Michael: Race Strategy and Fashion Coordination

Butterfly travels
A jagged path of pure white
Above the clear stream.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

The countdown has begun to my big March race in the states; The Valencia 50k so it’s time to start putting together a race strategy and kit. The two, for me, go hand in hand.

Long trail races can require significantly different strategies and equipment than long road races, and I‘m not just referring to shoe selection. Road races, with their frequent aid stations don’t require the forethought that can go into hydration/nutrition concerns that an ultra trail race can require. If there are long gaps between aid stations over difficult terrain some form of equipment may be necessary, or even required, to carry liquids and calories.

Fortunately, because there are aid stations, you can almost always get away with carrying less water and calories than you train with and therefore use a more streamlined transport system as well. For example, I generally train with either one of two packs that can carry between 1.5 or 2 liters of water along with a 5 oz. gel flask, a pocket of cookies, and a few other odds and ends that I carry during training that I can mostly jettison for a race.

For racing there are four basic choices; handhelds, lumbar packs, backpacks or vests. I’ve used three of the four, not having tried any vests that carry water in front pockets yet. For ultras I tend to lean toward using a small backpack. Since the Valencia 50k has 16 aid stations with the longest stretch between stations being about 4 miles, I thought about going with either a modified version of a handheld or a small lumbar pack, but most likely I’ll stick with my Ultra Aspire Revolt pack.

I’m not keen on running while carrying something in my hand. I’ve tried using a Simple Hydration 13 oz. bottle that, after I drink about 4 oz., I can stash in my shorts. That’s better than always carrying a handheld and if it were a shorter race, there would be a greater likelihood I’d go that route.

I’ve also found a lumbar pack, the Nathan Trail Master, that actually rides below my navel and stays put around my hips where I prefer a lumbar pack to sit. It’s also got a nice little pocket that can hold numerous gels or a 5 oz. flask. Only problem with it is it splits its 20 oz capacity over two bottles so that would require more frequent stops than I’ll have to make carrying just one 20 oz. bottle. Again, if it were a two hour outing or less, I’d consider that option.

That leaves the Revolt. With it’s 20 oz. bottle and handy gel pockets, I should only have to make 3- 5 quick stops. It’s a little tricky for me to work the horizontal back bottle pocket, but I’m not perfect either. I’ll run a couple of training runs using the Simple bottle and the Revolt pack, and even then may not make a decision until game time and I know what the weather will be. If it’s cool I’ll probably go for the hand/cheek held bottle and if it’s warm I’ll use the Revolt.

Next up is shoe selection.

I’ve kept two types of trail racing shoes on hand for the last several years; a cushiony longer race shoe and a lighter shoe with deeper tread. Right now that toggle is between the Hoka ATR 2 and the Asics Racer 3. I was hoping to go with the lighter Asics figuring the more buffed out trails of SoCal would allow for the abuse my feet will take, over the softer, less grippy and slightly heavier Hokas, but I’m still not sure they’ll work for runs much longer than two hours. So unless it’s raining or a pre-race run on the Santa Ynes convinces me otherwise, I’m leaning toward the more forgiving Hokas. That is if the rubber cement repaired outsoles will hold up during another training run.

Because of that durability issue I’m going to look into Altra Superior 3s for next year when they go on sale, but for now I’ve got to go with the Hokas or Asics.

If I go with the Hokas and the Revolt pack, I’ve got a pretty red leaning color scheme going my way. From bottom to top I’ll coordinate the shoes and the vest with black socks, black and red calf sleeves, black knickers, a red and yellow short sleeve shirt, and multi-colored gloves that match the shoes pretty well. I don’t have a red or black cap and I haven’t seen any out there that excite me for a decent price, so I’ll probably end up going with an old white cap. I hate to go down that neutral road and if you’re going to go with something new on race day to buck the “don’t do anything new on race day” finger wag, a hat is a pretty safe and usually cheap option. But I’m not going to go out of my way to look beyond REI where I’m ordering some road trainers and gel and right now they just don’t have a cap that thrills me.

If I use the Simple Hydration bottle I’ll swap out the tights for a two in one combo that has black shorts with side mesh pockets for gels over dark blue underwear. I’d then replace the red short sleeve Salomon shirt with a dark blue with orange New Balance tank top. That would allow me to use a matching dark blue and orange Asics cap. That outfit will work well with either shoe selection.

So that’s it. Less than a month to go. Now I’ve just got to wait and see what equipment and fashion choices that maven of the runway, Mother Nature, dictates.