The Avalon 50 was a tougher race than I expected, but it still went really well and I learned an important lesson. It was a hot day, mid-70s, and the race wasn’t on trails—it was on fire roads and paved roads. The hard-packed terrain punished my feet and joints since I primarily train on trails that offer more natural cushioning.
Special thanks to San Diego ultra-runner Jerry Armstrong, who ran the race last year. He advised me to wear my road shoes for the race, so I ended up packing them in my drop bag, which was accessible at mile 18.9. As beautiful as the sunrise was from the highest ridge on the island, all I could think about was changing out of my trail shoes and into my lightweight road shoes.
Once I made the switch, another issue surfaced--but not so obvious. I had slowly become hyponatremic because I was not taking in enough sodium to counter-balance my water intake. I was still thirsty as I took in more and more water. I developed a headache and I couldn’t think clearly so it became increasingly difficult for self-diagnosis. I finally figured out what was going on when I recalled Joe Decker’s story from his first Badwater 135 experience. He told me that he literally had to drink salt out of a Morton’s salt container to counter-balance his over-hydration symptoms, which were very similar to mine.
At the next three aid stations, I used potato wedges to scoop-up and ingest heaping piles of salt. I finally began to feel better around mile 38 which was over 7 hours into the race. As crazy as it sounds, I felt my best for the final 10 miles. My head was clear, I had positive self-talk, my run-walk intervals up hills were pain-free and I had solid momentum. I finished with a personal record of 10 hours, 21 minutes, which is almost five hours faster than my last 50-mile race. It sounds like a significant improvement but it’s relative to the terrain differences. Mt. Disappointment was all above 5,500 feet of elevation, through rugged mountainous terrain. The Avalon 50 never climbed above 1,400 feet on hard-packed fire roads.
It was a learning experience to say the least. I have a much better understanding of my hydration needs and I’m just thankful I was able to hold it together and finish on a positive note. Now I’m excited to start training for the Ironman-70.3 in Oceanside on March 29. I’ll be taking a break from long runs to concentrate on swimming and cycling, but I’ll get into those specifics in my next series of blog posts.
I want to be sure to mention the outstanding performance of my girlfriend in her debut 50-mile race this weekend. Marie made the giant leap from 50-km races to the 50-mile distance on Saturday and finished close on my heels with a time of 10 hours, 55 minutes. I’m so proud of her and thankful that we had such a great experience together on Catalina Island.
I couldn’t do this stuff without your support--thank you all so much for believing in me.
Active Toby's Adventure Blog
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MegNH
Congratulations Toby and Marie! Nice job! So, how are you feeling now? What was it like for you yesterday?
Active Toby
in response to: MegNH
Thank you Megan 
Sleeping Saturday night didn't go so well--I was up every few hours from the discomfort. My body temperature was raised--almost feverish. Sunday wasn't so bad after coffee and breakfast. We had to check out of the hotel, catch the boat and then drive home so having that mission kept the mind off the fatigue (plus it was in the 70s!). I'm moving slowly and expect to be for the next few days but overall I'm well. Marie, on the other hand, is getting a sports massage Thursday night to help her recover/prepare for the Carlsbad half marathon on Sunday! I'll probably schedule a deep massage for next week, hit the pool, cycle and practice yoga for my recovery.
cbrooks
Impressive as always, man-beast. Or is it beast-man?
Active Toby
Guys, I cannot tell you how much better I feel today after posting-up in front of the tv last night and working out the tension in my muscles with The Stick Runner's Massage Tool. For those of you getting into longer mileage and finding yourself carrying over soreness to you next run, I highly recommend this investment for self-massage and preventive maintenance. Check it out: The Stick Runner's Massage Tool
Jay Silvio
Way to go, Toby! It sounds like you overcame so tough challenges. Take time to recover (you've earned it!) and then let us know what's next.
peace,
Jay
JoeDecker
AWESOME JOB TOBY!
How ya feeling? Marie said you were having some problems with your arches. Hey, here's my 2 cents for what it's worth. When I first started ultras at 27 I wore Salomon Raid Runners. Awesome shoes for Adventure Racing, but not for ultra running. Why? They don't have as much cushion or arch support as a running shoe. Made to be multi-purpose. I've done over a dozen 100+ milers all around the globe. I've worn straight road running shoes for all. Marathon des Sables, Badwater, Grand Slam, you name it and will do the same for Barkley and Hardrock. I really believe that guys our size or 170+ need that extra cushion and support. It has kept me injury free and it might be something to think about. Anyway, just wanted to give ya something to think about my friend. Again, AWESOME job!
Joe
"World's Fittest Man"
(858)-342-2993
www.Joe-Decker.com
www.fitness.meetup.com/269
"i ran. i ran until my muscles burned and my veins pumped battery acid, then i ran some more!"
Active Toby
in response to: JoeDecker
Hey thanks for checking in Joe,
I'm starting to feel much better today, actually. My left arch has been sore and I'm glad I packed my road shoes in my drop bag because I wouldn't have made it the whole distance in my Salomon shoes. My arches were burning at mile 18.9. I'm going to take your advice and convert to a lighter-weight setup moving forward. It made all the difference in the world when I switched into the lighter set. Cheers!
Gale Bernhardt
Toby ~
Huge congrats. Take some time to recover for sure.
Gale
Nice job Toby! Congratulations to both you and Marie!