Ode to Laz Backyard Ultra 2021
Race: Ode to Laz Backyard Ultra 2021
Date: 7.10.21
Time: 30 yards (Timed out on yard 31)
Place: 7th
Pre-Race Conditions:
Last minute writing this for the boiling hot hotel room before I pass out for the night. This is the last thing I have to do before getting some good sleep and seize the carp (Carpe the diem)! We had a good dinner with a group after stopping by the course and setting up the tent and hanging out a bit. It was definitely something new to see.
Year one was a bunch of tents and disorganized runners. We were all strangers and just meeting for the first time going to run loops not knowing what we got ourselves into.
Year two was Covid year and multiple start locations, crazy protocols and us happy we were having a race. We now had our group and the friendships were there and we continued to add new people to the experience.
Year three is amazing. The tents are all set up and it’s a whole new look with everyone organized, the beer sponsor tent and marked parking spots. It’s crazy to think how far this has come from 70 some of us to 32 runners hitting some loops the night before the race. This year it’s no longer strangers, friends and acquaintances. It’s family.
Walking into the race, seeing those friends and giving them a hug makes this race what it is.
Going into this my running has been great. I’ve crushed some big miles going in and have a crazy good base. Legs are feeling good and ready to throw down some big miles. My goal outside of 3rd place or first place is 154.1667 miles or 37 hours. That gets me to 1 road loop on the second night. Part of me really just wants 3rd place again because of the other 2 years. Who else would get 3rd 3 years in a row.
I’ve been feeling kind of unmotivated for this race too. I’ve known it’s been out there and what’s coming. I think just a long nonstop few weeks has begun to wear on me. I definitely got the race energy when I set up this afternoon. Tomorrow will definitely bring more. I have a good steady stream of people coming through the day and night to support me and keep me going. Bed time so I can wake up in 8 hours, get my oatmeal, then get down to the park and get the party started.
Race Recap:
What a wild ride the weekend was. I was feeling pretty burnt out and unmotivated going into the race but in the end I was still going strong after a day.
The night before the race I still felt busy after dinner with everyone. It seemed like I had tons to do but didn’t know what it was. I was on the phone a lot. Felt like it was going non-stop and I finally had to put it down and go to bed. Luckily I got to bed about 11PM and got up a few minutes before my 6AM alarm. Not bad for the night before a race. Breakfast in the hotel room where I definitely made my oatmeal too watery again. Happens every time I make it on the road. I did feel bad for the people in the room next to the ice machine as I was filling up my 5 gallon bucket. The bucket idea worked great and is now going to be part of my race kit.
I left the hotel a bit after 7 and headed over to the park all while my phone was already going off with texts from everyone. Getting to the park there was a decent line to get in. Luckily we found the back gate was open and we were able to bypass the line and take the VIP entrance. I got there and got the last little bit of gear unloaded and over to my tent. I saw Matty, TJ, Marvin, Tina, Gary and the rest of the gang before finding Tad to check in and doing my final prep. Tad barely got off the phone to give me a hug he was so out of his mind busy. Found out Nick had slept through his alarm so I wouldn’t have him for the first lap. Lucky for me there were enough people around who were more than willing to help out.
The race started as always, Matt and I went out front and led most of the first lap. After a few miles I saw our time was a bit fast for what I wanted and slowed down to come in with a 50 minute lap. From there on out I slowed down and came in about 53 minute laps consistently. If I needed something I would push a little faster then make up for it the next lap by taking it a little bit easier. Everything was going well for the beginning. As always I struggled to get settled in until about lap 5. I wanted to quit but kept on moving and got comfortable. Once there I found my groove and it just became yard after yard. Much love for the Overlook party folks. Throwing corn hole and Antonio up there DJing all day was always something to look forward to. Plus my Anita rock was on the top stair. I was the top rock! We had a good group at the cabin start line and I spent the time mixing up with different groups. Talking with everyone while running the loops made the time fly by. For some reason everyone was afraid of the start line and stood 10 feet back from it. Not me. I was right up front every lap.
12 hours and no major issues we got to transition to the road for 12 yards or we thought. The first road loop with the other start sites transitioning to the cabins makes for a chaotic start. Runners are coming in hot from the cars ready to start their lap. It was easy to settle in and watch everyone over run that loop. There’s no need to run any uphills and still easily finish a lap. I knew that there would be a down point in the night. At midnight, I decided to get some music going and learned that playing baby shark for 26 minutes is not the way to make friends. It was worth it to me because that hyped up my energy level and me and Annabelle had fun. Sarah hated it too! After that I had some music going and then I had seen Sarah facetiming with someone and thought that was a cool idea. I knew Tamara was going to be headed to group run soon so I had Beth message her and found out that she was driving to the park in 10 minutes. I spent my next lap talking with her and giving her directions. A couple hours later, we were informed that road yard 10 would be our last before going back to the trail due to a triathlon being held and using the road. I spent the last yard there talking with Bruce and Tarama then my dad and Aunt. It was definitely a good pick me up to have those chats. Definitely planning on this next year and making sure someone is up in the middle of the night to talk to. I think this is the loop that we needed to wear our prize of the Nox Gear light up vests. I wasn’t happy at all that they wanted us to do this. After year 2 and Mike Rowe with his seizure inducing vest I have grown to hate those things. Some things were said that I apologized for. As of right now I don’t even know what happened to my vest. I took it off and launched it after finishing that lap.
Back to the trail earlier than planned threw a monkey wrench into the plan. I was doing good but had planned on 2 more easy loops before the trail. As much as I would rather run trail over road, those easy laps would have been nice. It was starting to rain and killed the high humidity and the temperature dropped by almost 10 degrees instantly. The trail in that little bit of rain got slick and sloppy fast. Coming down the stairs was getting harder and harder. I transitioned back to my trail shoes and my feet were happy to be back in them. I don’t remember if I changed my socks. I’m sure I didn’t put on more trail toes. That caused me some issues toward the end when my feet were taking a bunch of abuse from the puddles.
I kept running and my run was definitely stronger than my walk. I felt really strong running. I kept on pace for the 53 minute loop but realized that the 7 minutes in the chair were hurting me because my legs kept stiffening up for the start of the loop. I tried to slow my pace a little to reduce my stop time but it was too little too late. I finished yard 30 and went out for yard 31 pretty convinced that I wasn’t coming back in time. I ran as much as I could but once I hit mile 1 at 15 minutes I knew that I would be fighting a very uphill battle to get back in the remaining 45 minutes. I came back from the out and back and Tad was there at overlook and knew I wasn’t making it back. We had a quick chat and he offered me a ride back to the start. I declined saying that it wasn’t sure it was the best idea but I was finishing that loop. Tad gave me a hug then picked up the 2021 Ode rock that Anita painted and handed it to me. I started my slow 2.5 mile walk back and timed out.
Everyone was still waiting for me at the finish. Katie and Eddie found me a few minutes before hitting the Andrew Moore Bridge. From there it was a quiet walk back. The enthusiasm was still strong at the finish line and I finally got my first real rest in over 31 hours. It felt good to sit in that chair not wearing running clothes. I think Matt B Davis interviewed me but can’t remember what he asked or what I responded with. We hung around for another couple of starts to cheer the remaining runners on and support Sarah. Plus there was food, beer and chäir. What a successful race.
It Hurt.
Pacing
Mile 1 @ 13 minutes
Turn around @ 18-19 minutes
Bottom of the stairs @ 26 minutes
Mud pit at the bottom of the luge @ 36 minutes
Andrew Moore Bridge @ 45 minutes
The Bad:
I can only think of 2 issues I had during this race. 1 was probably over eating a bit too much pizza in between laps. It was a few too many calories and I didn’t eat the next lap because of it. Maybe a small issue but it did mess me up a bit. I wanted to eat all the food but had to be smarter.
The second was when transitioning from the road to trail I should have taken an extra minute to put on a thick layer of trail toes and new socks. If I was rushed due to the change from 12 to 10 road loops then I should have done it a few yards in. My feet were definitely feeling it towards the end.
Maybe shorts that don’t chafe as much would be a great idea too.
The Good:
A lot went right on this one. My nutrition was on point. Everyone kept saying that I was well with it mentally through the whole race and even after. My energy levels felt good the whole race. Beth, Eddie and Brennan took good care of me all night and into the afternoon. I think they were the real heroes of the race. I couldn’t have done this without them.
Moral of the Story:
While this didn’t hit any of my goals that I had set out for myself I really did enjoy every minute of the event. After some struggles in long races, my strength, fitness, nutrition and race plan all came together pretty well. I hit a new personal best running distance and time. It was a great confidence booster going into some later races and help me be ready for next year!
Best Moment:
At one of the lowest points at the race when I was walking back through Overlook and we knew my race was over, Tad picked up the Anita Ode 2021 rock and handed it to me. Nothing could have been better than that moment.
Worst Moment:
Oh, the chafing. More than one moment but it was the worst.
Funniest Moment:
At the start of the race during setup Saturday morning Matt and I saw each other and turned into screaming 10 year olds. Everyone in the pit was looking at us
Map:
Just Ode Loops. Lots of Ode Loops.
Results:
https://my.raceresult.com/174776/
Gear:
Under Armour compression shorts
GymShark Shorts
Junk Brand headband
Salomon Adv Skin 5 hydration vest
Handheld hydration bottle
Asics 3” split shorts
Goodr Sunglasses
Feetures Socks
Altra Superior 4
Topo Magnifly
Topo Phantom 2
Trail Toes
Gurney Goo
Nutrition:
Untapped Maple Syrup Shots
Simple Truth applesauce packs
Hamburger
Tailwind
Fit Aid
Body Armour
Thin Mints
Pizza
Bai Red
Salt Sticks
Salt Sticks Caffeine
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