Episode 153: Kodiak 100K Recap and Another UTMB Ticket for Elena!

Oct 15

In this week's episode, we're celebrating a HUGE weekend for Elena, who finished sixth at the Kodiak 100K and earned herself another ticket to UTMB! We dive into the full race recap, from the somewhat unconventional approach to training that got her to the starting line to the highs, lows, and mental strategies that carried her through over 62 miles of hilly terrain. Elena shares how taking the pressure off training helped her feel more curious about toeing the line, why years of experience matter more than any single training block, and how rebuilding her "performance bubble" helped her regain trust in her body. We also talk about racing your own race, staying flexible with fueling and pacing, and why showing up a little undercooked is way better than showing up overcooked. It's a fun one with plenty to celebrate and lots of lessons for endurance athletes of all levels. Check it out!

Elena:

Kodiak 100k race and reflections:
- Why?
  - Originally signed up early this year as a qualifier to get back to UTMB
  - Then felt like training wasn’t feeling right mentally or physically throughout the summer… couldn’t get into a groove and still felt pretty burnt
  - Decided that forcing an ultra wasn’t the right plan for me
  - Ironically taking all the pressure off of training (I’m calling this delayering) allowed running to come back naturally with friends and adventure routes
  - That made me more curious about what was possible as long as I was feeling fresh and excited
  - So I decided to go for it thinking that there wasn’t really much of a downside– physically I felt good, my performance bubble cleared me, and I wanted to try racing with zero expectations and for the joy and curiosity of it but on a bigger stage
  - And the upside of requalifying for UTMB was still there
- How I prepared?
  - Very very differently than before
  - Only 2 runs over 15 miles since the Boston Marathon in April, and these were both long adventure hike runs
  - Virtually no speed work (a few strides)
  - A lot less volume, but I also didn’t let myself feel at all bad about that
  - Big time on feet weekends leading up to the race
  - Mental prep but it felt a lot more natural and relaxed– speaks to the value of experience
- Race Logistics:
  - Drove there so I decided the week before if it was really a go or not– I had felt so undecided because my curiosity was drawing me towards it but I was wary of setting myself up for failure with the lack of training
  - Sickness didn’t help and made me extra wary
  - Regrounded in getting to have a new adventure, explore a new area, and have a fun weekend with Will amidst a very busy travel period, along with the upside potential
  - Drove 9 hours, did a shakeout run, made sure I had all my mandatory gear, laid out the fuel/hydration plan, and just ran. Very little fanfare and it all felt a lot more routine & less stressful than typical race environments for me
- Race day:
  - Slept well! That felt like it helped a lot
  - Started off feeling happy and excited, just focused on running my race
  - A big climb in the first 20 miles that was my low point– felt the classic doubts of “my legs won’t be able to hold this”, “I should quit at the next aid station and no one would blame me”, “I’m so out of shape”, etc.
  - But then regrounded with “you can’t write the narrative now”, “nothing is really all that wrong”, “just focus on this section”, “you can do this”, etc.
  - Went relatively conservative on uphills but felt surprisingly good on downhills and made up some time on people
  - Really focused on taking care of my body… consistent fueling, more caffeine gels than usual, really steady hydration, Advil, BCAAs, and salt pills as needed, along with wipes at each aid station and ankle tape
  - Was very focused on a zen approach to this race… just staying steady mentally and seeing what happened. Tried to stay in every mile and I also found that it helped me be a lot more compassionate towards myself within the race as well. Hiking when I needed to, enjoying the views, positive self talk, etc.
  - I knew I was in a good position so then it became just about staying steady and not letting myself panic. Nothing was really wrong, just usual race discomfort.
  - Was able to stay pretty steady throughout and finish in 6th, which requalified me for UTMB! Also feel fortunate that UTMB has a great pregnancy policy, so this gives me options which I’m thrilled about
- Reflections:
  - Honestly was very surprised but very happy! So reassuring to know that the experience carries a lot of weight, and more reason for athletes to really practice and get race experience!
  - The value of a performance bubble. I had spent a long time going on my own because I thought no one could understand the full picture. Which is partially true, but I could break that down and find the right support where I needed to:
    - Sports doc→ cleared me that everything was ok
    - Sports nutritionist→ cleared me that I was doing all the right things with some clear things to keep in mind and work on
    - Coach Jay→ helping with the delayering process of what training had to look like. Resetting expectations externally instead of me trying to do this internally.
    - Will→ reminding me that this is about having an experience together
  - This process of truly “delayering” what being an athlete looks like for me has been so rewarding. There’s so many more paths to “success”, whatever that looks like for you, than we may think
    - I still had expectations baked into my mind about what tempo pace should be, how hard it should feel to run uphill, how many miles I should do, etc.
  - Lessons for training:
    - Experience carries a lot of weight
      - logistics that felt routine instead of stressful
      - fueling discipline without having to think about it
      - telling discomfort apart from an actual problem
      - Staying mentally in the moment and not panicking
    - Taking care of my body and my mind carries a lot of weight– being undercooked instead of being overcooked
      - undercooked may cost you time, for me maybe an 30-60 mins against a fitter version of myself, but that’s fully recoverable. Overcooked costs potentially seasons and feels miserable.
    - Excited to improve on specificity– steep uphill economy, leg durability, focused speed without overdoing it
    - As much as you can, always try to check in with your intuition. Separate the “shoulds” of your training and goals from the “curiosity” of your training and goals