, UltraMossman, we have so many names for this guy!\u00a0 John and I sat in his car after I got my bib, shirt, and then had my shoes screwed. (3\/4\u201d sheet metal screws for grip on ice\/snow covered trails.)<\/p>\n

I took a GU Roctane at 7:40am in John\u2019s car. \u00a0<\/p>\n

We got out and wandered over to where the runners were collecting.<\/p>\n

John said last year they started over there in the snow (pointing about 50ft away).\u00a0 \u00a0At 7:55am Sophia (race director) announced that everyone needed to move to the starting line down in the snow.\u00a0 So the 20 and 30 milers moved into place to toe the line.\u00a0 The 10 milers would start @ 9:00 am.\u00a0 Yah!\u00a0 Let\u2019s ROCK!<\/p>\n

So everyone shuffled down into the 6-8in of snow.\u00a0 We all listened to Bad Ben and his wonderful (fianc\u00e9e? I think they are engaged\u2026) Sophia announce the last minute race info.\u00a0 Trails are still snow covered, and we should expect them to not remain that way for too much longer.\u00a0 When we started running the temperature was in the 30\u2019s and by the end of the race it was in the 50\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Initially John and I were together but within 10 minutes I realized I had lost John somewhere behind me!?\u00a0 I was a little sad considering it was my first Ultra and I was hoping to run WITH my friend.\u00a0 But what occurred on the trail made up for it in spades.<\/p>\n

The distance to the Triangle (named due to its Bermuda Triangle like impression since all the twist and turns make you feel like you\u2019re either right on top or right below the other runners in the Triangle.\u00a0 I was running at this point with a VERY jovial and kind runner in front of me wearing a yellow shirt.\u00a0 He was calling out technical trail conditions.\u00a0 We were joking around about different things like how great it is to have someone taller than you in front to find all the low hanging branches.\u00a0 About 2 or 3 minutes after that joke the guy in front of \u201cYellow Shirt\u201d got clotheslined by a vine right at neck height, and almost dropped to the ground.\u00a0 \u201cYellow Shirt\u201d guy and I made sure he was cool and we all kept going.\u00a0 That is really badass!\u00a0 This runner in front of \u201cYellow Shirt\u201d guy almost sustained a serious injury but got up and continued the race.\u00a0 That is pretty damn cool and NOT something you\u2019d experience in a road race!<\/p>\n

\u201cYellow Shirt\u201d, clothesline guy and I all dropped through a crazy set of switchbacks that dumps runners below the Wyandotte County Lake Dam. \u00a0We MISSED the turn towards the dam and started going off the race course.\u00a0 I was in the back and heard the other runners YELLING at us that we had gone the wrong way\u2026\u00a0 \u201cYellow Shirt\u201d, clothesline, and I give a collective OH F\u2026\u00a0 Turn around and are quickly out on a nice flat stretch below the dam.<\/p>\n

\u201cYellow Shirt\u201d guy and I pass several people having to posthole though the deep snow.\u00a0 I realized this was really taxing my energy but I wanted to stay with \u201cyellow shirt\u201d guy since I was having fun so I didn\u2019t care about the loss of energy in preference to increased spirits.<\/p>\n

Just before we started climbing up to damn dam aid station (mile 5), I BIT OFF the nozzle of my Nathan water bottle!\u00a0 Wow.\u00a0 I tried reattaching it by pounding my other handheld onto the nozzle after I jammed it back in with my mouth.\u00a0 It SHOT off my bottle into the snow.\u00a0 Thus the end of my Nathan bottle for Psycho Wyco 2011!\u00a0 RIP buddy!\u00a0 (It was ditched @ the main aid station\u2026)<\/p>\n

We made it to the top of the dam at the 5 mile aid station and I started falling behind \u201cyellow shirt\u201d guy.\u00a0 I was very sad to see him go but I wanted him to go kick some trail ass and not worry about me so I put it out of my mind and started running my own race.<\/p>\n

I finished my first loop and crossed the finish line.\u00a0 The clock read 51 minutes!!!\u00a0 HOLY SHIT I am a freaking running GOD!\u00a0 I am a ROCKSTAR!\u00a0 I was 9 minutes ahead of even the 10 milers start time!\u00a0 It took me until mile 15 to ask another runner (just after the damn dam aid station) what time it was.\u00a0 He told me it was 10:45am.\u00a0 I was VERY confused at this point.\u00a0 What happened?!\u00a0 Did I really slow THAT MUCH!?\u00a0 Then it hit me.\u00a0 I am so stupid, so so stupid.\u00a0 The 51 minute clock time was for the 10milers!\u00a0 Not me\u2026\u00a0 I crossed my first loop in 1:51!\u00a0 Wow what a big blow to my seriously overinflated ego!\u00a0 No I\u2019m not a running GOD or any kind of running stud, just doing what I wanted to do, run each loop in 2 hours.\u00a0 Well I was 9minutes ahead but I was hoping I could be closer to 30 ahead at this point.<\/p>\n

I finished my 2nd<\/sup> loop in 2:11:52.\u00a0 There went my little 9 minute buffer!\u00a0 I was now OVER my 2 hour per loop hope\/dream time!\u00a0 4:03:22 still not bad for 20 miles!<\/p>\n

At this point it was 12:00, and I was HUNGRY!\u00a0 At the main aid station I found pbj wraps and started shoveling them as fast as I could.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to hang out here with just one loop left but I also didn\u2019t want to run hungry either!\u00a0 Yet another humbling experience: stuffing my face like an 8mo baby with its first jar of sweet potatoes.\u00a0\u00a0 The volunteers refilled my one bottle while I fed at the pbj trough and I was off.<\/p>\n

Loop 3 was quiet, almost peaceful to a certain degree.\u00a0 It was dangerous at the switchbacks and along some of the ridges due to melting snow and ice which made running seem crazy\u2026\u00a0 It took 2:33:16 and I finished in 42nd<\/sup> place overall of 78 finishers at 6:36:40.\u00a0 If I hadn\u2019t slowed so much in my last loop I believe I could have easily dropped 10-15 minutes but I was drained.\u00a0 I walked in MANY of the areas I knew I had run in the last 2 loops.<\/p>\n

Lessons learned: <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Bring the Garmin recharger.\u00a0 Then at 1:51 I wouldn\u2019t delude myself and I might have fought harder in the next 5 miles knowing it was very close to my 2 hour per loop goal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. If you don\u2019t find someone jovial on the trail, BE the jovial one.\u00a0 Who the hell wants to spend hours in the woods surrounded by a bunch of runners who are silent?\u00a0 Feels like a death squad, or a zombie raid<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \u00a0<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Eat, keep eating, and eat a little more.\u00a0 I probably lost 10 minutes at the main aid station before the last loop.\u00a0 If I\u2019d eaten a little at a time at a few of the aid stations I probably could have saved 5 or 6 minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \u00a0<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. 26.2 miles in 4:00 is not bad\u2026\u00a0 But 26.2 FLAT miles in 4 or less SHOULD be easy for me now with the memories of this race in mind! \ud83d\ude09<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \u00a0<\/p>\n

          I had a great time!\u00a0 \u201cYellow Shirt\u201d guy and I shook hands when it was over and I never caught his name.\u00a0 I used the race photos and his bib number with the race results to find him on Facebook.\u00a0 \u00a0We are now friends there and will hopefully run together again in the future!\u00a0<\/p>\n

          So in order:<\/p>\n

          Thank you Sarah, Amber, and Katelyn for supporting my running and making the sacrifices that come with my hobby.<\/p>\n

          Thank you to the Race Organizers!\u00a0 Ben and Sophia you guys put on a FUN race!<\/p>\n

          Thank you to John Mossman.\u00a0 I would probably NEVER run an Ultra if I\u2019d never met you.<\/p>\n

          Thank you to YELLOW SHIRT GUY!\u00a0 Farhad Zarif your spirit shines into everyone\u2019s lives connected to you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          I was about to attempt my 2nd Marathon distance race, and my first Ultra Marathon distance race.\u00a0 Psycho Wyco Winter is a 10.35, 20.7, or 31 mile race (1, 2 or 3 loops). I have read others race reports listing … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pov.clansmith.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pov.clansmith.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pov.clansmith.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pov.clansmith.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pov.clansmith.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=112"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pov.clansmith.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114,"href":"https:\/\/pov.clansmith.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions\/114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pov.clansmith.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pov.clansmith.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pov.clansmith.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}