Sunday Wrap Up: Knickerbocker 60k Race Report

Today, I napped for 2 hours, ate dinner at 5:00, and used a heating pad on my lower back. There is really no difference between being an ultramarathoner and an elderly person.

Number of Miles Run This Week: 46. That was only 3 runs. Remember that time I ran 60k?

Number of Beers Consumed This Week: 12. That was only in 3 days. Remember that time I stayed out until 1am after running a 60k?

Types of Beers Consumed This Week: I'll be honest; yesterday was about quantity over quality, in miles and in beers. I drank Heineken and Bud Light. I think there were some Sierra Nevadas earlier in the week. Back before I was an ultramarathoner. Have I mentioned I ran a 60k yesterday?

And speaking of which, I've had a day to collect my thoughts on the ultramarathon experience, and now I will share them with you, because they are obviously profound and important and obviously you are dying to know about them, and I am a generous ultramarathoner. To the race report!

Pre-Race: I registered for this bad boy the morning of the race. I got to the NYRR headquarters right at 6:45, and registration was fast and painless. We all had blue bibs, usually reserved door the first corral in NYRR races, but maybe they wanted us all the feel like bad asses. Shirts were crappy cotton long sleevers, which I usually use as throwaways before marathons, but will probably hang onto as proof of my ultramarathon-ness. Registration cost $35 for non-members - gotta be one of the cheapest officially organized ultras around.

One of the reasons I got to the NYRR HQ so early was to use their bathroom, but access was blocked and we were told to use the portapotties in the Park. In general, the people in the HQ were up to their usual jerky NYRR tricks: yelling at people to not sit on the steps, etc. We get it, but maybe ask politely instead of shouting at a bunch of people who woke up very early for the privilege of giving you our money and running 37.2 miles.

I headed to the Park around 7:15 and there was no line for the four portapotties at the start, so I was in and out quickly. Unfortunately for those who arrived soon after, that wasn't the case. Four portapotties for 400 registered runners doesn't come close to being enough, and when the start whistle was blown, there were still runners waiting in line.

Bag check was the usual NYRR affair. Some people who were smarter and more prepared than me brought drop bags with snacks and gear to hang on the fence along the bridal path, to have quick, mid-race access. Eissa kindly offered to hold some of my gear, but between my SpiBelt and Nathan handheld, I had enough fuel on me and didn't need to stash any. We had a chance to see Robin at the start, who was manning the lap counting tent and wished us well in our little run.

On To The Running Part: Eissa, who ran the Knickerbocker for the first time in 2009, kindly allowed me to tag along with her for the start. We decided to go out around 9:00/mile for as long as that felt good. We had a good time catching up - I don't think we'd run together since the Spring - and the miles ticked by. After the initial out and back 1.2 mile jaunt to 102nd Street, we picked up her friend Ryan for the first (of 9) 4-mile loop.

Running, chatting, running, chatting. We hooked around 72nd Street and up the West Side, which was way hillier than I was expecting. I know that sounds dumb, given how many times I've run in Central Park, but I guess because this course cut off the Harlem Hill, my mindset was all "yay, the hard part is taken out of this run!" False. Going through Loop 1 scared me a little; if I thought these hills were hard with only 3 miles on my legs, how would I be feeling when I had been running for 5 hours?


We plodded on and came through the timing area at 90th Street right around 35:30 - a touch faster than the 9:00/mile plan. As we came through the chute, everyone cheered for us by name, thanks to Robin, and we picked up Cate and headed into Loop 2.

Running, chatting, running, chatting. On the West Side, a woman out for her Saturday run told us, "Looking good! Halfway there!" Eissa looked down at her Garmin. "Actually, we have 30 miles to go." Burn.

Going into Loop 3, we dropped off Eissa's friend Ryan and picked up my friend Brad, who had been eating pickles at Katz' deli at 2:00am. Excellent prep for a nice little run. We kept plugging along, at some point being lapped by the leaders, which felt not awesome. More running, picked up Sharon and Josh somewhere in there. Still right around 9:00/miles through that loop.

I decided at the start of Loop 4 that I'd aim to run one more at the 9:00/mile pace and then ease up. Eissa was going strong and she and Josh pulled ahead, so I kept plugging away.

Loop 4, Loop 5, Loop 6... Really it was all the same, but with more/different friends, and one break to pee. Not boring, because of the good company, but nothing to write home about. It was actually just like a long run - no pressure, lots of talking, no real regard for splits. Cate stuck around for 3 loops, Sharon did one, Liza and Gil joined for one, Maura joined for one, Josh came back after running with Eissa to lend his support, and pickles fueled Brad for more than 3 loops. Thanks to amazing friends, and the dedicated spectators who dotted the Park, I found myself with 2 loops to go and hadn't stopped to walk. I was feeling pretty good, actually, thanks to slowing down to a more comfortable pace. And I was officially an ultra marathoner, at 29 miles. But ugh, 2 more loops. I came through the chute and passed the winners... Because they were done and standing still with their awards. D'oh.

Robin joined me for loop 8 and soon we spotted Susan, who joined our ranks. I was moving pretty slowly by then, around 10:30/miles, so I was grateful that those two speed demons we're willing to run with me at a snail's pace. As we came to the 72nd St transverse, we scooped up Brennan and Kelly, whose enthusiasm gave me an extra boost of energy.

Running, chatting, running. Last loop! Susan and Robin broke off to cheer at the finish for Eissa, who was about a half a loop ahead of me. Kelly, Brennan, and I continued on. The West Side hills were bad, but frankly not that much worse than they were from the start. We passed the hotdog cart around 85th Street and for the 9th and final time, I asked if anyone wanted a hotdog.

Up to 102nd, the last set of rolling hills, and the finish was in sight. I mustered some energy and kicked as best as I could through the chute, terrified I'd get there and be told I'd miscounted and had one more loop, which I definitely could not have done. But thankfully, I crossed the line in 5:56 and was done. Automatic PR. And if I haven't made it clear, I'm now an ultramarathoner.

The End: I was kind of shocked that there was no food at the finish. While there had been a table manned by volunteers handing out bananas and bagels during the run (I had half a banana going into Loop 7, but otherwise stuck to 3 Gus), there was nothing at the finish beyond water, Gatorade, and our finisher awards - plaques, rather than medals, which are cool to have, but also not wearable. When I go out drinking after a long race, I want everyone I encounter to know, damnit. Never fear; I just displayed my plaque on the bar. And on the table in the diner...

In conclusion: I am glad I did this race. I was obviously undertrained, but at no point did I think I wouldn't finish. I'm proud I didn't walk at all; though my legs were definitely fatigued, and got that way earlier than I had expected (that's undertraining for you), I wasn't in pain at all, and was able to go out for beers after a shower (and a slice of pizza) last night, sans nap. My lower back is pretty painful tonight, not in an "I need a massage way," but in a "something maybe got pulled or pushed or smushed or crunched in there somewhere in the course of almost 6 hours of running" kind of way, but between the heating ad and some Advil, I expect to make a full recovery.

No stomach troubles at all, which might have been my biggest fear. No weird nutritional needs either; I've definitely raced marathons where I've been hungry during the run, but that never happened yesterday, maybe because I was, on average, almost 2 minutes/mile slower than my marathon pace. But I ate less during the 60k than I do during the marathon. I was sort of secretly hoping I'd have weird food cravings, but I guess Brad had that on lock with his late night pickle rampage.

Having my friends there was really crucial, and I don't think I would have finished, certainly not without walking, if they hadn't been there to distract me with their hilarious stories (and emails, courtesy of Abbe Lew), and also to help me refill my handheld with Gatorade and water and generally say supportive and kind things. Seriously, my crew was truly incredible, and I can't overstate how lucky I am to have all of them in my life, running and otherwise. I wonder if I can convince them to crew for me every race, and also maybe just come to my apartment every morning and say nice things to me, like "you look skinny and your hair looks great today!"

Would I do this again? Well here's the thing: I like the marathon. There is racing strategy involved. Whereas with ultras, 1) having to develop and implement a strategy over such a long time seems like an insurmountable mental challenge, and 2) the spirit generally seems to be more along the lines of "how far can I go? How much intensity can I handle?" than "what's my game plan to execute a fast race?" I don't have the brain power to actually race an ultra, and to run them just for the sake of running far isn't appealing to me as a challenge. I mean, I'm proof that if you go slow enough, you can pretty much run forever. I know an ultra in Central Park isn't your typical ultra, and maybe I'd consider a trail 50k. But I'd consider a trail 10k too. I'm not ruling them out forever, but I don't need to run more than 26.2, and certainly don't plan to be a competitive ultramarathoner from now on or anything.

But that doesn't mean you don't have to refer to me as an ultramarathoner forever more. You do.